Covid Restrictions, Workouts, and Resistance Bands

Covid restrictions, workouts, and resistance bands….what do these three have in common?  Bone buidling!  Don’t get it?  I will explain.  Covid-19 restrictions have forced gyms to mandate masks, which can be tough when your heart rate is up and you’re breathing hard.  As a result of this and fears about getting the virus while at the gym, gym attendance has declined and people are wanting to work out at home.  Over the past few months, the purchase of at-home equipment has increased.  Some purchase resistance bands as a low-cost alternative to dumbbells or spendy weight machines.  Weights can produce stronger bones, but can these bands do that as well?  As you know if you read the Paragon Orthopedic Center blog, we are passionate about bone building.  The answer is yes, these bands can produce stronger bones, and there’s the connection to our introduction.  The short explanation is that when you use the bands,  they cause resistance in your tendons (where the muscle attaches to the bone), and as these pull on your bones,  the resistance causes bones to respond and get stronger.  Another benefit of using these bands is that they travel easily, so you can take your workout with you and not lose any of your muscle gains.  There are some finer details to band workouts, such as the fact that you will need to push yourself more when using resistance bands because the “weight” is connected to the tension you must create.  In other words, there’s going to be more work in your workout if you use resistance bands, but your muscles and bones will benefit!  Another detail which is mentioned at the end of the Denver Post article is that you should still include high-impact exercises.  We’ll cover that in our next blog.  Read more in this article:

Bands and weightlifting help build bone density