Band Assisted Exercises
Where and when to use band assistance in training.
Band-assisted exercise can be a highly useful tool for athletic development in many ways. Incorporating band assistance in different formats offers advantages in both range of motion, as well as power and force production. Exercises such as band-assisted pogos, vertical jumps, and various types of horizontal jumping and hopping can be great candidates for band assistance when appropriate. Traditional strength exercises, such as SSB squats and split squats, can also benefit from band assistance in the right scenarios.
Let’s discuss who would be a good candidate for band-assisted exercise.
1. Individuals Who Are Systemically Restricted in Range of Motion
In some cases, range of motion restrictions stem from an individual’s center of gravity being pushed either forward or both forward and downward. Adding band assistance can shift the athlete’s center of gravity backward and upward, allowing them to access a greater range of motion by expanding the space they can move into.
2. Athletes Who Are Very Strong but Struggle with Generating High Velocities and Acceleration Dynamically
While in some cases—such as for football offensive linemen—maximal strength and the ability to resist movement are desirable, most athletes, once they achieve a certain level of strength, need to translate that strength into power, acceleration, and dynamic movement.
Athletes who struggle with this can benefit significantly from band-assisted movements, as these exercises allow for greater velocity expression.
Band-assisted jumps help athletes become faster and more explosive, particularly during the amortization (transfer) phase of the movement.
Band-assisted lifts (such as split squats or squats) create a variable resistance effect, making the weight feel “lighter” at the bottom of the rep. This allows the athlete to drive out of that position with greater force and higher velocity.
3. Addressing Dysfunction in the Force-Time Curve of a CMJ on a Force Plate
Achieving the ideal force-time curve may never be fully attainable, and there is ongoing debate about what an optimal curve looks like for different types of athletes. However, it is generally accepted that a late-peaking bimodal graph with significant force production instability (characterized by peaks and valleys in the graph) is less than ideal.
Band-assisted jumping can help an athlete experience a smoother, more efficient force-time curve by propelling them out of the amortization phase, potentially improving efficiency in this phase.
More to come on specific adaptations that can occur from this type of training, but hopefully, this provides some clarity on possible use cases for band-assisted training.