Upper Body Basics

what do you think of this? Ido refers to this as basics, however I have been training for 2 and a half years in this type of movement training. This is not what I would consider basics and believe that mislabelling is a sure way to dissuade or make people believe they can't achieve things that have taken him years to perfect.


Maybe his interpretation of the word basics is different? let me know what you think below. 

The Science of Amazing Abs

Overview

Carving out a great six-pack isn’t an easy feat—which is too bad, since virtually every person I’ve ever met wants a defined set of abs. 

But too many people view six-packs as a kind of fitness status symbol, reserved for the genetic elite or those who spend more time in the gym than they do in their own home. And that’s simply not the case. 

Yes, your genetics and diet influence just how much muscle definition you have around your midsection. But the good news is that everyone has abs—regardless of how well you can see them. And that means that everyone can build better abs. 

You might have to relearn a few things, but by incorporating the principles below and trying some new exercises, you can build stronger, better abs than ever before.

Your Abs Have More Than One Purpose

Ever wondered why sit-ups became such a popular exercise? It’s because most anatomy books state that the purpose of your abdominal muscles is to flex your spine. As a result, people think that by creating a “crunch” type movement, you’ll build your abs the way nature intended. 

Unfortunately, most anatomy books are “at least 35 years out of date,” according to Mark Comerford, a researcher, physical therapist and founding director of Kinetic Control, a consulting agency that assists physiotherapists. He says that, while your abs do flex your spine, that’s just a small part of their duty. Your abdominal muscles also…

* Create movement: Let’s say you’re standing upright, and then you bend forward at your waist as fast as you can, as if you’re a boxer ducking a punch. When you do so, you’ll feel your abs activate; since you’re moving faster than the speed of gravity. Your abs will kick in to propel your torso downward. 

* Counterbalance movement: Ok, now pretend that you’re standing upright again, this time with your hands on your belly. If you were to start leaning backwards, you’ll again feel your abs activate, but this time in a different way. Your abs are doing the opposite of what anatomy books tell you. Rather than flexing your spine, those muscles are fighting the extension of your spine to keep you from falling over.

* Resist movement: All right, last example. You’re again standing upright, but with your arms reaching straight out in front of you at shoulder-level, with your hands locked together. Let’s say a friend tried to push your arms to one side, but you didn’t want to move. How would you resist their efforts? Your abs. Your core would activate to keep your arms pointing straight ahead. 

It’s important to do exercises that will work your abs in all of these different ways to protect your body from injury and reveal the lean body you desire.

Crunches Aren't the Enemy

Crunches fell out of fashion in recent years, as fitness experts and rehab professionals began speaking out against the exercise. Most cited the work of Stuart McGill, Ph.D., a respected spine researcher who found indications that doing too many crunches can cause serious damage your back. His theory: Because they require you to flex and bend your spine, performing these exercises often could cause a person’s spinal discs to push out too far, which could result in a herniated disc.

But the truth is that claims about crunches are highly debated. Carl DeRosa, Ph.D., the author of Mechanical Low Back Pain & Mechanical Neck Pain, says that your body position isn’t responsible for putting pressure on your discs – it’s how tightly you’re squeezing (or compressing) your muscles that has the biggest impact. Other experts like spinal researcher Michael Adams, Ph.D, say that a person’s discs can actually strengthen (like your muscles) and potentially become more resilient to injury as a result of doing abs exercises like crunches properly.

The bottom line: If you have a disc-related injury, crunches might not be the best exercise for you. But for healthy athletes, a few sets (not hundreds of reps) of well-performed crunches can help activate your abs. Performing crunches on a Swiss Ball or BOSU Trainer is exercise safer than floor crunches because they offer more support. Added bonus: Since you’re on a round surface, you also have a greater range of motion.

1. Weighted Crunches on a Ball or BOSU - Position a BOSU ball on the floor with the dome side up. Lie face-up with your lower back supported on top of the dome, with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent about 90 degrees. Hold a weight plate (or dumbbell) in front of your chest. Raise your head and shoulders and “crunch” your rib cage toward your pelvis. Hold, and then return to the starting position. Perform 2-4 sets of 6-12 reps.

Full-Body Exercises Help Build Six-Pack Abs

Almost every movement you do works your abs in some capacity—especially if you’re standing. Press a weight overhead, your abs engage. Stand on one leg, your abs are working. Struggle during a tough exercise and “cheat” a little on your form—yep, you’ll probably feel your abs coming to the rescue. 

These non-abs specific movements hit your midsection indirectly by working your “core” muscles, which are different from your abs. (Your core encompasses your entire torso, including your chest, glutes, back, and even neck muscles.) The following six movements work your core and help your abs “pop,” too.

2. Push-Ups: Everyone knows that planks are killer abs exercises. Push-ups are essentially planks crossed with a bench press, so you can strengthen your six-pack and build your chest. Start in the push-up position, with your arms slightly out in front of you and your elbows near the side of your body. Keeping your back straight and abs tight, lower your body until it almost touches the floor. Pause, then push yourself back up into the starting position.

3. One-Arm Push-Ups: This exercise is the king of upper-body pushing exercises, hitting every muscle that regular pushups hit while placing extra emphasis on your abs and obliques. Start in the pushup position but put one hand behind your back. Your other arm will be slightly out in front of you, with your elbow near the side of your body. Keep your legs wide (the wider they are, the easier the exercise). Lower your body down until your torso almost touches the floor. Pause, then push yourself up to the starting position. 

4. Standing One-Arm Cable Press: If one-arm pushups are too advanced for you, standing single-arm cable presses are the next best thing. Like the one-arm push-ups, the exercise strengthens your upper body, abs and obliques. Holding a cable in one hand, step out so that one foot is in front of you and the other leg is bent behind you. Lean forward slightly, pick your back heel off the ground, and tuck your elbow in. Drive the cable in your hand forward, pressing with your shoulder. Return quickly to the starting position and repeat.

5. Cable Chops: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your abs braced. Grab a cable in one hand and pull it across your body. Then turn your shoulders and hips, as if you are swinging a bat. You have three options for the motion: high to low, low to high, or you can press horizontally, from the shoulder level. For best results, mix them up.

6. Offset Dumbbell Lunges: These lunges are a great way to work your obliques. Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and grab a heavy dumbbell in one hand. Take a step forward with one leg and lower your body until your knee is bent at a 90 degree angle. Then step forward with your other leg to return to the starting position. Take a step forward with the opposite foot and repeat the movement. Continue this pattern as you walk across the floor.

7. Tight Rotations: This body-weight movement is a relatively new exercise, but just as effective as the classics. Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart with your arms straight out in front of you and hands locked together. Rotate your arms and torso as quickly as you can from left to right, keeping the movement between your feet – your shoulders shouldn’t extend past your left or right foot. Move your hips with your shoulders.

But You Still Need Ab-Specific Training

While nearly every exercise works your abdominal muscles in some way, the benefits of these movements are limited. Most only test the stability of your abs. They don’t develop other aspects of ab strength, like the ability to initiate movement. 

That’s why doing targeted abs movements is so important. Abs-specfic exercises allow you to strengthen your midsection completely, helping you build an impressive six-pack that’s built to move. And perhaps the best way to strengthen your abs is to do Swiss-Ball Pike Rollouts. A 2010 study in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy found that both the Ball Pike and Ball roll Out exercises were the most effective way hit your upper abs, lower abs, and obliques all at once.

8. Swiss-Ball Pike Rollouts: Start in a pushup position with your hands on the floor and shins resting on top of a Swiss Ball. Your hands should be shoulder width apart, with your back kept straight. To start the exercise, tighten your core muscles and pull your legs in towards your arms, lifting your hips in the air. Pause at the top of the rep and hold for 1-2 seconds. Then lower yourself back down to the starting position, sliding your legs back over the ball until your arms are extended out in front of you. Remember to keep your abs braced and your back straight throughout the movement. Perform 2-4 sets of 6-12 reps.

By : NICK TUMMINELLO 

http://www.livestrong.com/article/556757-the-science-of-amazing-abs/

Insane Taekwondo Skills

Tae Kwon Do was the first martial art that I studied as a child. A family friend took me under his instruction when I was still only 3 years old. If you have ever trained in a martial art, what discipline did you start with and at what age? Leave a comment below. 

Stretching for Super-Stiff People - How to Get into Position

How flexible are you? A great tutorial on stretching and how to work into some of the deeper stretches. 
Leave a comment below and let me know what you think. 

SiMonster - Planche Tutorial

Great progressive explanation tutorial from SiMonster, making this look easy. He is one of my big inspirations, demonstrating so much control and strength in his movements. 

Planche is one of my regular exercise movements, still working toward full Planche though. Leave a comment if you have ever tried this. 

*** The Basics Will Make You Better ***

You're on the floor again, the cold surface under your sweaty body, a reminder that you should be better than you are right now. Your mind annoyed at making no progress for months, the endless plateau preventing you from moving forward. Challenging your self belief, as you think should I quit?

What Are Basics?

Defined as

"Forming an essential foundation or starting point; Fundamental: Certain basic rules must be obeyed"

Basics are often only thought of as the starting point of a discipline and are all too often overlooked when people struggle to progress further. As human beings we hate having to move backwards, most of us struggle forward trying to force our way through. What if we are looking at things wrongly and the only way forward is to move back? To the basics?

"Just because they are basics, Dosen't mean that they are easy"

{ Coach Sommers - Former American Competitive Gymnast Coach } 

In my opinion basics got a bad name. Or possibly its just our connotation of the idea, that makes people feel like they aren't good enough. Whatever your discipline, the basics are always the fundamental foundations that everything is built on. Not just the start but the path to becoming more proficient in all respective disciplines.  

Analogised basics can be compared too when you see a new housing development starting. It might seem that for weeks, months, maybe even years, nothing is happening. You drive past regularly only seeing fences and signs. There is plenty of activity but not much progress, then one week goes by where you haven't driven past. This time though there stands a dozen buildings, not complete yet but they have appeared almost over night. 

The foundations (basics) take time because they are what everything else is built on. The basics of all disciplines will take a long time to install. Get them right and you will become stronger, faster and better than you can imagine.

"Patience is all that separates those who fail and those who succeed"

Without foundations or basics, no good structure or progress can take place. A lot of people never even attempt the basics, they just jump straight in at an intermediate or advanced level. Maybe this is because people don't know where to start? This is something you will see a lot, the more you train the more apparent it becomes. 

"It is not your fault. You don't know, what you don't know and if you haven't been taught how can you possibly know?"

Working with someone like a professional coach or a personal trainer is a great way to have your technique assessed and critiqued. I have been training in martial arts for over 28 years and fitness / movement training daily for 3 years. Yet I still work on the basics every time I train, often with the world's best teachers, that I can get access to on a regular basis. Many people believe that because they have been training a long time they know the basics and no longer need to train them. 

You should always find new ways to train the same basics. Don't fear trying new things, especially if it challenges you, your beliefs or you struggle with it. You're struggling because you are not strong enough in that area. Be open minded to exploring new and difficult tasks. To get better you can take advice or guidance from someone that can spot you. Like a weightlifter often has someone to catch the weight, that is often far too heavy in the first place.

In the beginning it might be difficult to self critic yourself. As you start to pay attention to your areas of weakness, it should slowly become apparent. Indicators of weakness will identify areas that need work.

Common Faults 

• Bad structure - Your body is not in a healthy or strong position, unable to generate consistent force where you intend to. You are moving with a one sided dominance, often seen due to left or right handed preference. This should be worked on to create a balance.   
• Bad Form - Without starting world war 3 in the gym, CrossFit is a prime example. Swinging for momentum, bending at the waist to lift those bicep curls and going as fast as possible to compensate form for numbers. A few examples and of course not just CrossFit related. 
• Bad Movement - Ever seen some one training in the gym and thought to yourself, that looks so awkward? If it isn't a natural movement or flow then A. it probably isn't achieving anything and B. is likely to result in injuries, which can put people in the best case scenario out of training for weeks. 

Basics are always discipline specific but fundamentally the same rules apply. What rules should we be looking to apply to our training? Here are 5 rules I think would be useful, implemented as a base for working on any exercise you want to get better at.

Do it slow - All too often you'll see people thrashing it out. A desperate attempt to get it over and done as quick as possible. Enjoy the process and remember 5 good slow, full range of motion movements will yield better results than 20 poor, fast and incomplete ones. "If you can't do it slow and controlled, then you need to work on it". It will be harder and often I see people getting frustrated because they cant do 20 any more. 

"Remember Quality Beats Quantity"

Use a mirror - In most movement arts, for example dance, the studio walls are clad with mirrors. This is because form and attention to detail can be the difference between 1st and 2nd place. Similarly in most training facilities, those selfie taking areas that you might have to fight to get in front of can be put to good use! Look at your position, observe the way you move. Imbalance will be obvious, work on creating clean fluid movement. (If there are no mirrors, you can set up your phone to record your movement. Something I do personally, great if you're doing movement exercises!)

Full range of motion - You see many people pulsing through their workouts, the worlds slightest movement pushups and squats etc rather than full repping. Maybe they think or have been told that is the correct way? To make real progress you have to be able to move through the entire movement whether it is a bicep curl, squat or benchpress. Don't shorten the movement because it is hard, get low and get slow. All the way down and all the way back up. As you get better you'll be able to increase speed, also add + and - factors to your movements, creating an even greater and more impressive, range of motion.  

Drop the weight - Every gym goer does this at some point, completely stacks the machine to maximum or picks up the heaviest dumbbells. When I talk to weight lifters about this they look at me with contempt, "But I can dead lift 180 Bro". Remember if you are compromising your structure or form and can't move well with flow, then you're not only getting very little benefit from the exercise, but you are also running a high risk of causing injury. Learn to be strict with yourself, using the basics you can significantly increase your maximum lift. Only when you get the basics right!

Watch the experts - If you are completely lost and aren't sure what to do, seek professional advice, that isn't your average YouTube channel. If they are doing it wrong, then you most certainly will. Then anyone watching you will also do it wrong (see the self perpetuating problem in the fitness world?). Lost in translation can be a giant game of Chinese whispers, the further it gets from a credible source instructor, the less likely it is to be any good. My advice in choosing an instructor is, do your homework on them. An instructor is only as good as their instructor and the information available to them. This is why I look to train with elite coaches themselves when possible or 2nd generations, the elite coaches top students (Stay close to the source).  

Remember the basics are intrinsically connected to everything that you do. I would even go as far to say there is only basics because without them you will never progress. Keep striving, keep studying and keep moving. 

Please feel free to leave your thoughts and comments and I'll be sure to get back to you shortly. 

By Craig W. 

The Real Fitness Ninja

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13 Legit Reasons to Start Bodyweight Training Today

"Getting fit doesn't have to be complicated"

Simple bodyweight exercises can be a great choice for achieving gains in strength, flexibility, and overall health. Best of all, they don't cost a thing and you can usually do them just about anywhere. Still not convinced? 

We've got 13 reasons why bodyweight exercises should be a key component to your workout regime.

Why Bodyweight Training Is the Best

1. It's a super-efficient workout 

Research suggests high-output, bodyweight-based exercises like plyometrics yield awesome fitness gains in short durations.   Since there's no equipment involved, bodyweight workouts make it easy to transition from one move to the next with little rest. And you've probably already heard that those short-but-intense HIIT workouts can yield major results.  

2. It can combine cardio and strength training 

Performing quick cardio sessions (such as 60 seconds of burpees or high-knees) between strength movements (such as a set of push-ups or lunges) will keep the heart pumping while still encouraging muscle and strength development.  

3. You can burn fat—fast

Just a few minutes of a bodyweight circuit training can have a major impact on the body's metabolism. If you've ever heard of the afterburn effect, you know that even when your workout is over, your body can still be revved for hours to come.  

4. At any fitness level, it's challenging

Bodyweight exercises are great because they're easily modified to challenge anyone. Adding extra reps, performing the exercises faster or super slowly, taking shorter breaks, or adding a ballistic movement (like a clap at the top of each push-up) are just a few ways to make the simplest workout tougher. And with each added modification, your progress is obvious. 

5. You'll gain core strength

Your core is more than just six-pack abs. In fact, at least twenty-nine muscles make up the trunk of the body, and many simple bodyweight movements can be used to engage all of them. Such exercises won't just give you tighter abs, you'll also gain better posture, relieve lower back stress, and improve overall performance.

6. It can increase your flexibility

Not everyone who does regular resistance training has to end up with tight muscles and inflexible joints. Bodyweight training can go hand-in-hand with building strength and flexibility. Completing bodyweight exercises through a full range of motion ensures your joints are moving freely. Plus, it can lead to improved posture and might reduce the chance of exercise-related injury.  Yoga, the fave no-equipment workout for many, is another great way to to improve flexibility while also significantly improving strength.  

7. There's never an excuse to not workout

 

Ask someone why they don't exercise, and chances are they have "no time" or it's "inconvenient." Luckily bodyweight exercises eliminate those common obstacles. When you only need a little space, it's easy to squeeze in workouts wherever you are. Exercising without equipment can also be used as a stress reliever whether you're working at home or on the road.

8. You'll achieve better balance

When it comes to this type of training, sometimes increasing resistance means increasing balance, too. For example, a normal squat can be ramped up by swapping in a single-leg squat (a.k.a. a pistol squat). Functional movements like that one can improve balance through increased body awareness and control.

9. You'll never get bored

It can be easy to get stuck in a workout rut of treadmills, bicep curls, lat pull-downs, and bench presses. That's why bodyweight training can be so refreshing: There are countless exercise variations that can spice up any workout routine. Working with a variety of exercises not only relieves boredom, it can also help break plateaus and spark further progress.

10. Mixing up your workout is easy

Indoor excercise isn't for everyone. Luckily you can do these moves inside or outdoors, alone or with a group of friends. Think about adding some strength moves to your next park run, or finishing a swim session with a quick bodyweight circuit to keep things interesting.

11. It's free

Gym memberships and boutique classes can quickly add up—but bodyweight training is free. Experts cite the low cost of bodyweight training as key to its rise in popularity.

12. It can help with injury prevention

Injury is one of the main reasons people stop working out, so preventing those aches and pains should be a big priority. Bodyweight exercises are generally safe for any exerciser regardless of experience, age, or fitness level. Many simple bodyweight movements can actually be an effective option for rehabilitation, even for those with significant impairments.  

13. You'll see results

Bodyweight exercises get results partly because they involve compound movements—meaning numerous joints and muscles are engaged in each move. Compound exercises such as push-ups and lunges have been shown to be extremely effective for strength gains and performance improvements and research shows improved core strength (see No. 5 above) translates to improved strength gains throughout the entire body.  

BY DAVE SMITH

http://greatist.com/fitness/start-bodyweight-training

Johnny's Recovery - NO KNIFE

The Power of the right type of training system. Not only will it make you stronger but also rehabilitate any injury. In this case Johnny's injury, if asking a doctor would or resorted to immediate surgery to fix it! 

Let me know your thoughts and feelings on this video, it really inspires me to be better! 

Why Sitting Down Destroys You - "IF YOU DO NOTHING ELSE TODAY, WATCH THIS!"

This is so powerful, anyone that knows me or my martial arts instructors will have heard me or them talking about this! Structure, Form and functional movement.

Think you can Squat? You should be doing it more, not what you see the YOUTUBE girls doing, sticking their butts out in an unhealthy way!!! Low and functional, none of this bum sticking out rubbish.

Keep checking back, more great information and videos coming soon to help you work on this functional movement. - To learn more get in touch drop me a message or leave a comment below.

10 Benefits of Using Resistance Bands During Exercise

Resistance bands are made of strong, thin rubber with handles at the end, and come in a variety of resistances depending on your fitness level. With resistance bands, you can do just about any type of strength training exercise -- chest presses, rows, shoulder presses, tricep extensions, bicep curls, and even squats -- without the need for heavy weights. 

If you've never tried resistance bands, or you're new to them, you may be surprised at how much benefit you can get from what is essentially a reinforced rubber band, but as is often the case, the simplest tools are often the very best for your health.

10 Benefits of Adding Resistance Bands to Your Workouts

1. Incredibly Cost-Effective

Resistance bands are inexpensive and can be purchased for under $10. Even more extensive kits, which may include DVDs and other exercise equipment, can be found for under $40, including Kathy Smith's Stay Firm Upper Body and Core Kit, which comes with a "figure 8" resistance tube that is specifically designed to challenge your core muscles. 

2. Adaptable for Multiple Fitness Levels

Whether you're a beginner or an expert, resistance bands are for you. They come in a variety of resistances, including light, medium and heavy, and you can further adjust the intensity of your resistance-band workouts by giving the band more or less slack. You can even use multiple bands at once to increase the challenge.

3. Used with Familiar Exercises

You can often use familiar strength training moves with resistance bands, which means you don't need to learn a complicated new routine. For instance, resistance bands can replace the weights you use for biceps curls, or can increase the intensity of your push-ups.

4. Whole-Body Exercises

Resistance bands can be used for a comprehensive, full-body workout that challenges virtually every major muscle group in your body.

5. Save on Storage Space

Resistance bands take up virtually no space to store them, which means you can use them at home even if you have very little extra space. When your workout is done, simply stash them in a drawer until your next session.

6. Excellent for Travelling

Resistance bands are lightweight and easily portable. You can stash them in your suitcase when travelling and use them to get a good workout right in your hotel room.

7. Add Variety

Your muscles quickly adapt to movements you do often, which is why adding variety to your workouts is key for challenging your muscles. Resistance bands can be alternated with free weights and exercise machines for ongoing variety.

8. Easy to Use Alone

It's not a good idea to lift heavy weights without an exercise buddy, but resistance bands can be safely used on your own. They're ideal for exercising any time, at home or on the road.

9. Can Be Combined with Other Equipment

Resistance bands are so versatile that you can even use them along with weights, allowing you to get the benefits of two types of exercises at once.

10. An Effective Workout

Resistance bands are incredibly simple, but they're also extremely effective at working your muscles. Additionally, resistance-band training can help you boost stamina, flexibility, range of motion and more.

Resistance-Band Exercises You Can Try Out Now

In the video above, Mercola.com's personal trainer Jill Rodriguez shows you a variety of resistance-band exercises that you can easily incorporate into your workouts. Below are more instructions for some of the more popular resistance-band exercises as well, as explained by ResistanceBandsX.com:

• Squats: While standing with your feet at shoulder width distance, hold the handles of the bands using both hands and stretch it up to shoulder level. Do a full squat but prevent your hands from moving. Do this gradually, then stand back up, and repeat the same routine.

• Bent Over Rows: Place your left or right foot on the band while the other foot is kept at the back. Slowly bend forward until you are at 45-degree angle position. Gradually pull the band up to the level of your waist while your elbows are kept in. Proceed with the rowing motion while you are squeezing your shoulders. Go back to your starting position and do the same using the other foot.

• Horizontal Chest Press: While lying with your back on the band, take both ends of it and hold it in. Slowly raise your left or right hand towards the ceiling and then bring it down slowly. Repeat the same motion using the other hand.

• Biceps Curl: While standing on the band, hold both ends using your hands. Slowly curl up your hands towards your shoulders. Ensure that both elbows are bent backwards. Keep the position for a couple of minutes before going back to your starting position and repeating the same routine.

• Vertical Chest Press: Get a chair, attach the band to it, and then stand on the band while your back is facing the chair. Take both ends of the band using your hands and then gradually extend both hands outwards. Bring your hands back to its starting position and repeat the same procedure.

• Overhead Press: Stand over the center of a tube band with feet shoulder-width apart. Grip each handle, positioning your hands at shoulder level with palms facing each other so your thumbs touch your shoulders. Press straight up, rotating your palms forward as you fully extend your arms. Lower back down slowly and repeat.

• Overhead Triceps Extension: Sit on a chair or bench, placing the center of a tube band beneath your glutes. Grab a handle in each hand, and stretch your arms up, bending your elbows so that your hands are positioned behind your neck. With palms toward the ceiling, press your arms straight up until they fully extend. Lower back down and repeat before switching sides.

Why Strength Training Is Important

I've explained why resistance bands make a smart addition to virtually any strength training program, but perhaps you're wondering why you should be strength training to begin with. Strength training will improve muscle and bone strength, which can help prevent falls and fractures, but it also increases your body's production of growth factors, which are responsible for cellular growth, proliferation and differentiation. Some of these growth factors also promote the growth, differentiation, and survival of neurons, which helps explain why working your muscles also benefits your brain.

So, while weight-bearing exercise, like resistance or strength training, can go a long way to prevent the loss of bone quality and density, and can help reverse the damage already done, interestingly enough, strength training also has brain-boosting side effects, which can help you avoid age-related dementia. You can use either gym equipment, resistance bands, free weights or a combination for your workouts. Gym equipment or resistance bands may be safer if you're a novice, as free weights will require better form and control. Whichever one you choose, I recommend having a trainer take you through each exercise to make sure you have the proper form performing the exercise, to avoid injury.

Try Super Slow Movements with Your Resistance-Band Workout

Finally, if you want to take your strength training up a notch, try super-slow weight training, which actually produces many of the same health and fitness benefits as high-intensity interval training, which is a key aspect of my Peak Fitness program.

These two forms of exercise may at first sound like complete opposites—super-slow versus high-intensity—but the combination of slowing down your lifts and lifting to failure turns it into a high-intensity exercise that generates a cascade of metabolic adaptations that improve your muscle strength and fitness level.

By Dr. Mercola

http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2013/09/06/resistance-bands-benefits.aspx