Strength training is an essential part of any exercise program. Whether you are an accomplished athlete or just someone who is trying to lose a few pounds and get fit, strength training is required to help you advance towards your fitness goals. You can choose from dozens of different strength training programs and freely adjust them to suit your needs, goals, and interests. Free weights or resistance training, using elastic bands or machines, are both forms of strength training. Both forms will help you reach your strength training goals but there are some important differences.

Free weights are the classic workout tool that everyone is used to seeing – dumbbells and barbells. These are usually adjustable, and you can add and remove weight plates as needed for your workout. These provide an excellent workout but you are limited in what you can do. For example, in order to have the workout you need, you must lift the weight against gravity. You lose some of the resistance that strengthens the muscles and many people end up using the momentum of the weights to help them workout.

With resistance bands, you can work out in any direction without losing any of the workout’s power. In some ways, bands are the most effective strength training tool. If you play baseball for example, you can workout with a band and practice the moves you use in baseball. This not only strengthens the body, but helps to reduce the likelihood of injuries. There are several levels of resistance bands and you can easily increase the difficulty of your workouts simply by switching bands.

Using machines to do resistance training is effective for beginners but can be inconvenient. It helps beginners avoid moving in such a way that they will be injured or from dropping the weights. However, there are fewer options with machines and you are required to go to a gym or buy an expensive machine in order to workout. Eventually, you will have to switch your routine to bands or free weights in order to continue to see the progress that you want. Some people are skipping the machines altogether and starting their strength training using bands or free weights from the start.

Another big difference between using bands or free weights for training is the price and ability to travel. Bands are relatively inexpensive and you can often save money by buying a set of varying resistances. Free weights are often priced by the pound, making them quite expensive if you need a larger set. They are also very heavy and it is impossible to travel – whether for business or just to see family – when you are carrying metal plates with you. Bands are lightweight, can fit just about anywhere, and you can easily keep up with your workouts no matter where you are.