(I received this product as a gift or at a discount in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.)
I have long championed resistance bands as a home gym necessity. They’re light and easy to store and transport, but you still get a lot of versatile resistance to work with. I used to teach some fitness classes using nothing but resistance bands. You can work your entire body with them. I love them.
So, I was very excited to get to try these bands by Fitness Answered Training Products.
This set of seven bands and accessories come in a handy drawstring tote. The bands each offer a different level of resistance, with pink being the lightest and orange the heaviest. The set comes with two sets of handles (which are super soft and comfortable to hold!), a pair of ankle straps, a door mount strap, and four so-called “work-out anywhere” straps, each attachable to your band of choice by the four included carabiners.
The first thing I noticed and appreciated was the snap-proof colored cover on each band. This is really important, because when the band breaks (and it will, eventually, after lots and lots of use), this cover prevents it from snapping in your face. The bands we had at one gym where I worked didn’t have these covers, and there were three occasions (over the course of a few years) when a worn-out band broke during use. Luckily, it never caused an injury, but it was always alarming and a bit scary for the user.
Often when using the bands, you will find that holding the handles aren’t enough — you have to loop the band and grip somewhere along the band, as well, depending on the exercise you’re doing. The covers make these very easy to grip.
Of the accessories, the ankle straps are my favorite and the ones I’ll be most likely to use. While the other straps are handy, too, I’m just not as likely to take the time to secure them somewhere so I can do an exercise that I can probably do in some form just using the strap and my body.
I was surprised that the set didn’t come with any sort of workout guide or instruction manual. That would certainly be disappointing for a beginner. There are lots of resources out there that can help you learn how to use your bands, and you’ll want to consult them if you’ve never worked with resistance bands before. I made a 35-minute workout video using these bands, so that would be one place to start!
Overall, I’m very happy with these resistance bands and would recommend them to anyone looking to add this piece of equipment to their home gym. Strictly speaking, you probably wouldn’t need the extra straps and attachments, but they are nice and give you a wider range of workout options. Especially the ankle straps! In fact, unless you’re buying a band that is made to go around your ankles, I would say those straps are something you would definitely want.
