Bodylastics Patented Basic Series Resistance Band Set – 5 Resistance Bands with Snap Reduction Tech, 2 Handles, 2 Ankle Straps, 1 Door Anchor & 1 Carry Bag

Super effective, high quality resistance band set
I was skeptical at first about the quality of workout you could achieve with resistance bands, since most of them are quite cheap looking, but I did some research and this being one of the better reviewed sets at a reasonable price point, decided to give it a try and I must say, I’m thoroughly impressed.The first thing I immediately noticed upon unpacking this set is how heavy it is. This is no flimsy hollow elastic tubes with cheap plastic or thin metal, no. Everything about this set screams heavy duty. The elastic bands are quite thick and feel very durable. The TPE handles are solid and have a good feel in the hand. The nylon webbing on the door anchor is thick and the ankle straps have a wide, secure Velcro band. The D rings and caribiners are solid metal and thick, can’t really see these bending or warping even with continued use and there are no sharp edges whatsoever.I will say the video workouts available on their website are not my jam. If you like super aggro gym bros yelling at you while also sounding like an infomercial then it might be for you, but I just downloaded the actual product manual and took some time to familiarize myself with the basic exercises instead and have found that even just doing the basic 10 exercises you can do without the door anchor, you can get a really good upper and lower body workout in less than 15 minutes!If you do decide to use the door anchor, you can, of course, do a much broader range of exercises, but I found it can be pretty time consuming to reposition the anchor after each exercise in a set, so I recommend you familiarize yourself with the different exercises first and pick one or two anchor positions to minimize the time spent switching your setup.On that note, they do sell a whole door anchor system that consists of nylon webbing and buckles that the trainers in the videos use and it greatly minimizes transition time between exercises since it has multiple different anchor points but it’s quite expensive (almost twice as much as this basic kit cost).I have used this set fairly regularly for a couple weeks now and I always bust a sweat when using them. It really does give you an equally good workout to using actual weights.Price per pound, this set cannot be beat. If you’re even remotely thinking of exploring resistance band exercises, get this set, you won’t regret it.

This is not a review for “Bodylastics Stackable” as i received a different Resistance Bands Set. I will return.

This resistance training kit might be the best and most cost-effective bit of exercise equipment that I have ever bought. I initially purchased this (along with another higher resistance Bodylastics band) for a 6 week trip where I likely won’t have access to a decent gym, or won’t have time to keep travelling to a gym.The quality is quite good, other than the somewhat questionable door anchor. The internal ropes provide a better sense of safety – which is the main reason I bought this brand instead of others.I have a pretty extensive home weight-training gym which uses free weights – including several benches, hex trap, lots of steel plates, pulley equipment, many attachments, etc. Compared to the free weights, these elastic bands seem be easier on the body, but provide longer lasting benefits. This might be partly because my body has become used to free weights, but I think it’s more because the elastics can provide a more linear resistance throughout the range of motion. It’s not actually linear, simply because the elastic resistance becomes greater as it stretches – but it’s better than with free weights. i.e. regular bicep curls have little resistance at the start of the pull, but then becomes much tougher halfway through.Because of the better linear resistance, (for me) the muscles stay toner for longer. Compared with free weights, I can use less resistance (easier on the body), and have more rest days between workouts without losing muscle tone. And unexpectedly, my muscles seem to be running on a higher metabolic rate days after the workouts – but this might just be a coincidence with other factors.These resistance bands are great for general strength training and body toning. But it is probably not suitable for power lifters, because the movement dynamics are so different. Also, I don’t see this as being able to replace free weights, because free weights provide a more natural and full range of resistance. I think the resistance bands and free weights are good complements to each other, and I will continue using both in my home workouts (likely alternating them, instead of using both in the same workout). I can actually use just the resistance bands if I didn’t already have a home gym, and I can definitely just use the bands on long trips.BTW, I use this package with better anchor straps (hood loop straps – the type used to anchor ropes to the hood of a car), because I’m skeptical of the anchor which came with the kit. Also, I am using some good climbing carabiners to avoid nicking the bands on the anchor straps (which will cause them to snap). And I got some tree safe straps to anchor the bands to poles, trees, etc if a suitable door is not available. For presses, I instead use swivelling push up bars, which are great. These items cost more than the original resistance kit – and the entire combined package does take up a lot of space in the luggage.