Here’s a quick post about a find I made a few weeks ago. I wandered into Sports Authority on a whim and found a whole rack of resistance tubes!
Way better than Body By Jake!
I didn’t have the mind to take a snapshot, but here is a picture of what they look like. Pretty standard issue, right? Not quite. The “Power Station” had resistance tubes ranging from 10 lbs. to 100 lbs. with prices from $5.99 to $19.99.
Solid.
Handles are sold separately, and there are two types–single tube and triple tube. I opted for the latter so I have more options to adjust the resistance. I also purchased two 50 lbs. tubes and one 100 lbs. tube. I can do a wide range of exercises with resistance between 50-200 lbs. The best part? The whole set only cost about $50! Compare that to the suspension and pulley systems featured on the infomercials!
I’m loving them so far, by the way. I’ve used them for pulling and punching exercises by placing one of the handles beneath my freestanding heavy bag. Some other good exercises are to loop the tube beneath a bench for chest and shoulder presses. They’re a little long, but you can step on them–probably in a wide stance–for squats as well. I’m a little too cautious to pull them through the legs, but that’s your call if you’re brave enough.
There’s really only one drawback to the tubes: slipping them into the handle can be a bear.
It's tricky.
As you can see, there’s a nub on the end that keeps the tube inside the recess of the handle. The lighter weights pretty much pop right in, but the 100 lbs. tube sucked. I was eventually able to stomp my foot down close to the end, pull the nub as thin as possible, and jam it into the handle. Maybe I was a little slow in figuring that out (rubber cable’s much thinner when you pull it really tight!), but at least I worked up a sweat getting it in. (Insert joke here_____.) I’ll just tell people you have to be really strong already if you want to workout with these things.
Anyway, here’s the link to their products at Sports Authority. You can see them in store or order them online. Check them out and let us know what you think!
Moai Martial Arts 
Bands are used extensively for shoulder pre- and post-op PT work. The advantage of constant resistance allows for full range of motion without a cable-based machine taking up space.
I’ve been using the bands for a couple years now. Eye hooks at various heights on the wall work well for a variety of exercises. If you use them install them correctly. You don’t want a small piece of steel ripped out of the wall like a bullet at your face or back of the head while you’re working out.
I tuck the plastic handles of the bands under my Wave Master. It’s full of 250lbs. of hands, so things stay put. I do fear taking one in the face though!