Gorilla Strength Bands: A Review

[mickey]

Greetings,

After watching the ebay feedback reviews for well over a year, I purchased a set of these resistance bands. These bands were tailored to the needs of people in the combative arts. The bands are very strong and high quality. They put the leading name brand competitor to shame. And the price is so right, that I felt it unnecessary to try to arrange for a special limited time discount offer for the members here. If you compare cost and the amount of resistance offered with that of body lastics, you are receiving almost twice the amount of resistance. And the shipping is FREE. For those of you who are scent sensitive, these bands have a very strong rubber scent. For me that is a plus. It means I am getting the real thing.

Other niceties:

The door loop is top notch. The loop is lined so that the fiber does not bite into the bands.

The storage bag has a strong velcro closure and is lined, apparently to make it water resistant.


You can either purchase them through ebay or go search gorilla strength gear:

http://gorillastrengthgear.com/


I am not being paid in any way for this review.



mickey

[sanjuro_ronin]

Link to the product dude.

[David Jamieson]

I thought you were talking about music! lol

I was gonna say Rammstein is great to train to! lol.

I will say this, they are easy enough to find in a google search and they look good to me because they use lock clips instead of rubber knots to attach the handles etc.

rubber knot ones are pure shyte.

[mickey]

Hi,

I put up the link in my initial post. Here it is again:


http://gorillastrengthgear.com/

mickey

[sanjuro_ronin]

Ok, here is my issue with bands:
At what point in the movement are you getting the resistance of the band?

[mickey]

Hi sanjuro ronin,

From what I have learned from the internet about resistance bands, it is when the length of the band doubles. So, you would have to be cognizant of that. I do find these bands to be more of a challenge compared to body lastics (this being the only other brand that I have tried).

Still, I cannot guarantee your satisfaction. I have read throughout the internet how guys who weight trained tend to stay away from resistance bands. They don't like the feel.

I forgot to add, the resistance here is way better than that offered by a BowFlex.



mickey

[sanjuro_ronin]

Hi sanjuro ronin,

From what I have learned from the internet about resistance bands, it is when the length of the band doubles. So, you would have to be cognizant of that. I do find these bands to be more of a challenge compared to body lastics (this being the only other brand that I have tried).

Still, I cannot guarantee your satisfaction. I have read throughout the internet how guys who weight trained tend to stay away from resistance bands. They don't like the feel.




mickey

Probably because 50lbs is 50 lbs no matter at what point of the ROM.

[mickey]

Yes,

Fifty pounds is fifty pounds.

But these bands are off the hook!

Earlier this year, I actually have conducted a comparative between a looped resistance band (up to 30 pounds resistance) and a 35 pound weight while doing a simple bicep curl. I started with the band first. I estimated the proper distancing and did a set of 10. I relaxed for a while and I went to pick up the dumbell. It felt amazingly light. No kidding, here. Though the bands may not have a place with you, they do have their place and it is a good one.


mickey

[sanjuro_ronin]

Yes,

Fifty pounds is fifty pounds.

But these bands are off the hook!

Earlier this year, I actually have conducted a comparative between a looped resistance band (up to 30 pounds resistance) and a 35 pound weight while doing a simple bicep curl. I started with the band first. I estimated the proper distancing and did a set of 10. I relaxed for a while and I went to pick up the dumbell. It felt amazingly light. No kidding, here. Though the bands may not have a place with you, they do have their place and it is a good one.


mickey

I am open to try anything bro, just curious that's all.

[mickey]

Hi sanjuro ronin,

My review came about because I really like the product and because I know that there are some members here who use resistance bands and who might be interested in a better product. Nothing more, really.

For some reason I have been a fan of band/spring type resistance since my teens. It may have been inspired by my late father's nickel plated expanders. Nevertheless, I do possess weights in the form of a Powerblock 9.0 Sport. Both types of resistance have their place. It really depends on the goals of the practitioner. You might get a kick out of something that pulls back when you pull it.

Terrell Owens works with both weights and bands. He works with weights during the off season and bands during the football season.

There is one thing that I did not mention in the review is that there is no training manual. You can get good training tips off u tube.

mickey

[IronFist]

I stopped reading at:


6 reasons why resistance bands are better than free weights and weight machines.

Kidding (sort of). I did poke around the website.

Seems like they are better than nothing, but definitely not better at producing results than weights. Sure they are more portable.

They may be cool for traveling if you don't have access to a gym. They don't take up much space in a suitcase.

I'm not saying they're useless, but there's no way they would replace weight training.

[mickey]

Greetings,

It is nice having you back around, IronFist.


Here is another testimony:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqr0VQMCqmM



mickey

[mickey]

Greetings,

Last weekend I introduced one of my clients to these bands. He expressed interest in purchasing a Bowflex Select Tech dumbbell system. I decided to offer him a cheaper alternative.

Now, he is the same guy who inhales during pressing movements with weights I posted about a few years ago.. He has had a relationship with weight training that extends over a few decades. When I asked him how much weight he does biceps curls with, he told me he uses 50 pounds. Well, I gave him the band resistance that approximated that weight and... he was having trouble. We had to go lighter. When we went into the second exercise for the lats, he was already starting to bead up. We went through five exercises (for biceps, triceps, pectorals, lats, shoulders) 1 set of each. After which, he was drenched. He was very impressed with the resistance bands and with the speed with which one can go from one exercise to another. He was also impressed with the cost.

I think part of his exhaustion was due to the fact that this was a new experience for him and he was recruiting more muscle fibers to keep his body stable throughout some of the movements.

When I met with him a couple of days later, I asked if he wanted to work out with the bands again. Before he could verbally answer, his upper body jolted (typed with much laughter). I think once he gets used to it, he will be having fun. He has asked me to get a set for him. I found a believer!!!


mickey

[bawang]

you can play with those fancy pants rubber bands, or you can squat like a man.

[wenshu]

http://www.elitefts.com/documents/squatting_with_bands.htm
http://www.elitefts.com/images/PICTURES/squatting_bands/bands5.gif

[bawang]

he looks weak, like a bearded woman.

[YouKnowWho]

you can play with those fancy pants rubber bands, or you can squat like a man.

You can use those rubber bands to develop your sacrifice throw.

[bawang]

or you can squat.

[Frost]

Bands can be useful for certain things, I use them a lot for rowing motions, pull throughs, face pulls and shoulder work at home, (mainly rehab prehab stuff), mostly because I cant be bothered getting the weights out of the shed at 7am in the morning, I have the lifeline bands, but they are not a replacement for weights in any way shape or form

The reason curls can feel heavier with a band is that past a certain point with a weight you are no longer really working against the resistance of the weight, especially at the top of the movement, or I should say the resistance decreases , of course with a band you are not working nearly as hard at the bottom of the movement, which is the reason elite powerlifters use them on their lifts, to add weight at the top of the movement and to accelerate against, amongst other things

Of course there are certain exercises that you cant do with weights that you can do with bands, and those exercises are very useful for even strong people (nod to bawang and the heavy squatters in the house)

[wenshu]

he looks weak, like a bearded woman.

My sister is not going to be very happy that you said that about her.

[bawang]

(nod to bawang and the heavy squatters in the house)

you dam right. i squat over 95 pounds. RAW.

[Brule]

you dam right. i squat over 95 pounds. RAW.

so how heavy IS your mom?

[wenshu]

http://www.dieselsc.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/box-squat-2.jpg

[sanjuro_ronin]

you dam right. i squat over 95 pounds. RAW.

How much do you squat fully cooked?

[SteveLau]

These Gorilla Bands look like good stuffs. I have used Tera bands before, and they do not last more than two years of regular use IMO. So in general elastic bands are good strength training equipment if not better than free weights, provided that they have equally good durability.



KC
Hong Kong

[mickey]

Greetings Steve,

I did some serious looking at this product before making the purchase. I am glad that I did. I thought the seller was "all in the mouth" when it came to what made his product different from the others out there. He really has something good to offer.

mickey

[mickey]

Greetings,

My client went through his first workout with the bands I got for him two days ago. When it comes to weight lifting, he does 3 sets of every exercise. With the bands he did only one set of each exercise, the only exception was the biceps curl where 2 sets were completed because the first set was too light for him. His second biceps curl set was 37 lbs of resistance. He commented on how quickly he got pumped up from using the bands vs weights. At the end of the workout he was talking about doing some lat rows using weights the following day, Well, I showed him how to do so with the bands. After one set, he gave me a look I wish i had a camera for. He told me that he could feel all the target muscles working.

My client shared that his form during weight lifting left was poor and that he uses momentum to keep the weights moving. The resistance bands forced him to maintain proper form throughout the exercise to target the muscles he wanted to work.

This evening I expected him to show up for another workout. He didn't. I called him to find out how he was doing, in general. I then asked if he was going to work out today. Up until that question my client's vocal tone was relaxed. In response to my question his voice spiked with the words. "AGAIN!?!!". He shared how sore he was the day after his first workout with his bands. Interestingly, his legs were really sore and we did not address them directly at all. It seems the stabilization really worked them. We had a good laugh about it. Still, he did not show up.

He hasn't paid for the bands yet. I had better get the money before he changes his mind.



mickey

[mickey]

Update:

My client is now training with both weights and bands. He trains bands twice a week and trains weights once a week. He is still incredibly impressed with the bands. He shared that the bands give him a greater pump than the weights and that they are a really good workout. He did not want to admit the bands were better. I have observed a renewed interest in training with my client as well as an improved appearance; specifically, a reduction in body fat, a fuller look in his musculature, and an improvement in his overall attitude. He is enthusiastic about training again ( yes, I am aware of the repeat).

I did get reimbursed for the bands. My client believes they are worth a lot more than he paid for them. That is saying a lot.


mickey

[Frost]

are you on comission for these bands?:confused:

[mickey]

Hi Frost,

No, I am not on commission for these bands.

My last post was only a continuation of the sharing of experiences with a particular client. It actually represents a closure. I did not plan to post more about him.

But looking back at my posts about this person, they sure do look like a sell. I simply wrote about a real experience using resistance bands.

I wish I was on commission during these hard times. Every little bit helps.

A dead giveaway a person is getting a commission is to ask everyone who plans to buy a set to tell the seller "mickey sent me" or "I read the review in the forums of Kung fu Magazine." Considering the number of hits that this thread is jacking up, there are many people outside this forum who are reading this thread and are forming impressions about this product.


mickey

[mickey]

Greetings,

I was recently in contact with the person I got the bands for. He shared that they are still like brand new and he is still enjoying the workout they provide him; they really work his muscles. He still lifts weights as well. He has a Bowflex and he thinks that the bands are FAR superior with it's resistance curve.


mickey

[mickey]

Greetings,

I have been keeping up with client this year. He has had some health issues that have kept him from training the way that he likes. Still, he enjoys talking about training in the same way other iron game vets do. We talked about the Gorilla Strength bands. He still uses them, intermittently. He is taking it easy now days (I know that it is tough for him). One dat he said something that totally caught me unawares and it was the following: "Ya know, the bands muscle you up faster than the weights do." I was completely shocked by what he said because, in the past, he would never admit that. I didn't say anything in response. I simply appreciated the honesty of the moment.

mickey

[boxerbilly]

Greetings,

I have been keeping up with client this year. He has had some health issues that have kept him from training the way that he likes. Still, he enjoys talking about training in the same way other iron game vets do. We talked about the Gorilla Strength bands. He still uses them, intermittently. He is taking it easy now days (I know that it is tough for him). One dat he said something that totally caught me unawares and it was the following: "Ya know, the bands muscle you up faster than the weights do." I was completely shocked by what he said because, in the past, he would never admit that. I didn't say anything in response. I simply appreciated the honesty of the moment.

mickey

Mickey, I think part of the reason people respond or feel they respond better with bands is because you can not throw the weight. Most people train to heavy to feel the muscle do the work. It may also have something to do with the resistance change as the movement goes into its final phase. Lighter at the beginning and more resistance at the end. So one immediate advantage is they train one to feel their muscles working a lot faster and perhaps better than with weights.

It is not superior or inferior, it is just another way to train. It would boil down to ones goals, results they want to achieve and limitations their bodies may have. Bands have a lot of offer many people.

When ever I included them I to get pumped up way better than when I used weights. I probably throw even though I think I am in control. Now, using them will not translate well into lifting more weight when you go back to weights or want to test your strength with weights. If you want to get strong at lifting things you have to lift those things. Some people may believe if it does not translate to lifting more weight then obviously you got no stronger. Which is not true.

I personally prefer weights and cals. But, these look good for anyone that does not want to use weights. Or wants additional options to strength train. You can do a lot of non traditional and weird angle resistance training with bands that would cost you or a gym thousands to mimic with machines that replicate those angles.

[SteveLau]

I like the training effect of such bands too. And I have bought one before. The only disadvantage of the tool is its durability. After two years of regular use, it will be torn apart. Sure we can tie the two pieces together, and use it again. Eventually, the band cannot last more than four years of use.



Regards,

KC
Hong Kong

[bawang]

i only use the finest fresh cow tendons like in that movie. i absorb the fresh cow vital qi through the laogong point