Rubber band machines.

Jumpy

Right, the temporary gym that I am with at the moment (Living Well) seems to be lacking in decent equipment.
No Bench Press
No bar weights at all.

Plus it seems to have machines that dont use weight plates, they use some sort of rubber bands.
I have never seen these before and they dont feel right. Its easy at the start of the rep and as you extend it gets more difficult. It doesnt have weights in kilos per se, it has 'level buttons'.

Anyone seen these before? Is it a cheapo replacement for plated machines? Or is it some sort of new fangled new machine type that would be better in the long run.
I personally hate them.

RacoonQueen

Hydraulic machines?

Jimmy Bottlehead

I'd join a new gym, but thats just me.

Jumpy

No they are definitely rubber straps, you can see them flexing depending on the button you have pressed in.

I have no car at present, and this is to keep me fit in the meantime. Looks like I wont be gaining any muscle anytime soon.

Hanley

Bowflex??

One of these type things... http://www.localcatering.com/caterer/fitnessunlimited/pictures/Bowflex%20Ultimate%202.jpg

Jumpy

Nope, not bowflex.
Its hard to explain, I cant find any examples of one online.
The chest press looks like a normal plate chess press machine, but where you would expect the plates to be there is a slightly transparent box with 10 push/pull buttons.
You can see that when you push in a button and use the machine, it pulls what looks like a thick elastic tendon. The more buttons are in, the more tendons provide resistance.
Even at level 10 its piss easy.
All their machines are like this, rubber band replacements of plate weights.

RacoonQueen

Tecnogym resistance equipment according to the research I've just done.
http://www.technogym.com/gb/viewdoc.asp?co_id=426&target=commercial
http://www.technogym.com/gb/viewdoc.asp?co_id=240&target=commercial

Jumpy

mp1972 wrote: »

Tecnogym resistance equipment according to the research I've just done.
http://www.technogym.com/gb/viewdoc.asp?co_id=426&target=commercial
http://www.technogym.com/gb/viewdoc.asp?co_id=240&target=commercial

Woops, my mistake, no these are plated.

Mickk

Its just purely a price thing and probably a gimmick, bands have their legitimate use in powerlifting training but to have a machine with purely bands as the form of resistance is just to cut out the most expensive part of the machine, the price of iron is going through the roof at the moment. They can replace a 150kg weight stack with a 3 euro piece of rubber and then sell it to people who know little about lifting weights as a new cutting edge technology, the future of weight lifting as we know it! The more you press the harder it gets so you only have to press to your own ability! It suits anybody from bodybuilders to beginners all on the one machine!!!

rubadub

Mickk wrote: »

replace a 150kg weight stack with a 3 euro piece of rubber and then sell it to people who know little about lifting weights as a new cutting edge technology,

Ah the lies of marketing men, even hell won't let them in when they die. I can imagine the lines "As everybody knows, varied resistance bands will build 354.2% more muscle"

Check out these bad boys.



They'll flog their souls for a penny...