Resistance bands (RB) or power bands are a great addition to any athlete’s equipment toolbox. RB can be used for a variety of different purposes, which include:
- Assistance during bodyweight exercises such as chin ups and dips.
- Resistance in exercises such as push ups, Romanian deadlifts and rowing movements.
- Adding variable resistance to strength exercises such as barbell bench press and back squat.
- Used to target injury prevention, such as gluteus medius (band walks) and rotator cuff muscles (external rotation).
- Assist in improving flexibility and mobility in hip, knee and shoulder joints.
- Utilise RB in a warm up, during and after the session or on a recovery day.
- Versatile as the RB takes minimal space and be taken with the athlete home or when travelling during tournaments and camps.
What is a Resistance band?
Resistance bands are made of strong latex rubber and come in different sizes which results in varying resistance. The RB is structured in a fused continuous loop with an approximate length of 208cm. Depending on the brand, each RB has a different colour that is associated with a different width of band, ranging from approximately 1cm (least resistance) to 8cm (greater resistance) (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Different widths of resistance bands
Difference between flexibility and mobility
Flexibility is commonly defined as the range of movement (ROM) around a joint. Athletes with a greater range of movement are evident in sports such as gymnastics where joints need to get into extreme positions during the sport. Traditionally ROM can be improved by static and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching. Ideally improvements in flexibility around the joint are achieved when the body’s core temperature is increased, therefore stretching at the end of a training session may be have more benefit.
Mobility is the ability to move fluidly through different movements without incurring any physical hindrances. Unlike static stretching, the added movement component makes mobility an important part of an athletes warm up, prior to training or competition. Mobility can be improved by performing dynamic stretching, focusing on different joints that need to be prepared prior to training. An example of a dynamic stretch that can be included in a warm up is the walking lunge (Figure 2). In the example in Figure 2, Tom is completing the walking lunge as a warm up prior to his squash strength training program. As you can see in the bottom position he is working on mobility in the ankle, knee and hip joint. There is also a stretch in his hip flexor on the left hip and in this variation Tom is rotating in the trunk and bringing his right arm back which will provide a good stretch for the lower back / core region as well as the chest. To incorporate more ROM, the athlete could take a longer lunge and pause in between the movement.
Figure 2: Walking lunge with open arm rotation
Squash athletes - Hips
The high intensity nature of squash requires the athlete to repetitively lunge, twist and turn at the hip joint. Although it appears not a lot of incidence into squash injuries has been studied, research from England squash suggests that hip joint pathology may be a common lower body injury risk (Leeder et.al, 2016). More specifically, damage to the labrum resulting in a labrum tear caused by repetitive trauma to the area. Upon further investigation, it becomes apparent that hips are a high injury risk, which is further justified by previous elite squash athletes such as Geoff hunt having had 2 hip replacements and current Australian squash athlete Zac Alexander has had surgery on his hip.
Working with the High-performance squash athletes, it has become apparent that they all have a common trend of limited mobility around the hip region. After identifying this in initial screening and further observing their lack of mobility in the gym, I decided to implement a specific resistance band mobility exercise routine within their program.
The focus is to increase range of movement in the hip joint by stretching the muscles around the area, quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, adductors (groin), hip flexors and ITB. This mobility routine is complimented by also strengthening the muscles around the joint, to make the athlete more robust and ultimately better cope with the previously discussed repetitive movements.
Hip ROM and mobility resistance band program
The resistance band exercises in Table 1 are examples of how to utilise the band to increase ROM and mobility around the hip joint. I currently implement some of these exercises after the specific dynamic warmup. Depending on the need of the athlete and phase of training you can incorporate some exercises within the program and as previously mentioned incorporate it at the end of the session or a recovery day.
It is important to complete the following exercises on both sides and the program should be completed between 1-3 times through, depending on the need.
|
Exercise/Focus area |
Demonstration |
Recommendations |
|
Hamstrings stretch |
|
§ Hold the stretch between 30-45 sec. § To perform dynamically, move leg up and down, 10 reps. (exercises below are same time/reps unless specified). § Improve ROM at ankle pull band closer to balls of feet and point toe towards you.
|
|
Groin stretch |
|
§ To increase difficulty, bring leg higher while keeping other leg straight on ground.
|
|
Iliotibial Band (ITB) stretch |
|
§ Using this example, it is important that the right arm and shoulder is on the ground. § Try to keep the left leg straight as possible, limiting rotation. |
|
Dynamic hip rotations |
|
§ Complete large circles in both directions, § Keep other leg straight on the ground during movement. |
|
Quadricep stretch |
|
§ Pull band to the opposite shoulder, aiming to get heel to the glute. § You can also perform PNF, by holding stretch for 10s, then contract quad against band for 10sec, then relax. Repeat 2-3 times. |
|
Hip flexor stretch |
|
§ To increase stretch, elevate knee and foot high while keeping other hip flat on ground.
|
|
Glute stretch |
|
§ Attaching band to foot allows a good pivot point while pushing the knee forward. § Another variation is to bend the straight leg to 90 degrees, pivoting against the right foot. |
|
Hip flexor stretch (Variation) |
|
§ The band attaches high on the hip and a good tension is achieved. § The upper body is maintained straight to gain a better stretch. § Hold for 45-60sec. § In the second photo, the left arm in elevated straight above the head and the body is leaned inwards to obtain a more effective stretch. |
Table 1: Resistance band – Hip mobility
Summary
Using the resistance band is one option to assist the athlete to improve ROM and mobility around the hip. The strength of the band used will need to be individualised and progressed with improvements. It is also important to acknowledge that this a complementary tool and it is still essential to include a thorough dynamic warm up prior to the strength and conditioning training program.
If you would like to know more about using resistance bands or what to include in a dynamic warm up, I can be contacted at [email protected]
References
Leeder, J., Horsley, I., & Leeder, J. (2016). PHYSIOTHERAPY IN SQUASH. Science of Sport: Squash.
Article by
Giovanni Capello