In this article, we will be comparing resistance bands to resistance tubes and recommending which one will be a better option for you. Resistance tubes are actually quite different from resistance bands even though they are both made from rubber. Even the use case for both of them is quite different and how they are marketed as well, however there is a lot of false marketing regarding them and in this article, we will try to expose them and recommend you the best options for your money!
ARE THEY BOTH MADE FROM RUBBER?
Yes, both resistance bands and tubes are made from rubber however there is a catch. Resistance bands are made from solid rubber whereas resistance tubes are made from hollow rubber. If you pick a resistance band a tube of the same resistance you will find the band to weigh heavier than the tube which is mainly because of the solid rubber present inside them. Resistance tubes are made from hollow rubber which means if you cut open them you will find them empty inside, imagine a water pipe made from rubber, that's exactly how resistance tubes are made just with much thinner rubber.
As a result, when you press resistance tubes they compress easily whereas resistance bands don't compress at all. You will see resistance bands come in very high resistances such as 60 - 100kgs whereas tubes don't. In order to get higher resistance with tubes you will have to combine multiple bands together, this is because the amount of rubber present inside them is so less it is not able to provide enough resistance.
WHICH PROVIDES HIGHER RESISTANCE?
As a result of this hollow rubber resistance tubes can never provide as much resistance as a single resistance band can. You will see resistance tubes going to max 50 lbs which is approx 22.5 kgs however we find resistance bands that go up to 60-75 kgs easily. This is a big problem as 50 lbs is just not enough resistance for pull-up assist for most people, hence you cannot use resistance tubes for pull-up assist like you can with resistance bands.
Yes, resistance tubes are not used for pull-ups anyway but for general workouts, however, if anyone is thinking of getting tubes because they are cheaper and then wanting to use them for pull up assist then I hope I cleared your confusion. However, what are really the advantages of using resistance tubes over resistance bands for general workouts? Let's take a look.
RESISTANCE BANDS | RESISTANCE TUBES |
BETTER QUALITY | CHEAPER PRICE |
HIGHER RUBBER QUANTITY | |
MORE RESISTANCE | |
MORE DURABILITY | |
MORE VERSATILITY | |
ARE RESISTANCE TUBES BETTER FOR WORKOUT?
There is a common myth that resistance tubes are better for workouts as they act like two individual bands and you get handles with them so that you can replicate cable movements with just the help of a single band, however here is my question to you: Can't you do the same thing with resistance bands? Yes you can, let me show you how.
What you basically need to do is attach two handles with the help of hooks at both ends of a single resistance band and there you have the full functionality of a resistance tube! If you think about it resistance bands and tubes are essentially the same thing just one has a loop and the other doesn't, but how do you break a loop? By splitting it from the middle.
WHY RESISTANCE BANDS ARE MORE DURABLE
The reason why I am recommending resistance bands over resistance tubes is because they are easily going to be more durable and if you are smart you already know the answer as we discussed earlier. Resistance bands have more rubber present in them making them of higher resistance and hence more difficult to stretch beyond that particular band's capacity, because of that it is much more difficult to break resistance bands than resistance tubes.
Now this does not mean that resistance bands don't break at all, as the truth is that lower level bands break somewhat easily if stretched enough but if you still compare them to resistance tubes then easily they're going to give you a longer life as compared to tubes. Resistance tubes have very low quantities of rubber present in them and are absolutely hollow because of which they are much more prone to break and will hardly last you a few months.
PRICE DIFFERENCES
The main reason why resistance tubes sell more than resistance bands or at least at par is mainly because of price I feel. You can get an absolutely cheap quality 150 LBS resistance tube set from Amazon for as low as INR 500, whereas even if you are getting cheap resistance bands set of just 3 bands it will easily end up costing you INR 1200-1500. When talking about good quality, resistance tubes set range to around INR 1500 and resistance bands from the same brand will cost you around INR 3000.
This is the biggest reason why I think people are drawn towards resistance tubes instead of bands it's because of price. People want more at less price and I am very sure that in their heads they know that resistance bands will be more durable and much better quality but because of their conditioning, they are willing to take the risk and end up wasting their money.
MY RECOMMENDATIONS TO YOU
In my humble opinion, you should ditch resistance tubes for resistance bands. They are better quality, have more rubber quantity, have higher resistance, are more durable, and in the medium to long term are a better value-for-money product. You might be initially drawn towards resistance tubes because of their cheaper price but when they break in the middle of a set then you will understand their reality and end up getting resistance bands in their place. I have seen most people eventually end up getting resistance bands so why not get them in the first place?
Note, this is not a guarantee that resistance bands don't break. Some people have good experiences like myself, some people don't which are evident in amazon reviews however if we are being objective then resistance bands will last much longer and are definitely a better investment. Checkout the resistance bands shown in this article below
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