Alternatives to Lead Weights
- Tubes can be an effective alternative to lead weights.resistance bands image by sparkia from Fotolia.com
When choosing resistance exercises to train various muscle groups within the body, there are a number of alternatives to lead weight that can be used to achieve your training goals. Resistance can be effectively provided by body weight with gravity, rubber tubing, flex bands, or even weighted medicine balls. The key for success is knowing exactly how to use each apparatus with exercises that properly target the various muscle groups you want to train. - Rubber tubing is often color coded to denote its resistance, depending on the specific manufacturer. In addition, the thickness of the tubing also varies, depending on the resistance it provides. The thicker the tube, the higher the resistance, while thinner tubes tend to provide lower resistance. Generally, each tube has a grip attached to each end to provide easier use and manipulation. Most exercise movements, such as curls, extensions, overhead presses, and even squats can easily be adapted to allow for easy tubing use. Tubing is generally cheaper than lead weights and can be used and transported virtually anywhere with relative ease. A negative aspect to using tubing as your resistance is that there are limits to the amount of resistance they can provide. Lead weight can generally be used in conjunction with additional weight to provide extremely high amounts of resistance.
- Flex bands, or stretch bands, are flat pieces of rubber in comparison with rubber tubing, which tends to be hollow. They tend to be color coded, and the thicker the band, the higher the resistance, similar to rubber tubing, These types of bands tend to go higher in resistance than tubing, but not as high as lead weights can go. They also are more expensive than rubber tubing, but not as expensive as lead weights, depending on the amount of lead weight that is needed. Although they're similar to rubber tubing, flex bands do not have attached grips. They tend to be circular, like a belt. They can, however, be manipulated in various ways to simulate many exercises that are traditionally done with lead weight, as long as you understand how they should be used.
- A weighted medicine ball is a round, ball-shaped weight that is usually covered with rubber or leather. The size of the ball depends on its weight, with heavier medicine balls being larger than lighter ones. Their cost usually depends on their weight and can range somewhere between that of rubber tubing and flex bands. The downside of using medicine balls as your choice of resistance is that there are limitations to their use, and some training may be required to learn how to effectively use them as part of your regular exercise. In addition, certain uses require the assistance of someone else.
- Body weight can be a very effective resistance when used with certain exercises. Push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, squats, and lunges are traditional exercises that, when performed properly, can be very effective because they focus on the larger major muscle groups. They have no additional costs associated with them and can be performed almost anywhere at any time. In addition, by manipulating the sets, repetitions, and speed at which you perform them, you can continually vary your routine to constantly challenge your body.
