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268
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2006, 20(2), 268–272
q2006 National Strength & Conditioning Association
E
FFECTS OF
E
LASTIC
B
ANDS ON
F
ORCE AND
P
OWER
C
HARACTERISTICS
D
URING THE
B
ACK
S
QUAT
E
XERCISE
B
RIAN
J. W
ALLACE
,
1
J
ASON
B. W
INCHESTER
,
2
AND
M
ICHAEL
R. M
C
G
UIGAN
3
1
Musculoskeletal Research Center, Department of Exercise and Sport Science, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse,
La Crosse, Wisconsin 54601;
2
Department of Kinesiology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
70803;
3
School of Exercise, Biomedical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Western
Australia, Australia.
A
BSTRACT
.Wallace, B.J., J.B. Winchester, and M.R. McGuigan.
Effects of elastic bands on force and power characteristics during
the back squat exercise. J. Strength Cond. Res. 20(2):268–272.
2006.—Athletes commonly use elastic bands as a training meth-
od to increase strength and performance. The purpose of this
study was to investigate the effect of elastic bands on peak force
(PF), peak power (PP), and peak rate of force development (RFD)
during the back-squat exercise (BSE). Ten recreationally resis-
tance-trained subjects (4 women, 6 men, mean age 21.3 61.5
years) were tested for their 1 repetition maximum (1RM) in the
BSE (mean 117.6 648.2 kg) on a Smith machine. Testing was
performed on 2 separate days, with 2 sets of 3 repetitions being
performed for each condition. Testing was conducted at 60% and
85% of 1RM with and without using elastic bands. In addition,
2 elastic band loading conditions were tested (B1 and B2) at each
of the 2 resistances. No bands (NB) represents where all of the
resistance was acquired from free-weights. B1 represents where
approximately 80% of the resistance was provided by free-
weights, and approximately 20% was provided by bands. B2 rep-
resents where approximately 65% of the resistance was provided
by free-weights, and approximately 35% was provided from
bands. The subjects completed the BSE under each condition,
whereas PF, PP, and RFD was recorded using a force platform.
There was a significant (p,0.05) increase in PF between NB-
85 and B2-85 of 16%. Between B1-85 and B2-85, PF was in-
creased significantly by 5% (p,0.05). There was a significant
(p,0.05) increase in PP between NB-85 and B2-85 of 24%. No
significant differences were observed in RFD during the 85%
conditions or for any of the measured variables during the 60%
conditions (p,0.05). The results suggest that the use of elastic
bands in conjunction with free weights can significantly increase
PF and PP during the BSE over free-weight resistance alone
under certain loading conditions. The greatest differences are
observed during the higher loading conditions, with the B1-85
condition appearing to be optimal for athletic performance of the
ones we tested. The strength training professional could use var-
iable resistance training (VRT) to increase PF and PP more than
the traditional BSE can. VRT could also be used to train these
2 performance characteristics together, which might be espe-
cially useful in season, when weight-room training volume can
sometimes be limited.
K
EY
W
ORDS
. variable resistance, resistance training, strength,
biomechanics
I
NTRODUCTION
Athletes and recreational lifters are continually
looking for new methods that will be helpful
in improving performance and strength. The
back-squat exercise (BSE) is regarded as one
of the best exercises for achieving these goals
(7). One newer method of squatting that is being used is
variable resistance training (VRT). One way to perform
this type of training is to attach elastic bands to a loaded
barbell to combine elastic and weight-plate resistance
(22). Historically, elastic bands have been used for reha-
bilitation (23) or sport-specific purposes such as swinging
a tennis racquet (4, 25). Recently, however, these same
principles have been modified and applied to structural
strength and power movements in an effort to induce
greater gains (22).
One of the limitations of traditional resistance exer-
cise (TRE) is the large deceleration period at the end of
the concentric motion (12, 18). A type of training called
‘‘ballistic training’’ has been prescribed to help solve this
problem. Ballistic training occurs when the lifter at-
tempts to accelerate the barbell throughout an unlimited
range of motion, which usually results in either a jumping
motion or the release of the barbell from the hands (21).
Examples of such lifts are the jump squat and bench
press throw. This type of training has been shown to be
effective in improving the functional performance of ath-
letes (17). However, high loads are not typically used with
this type of training. Use of VRT is an attempt to combine
the range of motion and acceleration benefits of ballistic
training while allowing higher loads normally used in
TRE.
Theoretically, VRT allows a lifter to optimally load
muscles throughout the range of motion by using the me-
chanical advantage of muscles (2, 10). Mechanical advan-
tage is largely a product of the length–tension relation-
ship of skeletal muscle (11). VRT is believed to take ad-
vantage of this length–tension relationship by allowing
for increased muscle activation through the concentric
portion of the BSE (19). VRT also increases force during
the later phases of the eccentric portion of the lift (8). This
would be expected because the added tension toward the
end of the concentric phase requires increased force to
finish the lift; and extra force is required toward the end
of the eccentric phase to slow the barbell because of the
added band tension in addition to the weight plates pull-
ing the barbell downward in the early phases of the ec-
centric phase.
Although there is anecdotal evidence that VRT does
provide strength and power benefits greater than TRE,
there is little scientific evidence to support this claim. To
our knowledge, no previous studies have measured objec-
tive performance variables under different loading con-
E
FFECTS OF
E
LASTIC
B
ANDS ON
B
ACK
S
QUATS
269
T
ABLE
1. Length-tension data compared with manufactur-
er’s reported force output; no significant differences between ac-
tual mean force and manufacturer’s reported mean force for any
of the lengths measured.
Band length
Mean
force (n)
Manufacturer
reported force (n)
Coefficient of
variation
Blue 38.1 cm
Blue 61.0 cm
Blue 68.6 cm
Blue 78.7 cm
Blue 88.9 cm
0.00
138.17
234.95
304.67
373.33
0.00
200.17
266.89
355.86
444.83
0.00
0.47
2.57
2.37
1.74
Red 38.1 cm
Red 61.0 cm
Red 68.6 cm
Red 78.7 cm
Red 88.9 cm
0.00
71.29
146.89
218.00
292.67
0.00
133.45
177.93
235.76
298.03
0.00
3.22
3.54
3.64
3.23
ditions when using bands as a moderate or high percent-
age of the overall load for any exercise. It was hypothe-
sized that peak force (PF) would be increased with VRT
vs. TRE under the heavier repetition maximum (RM) con-
ditions, whereas peak power (PP) and peak rate of force
development (RFD) would be increased under the lighter
RM conditions. Further, it was hypothesized that greater
increases would be observed in the conditions that re-
ceived a greater percentage of the overall resistance from
the bands. The purpose of this study was to investigate
the acute effects of elastic bands on PF, PP, and RFD in
the BSE under different loading conditions.
M
ETHODS
Experimental Approach to the Problem
In this cross-sectional study, we investigated the kinetic
properties of these elastic bands (BNS Band system, Pow-
er-Up USA, Inc, Milwaukee, WI) over a range of different
displacements and loading conditions. The initial portion
of the study was designed to assess the reliability of the
force output of the bands and to compare their kinetic
properties with the reported force properties from the
manufacturer. The second part of the study compared the
PF, PP, and RFD of the BSE, performed with and without
elastic bands.
Subjects
Four recreationally resistance-trained women (age 20.8 6
1.0 years; height 149.1 65.8 cm; mass 70.1 68.5 kg) and
6 men (age 21.7 61.8 years; height 155.1 66.0 cm; mass
94.8 618.8 kg) volunteered to be subjects in this study.
All subjects had at least 6 months of training in the BSE
before their participation. All subjects read and signed an
institution-approved informed-consent form before partic-
ipating in the study. Approval for the use of human sub-
jects was obtained from the institution per their require-
ments before any subjects were tested.
Study One
In this first part of the study, we determined the kinetic
properties of the elastic bands. The bands were anchored
at different lengths and placed on either side of a Quattro
Jump Force Plate (Kistler Instrument Corporation, Am-
herst, NY). One pair of matching bands was anchored to
both the Smith machine frame and bar. The ‘‘heavy’’
(blue) and ‘‘light’’ (red) bands were each stretched and
isometrically held during separate occasions at 4 different
lengths (61.0, 68.6, 78.7, and 88.9 cm) by an individual
standing on the force plate.
The resting length of the bands and the results of the
4 trials are presented in Table 1. The fourth length is a
measure near the stretch limit of the bands, beyond the
level that any subject stretched the bands to while stand-
ing upright. The force plate was zeroed before each trial,
with the individual standing on it while holding the un-
loaded barbell, so only the force provided by the bands
was measured during the trials. Three trials were per-
formed at each length, and ground reaction force was cal-
culated. The resistance values of band lengths not direct-
ly tested were interpolated based on the tested values and
the linear force-producing properties of the material used
to manufacture the bands.
Study Two
Preliminary Testing Procedures
On the first of 3 days of testing each of the 10 subjects
performed a 1RM test on the Smith machine BSE. Pre-
viously described methods were used to determine 1RM
strength (9). Subjects were required to warm-up for 10
repetitions at 50% of their predicted 1RM weight, 5 rep-
etitions at 70%, 3 repetitions at 80%, and 1 repetition at
90%. Subjects then conducted up to 3 single-repetition
sets to determine their actual 1RM. Three minutes were
given between warm-up sets, and 5 minutes were given
between 1RM attempts. The depth of each 1RM attempt
was controlled so that the tops of the subject’s thighs were
parallel with the floor. After each subject’s 1RM was de-
termined, weight-plate resistance was reduced, and
bands were attached to both sides of the barbell for a
familiarization period. Each subject performed several
sets of squats with the bands attached to the barbell.
Primary Testing Procedures
Subjects warmed-up on a stationary bicycle for 3 minutes
before testing began. Three-minute rest periods were giv-
en between sets of the same condition, and 5 minutes rest
was given between sets of different conditions. Squat
depth was set for each subject such that the tops of their
quadriceps were parallel with the floor. Subjects were in-
structed to exert their PF against the barbell during the
entire concentric portion of each repetition (5). Subjects
performed 2 sets of 3 repetitions for each of the day’s 3
conditions. Testing was conducted on day 2 at 60% of
1RM (20), and on day 3 at 85% of 1RM (3). Subjects had
at least 48 hours between testing sessions. On both days
testing was conducted with and without using elastic
bands.
One TRE- and 2 VRT-loading conditions were tested
(in the order of no bands (NB), and B1 and B2, respec-
tively) at each of the 2 RM resistances. No bands repre-
sents all of the resistance being acquired from free-
weights, B1 represents 20% of the total resistance being
acquired from bands, and B2 represents 35% being ac-
quired from bands. Force, power, and time were recorded
for the duration of each set using the force platform. RFD
was found by calculating the slope of the force-time graph
during the concentric portion of the lift. Peak values for
each set were calculated from these records.
The elastic band conditions were normalized to the
270 W
ALLACE
,W
INCHESTER
,
AND
M
C
G
UIGAN
F
IGURE
1. Mean force values for each condition.
* Significantly greater mean force values for B1-85 and B2-85
conditions compared with NB-85 condition (p,0.05). NB-60 5
no bands at 60% 1 repetition maximum (1RM); B1-60 520%
band resistance at 60% 1RM; B2-60 535% band resistance at
85% 1RM; NB-85 5no bands at 85% 1RM; B1-85 520% band
resistance at 85% 1RM, B2-85 535% band resistance at 85%
of 1RM.
F
IGURE
2. Mean power values for each condition.
* Significantly greater mean power values for B1-85 and B2-85
conditions compared with NB-85 condition (p,0.05). NB-60 5
no bands at 60% 1 repetition maximum (1RM); B1-60 520%
band resistance at 60% 1RM; B2-60 535% band resistance at
85% 1RM; NB-85 5no bands at 85% 1RM; B1-85 520% band
resistance at 85% 1RM, B2-85 535% band resistance at 85%
of 1RM.
NB condition using the following method: (a) the desired
resistance for the subject was calculated (60% or 85%
1RM) and loaded onto the bar using weight-plates; (b) the
desired value of resistance to come from the bands for the
given condition was determined (equal to 20% or 35%);
(c) half of the value from step b was taken off of the free-
weight loaded bar; and (d) the bands were set up to provide
the resistance value when the subject was standing erect
with the bar on their shoulders, calculated in step b.
It was important in each VRT condition to subtract
half of the band’s resistance from the barbell’s free-weight
mass so that the band conditions did not have a higher
average resistance value than the NB conditions. Adding
the total value to come from bands to the barbell when
the subject was standing erect made sure that the loading
from the bands was not greater than what was desired
for the given condition. If the subject was not standing
erect when the bands were added, the bands would
stretch when that person did stand erect, resulting in too
high a load from the bands. Normalizing the resistance
in this fashion assured that the average total resistance
for the band conditions for each percentage of 1RM, upon
1 full repetition of the squat, was equal to the average
resistance provided by the TRE condition. This occurs be-
cause the bands increase tension during the concentric
phase and decrease tension during the eccentric phase of
the BSE.
Equipment
The elastic bands were set up as to progressively increase
overall resistance during the concentric portion of each
repetition. Conversely, they progressively decreased over-
all resistance through the eccentric portion of each repe-
tition. The bands were set up so that, at the end of the
eccentric motion, there was still slight tension on them.
If the bands were allowed to slack in the bottom position
of the squat, they could have caused an uninvited force
spike, when the subject started the concentric motion.
The Quattro Jump software recorded the force and power
characteristics measured during each set. The recording
frequency was set at 500 Hz.
Statistical Analyses
Values are reported as mean (6SD). Reliability of the
elastic bands was assessed using coefficient of variation
(CV). The results of the force produced for the bands were
compared using a 1-way repeated-measures analysis of
variance (ANOVA) with Tukey post hoc comparisons. Lin-
ear regression analyses for both the red and blue bands
were also calculated.
A 2-way (load 3band) repeated-measures ANOVA
was used to compare PF, PP, and RFD. For all testing
conditions, the level of significance was set at p#0.05.
R
ESULTS
Study One
The force–length characteristics of the bands are shown
in Table 1. The CVs indicate that the force characteristics
of the bands were very reliable (CV ,3.7%). The R-value
between measured forces for the blue bands was 0.99, and
for the red bands, it was 0.98. The force values obtained
from our analysis were not significantly different from
the manufacturer’s reported values.
Study Two
The PF, PP, and RFD readings for each of the 6 condi-
tions are shown in Figures 1–3. The data analyses
showed that there was no significant (p,0.05) difference
in PF or PP between any of the 60% conditions. RFD was
increased between NB-60 and B2-60 and between NB-85
and B2-85, but neither increase was statistically signifi-
cant (p,0.05). There were significant differences be-
tween the 85% conditions in PF and PP (p,0.05). PF
was increased by 16% between the NB-85 and B2-85 con-
E
FFECTS OF
E
LASTIC
B
ANDS ON
B
ACK
S
QUATS
271
F
IGURE
3. Mean peak rate of force development (RFD)
values for each condition. No significant differences observed.
NB-60 5no bands at 60% 1 repetition maximum (1RM); B1-60
520% band resistance at 60% 1RM; B2-60 535% band
resistance at 85% 1RM; NB-85 5no bands at 85% 1RM; B1-85
520% band resistance at 85% 1RM; B2-85 535% band
resistance at 85% of 1RM.
ditions. There was also a significant difference of 5% in
PF between B1-85 and B2-85 (p,0.05). PP was signifi-
cantly increased by 24% between NB-85 and B1-85 (p,
0.05). Between B1-85 and B2-85 there was a significant
decrease of 13% in PP (p,0.05).
D
ISCUSSION
From this study, we observed significant increases in PF
and PP with VRT compared with TRE. However, there is
equivocal information available regarding the effective-
ness of elastic bands in training (1, 8, 10, 13, 14, 16, 19;
J. Claxton, unpublished report). In one study that looked
at using just elastic band resistance compared with TRE,
free weights seemed to be superior in generating favor-
able musculoskeletal adaptations (14). In addition, elastic
bands alone have been shown to significantly improve
strength when compared with aerobic and control groups
(16). The results of VRT, in most cases, seem superior to
the results achieved from TRE for strength, force, power,
velocity, lean body mass, and electromyographic (EMG)
activity (1, 8 13, 19; J. Claxton, unpublished report); how-
ever, not all studies have come to this conclusion for each
measure (8, 10, 19).
Strength and power are the 2 measures that seem to
be most improved by the proper use of VRT (1, 13, 19; J.
Claxton, unpublished report), even if all uses do not pro-
vide significant benefits (8, 10). The trend seems to be
that significant increases in strength, force, and power
measures are not seen in studies in which only a small
percentage of the overall load was achieved from elastic
bands (8, 10) but are seen in studies that achieved a larg-
er percentage of the overall load from bands (1, 13, 19; J.
Claxton, unpublished report). However, our results indi-
cate that there may be a ceiling for the amount of resis-
tance that can come from bands before a decline in per-
formance measures is observed.
The exact mode of neurological and musculoskeletal
adaptations of VRT compared with TRE is not completely
understood, but a basic understanding of the phenome-
non does exist. It has been said that mechanical advan-
tage is achieved by the use of elastic bands (2, 10). Me-
chanical advantage is largely dependent on the length–
tension relationship of skeletal muscle (11, 21). Because
muscles can produce their PF at or near the length that
they normally maintain in the body because of thick and
thin filament cross-bridging (11), PF should be generated
in the concentric portion of the BSE, when the lifter is at
or near full extension. Considering this relationship and
that a resistance must be used that the activated muscles
can handle in their overall weakest position for full range
of motion to occur, the primary movers involved in the
BSE are not optimally loaded during much of the repe-
tition in TRE (4).
VRT increases tension progressively throughout the
concentric portion of the BSE and decreases tension pro-
gressively throughout the eccentric portion. The increas-
ing concentric tension shortens the deceleration phase in
TRE (J. Claxton, unpublished report), which is the least-
beneficial portion, and can be as much as 51.7% of the
concentric phase at 81% 1RM (12). Using VRT overloads
the activated muscles through a full range of motion (4),
allowing the muscles to produce PF when they are best
able to (2, 10), using the mechanical advantage properties
of skeletal muscle. In addition, a possible by-product of
shortening the deceleration phase is a lengthening of the
amount of time near peak velocity (J. Claxton, unpub-
lished report), which could increase RFD over time (25).
Increased eccentric loading also occurs with the use of
elastic bands (8). Eccentric loading has been shown to be
associated with higher force values than concentric load-
ing (15). Greater velocity is achieved near the beginning
of the eccentric phase with increased loading, and re-
search has shown that greater force is necessary to slow
the barbell during the final portions of the eccentric
phase, when velocity is increased (6). It has been hypoth-
esized that because of this, VRT may be an effective way
to increase strength and athletic performance (8).
The most common way to calculate the amount of re-
sistance coming from bands is to set them up so that the
combined VRT resistance, after the lifter has achieved
full extension, is equal to the resistance that would oth-
erwise come from just free weights in TRE. This method
does not properly normalize the VRT conditions to the
TRE condition because the overall average resistance for
any given repetition is less, which may take away from
the validity of the method.
Of the several types of bands available on the consum-
er market, most will work for resistance training. When
making a determination as to the type of bands to use, it
is important to consider whether there is an accurate way
to quantify the exact resistance that would be received at
a given length. Although we found no significant differ-
ences between the measured and reported manufacturer
values for the bands used in this study, the CVs do in-
dicate some variation in the force values of these bands.
Knowing the resistance received from the bands helps en-
sure the validity of the loading for the exercise to be per-
formed. In addition, to reduce the risk of injury, it is crit-
ical that the bands used be securely anchored to the bar-
bell and frame of the piece of lifting equipment to be used.
Lifters should be aware of the different feeling that add-
ing bands provides throughout the entirety of the repe-
tition (10). It is also important to note that bands can
strongly pull the barbell in the direction of their force
vector during the unracking process until the barbell is
272 W
ALLACE
,W
INCHESTER
,
AND
M
C
G
UIGAN
centered directly above that vector because this can have
a ‘‘slingshot’’ effect on lifters if they and their spotters are
not cautious. This safety consideration is of particular im-
portance if the barbell is not on a guided path, such as in
a Smith machine.
Possible limitations of VRT may be the cost of equip-
ment and the additional time necessary for setup and re-
moval of the bands themselves. A further consideration
could be time and effort needed to calculate the appro-
priate resistances and ratios of band vs. free-weight re-
sistance (10). Although cost may be a prohibitive, most
forms of bands are uncomplicated and take little addi-
tional time for setup when compared with TRE. Addition-
ally, calculating band resistances for a given workout, us-
ing the method mentioned in this article, takes a minimal
amount of time once the procedure is fully understood.
P
RACTICAL
A
PPLICATIONS
The results of this study suggest that the use of VRT can
allow for significant increases in both PF and PP in the
BSE when compared with TRE at a given 1RM resis-
tance. Of the conditions tested, power athletes may ben-
efit most from using the B1-85 condition because PP de-
clines significantly between that condition and the B2-85
condition, whereas PF is not dramatically different. It is
worth noting that advanced athletes may respond differ-
ently to VRT than the subjects in this study did.
These results could be helpful in training athletes who
could benefit from increased PF and PP. VRT could be
used as a separate training modality during various parts
of a training cycle as a way to facilitate greater strength
and power increases over TRE. This form of training
could be used during in-season programs as a way to im-
prove PF and PP at the same time, without having to
train them during separate microcycles or mesocycles.
These increases could translate into improvements in ver-
tical jump and ballistic performance (19). In addition,
VRT could allow the strength and conditioning profes-
sional greater flexibility in exercise prescription with re-
spect to exercise variety.
Additional studies measuring PF, PP, velocity, and
EMG activity in VRT during the final stages of the con-
centric and eccentric portions of the BSE could be useful
in determining the specific modes of musculoskeletal ad-
aptations involved. Further studies should also focus on
the long-term effectiveness of VRT compared with TRE
for strength and power exercises.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Mr. Mike Berry and Power-Up USA, Inc. (Milwaukee,
WI) for providing the BNS Band System elastic bands used in
this study.
Address correspondence to Dr. Michael R. McGuigan,
m.mcguigan@ecu.edu.au.
