Bands are great - whether used for prehab/rehab, injury prevention, pull throughs, pull aparts, crunches, assisted dips/pullups/chins, triceps extensions/biceps curls, all planes of leg adduction/abduction, barbell work and kettlebell routines etc. etc., but - they're so damn expensive! Having said that you do get what you pay for. There are a couple of low-cost alternatives which will allow you to road test band exercises, and maybe convince you to buy 'real ones'

Some options are pallet bands (OK if you know someone in the trade), sports shop 'therabands & their knock-offs, and my personnal favourite Bungee rope; judging by how many I've had to replace, due to them having gone walkabout, other people like too.

Here's ya homemadegystuff starter for ten:

3.0m of 10mm Bungee.

Tie the ends together (Possibly the easiest make, ever)

And we're good to, so here's a vid from Dick Hartzell to get you started:

Band chin-ups

Prehab: X-Band Walks

Stack.com: Add the walks to your lower body routine at least once a week to prevent an imbalance and reduce the risk of injury.

• Stand on resistance band with feet around six inches apart
• Hold handles of band with hands, and make an “X” by crossing band in front of legs
• Stand up straight with shoulder blades down
• Take lateral steps

Sets/Reps: 1-2/10-15

Coaching Points:
• Keep feet no more than hip-width apart
• Take six-inch steps, one at a time
• To keep hip flexors lengthened, avoid leaning forward
• Don’t wing out elbows, because it weakens posture


And last, but not least; Big X-Band Walks - Raise your hands up & out to activate your posterior chain - a big X.

Have fun!

How can you improve the humble Ab Wheel? Everlast thought they'd come up with the 'killer' tweak - the quignog; give it an eccentric handle/axle. Sounds great actually looks good too. (On the left in photo)

It promises to give that extra stretch at the end of the motion - which it does. Is this really desireable though - that little bit extra at full stretch may sound tempting but due to being at the extreme end of ROM, this is uncontrollable.

It's not too bad if you're fairly strong and only doing rollouts from the kneeling position, start from the 'pike' position though and you tempt ending in the danger zone.

Reading this you probably think I've a horror story to tell; you're right I do, but it's not the "...went too far, lost control and ripped my abs of the bones and blewout my shoulders..."

Nope, my story starts at the start. In the pike position. We laugh everytime I recant the tale...

Pike start position.

Slowly ease weight onto wheel.

Blam! - Both the wheel and my arms set off backwards towards my feet, through my legs (the offset wheel 'took control')

Class one face plant, solid drop to the knees, wrists grazed, neck and mid/lower back jarred & injured. Over a year later I am still troubled by the 'clicky' neck and slightly stiff back.

TF it wasn't one of my Boxers, but the worst thing is that I've had to start back on kneeling rollouts.

You've been warned!

Edit -> UK Distributor Site

I won't deny it - I'm cheap, so cheap that I'll make a Heath-Robinson version of owt that catches the eye. Latest is the Rotater - a rehab/prehab shoulder saver (http://therotater.com/)

Like with most problems, the simplest solution is usually the best. I aint got $50 spare at the moment, so here's the Grim up North knock-off...

The Homemadegymstuff 'Woody'

50x25x410mm legs, 3 90deg brackets and a length of 25mm webbing; below a bit o'padding (OK, carpet)

Loosens up the shoulders great, and it also feels looser in the delts and upper lats... Buy one if you can; make one if you can't. Simple.