
How we pick our products
Welcome to our big theraband test 2023. Here we present all the therabands we have tested in detail. We have compiled detailed background information and added a summary of customer reviews on the web. We would like to make your purchase decision easier and help you find the best theraband for you.
You will also find answers to frequently asked questions in our guide. If available, we also offer interesting test videos. Furthermore, you will find some important information on this page that you should pay attention to if you want to buy a theraband.
Contents
- 1 Summary
- 2 The Best Theraband: Our Picks
- 3 Guide: Questions you should ask yourself before buying a Theraband
- 4 Decision: What types of therabands are there and which one is right for you?
- 4.1 What is a “Theraband CLX” and what are the advantages and disadvantages?
- 4.2 What are the advantages and disadvantages of Theraband Tubing?
- 4.3 What distinguishes a “Theraband stability trainer” and what are the advantages and disadvantages?
- 4.4 What distinguishes a “Theraband hand exerciser” and what are the advantages and disadvantages?
- 4.5 What distinguishes a “Theraband door anchor” and what are the advantages and disadvantages?
- 5 Buying criteria: These are the factors you can use to compare and evaluate fitness bands
- 6 Trivia: Interesting facts about therabands
Summary
- Therabands enable you to train your whole body effectively. Not only can you train wherever you are, but you can also achieve great results in muscle building within a very short time with a “7-minute workout”.
- Basically, a distinction is made between the Theraband CLX, the Theraband Tubing, the stability trainer, hand trainer and the door anchor. As the highest quality and most popular theraband among customers, the CLX theraband is clearly worth mentioning and recommending.
- These stretchable fitness bands are available in eight different strengths and resistance levels. The different strengths are unmistakably symbolised by a uniform colour code. You can also choose between different materials and lengths for your band.
The Best Theraband: Our Picks
Guide: Questions you should ask yourself before buying a Theraband
Who is a Theraband suitable for?
This warm-up can be perfectly completed with a stretchy fitness tool – the theraband. Of course, training with a theraband for bodybuilders cannot achieve the same success as with heavyweights. However, this band is also used in warm-up routines for professional athletes in the field of weight training and muscle building.
Moreover, fitness bands are often used by people who are beginners in fitness. The reason for this is that these pieces of sports equipment can not only be used in gyms, but are also very useful for home workouts. You can do simple exercises without any additional equipment and build up super muscles. Furthermore, stretchable sports bands are very popular in the field of physiotherapy. Physiotherapists usually work with injured athletes who have had an operation and want to get back to their previous level of performance.
Very good results can be achieved with this therapy, bringing competitive athletes back to the top of the world. These fitness bands are also very popular with pregnant women and senior citizens. Since there are different strengths, these groups should choose the bands with the least resistance. If pregnant women or older people want to exercise, the best choice is to use a theraband. This protects the joints and avoids jerky movements that require extremely high muscle strength. However, your muscles are tightened, which has a very positive effect on your connective tissue.
Which parts of the body can be trained with a fitness band?
On the one hand, the arms can be hereditary, on the other hand, they can be caused by a reduction in the firmness of the connective tissue after a heavy weight loss. In both cases, you can fight them well with Theraband training. In the following video you can see special exercises for strengthening the muscles and tightening the skin of the triceps. You will also be shown the exact exercises so that you don’t make any mistakes.
Special exercises can be used to train the following muscles, for example: Buttocks, legs, abdominals, shoulders, triceps, biceps or the latissimus. You can train the adductors – the inner thighs – by clamping the Theraband under a door with a door anchor. Fix the band on one foot at ankle level and then perform a leading movement with this leg away from the other. Make sure you are doing the exercise correctly by feeling tension and pressure on the inner thigh of the leading leg. Repeat 15 times for each side.
In what strength and colour should I buy a theraband?
You have to decide for yourself which Theraband is best for you based on your gender, age and training level (beginner, advanced or professional).
The following table shows the uniform differentiation of the colours with their corresponding resistances:
Colour | Strength/resistance of the fitness band | Area of use |
---|---|---|
Beige | Extra light | Children, pregnant women, seniors, people after an injury |
Yellow | Light | Untrained women, beginners |
Red | Medium strong | Stronger women |
Green | Strong | Strong women, untrained men |
Blue | Extra strong | Strong women, strong men |
Black | Special strong | Well trained men |
Silver | Super strong | Extremely strong men, competitive athletes |
Gold | Maximum strong | Extremely strong men, competitive athletes |
How much does a Theraband cost?
Type | Price range |
---|---|
Theraband CLX | Approx. 16-25€ |
Theraband Door Anchor | Approx. 3-15€ |
Theraband Tubing | Approx. 10-130€ |
However, the prices always vary depending on the length of the band and the colour or thickness. The price increases starting with the colour beige towards the colour gold, whereby gold is the most expensive choice due to the highest resistance.
What are the alternatives to a Theraband?
Type | Description |
---|---|
Gym equipment | For people who prefer to train with real weights rather than their own weight, the gym equipment alternative is particularly useful. This option is especially recommended for bodybuilders, as you can never achieve the results with your own weight that you can achieve with, for example, 100 kg weights. I would advise against this for young people who are still growing. Training with increased weight can prevent growth, which has an effect on the growth plate. |
Gymnastics balls | This alternative should be chosen if you are pregnant. Due to the gentle and non-impact movements on such a ball, pregnant women can also be offered a workout. Furthermore, senior citizens can make use of them. There are even group gymnastics classes offered in this area in many cities. This helps improve posture and balance. |
Weight cuffs | Weight cuffs are small weights that come in pouches. You can either wrap them around your calves or arms with Velcro. This increases the intensity of your workout and helps build muscle. |
Decision: What types of therabands are there and which one is right for you?
If you want to buy a theraband, there are five different types to choose from:
- Theraband CLX
- Theraband Tubing
- Theraband stability trainer
- Theraband Hand Trainer
- Theraband door anchor
Depending on how you use it and how you use it, you have to choose the type that makes the most sense. I will list the advantages and disadvantages of each type to make your decision as easy as possible.
What is a “Theraband CLX” and what are the advantages and disadvantages?
The Theraband CLX is a latex-free fitness band that consists of loops strung together. These are responsible for easy gripping and fastening of the bands. This type of sports band represents the further development par excellence. The most popular in this category is the “Theraband CLX 11 Loops/2.0 m”. The main reason for the popularity of this training device is the combination of four training devices – exercise band, loop, tube with handles and tube with door anchor – to form the CLX. This means that all exercises can be performed without buying additional accessories. Furthermore, this type only has advantages such as being latex-free, which benefits many allergy sufferers, but also the seven resistance levels available, which offer usable strengths for every type of athlete.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of Theraband Tubing?
The Theraband Tubing is a tubular Theraband with a handle at each end for an easy and secure grip. However, this fitness equipment is also available without handles, and the handles are very useful for a variety of exercises. The tubing is also available in 7 different strengths and colours, which of course makes it appealing to a wide range of people. A big advantage can be seen in the length. Usually, the band is bought in a length of 7.5 m, but this can then be individually cut to size, depending on the training progress. The shorter the band is cut, the greater the resistance.
What distinguishes a “Theraband stability trainer” and what are the advantages and disadvantages?
The stability trainer is filled with foam or air depending on the difficulty level and training level of the athlete and has a smooth and a nubby side. The three difficulty levels available are as follows: Two easy (green and blue) foam-filled steps and one hard (black) air-filled step. The nubby side of the black step provides an additional sensorimotor stimulus. This trainer is designed to promote balance and stability, as you can easily see from the name. You do this by standing on the so-called “balance pad” and performing your exercises in an unstable state. In addition to balance, you also put a lot of strain on your muscles.
What distinguishes a “Theraband hand exerciser” and what are the advantages and disadvantages?
You can compare the Theraband hand exerciser to an anti-stress ball. It trains only the fine and gross motor skills in your fingers. The muscles in the fingers, hands and forearms should be strengthened. The fact that the hand trainer is available in 5 different strengths (yellow to black) gives it a clear advantage over the stability trainer.
What distinguishes a “Theraband door anchor” and what are the advantages and disadvantages?
One of the most popular and practical fitness devices for the home is the Theraband door anchor. It can be used after quick and easy attachment to any door. You can turn every door into your own individual training aid. Compared to the other types listed, this anchor is by far the cheapest on average. The flexibility is also a clear advantage, as the door anchor can be attached during training and removed again immediately after training. This means you don’t have to create extra space for your workout, but can do your exercises in the smallest space at home.
Buying criteria: These are the factors you can use to compare and evaluate fitness bands
In the following, I will show you which aspects you can use to decide between the many possible therabands. The criteria you can use to compare the bands for sport include:
- Strength and colour
- Material
- Variety of applications
- Shape/type
- Attached “free training guide
- Price/performance ratio
In the following paragraphs, I will explain what is important in each of the criteria.
Strength and colour
The strength and resistance of a sports band are particularly important when deciding which band to buy. The different strengths are identified by uniform colours ranging from beige to gold. It is important for you to know how well trained you are, and depending on your level of training, you can then choose the appropriate band thickness. The extra thin bands are also used in physiotherapy. Pregnant women and senior citizens also benefit from this strength.
Types of Therabands such as the “Theraband CLX” are popular because they offer eight different band strengths. Unlike others, this is labelled as the most sold theraband. The reason for this is that the CLX appeals to a wide range of people due to the many resistance types. Furthermore, you can also choose the length and width of the band. There are two different belt lengths on the market with very high demand: 45.5 m and 2.5 to 5.5 m. The former is proving to be particularly popular.
The former is particularly popular in the practice of physiotherapists and other professionals in the public sector. The 45.5 m length is mainly consumed by larger corporations and rarely if ever by private individuals. The latter are more likely to resort to the latter. With a length of 2.5 to 5.5 m, super results in muscle building can be achieved at home for personal use.
Material
Basically, you can buy your Theraband in different material forms. A distinction is made between the following three forms:
- Natural latex (rubber)
- Latex
- Without latex
Natural latex – also called rubber – is the main component of the high-quality Deuser bands. This does not contain any additional dyes or other additives. The small speed advantage can possibly be attributed to this. The advantage of natural latex is that it is also available in 1.1 mm thickness, which is the perfect thickness for single-layer tapes. Latex, which is contained in Thera-bands, is hardly free of dye additives. This type of tapes with a latex material will hardly be used by allergy sufferers.
The third and last type of material is described by a latex-free tape. This has been modelled 1:1 on the original latex exercise band by the manufacturers in terms of resistance properties. However, in contrast to the latex-containing band, it is very suitable for allergy sufferers. Furthermore, it has the following properties: powder-free, odourless, available in 5 resistance levels, linear force-stretch behaviour.
Variety of applications
With the right exercise bands, you can train different muscle groups with numerous exercises.
The only important thing is to choose the right type of band so that it can be used in a variety of ways. For example, a Theraband hand exerciser will not serve the purpose of a full-body workout. In this case you should rather go for the Theraband CLX or the Theraband door anchor.
Shape/type
In addition to the types already mentioned above, there is another distinction between two bands:
- Deuser-Band
- Thera-Band
Both the Deuser band and the Thera band have become strongly established on the market. Through small but subtle differences such as material, strengths and colours, statements about differences can be made. Primarily, the Deuser band has several advantages over the Thera band. The Deuser band is made of natural rubber and is not flat but round. The ring-shaped closed band is much thicker than a normal Thera-Band. This makes it more suitable for strength training, as it tears less easily due to its thickness.
In addition, with this type of band you have the option of attaching handles to the end, which are useful for a variety of exercises. The band is also used for stretching, in rehabilitation gymnastics or for endurance training. The Deuser band is available in five resistance levels. These are characterised by light (light strength) to dark (heavy strength) colours. In contrast, the Thera-Band is made of latex. These bands are available in eight different colours and strengths.
Attached “Free Training Guide
Who wants to pay for something when you can have it for free? Very many Thera- or Deuser bands that you order on Amazon, for example, offer a free training guide for your e-book. Especially for beginners, this selection criterion is of high priority. If you are not yet well acquainted with fitness exercises and their correct execution, or if you have not dealt with them to a large extent, such a training guide with instructions can be very helpful.
Especially in the area of training with the Theraband, many exercises are performed incorrectly and too quickly. When training with this equipment, you should pay more attention to slow, targeted and precise execution, otherwise the training will either be pointless or you will pull muscles.
Price-performance ratio
As with all other products, the price-performance ratio is a decisive purchase criterion for every consumer.
You can use the following rule of thumb as a guide: The more expensive the product, the higher the quality of the manufacturer. This rule applies in about 90% of cases, but may differ for the remaining 10%.
Keep the following in mind: Extremely expensive does not always mean excellent quality.
Trivia: Interesting facts about therabands
How can I clean my theraband?
If you use and train with your band frequently, you will need to clean it thoroughly. Hygiene is a crucial point, especially with sports equipment and articles, as they are constantly exposed to your sweat and other dirt particles. A short summary of the upcoming points is listed here:
- Rub with talcum powder or baby powder
- Rinse with soap and water
- Drying must be 100%
- Keep fingernails short during cleaning
The material of your belt is hardly important when it comes to cleaning and care. No matter whether it is made of latex, rubber or without latex, you can use talcum powder or baby powder in all cases. Rub your tape with these substances. If you do not have these substances at hand and urgently need to clean your fitness band, you can also use soap and water to rinse it off after your workout.
Hands off disinfectants when cleaning!
Chemical cleaners and disinfectants are absolutely taboo for cleaning. Due to the aggressiveness of these agents, your belt can easily be attacked and subsequently degraded. If your Theraband is wet or damp, you must allow it to dry completely. To do this, hang it over a chair or clothes horse. Only when the band is 100% dry can you roll it up again. This will prevent tears in the tape. If you take good care of your Theraband by cleaning it properly and being careful not to damage your fingernails, you will benefit from your fitness equipment for a long time.
Which lengths, strengths and colours are best for a home workout?
You have to decide for yourself what fitness level you are at. I can give you a recommendation based on three examples:
- Beginner: Beige; Strength: extra light
- Advanced: green; strength: strong
- Professional: silver or gold; strength: super to maximum strong
In all three cases, you should definitely use a band length of about 3 metres. Of course, this length depends on your height.
You can take a closer look at a table with all the colours listed, their strengths and areas of application in the guide.
What would a training plan for a “7-minute workout” at home look like?
Finally, here I show you how to use the Theraband in practice.
With your individual “smallest fitness studio in the world” you can achieve impressive results if you use the correct technique and band strength.
I have selected a special video from a personal trainer. The exercises are easy for you to do both at home and in the gym. You will need the following:
- Theraband CLX
- Watch/mobile phone to stop the time
- Sufficient energy
- Consistency
- Motivation
The principle: Do each exercise once, then take a break for 30 seconds. Well trained people can do the workout twice in a row without a break.
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