Elasticity

If your gym has theratubes or you can pick one up at the store, do so for a drastic difference in your workout routine.

Theratubes derive from their use in rehabilitation.  Therapy was performed with elastic tubing to create a closed chain effect on the exercises that used them.  They have since hit the gym scene, first in group exercise settings and now in group coaching.

Performing exercises like bicep curls, upright rows, and tricep extensions now have two main factors: gravity and elasticity.  The elasticity enhances the eccentric aspect of the exercise.  This eccentric stress or "forcing the negative" is what needs to be done to muscles in order to make them stronger.  Theratubes are excellent for helping you break through a plateau, challenging your workout, and without the weight of a dumbbell, they are portable.

Get creative with use: use them to make your squats and pushups harder by keeping them tight around your upper back, use them to assist you when you do pullups, anchor one end and utilize the other to do rotary twists, resisted punches, etc, the list goes on....