What’s the Difference Between Resistance Bands and Weights?

You’ve probably gotten the message by now: strength training is a vital part of a well-balanced fitness program, and it’s essential for building lean muscle mass, developing strong bones, and improving your overall quality of life. It also comes with a steep learning curve and the potential for a lot of stuff. While you can certainly build strength through bodyweight exercise, accessories like dumbbells, kettlebells, resistance bands, and more can take your workout to the next level. 

Options are great, but they can also be overwhelming. So when it comes to strength training, what’s really better for you and what will help you achieve your goals: resistance bands or weights?

Resistance Bands vs. Weights: Resistance

While dumbbells and free weights are often the tools most often associated with strength training, the truth is that you can make strength gains with many forms of equipment (including your own bodyweight!)—and that includes resistance bands. While the way you use each type of equipment will look very different, the end goal is exactly the same: to get stronger. 

It is, however, important to understand what “getting stronger” can entail. When you use heavy resistance, you actually increase the physical size of your muscles, a concept known as hypertrophy. This is a specific form of strength training (otherwise known as resistance training), an umbrella term that also includes stabilization, endurance, power (producing the greatest possible force in the shortest amount of time) and actual strength (the ability to move increasingly heavy external loads with your muscles).  

“Building muscle (hypertrophy) and getting stronger are related, but definitely distinct goals,” says Peloton instructor Matty Maggiacomo. “Building muscle focuses on increasing muscle size, typically through moderate weights and higher repetitions. Getting stronger involves increasing the amount of weight lifted, often with lower repetitions.”

According to Matty, strength training goals are highly individualized, but there’s no need to pick just one lane. “You can get stronger without significantly increasing muscle size, as strength gains can result from improved neural adaptations and ‘mental toughness,’ he says. “Conversely, you can build muscle with only modest strength gains through hypertrophy-focused training. However, the two often complement each other. Ideally, we like to ‘have our cake and eat it too’ by getting stronger while also building muscle!”

And the good news is, you can have your metaphorical cake by using either weights or resistance bands because both can help you accomplish a variety of strength training goals. “Lifting heavy weights is effective for building muscle and strength, but it is not the only way,” Matty says. “Muscle growth and strength can also be achieved through higher repetitions with moderate weights (provided the muscles are worked to fatigue) and resistance bands!” 

And if you’re scratching your head over the definition of “heavy,” Matty has a straightforward interpretation. “‘Heavy’ refers to lifting a weight that challenges your muscles near their maximum capacity,” he says. “While resistance bands can provide significant resistance, achieving very high levels of resistance is often easier with free weights. However, bands can still effectively build muscle and strength when used properly. Resistance bands typically come in different thickness levels which create more resistance.”

Resistance Bands Basics

Resistance bands come in many varieties, but generally speaking, they’re bands made of elastic or fabric that can be used to build tension or—you guessed it—resistance while performing certain exercises. Beyond just helping you build strength (which resistance bands can do effectively), they can also help with injury prevention by improving mobility, stability, and flexibility. You can find plain elastic resistance bands in simple strips or loops, as well as elastic or fabric tubes that come with handles or other attachments. Many also come in color-coded packs, indicating the thickness, and subsequently the level of resistance, each band provides.  

“They create resistance by stretching, which works muscles throughout the range of motion,” Matty says. “This resistance increases as the band is stretched, providing progressive resistance that challenges muscles and stimulates growth. I love using resistance bands when I travel!”

Not only can resistance bands be used to work out, but research has shown they can also be ideal tools for rehabbing certain injuries, recovering from some surgical procedures, or may help rebuild strength after a major health crisis such as a stroke.

Free Weights Basics

The definition of a “free weight” is pretty broad, as it includes pretty much any weighted object that isn’t physically attached to a machine. While gym machines typically provide resistance through cables or stacks of weight, free weights are the weights themselves, which you can move freely through a range of exercises, without being restricted to any one machine.

“Free weights, including dumbbells, barbells, and kettlebells, provide resistance through gravity,” Matty says. “They require stabilization and engage multiple muscle groups, promoting muscle strength and hypertrophy. Unlike resistance bands, free weights offer constant resistance.”

If you’ve taken a Peloton Strength class or program, then you’re likely most familiar with dumbbells, which are handheld bars with weights attached on both ends. A barbell is a longer bar with weights attached at either end, and a kettlebell is a cast-iron or cast-steel ball attached to a top handle. All of these pieces of equipment can be used in a variety of strength training exercises. 

Resistance Bands vs. Weights: The Benefits and Limitations of Each

As with just about any array of options, you’re likely to find pros and cons associated with both resistance bands and free weights. Both forms of equipment can provide a variety of benefits, but each also comes with some distinct limitations. Knowing your priorities (Are you always on the road? Are you looking to build muscle mass more quickly?) can help you sort out which option is best for you and your goals. 

Resistance Bands Benefits and Limitations

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Free Weights Benefits and Limitations

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How to Ultimately Choose Between Resistance Bands vs. Weights

Ultimately, resistance bands and free weights are both great options for building muscle and strength, but the choice you make between the two comes down to your personal objectives. “Consider your goals,” Matty says. “If maximal strength or muscle mass is the primary goal, free weights are generally more effective. If convenience, portability, or joint-friendly options are needed, resistance bands are a good choice.”

And while it might be tempting to invest all your fitness hopes into one specific form of strength training, the ideal workout plan isn’t about pledging allegiance to one form of equipment over another. In an ideal world, both resistance bands and free weights make regular appearances in your regimen. “For a well-rounded program, using both can provide the benefits of constant and variable resistance, improve stabilization, and prevent plateaus,” Matty says.

This content is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute individualized advice. It is not intended to replace professional medical evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment. Seek the advice of your physician for questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition. If you are having a medical emergency, call your physician or 911 immediately.