Do Resistance Bands Work as Well as Dumbbells? | Viewer Questions
Hooper’s Beta Ep. 55
Viewer Question Ep. 6
Fun Fact:
Lady bugs are actually called lady beetles, or according to the English, lady bird beetles
Questions:
Viewer: Orpheus
Question: Can you do a video talking about why farmer crimps are a "secret weapon for climbers"?
Emile: We already did; that’s the title of the video :)
Orpheus: Oh cool. The video doesn't really touch on why it's a "secret weapon", i.e. better than normal hangboarding
Answer: OK Orpheus, so, good question, you right you right. Let’s get into why they are so helpful.They are so helpful because you can control the weight and as such control the force sooo much easier than hangboarding. You can start with as little as 5 pounds and work your way up. Whereas with hangboarding, it would be really hard to take that much of your body weight away. Remember, healing is all about proper tissue load management. Too much and you re-injure yourself. Too little (ie, doing nothing), and you don’t trigger the body to make helpful adaptations. Farmer crimps are simply an awesome tool to slowly and properly load your tissue.
Viewer: Edward Tan
Question: What strength Theraband are you using / would you recommend here?
Video in reference: Killer Home Shoulder Circuit for Rock Climbers (LONG) // from Gumby to Sharma with Dr. Jason
Answer: whenever you are starting a new exercise, it is a good idea to work on your form. That means we are focusing on quality reps, not quantity, which means you will want to start with a light enough band that allows you to perform quality repetitions. As you develop good form, you can start to increase the resistance. So, having multiple options for your resistance bands is crucial because you can start easy and then make it harder. In the long run, you need to be putting at least 80% effort into it to notice changes, but that should not be done day 1. Start with control, allow your body to learn the movement and what it can tolerate, then work up from there.
Viewer: Will Arnold
Question: Been following your lower body flexibility routine and I've noticed after 2 weeks that when I do the standing hamstring stretch mostly just feel tension and tingling in my calves. I've tried rolling them out/doing some basic stretches but it doesn't seem to help much. Any suggestions?
Video in Reference: Lower Body Stretch Follow-Along Routine for Rock Climbers (INSTANT GAINS!)
Answer: Good question! You may need to test the difference with your lower back position. If you notice when your back is flat that you have less tingling, you will need to keep your spine straighter and watch for rounding. If you have neural tension, the more rounded you are from your head to lower back, the more likely you are to create neural tension. If there is no difference in your back position, you may instead have some neural tension in your lower legs. Either way, you may benefit from some neural mobility work, but that could use a video all on it’s own or you may need to see a professional for a consult / assessment. Should we do a video on this? Let me know what you think!
Oh, but yeah, either way, you should not maintain the position once you get tingling or numbness. Change the position, shake it out, and try again, but don’t maintain stretches or positions that cause numbness, tingling, or anything to that sort.
Viewer: Adam Akamine
Question: What do you think about taking turmeric/curcumin? I've been told that it speeds up the recovery of tissues, in my case I'm hoping it will help with swollen finger knuckles from climbing
Video in Reference: Why climbers shouldn't take Ibuprofen - Hooper's Beta Ep. 6
Answer: First off, disclaimer, I am not a licensed dietician nor do I claim to be a nutritionist. I’m just a guy who does research and has opinions and stuff. [[for the video mention something else fun like hair or what not]]. But I will say this. Curcumin, the chemical they are most interested in from turmeric, has been studied in cancer treatments, in Alzheimers, on healing and burn wounds, and even in delayed onset muscle soreness. In this study on delayed onset muscle soreness, compared to the placebo, it was found to reduce DOMS and slightly increase VO2max, and the important aspect, was found to be safe for consumption. So in general, yeah, curcumin is awesome and has been studied and looked at in medicine for generations. But, there are a few things to consider.
Not all inflammation is bad. Inflammation is there for a reason and is helpful. It is part of our healing process.
Not all people will process it equally. It may have a more positive effect on 1 person than another. Our gut biome can vary greatly between individuals and this can affect the effect it has on you.
You shouldn’t think that curcumin is going to heal your finger injury. It may assist in a way, but is not the only thing you need to look at .
In summary, turmeric / curcumin is a natural medicinal remedy that has been studied for generations and found to be generally safe (barring food allergies, it just depends on your use.
Viewer: Serena Lee
Question: What's the difference between using light weights and therabands for these exercises? Is it okay to use weights if you don't have the bands, and if not, what's the reasoning? Thanks!
Video in Reference: Top 6 Exercises for Rotator Cuffs - Strong Shoulders Pt. 1 - Hooper's Beta Ep. 11
Answer: The direction of force is really important and what makes the biggest difference between using a resistance band vs a weight. Take the 1st exercise for example. The theraband creates force that will engage the external rotators of the shoulder. If you were using a dumbbell, you are still going through external rotation, but the force would only be straight down (gravity) so it would be more of a bicep/elbow flexor exercise. Same goes for the 2nd exercise. The weight, at the end range of the exercise, would just be sitting on your shoulders, whereas if using a theraband it would create force to work on your scapular retractors and external rotators. Hope that helps!
Thanks for tuning in! Until next time: Train. Climb. Send. Repeat.
Disclaimer:
As always, exercises are to be performed assuming your own risk and should not be done if you feel you are at risk for injury. See a medical professional if you have concerns before starting new exercises.
Written and Presented by Jason Hooper, PT, DPT, OCS, SCS, CAFS
IG: @hoopersbetaofficial
Filming and Editing by Emile Modesitt
www.emilemodesitt.com
IG: @emile166
