Bodylastics Resistance Band Set - Resistance Bands with Handles, Ankle Straps, Door Anchor, Carry Bag - Heavy-Duty Stretch Exercise Bands -Patented Clips and Snap Reduction Tech -Fitness Workout Band

Ok so I am WAY overdue for writing this review of my Bodylastics Warrior Edition set of resistance bands. But better late than never and reviews that are done right after receiving a product don’t tell the whole story. So here we go:Short and sweet version : Just buy these and you won’t regret it. What you get for the price is a quality set of workout equipment that is hard to match or beat. If you are after the best bang for your buck for a set of resistance bands, look no further. This is it!The detailed review: First some background. When I purchased these I was 61 years old and relocating for work to Paris, France. Covid was still a thing, and me not speaking French I thought finding and working out at a gym would be a problem. So I wanted something compact that I could fly with and also workout with in a small apartment. That was December of 2022 and as I write this it is July of 2024 and I couldn’t be happier with this equipment. I have been using them 2 to 3 times a week for a year and half with no issues at all and no signs of deterioration. Before buying them I looked at few other sets - some quite expensive and some very inexpensive. I had previously owned an inexpensive set of bands/handles and the bands broke after a couple of months. So I avoided the “too good to be true” priced sets because most likely that exactly what they are. I eventually landed on the Bodylastics set because of the apparent quality and while, not cheap, they don’t cost a fortune either. And I am a believer in “you get what you pay for”.I was very happy when I received my set because they were everything they were advertised to be - excellent quality for the price, and a serious set of equipment that you can do real world workouts with. The handles are great - padded and substantial with plenty of room for manly hands with workout gloves on them. The bands are thick and well made and the clips are robust and more like serious climbing carabiners rather than those wimpy toy ones on the inexpensive sets. The fabric on the bands, handles, door anchors, ankle straps, etc. is thick and rugged and the sewing is top notch. It’s obvious that these are made for some use and for the long haul. Hell even the carrying bag they came in is tougher than a steak at your in-laws place. It’s not going to tear if you throw it in your car and pile other stuff on top of it, or toss it down outside somewhere. Your dog might even have a hard time chewing it up. Unless you have a Labrador - they can chew up anything.The set is easy to use and to move from exercise to exercise so you can get a complete and full workout without spending half your time monkeying around with the equipment. The bands come in odd weight denominations which at first was a little funky but I got used to them quickly and figured out how to stack them to get the resistance weight that I was after. I also surmised that these unusual “weights” might be more accurate than the typical 10, 15, 20lb “weights” that most other companies have. They are color-coded so it’s easy to snag the band or bands you want and get busy. Bodylastics also provides an electronic manual that shows a lot of exercises, but of course you can also search on YouTube and other sites online to see lots of exercises and routines to do with your bands.Ok so before you think that I’m a plant from Bodylastics or that my cousin works there, I do have one gripe about them, but it’s a small one. I ordered some additional loose bands to get more combinations of resistance weight for certain exercises. The bands showed up quickly and are the same quality as my others so no issue there. But they aren’t the same colors as the same weight bands in my original set. So that is annoying as I now have two different colors of bands that have the same weight resistance. Grrrr. A small issue at the end of the day, but an annoyance just the same.Well there you have it people. I am really happy with this product have bought more bands from Bodylastics, given a set to my brother as a gift (he likes it) and recommended it to friends. And now I’m recommending it to you. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

I know this is long and I am sorry, but I was new to these when I bought them. I went on a lot of forums to find the right brand. I could find a lot of YouTube videos about how to determine the weight of your bands, but they were awful and didn't tell you anything about how to use them to actually achieve those weights or how to increase or decrease the weight without changing bands.*Skip to the bottom if you want to know how resistance bands work, ie stretch vs. actual weight.I bought this set mainly for physical therapy on my knee. I have extensive nerve damage and aerobic exercise is out of the question. So I have had these for a month now. I really do like this set. There is a lot of variety in weights. I live in an RV and free weights are not an option. I also feel safer using these. I have worked out a decent amount with free weights and I feel I can keep my balance better when working out my arms at chest height and higher.Now the goodies it comes with.The door anchor works great. So far the biggest band I have put on it is the 8# one (so 16#'s working weight). Remember it's an RV. I keep an eye on the door and frame. There is not the slightest damage and it doesn't budge when working out.I also like the "anywhere" anchor. It really makes anchoring these possible to just about anything.I find the ankle straps are comfortable.The handles are just the right size. When working out with two bands, I keep a handle on each band during some exercises. I can easily grip both handles to work out. If I can't finish my number of reps, I just let go of the lighter strap and finish with the heavier one. It keeps me from having to stop working out, change grips around, then continue. I am thinking about purchasing one more 3# band. I keep the door anchor with its band on the door all of the time. I also keep the handles attached to their straps all of the time. An extra 3# band would give me the ability to increase the weight on either one without having to share a band.The band barrier is essential to protect the bands. Just like when I used to rock climb, abrasion is not your friend. I think it is fairly good quality. It could use a better type of stitch. It is way bigger than it looks in the picture. It is 22" long and 3.5" wide when Velcroed together and flat. Nice.The storage bag is also huge. It is roughly the size of a sleeping bag stuff sack. There are no issues putting everything in there. As a matter of fact, if you plan on carrying this to different places, you could keep a pair of shoes, a towel, and your workout clothes in it with the bands. (I just did it to make sure)*Now, how bands work. You either have to know calculus really well or just read below.Skip this paragraph if you have an idea how figuring band weight works.Most bands I have seen have their rated weight occurring at 300% stretch. When they talk about stretch or percent stretch, here is what they mean. I like easy numbers so we are going to say the tubes on these bands are 40" long. 100% stretch means you are stretching it an additional 100% of its original length or double. Therefore the band is now 80" long. At 200% stretch, it is 120" long or triple. At its max of 300% stretch it is a whopping 160" long or quadruple. That's right. Your band that is a hair over a yard long needs to be stretched to almost 4.5 yards to reach its rated weight on the tag. Most exercises use the band folded in half, so you only have to stretch it to 2.25 yards. That is actually not too bad for some exercises. Remember, if you fold a band in half like you do when using the door anchor, you have to double the weight listed on the band. So, using the above example and a 10# band, your new 300# stretch length would be 80" (40" / 2 because it is folded in half gives 20". Then 20" x 4 gives 80".) and the weight would be 20# (just 10# x 2).Now the part that is a bit confusing for some. I did a lot of weight testing while stretching, measuring stretch percentage, and math involving algebra. I came up with Bodylastics' weight ratings are at 100% stretch, not 300% like others. This felt right to me, I just never tested it. I like this because it's less math. Each band is slightly different, so it's give or take. At 150% stretch, it was right around 150% labeled weight. (For all the nerds like me, my actual numbers were 100% stretch = 113% weight and 152% stretch = 153% weight. If I used calculus instead of algebra, the 113% weight would be a lot lower) What this also means is their weight ratings are real and trustworthy. Please note I was doing this solo so take my numbers with a grain of salt.To give you an idea how to use all of this, I will give an example. My door anchor has an 8# band looped in half, so 16#. I put my right foot in the ankle strap and move just far away to make the band taught. I now measure 22" from where my foot is. (half of the 44" stretchy part of the band since it is looped in half) I now position myself so my right foot ends up at that mark during each exercise. I now know I am pulling 16#. If you want more, make your mark at 33" from your original starting point. That is 150%. If your foot ends there you are doing 24#.