Now that the temperatures have dropped below freezing and snow is impending (I can’t believe we don’t have any snow yet, by the way!), my workouts have moved indoors. I don’t belong to a gym, so when Rubberbanditz offered to send me a “portable gym kit” to try out, I was more than happy to accept.
Rubberbanditz are flat resistance bands with optional accessories such as hand grips and door straps, which make a wider variety of exercises easily accessible. Says the company’s website, “with the guidance of our visual manual and self-guided tutorials, you will be able to follow one of our certified fitness routines or customize your own personal workout. Our user-friendly training materials will assist you in: strength training, bodyweight management, core strengthening/stabilization and stretching.”
I especially love the company’s focus on sustainability (all damaged bands are send to Scrap Exchange to be used for arts and crafts projects) and community outreach. Right now, Rubberbanditz is participating in the Carolina for Kibera Charity Match – For every mobile gym kit purchased before 1/31/2011, Rubberbanditz will donate a band to Carolina For Kibera (CFK), a grassroots organization that promotes youth leadership in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya, through sports and women’s empowerment initiatives. CFK is using bands to develop a mobile fitness program led by local youth.
How cool is that?
And what about the workout itself, you asked? In true Savvy Eats fashion, I have broken it down into a pros and cons list.
Pros:
- Portability. The full gym kit is small and weighs less than a pound. So not only is it great for home use, it is also perfect for traveling!
- The optional hand grips (which are easily attached/detached via carabiners) keep the bands from digging into your palms.
- The hand grips and door strap make a wider variety of exercises possible, so it is easier to do a full-body workout with just the workout kit.
- The bands are flat and sturdy, so they don’t roll up or ride up on your ankles or arms like other resistance bands I’ve tried.
Cons:
- The bands often feel too long, so it is harder to get into the right position for some of the exercises. Part of this can be contributed to the fact that I am so short, but I’ve also found that some exercises are better if I fold one of the bands in half and hold each end instead of using one band for each hand.
- Because the bands feel so long, it can be difficult to achieve and sustain the right amount of tension in the bands to really “feel” the workout.
Giveaway
Want to try it out for yourself? Rubberbanditz has been generous enough to offer a giveaway so that one of you can try the workout, too! The winner will receive:
- 1 light band
- 1 instructional DVD
- 1 door strap
- 2 hand grips with carabiners
There are THREE ways to enter the giveaway:
1. Leave a comment here telling me your favorite portable workout.
2. Follow Rubberbanditz on Twitter, and leave a comment telling me you did so.
3. “Like” Rubberbanditz on Facebook, and leave a comment telling me you did so.
I will choose a winner next Tuesday, December 21!
* This contest has now closed. The winner is Kelsey, who said,
“My favorite portable work-out is sit-ups and push-ups! You don’t have to bring anything with you, all you need is a floor
“
Congratulations, Kelsey! Send your mailing information to savvyjulie@gmail.com, and I’ll send you your prize! *
I travel quite often for work so usually I will use the hotel’s equipment for cardio. If there is no cardio equipment I always have my running shoes along so I just run around the new city/town that I am in.
Then when I get back to my hotel room I use the chair to do arm dips. Do some pushups, situps, that kind of stuff.
It would be really nice to have this portable kit to bring along on trips!
My favorite “portable” workout is running! I live in a pretty warm climate & rarely travel up North during the cold months, so it works for me. If I had to travel to snowy/icy places though, I’d probably plan on taking a yoga DVD or download to do instead since you don’t need any equipment.
My favorite portable workout is (seriously) my toddler. She is running, running, running non-stop. Even when we don’t go to the park or the playground, she is so full of energy and exuberance. And, carrying her around and all of diapers, toys, sippys, snacks, etc., is an excellent upper-body workout
I do pushups everywhere I travel. It’s the perfect exercise and you can pepper them into your day ten at a time so that by the end you’ve done 100+
I love doing body weight exercise circuits with the plank, lunges, jumping jacks, squats, and pushups. You can really get your heart pumping even with no equipment!
I’m following RubberBandItz on twitter!
My favorite portable work-out is sit-ups and push-ups! You don’t have to bring anything with you, all you need is a floor
If I have available wi-fi and my laptop, my favorite portable workout is Exercise TV, but otherwise it would be my running shoes! But having some portable strength training activities would be great too.
My favorite portable workout is running. All you need is a pair of good running shoes and you can run pretty much anywhere.
My favorite portable workout is my workout dvds–when I travel I can always throw 2 or 3 in my suitcase for variety.
What an awesome company! I love the fact that company is donating to those in need.
My favorite portable workout- pushups! You can do them anywhere
I do lunges, squats, push ups, planks, and yoga when I’m travelling. I don’t need any equipment or instructions for those things so they are easy to do in hotel rooms, etc….and sometimes my sister and I will just randomly start doing lunges in public places. It’s kind of obnoxious but we have fun laughing at each other.
I travel quite a bit and try to get in as much running/walking as I can seeing the city I’m in… The stairs in the hotel are a great workout as well!
My favorite portable workout is my running shoes!
I am very much a cardio person but lately Ive been trying to get into more strength training. Since I dont have a gym membership or any equipment at home this usually involves yoga (via youtube instructional videos), pushup, situps and squats.
I just bought a kettlebell! Hopefully that works as a portable workout.
My favorite portable workout is simple – push ups, mountain climbers, jumping jacks, lunges, etc. Would love to try those bands!
This would be great for all the travel I do for work. I would love to be able to not use crappy hotel gyms.
My favorite portable workout is my dvds–I always have my laptop for work so these fit perfectly!
What a great idea! I use a resistance band when I travel but never have enough to do with it!
My favorite portable workout is my dog! Walking him is always a workout!
i am following on twittttttttttttttttttttttter
liked on the book of faces!
hi. i like you.
and my favorite portable workout is cookie baking!
ok. thats not too portable.
thats only, like, semi portable. sort of.
my favorite portable workout is CORPSE POSE.
hahahahahahahahah
My favorite, although very hard, portable workout is my pinch exercise. I have to do it outside because I drop the plates often. I love to hike/walk which is as portable as you can get.
I now follow rubberbanditz.
I do not have facebook so I cannot like rubberbanditz. It might be time to rethink this.
My favorite is this little disk I have that you stand on and twist and it is made by Bally’s – I love it!
I have been traveling more often for work and these look like a great portable option. My favorite portable workouts are bodyweight circuits (pushups, one-legged squats, dips on a chair or bench, lunges, etc) and plenty of walking.
Great giveaway! My fave portable workout is with my arms and legs—push ups and squats!
I like them on FB!
And following them on Twitter