The analysis of effectiveness of elastic training (resistant) bands application to develop explosive strength

Abstract

Purpose: to research the effectiveness of elastic training bands (resistance bands) application to develope explosive strength in a comparative aspect. Material and methods: theoretical material for the article has been taken from the research of Ukrainian and foreign scholars and experts. The basis for the study was a research laboratory of functional diagnostics and physical rehabilitation. The study involved 60 18-19-year-old students (40 girls and 20 boys), young people with excellent, very good or good health status. The main methods used for the experiment and the article were comparison, questionnaires, final tests, statistical analysis (parametric and nonparametric analysis, systematization, creation of varieties (arrays), determination of Student’s t-test and Pearson’s χ2 test). Results: the questionnaire of students on the expected effectiveness of various ways of explosive strength training revealed that the lowest result was expected from isometric exercises (5%), the average one was found out from the use of weights (61%), and the highest result was shown from the application of elastic training (resistant) bands (65%). According to the results of the experiment the following data has been obtained: 1) the smallest increase in the standing long jump was observed in the group in which there were trainings with elastic training bands – 4.3 cm; in the group where isometric exercises were applied, the increase in standing long jump was 10.9 cm; in the group in which students trained with weights, the gain in the standing long jump was 14 cm; 2) the increase of the leg press index at an angle of 45° in the group that used elastic training bands as a means of weighting was the lowest, i.e. 14 kg; in the group performing isometric exercises it turned out to be the highest – 19.5 kg; in the group that used weights – 18 kg. Conclusion: our experiment involved comparing the impact on the explosive strength development of different means of weighting: elastic training bands, isometric exercises and weighting objects. Despite the expectations of the respondents it was demonstrated that the application of the elastic training bands does not have a significant advantage over other means of weighting. The resistance bands application show lower results compared to the training with the isometric weighting and weighting of objects. The application of exercises in the isometric mode of weighting showed a significant gain in explosive strength, although the expected results were not met. The application of objects’ weighting showed the expected high results. Therefore, the prediction of the high efficiency of elastic training bands as a means of weighting turned out to be spurious.