Archives for July 2008

B-Lines Resistance Bands Review

July 30, 2008 By Brad Gibala Last updated on June 22, 2017

Over the years I have used the B-Lines resistance bands for P90X, Body Beast, P90X2, Power 90, and for general working out in my home gym. In most cases I would use the 30 pound red band as it was enough resistance for curls. For moves like “straight arm flys” I would use the 15 pound pink band.

B-Lines Resistance Bands Review — My collection of B-Lines resistance bands.

My first purchase was the “Super Kit” which includes a 40, 30, and 20 pound resistance bands. From time to time I would buy one band a time (like the 50 pound black band) or won a band during one of the many Beachbody Coach contests I’ve qualified for. Memory tells me they sent me a pink (15 pound), blue (45 pound), and yellow (35 pound) resistance bands.

Lets Not Overthink This

Resistance bands are resistance bands. There is not to much to review about them. They either work or they don’t. Rarely do you hear of someone snapping a resistance band in two doing bicep curls.

The B-Lines resistance bands I have bought over the years have performed just fine. Not once have they snapped in two or did not function the way they were supposed to. Saying that there is one thing we can talk about.

The B-Lines Resistance Bands Handles Could Be Better

The whole handle, not just the grip, could be better designed. Foam grips covering a plastic handle with a nylon rope is not a good combination. My guess is I have broke two sets of handles (4 total) over the years and have another set about to go.

B-Lines Red Band Handle — Starting To Go

Both are starting to fray. Look closer at the green band picture and you will see a piece of the inner plastic piece has already broke. Its just a matter of time before it cracks the entire length. This is what happened on the previous ones I broke.

Resistance goes through those handles pinching the fabric against the plastic piece causing some friction. On the lighter bands it tends to be an issue with the foam splitting from the plastic piece as the picture below shows.

20 Pound Resistance Band Foam Handle Broke — Bye Bye Foam Handle

50 Pound B-Lines Resistance Band No Handle — He misses his handle.

Then there is the issue of getting the handles onto the resistance bands. The B-Lines bands are designed in such a way that the handles will work with any of the bands. Each bands end has a built in cone which is designed to slide into the bottom part of the handle locking it into place. You start with the skinnier part of the band and pull the handle into place.

Unfortunately it is not that easy with the 40 to 50 pound bands. Completely inappropriate here but the amount of lube it takes to get the 50 pound black resistance band onto the handle is quite a lot. Water on its own did not work. Dish soap and a lot of finesse is what finally did the trick.

Everything was great until, you guessed it, the handle broke. Made the executive decision to never put another set of handles on the 50 pound black resistance band again. Doing pull ups in my basement is tricky to do with low ceiling so I wrap it around a random hook I found and grip the ends mimicking a pull up. Makes it a little tougher I think because of the odd grip.

The good news about the B-Lines resistance bands handles is that they only seem to break on the heavy duty resistance bands (30 to 50 pounds). Replacement handles cost $5.

B-Line Resistance Bands Standard Kit – $40

3 Resistance Bands
Popular With Women
15, 20, and 30 Pound Resistance Bands

B-Line Resistance Bands Super Kit – $40

3 Resistance Bands
Popular With Men
20, 30, and 40 Pound Resistance Bands

B-Line Resistance Bands Complete Kit – $120

10 Resistance Bands
10 to 50 Pounds of Resistance

50 Pound Resistance Band – $23

This is the most extreme resistance band available.
50 pounds of resistance.

40 Pound Resistance Band – $22

Heavy Resistance.
40 pounds.

30 Pound Resistance Band – $21

Standard resistance.
30 pounds.

20 Pound Resistance Band – $20

Normal resistance.
20 pounds.

15 Pound Resistance Band – $20

Light resistance.
15 pounds.

In Summary:

The B-Lines resistance bands do work. I lean towards using dumbbells in most workouts I do but from time to time I like to switch things up and will grab the bands. Throw them in a suitcase when you travel, keep them near your desk at work, or in your family room near the TV and bust out some reps.

My only complaint is about the handles. Beachbody could do a better job of designing them. My suggestion would be to get rid of the plastic inside and nylon rope and use an entire rubber set up. Nothing should break then. At the very least the same handles but ones designed for 15 to 30 pounds and others for 35 to 50 pounds.

If you have any questions about the B-Lines Resistance bands fell free to leave one below.

P90X Chest Shoulders Triceps

July 14, 2008 By Brad Gibala Last updated on December 13, 2016

I just got done with a 5 mile run this morning and decided to run because I had still been sore from doing P90X Chest Shoulders and Triceps last Friday. Yup, 3 days later I am still hurting. It has been awhile since I have been this sore. I have not done the P90X Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps video in about a month so this is probably a reason why I feel the way I do. I was still able to do the workout last Friday and actually did it better than what I normally do in regards to amount of reps.

My arms and chest felt like blocks over the past couple of days and have been very tight. It really surprised me that I feel this way because of all of the swimming I have been doing. I figured that since I was using pretty much the same muscles that I should be okay. I was wrong. I felt really strong but like I said it hurt to do anything. Even worse than not being able to move your upper body to really do anything I had a make-up softball game last night. We play double headers too so I had to make it through both games.

I usually play short stop, second base, or one of the outfields on my softball team, all which require a good amount of throwing. Needless to say I requested to play second base last night. I could muster up enough strength to at least be able to field the ball and get it over to first in time. Picking up the softball bat was another thing. It hurt so much to swing and I lost all of the flexibility I normally have. This resulted in less bat speed and a stiffer swing. Usually I get my arms out pretty far and I can turn into the ball. Not last night. I was still able to get the ball into the outfield with some speed behind it, but nothing like the deep blasts I had last week. Maybe this week I’ll be able to swing for the fences because hopefully by that time I will be heeled up.

Every time I do the P90X Chest Shoulders and Triceps workout I know I’m going to get a workout. I think it is one of the hardest P90X workouts along with Plyometrics. You spend so much time beating up your upper body with push ups and straight arm workouts holding weights that if done correctly you will see your P90X results. It was the first time ever that I understand how guys with big bulky arms must feel. I felt like a machine with my softball swing because my arms had no flex. I probably should have stretched a little more over the past couple days to make the pain go away but know I know that I cannot take a month off from doing chest, shoulders, and triceps with P90X.

Bowflex SelectTech 552 Adjustable Dumbbells Review

July 3, 2008 By Brad Gibala Last updated on May 6, 2017

The Bowflex SelectTech 552 Dumbbells are the best set of dumbbells you could own. They are so easy to use in your home and quick to clean up. No need to be spending time re-racking your weights that you currently have.

**Update – 4-18-2017**

My home gym still revolves around these dumbbells. I am going on almost ten years of owning them and have had zero problems with them. Looking back, these dumbbells were a great investment.

How Do The Bowflex SelectTech 552 Dumbbells Work?

The Bowflex SelectTech Dumbbells go from 2.5 pounds all the way up to 52.5 with a simple click. Gone are the days of a large dumbbell rack in your basement or workout room. This makes selecting weights much easier to do.

Stand Or No Stand?

The Bowflex SelectTech Dumbbells are not cheap. They cost around $290. For another $100 you can get the stand too. You’ll be all in for about $395. Here’s the thing. Its worth it. Yes – maybe you have your designated workout area and your workout equipment stays in one place all the time. And – maybe you’re hardcore and acknowledge that squatting down to switch weights gives you bonus exercise between reps.

I feel that the stand makes it easier to switch weights between sets, is much easier to move around the house, and is overall more appealing when in my house. It just looks better on the stand then laying on the ground.

Here is a photo of my set up at home between a shelf and floor speaker. The stand makes it so much easier to workout with let alone move them around in the basement. We’re talking about 100 pounds of weights here.

If you’re thinking you want this set up too then check out the Bowflex SelectTech Dumbbells and Stand deal at Amazon. If you just want the dumbbells to start out with then you can always go back and buy the stand separately in the future.

Why Are The Bowflex SelectTech Dumbbells The Best?

The stand you get when you purchase the weights comes with wheels so you can easily move them around. The Bowflex SelectTech 552 Dumbbells are a must have for anybody who is doing P90X, Body Beast, other Beachbody workouts, or just looking for a way to get rid of a huge rack of dumbbells in their home gym.

Too much time is wasted looking for different weights during a normal workout. Just try to keep up with Tony Horton during P90X Back and Biceps or Sagi Kalev doing any Body Beast workout with normal dumbbells. Its not going to happen. You will be hitting the pause button after every bicep curl or tricep extension trying to get ready for the next move. The Bowflex SelectTech Dumbbells simplify that with a couple clicks.

If you really want to get awesome results with P90X or Body Beast then you need the Bowflex SelectTech 552 dumbbells.

Why Buy The Bowflex SelectTech 552 Dumbbells?

So I was watching TV and this infomercial for the Bowflex SelectTech 552 Dumbbells came on. I kept thinking about what a great idea this was. I was remembered going to the gym and always having to wait for the 25-35 pound dumbbells to get put back while there are about 60 different weights of dumbbells laying around. Who uses a 65lb weight to do curls or arm extensions? Nobody that goes to the gyms I go to.

Realizing this was one of the best inventions of all time I could see myself working out at home with these weights and the nice rolling stand that they come with. I decided this was going to be my gift. They are a little pricey for a gift so I decided to go in half with mom.

Once we picked the Bowflex SelectTech 552 Dumbbells up I easily put them together in less than 30 minutes including the stand and started working out. There was a nice little DVD that comes with it too.

Summary

All of this is taking place a year before I even knew about P90X. When I started doing the P90X workout the dumbbells were just a perfect fit. Anybody who does P90X knows that you really want to keep up with Tony Horton as best as you can.

The pace he sets is fast and you want to keep up. You can pause and take a break but the goal should be to complete the entire P90X workout with him without pausing. There are a couple workouts, P90X Back and Biceps and P90X Shoulders and Arms where you are just grabbing weights and going.

The Bowflex SelectTech 552 Dumbbells let you switch the weights from 2.5lbs to 52.5 pounds in the matter of seconds. The technology Bowflex came up with has individual weights that lock into place when turn a dial selecting what weight you want. This is totally a genius idea.

Excellent Dumbbells

I would highly recommend anybody who is looking to do P90X to look into the Bowflex SelectTech 552 Dumbbells. Even if you are just looking to get rid of some old workout equipment and get some new stuff these dumbbells will make your life that much easier. You’ll probably be able to get rid of the weight rack you might have with the 10 different dumbbells you have on it. That’s another reason to look into buying the Bowflex SelectTech 552 dumbbells.