Elastic Tubes:  Stretch Your Way to Strength

Elastic rubber tubes with plastic handles and/or door anchors attached at the ends can be used for strength training, especially if you don’t like to lift weights. The tubes come in various levels of resistance, so you can start light and move up as you progress. The resistance increases as you stretch the band, so begin with a partial stretch and then lengthen it to intensify your workout. 

Follow the same principles with elastic tubes that you would with dumbbells. Be sure to warm up and cool down, do stretches in “sets”, and let your muscles rest for at least a day or two between workouts. 

Physical therapists have used elastic bands to help patients recover from injury or surgery for years. They are now available in inexpensive commercial kits. Another advantage: Elastic tubes are easy to toss in your suitcase when you travel and they take up little space if you have limited storage room.

Source: The No Sweat Exercise Plan: Lose Weight, Get Healthy, and Live Longer, by Harvey Simon, MD, Harvard Medical School, McGraw-Hill in HOPE Health Letter, September 2007, Vol. 27, No. 9