So I am sure that I’ve seen this concept hashed out a few times on various forums as well as the http://www.beachbody.com forums that I’ve followed over the past 6 months since that is the program that I’ve followed for the majority of the time. 

To give some background, when I first started the P90x program in January 2009, the entire first month I used a couple cans to simulate weight.  I was so unsure of my motivation to keep up with it, I wasn’t willing to sacrifice any money at the time outside the program.  So after a month, I knew that I would continue. So I bought a set of bands from http://www.ripcords.com.   I will have to say that I’ve not once had a problem with these bands in anyway shape or form.  Not once has one broke and still using to this day. I can’t speak to any other brand at this time.  So from this point on, in order to simulate a pull up, I continued to use the bands by attaching to the door in my office. This has worked for the better part of 6 months.  

Now, after six months, I was finally able to get a pull up bar, The iron gym Total upper body extreme edition.  Big thanks to the sister and brother in law for getting that for my upcoming birthday.  I’ve been talking about it for a while now and was and still am very happy to have gotten one.  They drove me up to one of the local sporting goods stores and let me grab.  So, tonight was my scheduled Upper Plus workout and I knew that I would need/like to use it. So first I spent some 40 minutes tinkering with putting this thing together, as you can from the picture.  Success!.   So the spot/doorway in the house that I thought I could use it, wasn’t happening.  Then had to go looking around the house for a proper door frame that would support thing.  Found one in the kitchen to basement entrance.  Slapped the laptop down in the kitchen, loaded up the DVD and away we went.

So to kind of get to the main point about this topic, which one do I think or you for that matter is better for you in the long run?  Using bands or the real deal. Let’s just say the real deal kicked my ARSE this evening and there were only a few exercises in this routine that were pull up’s.  I was toast.  But I was HAPPY as can be that I was because I was never getting that way with the bands.  I just couldn’t get enough tension to make me feel like it was working enough.  I’m excited to see the results in another month or two. I will say, that I have a lot of work to do in getting the strength up to doing a large amount of reps.  Because right now, it was pretty lacking!

The one good thing is that I know I will get there.  Power of the X! Bring it!!!