Bodybuilding and fitness influencer Marc Lobliner isn’t pleased with people claiming resistance bands can rival weights. The IFBB Pro, known for no-nonsense and firey takes on topics, voiced his opinion about the trend. Lobliner dismissed the claims that resistance band training can build just as much muscle as weights.

The 43-year-old gave seven-time Mr. Olympia Phil Heath’s example, claiming resistance bands are not as effective as lifting weights. While he confessed to being a fan of resistance bands, Lobliner said they cannot substitute good old barbells, dumbbells, and exercise machines.

Marc Lobnier spoke from experience

As an IFBB pro and bodybuilding coach, Marc Lobliner has trained himself and others for years. The 43-year-old got quite animated as he nearly screamed into the microphone. “When Phil Heath wins a Mr. Olympia doing a f***ing band workout, then you can tell they’re just as good,” the bodybuilding coach claimed. He confidently added, “They’re not!”

The fitness influencer who achieved a new dumbbell press PR right before 2023 ended also addressed the topic in the video’s caption. “Resistance bands are not as effective as weights,” said the bodybuilder. Studies have found resistance bands to be more versatile. Besides allowing the user to work in different planes of motion, they also maintain a uniform resistance curve through the range of motion.

“I am a resistance band fan,” confessed Lobliner. However, he bashed people who claim that resistance bands are superior in every metric. “Anyone claiming they can replace load via weight is high,” said Lobliner. So, how do resistance bands and free weights differ from one another?

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Both have their place in bodybuilding

While heavy resistance bands can provide considerable challenge, they cannot match the progressive overload potential of weights. The heaviest resistance bands can provide as much as 200 lbs of resistance. However, free weights or exercise machines can scale far higher. If you can push it, leg press machines can handle over 1000 lbs of weight.

However, while weights are superior for high-impact muscle-building workouts, bodybuilders use resistance bands to warm up. They also use the bands for mobility work. When it comes to fixing imbalances and rehabbing injured muscles resistance bands take residence over free weights. While one can find 5 lbs weights and similarly rated resistance bands, the band’s ability to provide uniform resistance helps target muscle weakness in specific portions of the range of motion.

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Lifting weights and using resistance bands have their place in bodybuilding. Lobliner himself combines the two. However, he isn’t pleased with people claiming they can replace weights inside a gym.