Hip Circle Vs. Resistance Band: Differences and Similarities

Anyone with even a passing interest in fitness knows what resistance bands are.In the unlikely event that you haven’t used one of these massive rubber bands, you will have almost certainly have seen someone in your gym or on Youtube performing any number of exercises with these versatile pieces of equipment.What you might not have seen (or even heard of) are the resistance band’s distant cousin, the ‘Hip Circle Band’, and even if you have seen a set, there’s a high probability that you mistook them for resistance bands.Hip Circle Vs. Resistance Band their are many Differences and Similarities.

If not knowing the difference between hip circle bands and resistance bands keeps you awake at night, then prepare for your first good night’s sleep in a while as we explain the differences (and similarities) between these two hand gizmos.

What Are Resistance Bands?

Resistance bands have been around for decades are a handy tool for getting in a workout when you’re out on the road, an affordable way to do resistance training, and excellent for rehab and recovery. 

You can use these bands to recreate almost any kind of resistance exercise you can think of. If there’s an exercise you want to do, there’s probably a variation that you can perform with resistance bands, squats, overhead presses, bench presses, tricep extensions, deadlifts, practically any compound lift, and the majority of isolation exercises.

You can perform some exercises more efficiently than others depending on the types of bands you have. find more trending workouts on fitnessvolt.com

What Are Hip Circle Bands?

If resistance bands are the Swiss Army Knife of the exercise world, the hip circle bands are a scalpel, a dedicated tool designed to do a specific job.

The main focus of hip circle bands is the lower body – hips (obviously) glutes, thighs, quads, and hamstrings.

The bands add tension to different moves (there are lots of varying hip circle band exercises to help work out your lower body), which are excellent for building muscle. However, you need to increase the stress you place on your muscles over time (time under tension) if you hope to build muscle.

Hip circle bands are also an excellent tool for anyone recovering from an injury in conjunction with physiotherapy (always seek advice from your doctor before exercising after an injury) by helping you progressively strengthen the weakened area.

What Are The Similarities Between Resistance Bands and Hip Circle Bands?

The obvious similarity between these two pieces of equipment are is that they’re bands. Even if they are just loops of material you can wrap around limbs and appendages, used to recreate movement patterns of other popular exercises that usually require heavy dumbbells, barbells, or machines.

Both these products are made from elasticated material that, when it’s stretched, tries to revert to its original shape (just like a massive rubber band), thus creating tension and the feeling of pushing or pulling heavyweights.

What Are The Differences Between Resistance Bands and Hip Circle Bands?

For items that look incredibly similar, there are a surprising number of differences between hip circle bands and resistance bands.

Though they are both made from elasticated material, the configuration of each one is different. 

Resistance bands generally use a thin yet thick rubberized material (making it easy to grip and robust enough that it doesn’t snap). Some brands prefer to use a tubular construction which is even more lightweight, and instead of being a loop, it’s a single piece with handles at either end.

On the other hand, hip circles (like this set from Victorem) are produced from a flatter elastic fabric that is more comfortable on your skin, and it prevents the bands from moving out of position while you perform the exercise. 

While you can perform hip circle style exercises with resistance bands, having the rubber tight against your skin is uncomfortable and can pull your leg hairs out.

And nobody wants to be seen crying in the gym.

The length of resistance bands and hip circles is different too. Resistance bands are far longer than hip circles for use with exercises like overhead press, band pull-a-parts, and banded pull-ups, which require a much more expansive range of motion.

Any exercises performed with hip circles need only a few inches of tension to be effective, so the band’s size is much reduced.

You can do hip circle exercises with resistance bands by doubling them over, but once again, doing them like this is really uncomfortable, and the bands are prone to rise up your legs.

Now you know the difference between resistance bands and hip circles, you can choose the right product for you. Or, you know, just buy both…