I am not a fitness guru. Never had a gym membership and don’t like working out much. However, once I started getting close to 50, my wife (who has always been in to fitness and flexibility) convinced me to “move it or lose it”. As a result, I’ve been doing yoga and cardio for the last 5 years or so. I’m not big on buying a lot of fitness machines. I have a yoga mat, blocks, bolster, and some kettlebells. That’s about it. After the lockdown last year, we bought a rebounder and rowing machine. That is plenty. We are not bodybuilding - our goals are to be trim and fit, not ripped or shredded. This New Balance resistance band set seems to be in line with our goals - using body weight and resistance and keeping things simple. I will admit that I am not very good at exercising to pictures or written instructions. The manual to this has a bit of both. Luckily, my wife did some physical therapy with resistance bands using the same exercises in the instructions, so she was able to help me out. They look easy but are a lot harder than they look, especially if you do multiple reps with multiple sets. Without a helper, I’d recommend YouTube for those of you that are coordination challenged like me. There are plenty of videos that show you how to do a resistance band workout. If you do them right, they are no joke. The New Balance resistance band set includes 5 bands, all marked on the ends: ultralight, light, medium, heavy, and ultra-heavy, plus 2 handles, 1 door anchor, and 1 ankle attachment. Also, it includes a handy bag. I was very impressed with the simplicity and effectiveness of the door anchor. It is pretty much a marble sewn into the nylon, but is fairly sturdy. It seems to work very well if used as directed. It goes into the crack in the door on the hinge side - above the top hinge for high exercises, in between the hinges for middle, and below the bottom for bottom. We live in a manufactured home and do not have the sturdiest doors or door frames. I see no issues with stability when used as directed. Also, as a piece of exercise equipment, it is very portable. Easy to travel with unlike weights or machines. As for the cons: it is a minimal bit of equipment. The workout depends on you. The resistance bands will keep your muscles under tension, but it won’t be comfortable. Results are up to you and depend on the time and effort you put in. The hardest part is getting started. The only other negative I could find is that the carabiner latches are plastic instead of metal and may not be as durable. If you’re looking for the body of your dreams, this New Balance resistance band set may check all of your boxes for a piece of exercise equipment: it is low priced, portable, easy to set up and use, and offers a wide array of exercises for a full body workout.
