Band Box Roller based Resistance Band Footplate

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Band Box Resistance Band Footplate

A foot plate is the interface between your feet and the band:

Eliminates painful lateral load on your feet.
Ensures consistent band position.

A foot plate can be as simple as a thick plastic cutting board or wooden plate with rounded edges and stand-off feet attached.

Why use rollers ?

A conventional foot plate has surface friction between resistance band and plate:

Rubbing a band over an edge causes band wear.
Stiction makes the band stick, until the band starts moving. This results in unpredictable resistance and jerky movements.
On the concentric / positive movement, friction adds to resistance. On the eccentric / negative movement, friction reduces resistance.

The Band Box uses four ball bearing rollers to redirect the band under the foot plate with minimal friction:

Smooth movement and no stiction means that you can train closer to your concentric limit.
Low friction means that eccentric resistance is closer to concentric resistance - more training effect.
Bands will last longer when they move over rollers, instead of rubbing against edges.
Using the full length of the band usually results in a better resistance curve.

Why use handles instead of a bar ?

Competing training systems use a bar. The Band Box includes knurled metal handles and a squat belt:

Handles don't constrain your hand and wrist position, and are easier to grip at heavy loads.
Bars are bulky and expensive.
The squat belt allows belt squats and donkey calf raises for less load on your spine.

If you prefer, you can still use a bar with the Band Box for exercises like deadlifts. Not recommended for biceps curls, as they make the band wander towards the edge of the rollers.

Why four rollers ?

Unlike other foot plates, the Band Box adds two rollers in the center:

Use the "surgical 2x4" wood block to pull up the band in the center. This gives resistance from the start of the movement without using different length bands.
Center pull allows for exercises like belt squats and donkey calf raises.
Use industry standard 41" length bands.

Exercises with the Band Box

Use the wood block to pull up the band in the center for better starting tension.

One-arm row (similar to dumbbell row)
Biceps curl with optional EZ bar
Shrug row with optional EZ bar

Use the wood pin to set the starting position of the handle or bar.

Belt squat
Donkey Calf Raise
Shrug row with third party handles

Use the wood pins to fix the band in place.

Please see the body part pages and the book for additional exercises.

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