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:

Eliminate painful lateral load on your feet.
Ensure consistent band position for load progression.

Why use rollers ?

A conventional foot plate can be as simple as a thick plastic cutting board or wooden plate with stand-off feet attached. But:

Rubbing a band over an edge causes band wear.
Stiction at the edge can cause 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 close to concentric resistance. This makes for more effective training.
Bands will last longer.

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 spine-friendly belt squats and donkey calf raises.

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:

We use the "surgical 2x4" wood block to pull up the band in the center. This gives resistance from the start of the movement while using industry standard 41" length bands.
Center pull allows for exercises like belt squats and donkey calf raises.
Using the full length of the band results in a better resistance curve.

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 for additional exercises.

Available sizes

The band box comes in two sizes:

Type	Total length	Maximum stance width	Note
bandbox3	63 cm / 24.8"	55 cm / 21.6"	Normal version - recommended for most
bandbox4	68 cm / 26.8"	62 cm / 24.4"	"Sasquatch edition" - recommended if you prefer a wide squat stance

Compare...

High quality training equipment should be accessible to anyone, not break the bank. Form follows function.

	Resistance Strong Band Box	Harambe Cyber Plate	Heavydutybar.com Qdeck
Rollers along short edge	2	2	2
Rollers along long edge	0	2	4 (split)
Band length adjustment	yes (rollers)	no	yes (edge)
Center rollers	2	0	0
Guide rollers (only needed for exercises with band wander)	0	8	12
Bearing type	30 mm steel rollers (low friction ball bearings)	UHMWPE sleeve over stainless steel (sleeve bearing)	25 mm solid polymer pin / changing to 28 mm stainless (open cup bearing, roller rubs against UHMWPE plate, not protected against dust and other particles)
Handles included	yes	$$$	$$$
Bar included	$15 optional EZ bar	$$$	$$$
Band attachment to bar or handle	fast, handle	fiddly, rods + slings	fast, hooks
Spine friendly belt squats	yes, belt included	no	no
Foot plate material	wood with non-slip texture	stainless steel	UHMWPE polymer
Price	$150 + shipping + tax	$599	$665 (price increase pending)