Black Mountain Products Resistance Band Set with Door Anchor, Ankle Strap, Exercise Chart, and Carrying Case, 48"

I've been using this for a couple of months. So far, so good. I haven't had any quality control problems: no ripping or tearing. The bands are crisp, and handles are well made and comfortable. This is my first time using bands. I have a few hundred dollars worth of free weights sitting in my basement collecting dust because--even though I prefer free weights--it is difficult for me to juggle my family commitments if I'm sitting in my basement. I also don't want to bring my free weights upstairs because have a feeling my kids would go to town with them, and I'd end up with a lot of broken stuff (including toes). With this set, I can use the door kit and get in a decent work out while keeping an eye on my kids and even talking to them. If something happens and I need to intervene, I can literally just let go of the handles and run to wherever I need to be to fulfill my parental duties. If that means taking one of the kids to the potty, I don't have to worry about the other throwing a dumbell at one of the dogs while I'm in the bathroom. These bands will just hang out for me. The only really risky thing I've noticed is that one time my daughter started to open the closet door when I was facing away and doing "benchpresses." I'm guessing that might have ended with the bands slingshotting into my back, but luckily I noticed her before I had to find out the hard what happens when the bands fly free. The kids have tried to play with them, but mostly just jokingly mimicking me. They aren't strong enough to pull the bands to any degree that would really risk physical harm, and they quickly give up once my workout is over. After they're done with their "workouts," I just open the door and put these in the closet. Overall, I think these are a great value. The package is complete and reasonably priced. The quality (for me) has been great. If there is a downside, it's the obvious weight limitation. You're not going to be entering any Mr. Universe contests using these. If you want to get *big* you're going to need a *lot* of bands (and you might end up destroying all your doors). Personally, I'm not looking to get Lifter Huge, I just want to keep my upper body working. I would consider these good for physical therapy (lots of full range of motion exercises you can do at lower weights), early stage muscle growth, or larger mass maintenance. They're also great for travel, since you don't have to depend on some spotty hotel gym maybe have the specific equipment you want.

Purchasing the BLACK MOUNTAIN resistance bands is one of the best investments that I've ever made and have been using them for two months now. I spoke with the owner Dan Weidner pertaining to some questions about the bands and the man is an absolute professional. He was very polite and answered all my questions and told me I could contact him anytime. He sincerely wanted me to feel happy with my purchase. I'm a 55 year old man with several medical conditions that now prevent me from work. I'm on social security disability due to a 38 year chronic back condition, 13 years of fibromyalgia and recently diagnosed with several bulging degenerative discs. This has resulted in several misaligned discs causing me multi-level bi-lateral foraminal stenosis of the spine. I have moderate to severe numbness in both my legs. Since I was a teenager, I have done some form of exercise, swimming, running, bodybuilding, elliptical and Nordic Track. It is only after I turned 52 that I really began to have major medical problems due to the combination of the above. I lost the ability to lift weights which has always been my physical therapy. I need to keep active and keep my muscles active and strong to support my spine and reduce the muscles spasms caused by Fibromyalgia. I thought I'd give these resistance bands a try and I couldn't be more satisfied customer. I have been lifting weights for 35 years but can't use them anymore, that is, unless I want to end up in the emergency room. These bands are very easy to use. I find them to work my muscles better than weights and weight machines because they stretch the muscle throughout the movement, really great for my Fibromyalgia condition. Of course you should use the appropriate band(s) and do the exercise fluidly and slow, no jerking or relaxing upon completion of the movement to get the full effect. These bands remind me of the bands I used for swimming team practice. I would recommend purchasing these resistance bands sold by BLACK MOUNTAIN as they are well worth the money. Take this review from someone who has been into fitness for most of his life and who has used a variety of gym equipment; and if you have a muscular/neurological conditions like me than these are for you. The bands are well made and the hand grips are very comfortable. I've altered several exercises in the manual to fit my condition and added a few of my own as follows. SEATED ROW - IX and XIV Place door anchor about 18 inches above floor. Put resistance bands into door anchor Sit down on floor with legs flat on floor at a 45 degree angle facing door (opposite angle from door anchor.) TRICEP EXTENSION - III Place door anchor in top middle of door. Put resistance bands into door anchor Push down and back with BOTH hands bending at the elbow. LAT PULL DOWN - XIII (standing as in instructions does not work for me) Place door anchor in top middle of door. Put resistance bands into door anchor Sit with back against door and legs straight out on floor. Pull resistance bands straight down to where handle is parallel to shoulder. (This gives better support for my back and allowing for a better stretch). The following are exercises not in instruction booklet. SITTING LAT CHEST PULLDOWN (This builds lats in upper back and intercostal rib cage muscles.) Place door anchor in top middle of door. Put resistance bands into door anchor Sit with back against door and legs straight out on floor. Keeping arms fully extended, pull resistance bands straight down (palms facing floor) to 12 to 18 inches above knee. FOREARM CURL (This is similar to exercise V the curl but builds forearm muscles instead of bicep.) Place band under feet. Curl band with palms facing down towards floor, instead of palms up as in bicep curl. FORWARD LATERAL RAISE (This is similar to exercise VI side lateral raise but gets deltoids at a different angle.) Place both feet over center of band. Keeping arms straight, raise arms forward and over head.

Some background: I have owned these bands for 6 months now and use them frequently, probably twice a week on average, but often three times. I am not easy on equipment, when I buy something, I want it to hold up under stress. These bands are, for me, used almost exclusively for high intensity interval training workouts (HIIT). I use the Jungle Gym XT in conjunction with the bands for 4 sets of 10 different exercises at 45 seconds per exercise, 4 or 5 of which are done with the bands. For many of the exercises, I stand on the middle of the bands with shoes on, but almost always on a thick yoga mat (Manduka - if you know this mat, you know its a lot of padding), but also use the door anchor. I have never used the ankle thing. Verdict - the good: These are absolutely indispensable for me. I work onsite in a trailer and have no other way to do resistance training other than body weight. I can usually get enough resistance/proper resistance out of a combination of the bands for workouts that use high reps. The handles are comfortable and so far the nylon seems durable. There are a multitude of exercises that can be done with the bands, so variety is high. - the bad: Most of the bands that I have used over the last 6 months show some sign of slight tearing. Not enough for me to say, "Holy crap, this baby is going to blow," but enough to make me concerned. I think this is mostly from standing on them, however, the black and red I usually use in the door anchor, and they are showing some very small tears as well. The longevity of these is questionable, but I guess I don't know what their life expectancy is supposed to be. One thing that I absolutely hate: the little clasps (metal quick connectors) at the ends of the bands. When I'm doing my workouts, I have 15 seconds in between exercises. It's difficult to swap out bands because, over time, these carabiners start to stick, and many of mine are showing signs of corrosion. They also do not offer much in the way of clearance to get the rings of the handles through them; also, the nylon rides up the side of the clasp, making them more difficult to open, because the bottom is just too narrow to contain it. All in all, I'd say for the money these are worth it, but I think Black Mountain could get a more durable rubber compound, and put a better quality clasp on them.

Better than I expected, way better! These Bands are by far one of the best small investments I have made in fitness equipment. I have years of weight lifting and working out and have finally found equipment that answers issue of how to travel and keep working out. Price: This product is worth twice what I paid for it. So for the cost of a month at a gym I now have a gym in my travel bag! Durability: Stronger and and more rugged than I expected (and I have hi expectations) Flaws : NONE! (but I will keep trying to find one) Design: Clips are flawless, connections strong, handles good, multiple bands combinations is genius! Resistance: I am a serious weight lifter. These were able to take me to failure and kick my butt! (Also able to figure out ways to do cardio type workouts with lighter resistance bands and hi rep exercises) Versatile: yes, very I took this set on a trip to the Bahamas living on a boat. Used them daily. The variety of combinations gave great versatility to fine tune each exercise to my specific needs and strength. I could wrap the bands over the main boom, around winches, around the mast, and just experiment and try different things. Kept the workouts interesting and fun. Imagine doing a weight workout on a pristine white beach with the crystal blue ocean in front of you in a balmy breeze in the shade of palm trees! (yea it doesnt get much better than that!) Results: no rust on metal parts in a continuos salt water environment, no wear or stretch marks on the bands, nothing broke or even showed signs of fatigue, no loss of resistance in the bands. Three of us used them and they got over two hours of use every day. This set is perfect for travelers or people who have down time at work and can set aside a little time for a quick workout on the fly. Fireman, Police officers, outdoor workers, office workers, medical professionals. Think about having 15 to 20 minutes of spare time and being able to pull a gym out of your black bag and and do a quick workout. Pretty cool concept!! for those who have broken bands be careful not to tye knots in the bands or wrap them around sharp or rough objects. that will wear them out or tear them quickly. Common sense rules! Also call the company. They will openly discuss their products and listen to criticism. They are very customer friendly! (disclaimer: I am not associated with, payed by, related to, or in any way connected to the manufacturer. This is an honost review)

Let me just start with a little background. I am a 20 year old, 5'9", 145lb, Biomedical Engineering and Pre-Med student at my university, and tend to use exercise as a way to relieve stress and get my mind off of my highly intensive workload. As such, I frequent my campus gym very regularly, be it to lift, squat, run, row, or swim. Additionally, I am the COO of my school's Krav Maga club, and recently started practicing Tae Kwon Do. As such, I like to think of myself as being quite physically fit. I started looking into my own set of resistance bands a little while back, in the hopes that I would be able to add some more variety to my warm ups, stretches, and workouts. More importantly, I wanted something I could use in my dorm room or hallway that didn't make much noise and didn't take up much space (it is a dorm room, after all). They also had to be low maintenance and quick to use (whenever I pull an all-nighter or just a late night, I try to do something active every hour or so to prevent myself from going crazy or falling asleep). That's how I stumbled across these resistance bands on Amazon. Let's start with the pros. (I have only had these for a week or so, and as such, can't comment on the longevity of the bands. I will try to update this review when I can say more on the matter. 1) Quality make. Each band is securely attached to a metal carabiner at both ends, and can be easily attached or removed from the handles to increase/reduce resistance. Other than the foam covered plastic handle, everything is comprised of quality rubber, metal, or durable fabric. 2) Compact and easily organized. The bands come together in a little black drawstring bag, which is small and lightweight enough to simply toss in my gym bag before heading to practice or the weight room. 3) Attractive. I know it might be weird to say this about what are basically big elastic bands, but the set is nice to look at. Black and metal, with the individually colored bands. I have had friends comment on how 'sweet' they looked (they liked using them as well). 4) So so so easy to use. Again, these are big pieces of elastic attached to handles. While I'm sure someone can figure out a way to hurt themselves with these, it's not easy, and the variety of exercises one can do with these is fantastic. (The kit comes with a little paper booklet with some basic exercises, which is a nice touch). The door anchor and leg strap are pretty self-explanatory, and offer even more options for workouts. It's also nice to be able to combine bands to increase resistance, though if you do it with ALL the bands it can get a little crowded (though that hasn't stopped me) Now is the time I would normally talk about the dreaded cons, but frankly, there aren't any to note of (as of yet. I'll try to update this in a couple months). If someone insisted I complain about something, I would just say that the handles seem to be the component of cheapest quality, but that's only because the rest of the set is so nice. One thing it would be nice to see in the future would be a pair of fabric loops, for attaching to a bench press bar (for resistive sets). The handles work fine, but the rigid nature of them means that the bar digs into the handle when attached, which might reduce their lifespan. Also, this is just me, but I don't really see myself using the 2-4lb yellow band for anything, and would much rather have a second red or black band for extra heavy resistance. In conclusion: Yes, I would buy this again. Yes, I would recommend it to a friend (already have, and I'm going to take them to Krav Maga tonight to see if anyone else is interested). Five stars, and I will most certainly be looking at more of B.M.P's gear in the future. One other thing to note would be that my set came with a free orange resistance band coupon, which is supposedly even more resistant then the red 'extra heavy' band. The gentleman on the other end of the phone was very friendly, and I look forward to receiving it. I would have rather had this orange band included in place of the yellow band, but that's not something to complain about.

This resistance band set is incredible value! Everything you need for a full-body workout - multiple resistance levels, door anchor works perfectly, and the ankle strap opens up so many lower body exercises. The exercise chart is really helpful for beginners and the carrying case makes it perfect for travel. Quality bands that have held up great after 6 months of regular use!

These resistance bands work very well. I especially like that they are so modular, so I can hook them up in many different configurations to vary resistance. They are quick to attach to and remove from the handles, and seem very sturdy. I only have two minor complaints about the product itself, neither of which justifies removing a star. The first is that the D-rings on the handles tend to sometimes shift around, which can result in a sudden shift in resistance as it slips from one position to another, and seems like it could harm the long-term durability of the canvas. The second is that, since this is uncovered rubber tubing, I have noticed a few punctures in the tube from normal wear and tear. These don't seem to be weakening the tubes yet, but over time I may have to replace a couple of the more heavily used ones. To be fair, I may be using them in some slightly unorthodox ways. I figured out that I could use them to do assisted pullups by attaching both sides of the bands to the ankle strap attachment after looping one side over my pullup bar. Then I can use the ankle strap as a stirrup and stand up on it so I can do the full pullup motion without having to support my full weight. This is a little awkward, but works well, and the strap and tubes seem durable enough to be able to handle it. And now on to the customer service of Black Mountain, which I found to be outstanding. It seems that this is a small company run by two brothers, and they really want their customers to be happy. When I bought the set, it came with an offer for an even heavier orange resistance band for free. I called and they were happy to send it along at no cost given only my shipping address. When it arrived, they had accidentally sent the model with attached handles, which would not clip on to my handles. When I called to discuss it with them, they were apologetic and very quick to ship out the right product, allowing me to keep the other one that was sent by mistake. I also mentioned that the stitching on one of my handles had started to come apart, and they sent along two replacement handles with new and improved stitching. Overall, I was very satisfied with my experience with this company, and would definitely purchase from them again. The product may not have been perfect, but they stand behind it and make things right if they aren't. I have recommended these to two friends, and as far as I know, they are also very pleased with their purchase.

UPDATED 12/18/2015. This review has been updated after over a year of regular use of the set 3 times a week. Please, read at least the first paragraph if you plan to use the DOOR ANCHOR included in the set. This is important usability info. The door anchor included in the set can ruin the bands after a very few uses due to friction of the vulnerable rubber tubes against the rough material of the anchor. This peace clearly requires some technological improvement. I suspected this outcome immediately when inspected the set right after arrival, but, because of the lack of any experience with this kind of equipment, it was assumed that the bands were designed and manufactured to withstand this friction, especially because the enclosed brochure showed some exercises with a band passed through the anchor and handles attached to both ends. After 10-15 rehab sessions both bands showed clear signs of wear and tear in the places of contact with the anchor and a few cracks were found. At that point, after some experimentation, one solution was found, which helped to prolong the lifetime of already damaged bands for over a year, – the anchor was combined with the ankle strap and the bands were passed through the metal ring, which can accommodate up to three bands. The main disadvantage of this solution is that the ring is not large enough to routinely replace the bands, but it was sufficient in my case. A much better solution is to buy an anchor with a protective sleeve or another device that protects the rubber tubes. There are a few different options available on Amazon.com, which will be reviewed below. Besides the obvious drawback described in the first paragraph the set is quite decent and durable. One practical limitation is that bands included in the set provide only very moderate resistance for major muscle groups even if the strongest three tubes are combined. So, for a reasonably fit man, this set is suitable for rehab rather than strength and muscle building. A premium orange band is available that can help to overcome this limitation, but even this will not be sufficient for a strong man. As was mentioned in the original review below, these bands are not suitable for serious strength building/maintenance. Actually, it makes sense to limit the resistance of these bands because of technological limitations of the elastic material or tube construction, which, apparently, don't allow regular and prolonged tension beyond the limits of the recommended use of bands included in the set. In my personal example, and I am very far from a body builder, after about 10 months of regular appropriate use following recommendations outlined below in the original review, deep holes developed in two of most frequently used bands. They were monitored, and the bands were still used as before. These holes are not related to the damage described in the first paragraph since they are located quite far from the place of contact with the anchor. So, they are obviously due to some technological fault of the tube construction. By now, one band has had to be decommissioned because the hole started to grow with each use and the band could break any time. According to these observations, the bands are nevertheless quite resilient and don't break suddenly even in the presence of a rather serious damage as in two cases described above. Recommendations: 1. Consider buying a separate door anchor that prevents the tubes from rubbing against the nylon webbing. I've purchased three different anchors -- SKLZ Pro Door Anchor, Heavy Duty Door Anchor by Albingo, and Lifeline Heavy Duty Door Anchor. Also, I got one with the Bodylastics set mentioned below. All of them have different sizes and constructions and maybe more or less useful in particular situations. Nevertheless, all of them have a common distinctive feature – cable protection from friction. 2. Depending on anticipated strain and load consider buying a more appropriate set of bands/cables. I've purchased Bodylastics Max XT Warrior Edition System, which provides for much greater loads. Also, it's more convenient to use, it looks much more advanced both technologically and aesthetically, and it includes several additional useful items. Original Review These bands are as good as most similar products, and they should last for long time with moderate reasonable use. What is different about this set is a shocking number of reports about torn and broken bands that often caused serious injuries and even a few cases of disability. Also, it's quite unusual to read these reports in some 4- and 5-star reviews. Usually, I don't pay much attention to 1- and 2-star reviews because it's very common for people to have various reasons for dissatisfaction, which have little to do with the quality and usability of the product itself. Actually, since I was going to use the bands for rehabilitation and the number of positive reviews was overwhelming, I decided that this product should serve its purpose for me and bought it in September 2013. This conclusion appeared to be accurate, and, before writing a regular review, I decided to read again what other people were saying. And this time many reviews sounded very alarming, often, apparently, without the author's intention. What could one think reading a 5-star review that asserts that if the exercise equipment breaks, it is beneficial for the user because this indicates increased power of the user, and the sooner it happens the better? And this opinion was not an exception. Somehow, I didn't feel comfortable using this product and conducted in-depth Internet research on similar products including Amazon reviews. The results are as follows: 1. As some reviewers suggested, this product had improved over time, and many reported incidents might not be relevant for new purchases, so it might be prudent to disregard old reviews. Unfortunately, many new positive reviews from 2013 mentioned various quality related issues. This could be due to incorrect use of the bands. 2. Similar products sold on Amazon have much better feedback, and complains are about incomplete sets, delivery issues, wrong band size, etc., but not about damaged bands and injuries. And a few products, such as Bodylastics and JS Fitness sets have almost no negative reviews. I have no intention to advertise anything, but one should not look any farther than Amazon to find some alternatives to compare and make a choice. 3. The bands certainly should not break in a few months and even years unless they are defective or damaged by inappropriate use. Of course, some drivers can wreck a perfectly good car in a few months, but it doesn't indicate they've become superior drivers. If the active or working length of a band is not stretched more than 4 times, the band should serve for many months of daily use. 4. There are bands with built-in protective devices, such as inclosing sleeves and enclosed cords, which should prevent possible injuries and traumas in case of band failure. 5. The flat bands might be a better alternative since their length and, therefore, resistance can be adjusted much easier. They can be folded multiple times if needed, which increases both resistance and reliability. There are extremely heavy duty flat or loop bands suitable for heavy lifting and body building. Practical recommendations: 1. Inspect every band thoroughly on arrival for any possible defects. 2. Test every band carefully with gradually increased load and inspect thereafter. 3. Contact the manufacturer in case of any issue and/or question. They have excellent customer service, which I had a chance to verify personally on a few occasions. 4. This set should be perfectly fine for light to moderate loads and/or infrequent use. 5. Read the enclosed instructions before using the bands. The most important safety instructions are periodic inspections and overstretch prevention. 6. If no defects are found after a few uses, the bands are likely to be in a good condition and unlikely to break without any indication of wear and tear, which can be revealed by periodic inspections. 7. Avoid stretching the bands more than 4 times their active or working length. Rolling a band around the hand or reducing its length in any other way will reduce its working length. This should not be used to increase resistance (overstretch), but only if there is insufficient room for exercises. Using entire band should always be preferred. 8. Using bands attached to a door, wall, post, etc. effectively doubles the resistance, saves room, and allows for greater control and variety of exercises. 9. Avoid incidental cuts, pinches, scratches, etc., which can damage the band. Always inspect bands after using them in some unusual way and/or by another person. 10. If the items above sound like too much hassle, consider buying more reliable and, possibly, more expensive bands with protective sleeves or cords, which will give you peace of mind and can actually be more economic. 11. Read customer reviews on Amazon very carefully before buying any product if you plan to use it for vigorous and tough exercises. P.S. A huge number of trivial positive reviews might be caused by the "free orange band reward" promised by the manufacturer for a fair review, which can encourage many people to write a few words instead of agreeing with already existing reviews, which would have been much more convenient for new customers.

Good! Exactly as ordered

Buena Calidad

Das Material macht einen guten Eindruck. Vorteilhaft finde ich, dass die Widerstandsbänder schon bei 1-2kg losgehen; Dadurch lassen sich auch kleine Muskelgruppen gut aufwärmen.

Delivered next morning, product well-packed and quality is good. Still not familiar with exercising with this but feels good after testing.

I have been using these bans for 3 weeks now, and these bands are awesome, and easy to use. I like the simplicity of the setup and how you can connect multiples together to make more strength when needed. They stretch well, and revert back to normal without damaging the product. There are no wear marks on the bands yet from multiple uses. The Bag is nice to hold them all in together, and the manual you get is easy to follow and shows you excersizes you can do with these if you are new to resistance bands. The door jammer it comes with is nice too, so far have not noticed any marks on my door from use. I have only used the ankle brace once, and it was quick to setup and easy to use.These bands are warrantied for life too should you have any issues, and the company is quick to respond ( I have only e-mailed them as I had a question, no issues with the product). I recommend for anyone looking to get bands. You get more for your money with these bands then you would from purchasing a different brand from say Costco, and Costco prices are usually top notch and hard to beat.