One of the best things about working out at home is the convenience. Having the ability to work out on your own terms has great benefits, like what you have to wear (or not wear) the type of music you listen to or television you watch. The list can go on ad nauseum. But the largest setback about working out at home is the cost of setting up a worthwhile facility.

For home-gym beginners and veterans alike, one of the necessary weapons in your home-gym arsenal must include core-strength training equipment. Most people immediately think of the balance/exercise/Swiss ball. While this piece of equipment certainly has its merits, core is by no means all-inclusive. With core training becoming more and more vital to proper weight loss and fitness workouts, home-gym afficionados would be wise to invest in body bands which enhances strength in other areas.

Almost all bands on the market (bands are also known as tubing) allow different resistance levels. With the most common types of bands, however, several sets are recommended so that different resistance types can be had. Usually, resistance levels are dictated by different colors depending on the brand, but the true reasons resistance levels exist is that the bands' tubing come in varying degrees of thickness. Sill, it would be wise to invest in several sets so that you have more than one resistance level around, otherwise the bands will join the dusty exercise ball.

Higher-end brands are manufactured with clips. This means one set of grips and a variety of bands so that you change your resistance band from one level to another, or even add several resistance bands to your grips of an ultimate workout. Although having the flexibility to change bands certainly proves to be a benefit, it also allows you to stick with one set of grips for all of your workouts instead of having to switch from one pair to another. This, of course might be nothing more than a personal preference. Here are some other considerations:

Resistance bands have several benefits over free weights. The most obvious is that resistance bands lack the momentum that comes with free weights. Since it is this momentum that leads to injuries with free weights, resistance bands provide a safer alternative. As well, resistance bands increase resistance as they are stretched (this is a characteristic of the elastic). More about this is discussed later.

Bow machines like the Bowflex work in much the same as resistance bands in that resistance increase as they are pulled. However, with bands the resistance is more direct. The best way to describe the importance of direct resistance is to think back to the fitness center where a bodybuilder will avoid the Nautilus-type machines and favor the free weights. This preference might seem superficial, but the one thing the gym machines have in common with the bow machines is that they both rely on fly wheels and pulley systems to "access" the weight. As such, their view is more about purity than preference. In the same way that some prefer weights over machines, most will prefer the direct-ness of elastic resistance bands to the "indirect" resistance of bow machines.

A third and final comparison can be drawn to gravity workouts and systems. While gravity provides great resistance whether with pull-ups, sit-ups, etc., the weight is consistent. In other words, your body weight does not change throughout your set and you will be pushing or pulling the same weight regardless of your range. With bands, the more the tubing stretches, the more the resistance increases. This means that your muscle encounters greater resistance at its weakest point; when it is fully stretched. As a result, with bands you can improve strength and build more muscle.

At FitChimp.com, we endorse the Bodylastics systems. Their packages start as low as $45.95, which includes four bands and is good for up to 44 lbs per side. Their most-expensive package will run you $99.81 and includes two pairs of handles, seven bands and is good for 127 lbs per side. This is a great package if you don't want to share your handles with a partner.