I Thought This Viral Resistance Band Was a Gimmick. Here Are 8 Things I Got Wrong.

By Marcus Reyes · 28 · Amateur boxer, still learning

Marcus in a hoodie and wraps, casual, a slightly sheepish smile

If you've spent any time on boxing TikTok or Instagram lately, you've probably seen these.

Someone strapped into this full-body harness thing, throwing punches like they're fighting their way through water.

The first time one came up on my feed, I genuinely thought, why on earth would anyone train in something that looks like a bondage suit?

I scrolled past. Then it kept coming up.

Then two guys at my gym started talking about it.

Quick bit of background so you know where I'm coming from. I'm 28, and I started boxing about ten months ago.

I work a normal 9-to-5, train three evenings a week, and I'm very much still the new guy. I love it, but I'm slow.

The guys who've been there a few years just have hands that go, and I'm usually the one eating the jab.

So when my gym mates wouldn't shut up about these bands, I figured I'd buy one, give it a proper go, and then write something honest about why it was overhyped.

That was genuinely the plan.

It didn't go that way. Here's what I got wrong.

1. I thought it was just a gimmick with a famous name on it

I already knew the band was from Joshua Iyalla, the guy with the fastest punching world record.

That actually made me more suspicious.

A guy with a world record selling you a product is still a guy selling you a product.

Of course he's going to say it works.

So I did my homework.

The records are legit: three Guinness World Records, including 453 punches in 60 seconds.

It's on Guinness's own website, and he's been posted on ESPN MMA's Instagram, SportsCenter's Instagram, and it even made it onto Fox News.

You don't get that from a made-up record.

The part I didn't know was that he built this whole resistance system because he was frustrated with his own speed.

It wasn't something he slapped his name on afterwards. It's literally how he trained for it.

Then I found out UFC fighter Michael “Venom” Page trains in it, and that's when I stopped assuming it was a cash grab.

MVP does not need to wear anything he doesn't want to.

2. I thought it would just feel like it was working

This was my main doubt, honestly.

I've shadowboxed with little wrist weights before.

You take them off, your hands feel crazy fast for about a minute, and then you're just you again.

And yeah, the first session with the bands was the same at first.

I took them off and my hands felt like they weighed nothing.

I expected that part.

What I didn't expect was that it stuck around.

By the second week, my coach said my combinations looked sharper, and I hadn't told him I'd been using anything.

That's what got me.

Being a naturally suspicious person, I went and looked into whether there was any actual science behind this, or whether I was just imagining things.

There is.

A 2024 study on elite national-team boxers found band training significantly improved their punch speed, force and power.

Another study on young karate athletes found they could throw significantly more punches in 30 seconds after band training.

So it's not just a feeling. Your body actually adapts to it.

3. I thought it would mess up my technique

This one worried me more than anything else, because my technique is still pretty rough.

The last thing I needed was something teaching me bad habits.

But you don't hold anything.

Your hands are completely free, so nothing changes about how you make a fist or throw the punch.

The part I thought would be a problem was the bands pulling my arms back after each punch.

It ended up being the best part.

My coach is constantly on at me for dropping my hands after I throw.

With the bands on, my hands get pulled back to my guard every single time.

About three weeks in, he said “your hands are actually coming home now,” which from him is basically a standing ovation.

One thing I'd recommend: I do a round with them on, then a round with them off. It keeps everything feeling normal.

4. I thought I wouldn't even feel it

I'm 5'6", and for the first few minutes I thought it felt a bit light. I was already getting ready to be smug about it.

Then I remembered seeing someone online cross the bands behind their back to get more resistance, so I tried it.

Complete game changer.

My shoulders were done after two rounds.

It's 200lbs of full-body resistance, and you can use the top half on its own for boxing, or just the legs if you want to work on kicks.

5. I thought it was for proper fighters, not people like me

After seeing Michael “Venom” Page use it, and guys like Joshua Iyalla, I honestly thought it was just for pro fighters.

Not someone who started boxing less than a year ago.

Turns out it's suitable for all abilities.

It also comes with two training guides and a QR code for free follow-along workouts.

That was the bit that actually made the difference for me, because my “home training” before this was mostly me in the living room doing random drills off YouTube, getting bored after ten minutes and stopping.

Now I just scan the code and follow along, and I know I've done a proper session.

For sizing, it fits most people from 5'3" to 6'5". If you're shorter, just cross the bands behind your back.

6. I thought it'd be another thing to add to my week

I don't have loads of spare time, so the idea of adding a whole new workout wasn't happening.

I didn't need to. I just wear it in the sessions I'm already doing: shadowboxing, pad work, on the bag.

I tried a shoulder press with it on at the gym once and it was humbling, to say the least.

It was also way easier to bring to the gym than I expected.

It packs into a small bag that slots into the side of my gym bag, so after the first couple of weeks I just stopped taking it out.

Now it basically comes everywhere with me.

7. I thought it was only going to help with speed

Speed is what I bought it for. But after about a month, I noticed a few other things too:

Physique. My shoulders and legs look noticeably more defined. I wasn't expecting that at all.
Endurance. I used to gas out by round three. That's not really happening anymore.
Power. My coach noticed it on the pads before I did.
Fluidity. My combinations feel smoother, less stop-start.

8. I thought the cheap Amazon version was basically the same thing

This is a bit embarrassing, because I'd actually bought a cheap resistance band set before all this.

It was about $20. The resistance was pretty weak, and it snapped within a couple of weeks.

To be fair, the Ji band does look similar to some of those.

But it's a lot better quality, it's got far more resistance, and it's the one the pros actually use.

It also comes with the guides and workouts, which the cheap one definitely didn't.

I ended up paying for the cheap one and getting nothing out of it.

So it wasn't really cheaper.

So, my honest verdict: 8.5/10

I bought this expecting to write a post about why it was overhyped.

Instead, it's genuinely the one piece of gear I use every week.

Is it going to turn you into the fastest puncher alive?

Probably not.

But it's made me faster than I was, and quicker than I thought it would.

I'm still the new guy at my gym, but I'm not the slow new guy anymore, and that's all I wanted.

The only reason it's not a 10 is that the setup takes a little longer than I'd hoped, especially the first few times.

Once you've done it a couple of times it's fine, and it's a small thing compared to what I've got out of it.

Still a great product.

What made it an easy decision for me was the 30-day money-back guarantee.

If you try it and don't notice a difference, you get your money back.

So there wasn't much to lose.

Worth knowing: they've sold out once already, and from what I can see they're running low again, so if you're thinking about it, I wouldn't wait too long.

Ji Full Body Resistance Band

£49.99

£59.99

Train Like a Fighter. Move Like One Too.

You're not slow. You're just missing the right system.

The Ji Full Body Resistance Band is worn like a suit — hands completely free — so every drill, every round, every session you're already doing becomes a weapon. 200lbs of resistance forces your nervous system to adapt faster, fire harder, and move with the kind of explosive speed your combinations have been missing. Take the bands off, and you feel the difference immediately.

What's Included:

Ji Full Body Resistance Band — 200lbs of full-body resistance, worn like armour. Works across shadowboxing, pad work, bag work, footwork, and strength & conditioning. Lightweight, portable, and built specifically for martial arts movement by the man who threw 453 punches in 60 seconds.
How to Punch Faster Guide — The science behind real speed: fast-twitch muscle fibres, neuromuscular coordination, and the kinetic chain. This dismantles everything you thought you knew and replaces it with a system that actually works.
50 Exercises to Increase Speed & Power — Fully structured for all levels, beginner through advanced. Every exercise is tied directly to fight performance. You'll never walk into a session not knowing what to train again.

Same Session. Same Time. Dramatically Better Results.

You don't need to train more. You just need to train right. Wear the bands during your existing sessions and the resistance does the work — forcing the kind of neuromuscular adaptation that most fighters never address. Results felt within days, not months.

Used by UFC fighter Michael "Venom" Page. Built on the system behind three Guinness World Records. Less than a single PT session.

Everything you need to get faster — nothing you don't. £49.99 + free shipping.

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