Lit Axis: How to Build Symmetry with Metrics-Based Resistance Band Training

Suspension and resistance band training has one weakness… you. Unlike those pricey anatomical-guided machines at the gym, resistance bands and free weights rely on the knowledge, technique, and proper form to build symmetry, strength, and performance. And this is one reason why home gyms get such a bad wrap is they rely on you, almost entirely, to maintain form, pay attention to signs of injury, and identify your weaknesses. This is a lot to ask of one person, and that is where a good gym or personal trainer comes in. But now we’re losing sight of the main draw to resistance band workouts, and that is to skip the gym and get a functional workout at home within the space of a closet.

“You do not need a machine for an effective workout,” advises Taylor Norris, co-founder of Lit Method. “You need metrics.”

Lit Method’s founders, Justin and Taylor Norris have been looking at the problems with self-guided home training, and their answer is Lit Axis. This is an economical resistance trainer with a metrics-based sensor placed at the connection points allowing it to detect motion and potential imbalances. This information then gets processed by an A.I.-based app to help tailor your workouts for better performance and less injury. And all this tech is coming from a resistance band trainer that sells for $199. Almost sounds too good to be true, but with investments coming from Jay-Z and Adrian Gonzalez, we don’t think that it is.

Urbasm: Hi Justin and Taylor, what makes Lit Axis different from other training systems?

JUSTIN NORRIS: LIT AXIS™ is the world’s first fully connected fitness system that functions entirely from the palm of your hand. It’s portable and affordable. It requires no charging, no cords, and no maintenance — and this one small device replaces your cable system, suspension trainers, and free weights. It can be financed for as little as $5/month and offers users 350+ exercises in everything from strength training, cardio, Pilates, recovery, and more.

TAYLOR NORRIS: After our investments from Jay-Z and Adrian Gonzalez — and now with Rachel Zoe and Bobby Wagner on the team, we’ve really been able to fulfill our mission of providing universal access to premium fitness tools. This is something that will work for everyone.

Urbasm: This sounds pretty comparable to the structure behind a quality gym membership.

JUSTIN NORRIS: And what has to be delivered on is this, here is a fundamental shift we’re seeing in wellness and tech. Regardless of personal health and fitness goals, everyone wants data. They want to know why they are doing what they are doing and the impact they are having on their body and the world around them. With AXIS™, in addition to caloric burn and heart rate, a detailed avatar in your app will illustrate in real-time your resistance loads, progress to date, time under tension, and additional performance-driven metrics — specifically those that help monitor and improve posture, flexibility, mobility, and longevity. And these metrics move with you. You never lose track of the history of reps, etc. Regardless of where you go, this picks up right where you left off.

TAYLOR NORRIS: We really wanted to empower people to customize their data, dashboard, and overall experience. Our technology does that — and it uses built-in sensors that focus on each axis of movement, detect and correct muscle imbalances, and provide quality metrics. And this device showcases LIT’s signature Symmetrical Strength Training™ — a first-of-its-kind, revolutionary left-right approach for preventing injuries and building balanced bodies.

Urbasm: What would you consider to be the essential compound exercises for building strength and symmetry with a resistance band system?

JUSTIN NORRIS: There are no essential compound exercises, per se, but there is a balance that must be adhered to. A lot of times, people aren’t sure if they’re pushing too hard or not enough on one side of the body or the other. Choosing exercises that not only balance upper and body strengthening, but those that ensure the right and left sides of your body aren’t over or undertrained is the best way to go. 

TAYLOR NORRIS: In other words, counting reps in each axis of movement (and including each axis) is going to be absolutely critical to your progress.

Urbasm: Like a personal trainer would do.

JUSTIN NORRIS: Exactly. This is why we designed our new product. LIT AXIS™ is smart resistance training. It counts, logs, and displays your data on the go. It integrates with your Apple watch. When you’re on the road, what you need is continuity in these metrics because then you are seeing in real-time whether you are maintaining the balanced approach, and in effect, preventing injury and gaining strength.

TAYLOR NORRIS: We’re not saying you can’t do simple exercises with standard resistance bands. That’s how we started out before inventing our own. We’re saying that because continuity is critical to maintaining progress, smart resistance training with AXIS™ is going to remove the admin so you can focus on the experience.

Urbasm: What are the advantages and disadvantages of resistance training?

TAYLOR NORRIS: There are really no disadvantages. Resistance training removes the risk that comes with weight training. You’re putting little to no impact on your joints, and that’s an intentional part of resistance-based workouts. It’s providing longevity with each rep. Working out is so often associated with a pain and gain mentality of beating yourself up for glory. We’re not into that. Effective resistance training is about protecting your body while building yourself up. So once you wrap your head around the fact that it is rooted in injury prevention, then you can look at the specific exercises that afford the most opportunity to a balanced body. We take people through those steps with programming and tech that helps you get out of your own way. This is especially necessary because we’ve seen a lot of people — on and off machines — who don’t know the importance and value of having symmetry in their strength training. 

JUSTIN NORRIS: Yep. We have learned that people don’t necessarily realize that muscle imbalances cause injury. But it’s as simple as that. If you have an imbalance, you will inevitably have an injury. What we’ve developed with LIT AXIS™ allows people to have up to 200 LBS of resistance — all while preventing those imbalances and drastically reducing the risk of pulling a muscle. The algorithm prompts you when you’ve done too much work on one muscle and not enough on another — so it really serves the core purpose of resistance training, which for us, is results without injuries. And I think Tay is correct. It’s not necessarily a technique or a series of techniques we see people getting wrong. It’s more of a knowledge gap that we feel responsible for closing.

Urbasm: What are the basic equipment essentials for building strength and symmetry when limited to a space of, let’s say your standard coat closet, 8 feet by 3 feet?

JUSTIN NORRIS: Bands that fit comfortably around your ankles, knees, legs, and wrists are a good place to start. But honestly, LIT AXIS™ does all of that. You only need a 1.5’ x 1.5’ footprint for our portable resistance training system and you can do 350+ exercises from anywhere.

TAYLOR NORRIS: Even our LIT Strength Machine is 7’ x 1.75’ x 1.6’ and offers 500+ resistance-based exercises. It’s a rower, reformer, and strength trainer that also provides Resistance Rowing™ — LIT’s original rowing and resistance band hybrid workout.

Urbasm: In weight training, we read that concentrating on the contraction of the muscle is what is essential to building strength and power. What should be the mind and body connection while engaging in resistance training?

TAYLOR: Symmetry. Focus on symmetry.

JUSTIN: Yep. Eccentric or explosive — either way, it’s all about preventing muscle imbalance.

Urbasm: Thank you, Justin and Taylor.