The primary rule of resistance coaching: you don’t want weights to create resistance. Whether or not it’s with body weight workouts, dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, or resistance band workouts, there are lots of methods to problem your physique, construct muscle, and burn fats.
In the event you’ve ever thought of including resistance band workouts to your routine — or are restricted to figuring out at residence and don’t have a lot gear — you is perhaps shocked by how a lot you’ll be able to accomplish with none iron.
How Can You Use Resistance Bands in Your Exercise?
Resistance bands can be utilized for at the least 4 several types of workouts:
- Stretching and mobility
- Heat ups and muscle activation
- Resistance coaching and “getting a pump”
- Creating the “mind-muscle” connection (studying to raised “really feel” your muscle tissues working)
Every of those targets require you to make use of the bands barely in a different way, however with every instance, you’ll be able to accomplish fairly a bit with just some bands.
Resistance Band Stretches and Mobility Work
Resistance band stretches will help you overcome the toughest a part of stretching — feeling like you might be restricted by the vary of movement in your muscle tissues. You recognize this as “feeling tight.” (A.Okay.A. “I’m not versatile!”). Humorous as it would sound, the limitation would possibly actually be in your head, or in one other a part of your physique.
Take into consideration a easy hamstring stretch, the place you lie in your again with one leg on the ground and lift the opposite leg to the sky. More often than not you employ your palms to offer resistance. Merely looping a resistance band round your ankle can create a special motion sample (as a result of the stress of pulling comes at a special angle — out of your ankle as an alternative of behind your knee), which could let you generate extra vary of movement.
It’s not magic, however most individuals will discover they’ll get a greater stretch with the resistance band variation. That’s as a result of a resistance band will help you go deeper right into a stretch, present assist, or assist scale back the load of your body weight whenever you carry out a transfer. That’s why many trainers take into account bands to be a “should” for maximizing your mobility.
There are limitless methods you should use resistance bands to help you whenever you stretch. Listed here are two examples—one on your higher physique, one on your decrease physique.
Banded Lat Stretch
Loop a band round one thing at the least 6 inches over your head, resembling a pull up bar. Seize the band with one arm and step again, so that you simply band types a 45- to -60 diploma angle to the ground. Get right into a staggered stance and put one knee on the ground. Your arm ought to be in a straight line and aligned with the band.
Lean ahead barely in order that your torso is completely aligned together with your arm. (It would appear to be the band is an extension of your arm. You can draw a straight line out of your hips all the best way as much as the highest of the band the place it’s connected to the pull up bar). Maintain this place so you are feeling a stretch in your again.
Do 5 deep breaths, inhaling via the nostril and exhaling via the mouth, after which swap sides.
Band Supported Leg Reducing
Lie flat in your again after which deliver each of your legs up in the direction of the ceiling. Your legs and physique ought to type the form of a “L.”
Wrap a band across the arch of certainly one of your ft and maintain it steady. Hold each of your knees locked out by squeezing your quadriceps muscle tissues and pointing your toes in the direction of your shins.
Decrease your leg that doesn’t have the band round it till both A) you are feeling tightness in your hamstring, or B) you are feeling ache in your again (that is dangerous) or don’t really feel steady in your core. When both of these issues occur, cease, then reverse the motion and elevate the leg again up.
Ideally, you’ll take 2 seconds to decrease your leg, then take 2 seconds to elevate your leg again up utilizing your core muscle tissues. Carry out 1-2 units of 5 repetitions per leg as part of your warmup, or pair with a decrease physique motion resembling stiff-legged deadlifts.
Resistance Band Workout routines for Muscle Activation
Resistance band workouts can be utilized to strengthen or activate hard-to-hit muscle tissues. For instance, your shoulders are two areas that most individuals have troubling “feeling.” Due to steady rigidity, bands are an efficient approach to assist activation and work these muscle tissues with out supporting muscle tissues taking up.
Band pull-aparts are a unbelievable option to heat up your shoulders. Bear in mind how bands assist create extra rigidity all through the motion? Rigidity means extra blood movement. Extra blood movement means you’re muscle tissues will really feel heat. It’s like including oil to a squeaky break.
When performing the motion, ensure you don’t have an excessive amount of slack within the band, as a result of for those who try this takes the stress off of your shoulders. The band pull-apart can also be efficient as a result of it really works your shoulders in a sample that’s typically missed.
Take into consideration how a lot time you spend at your desk together with your shoulders slouched. The band pull-apart works the alternative vary of movement, that means it helps pull your shoulders again into their appropriate alignment, enhancing your posture.
Higher posture means much less ache. And since you’re pulling the band aside, which means you’ve got most rigidity with minimal weight. That is one thing that isn’t all the time straightforward with weights like dumbbells.
Band Pull-aparts
Right here’s the best way to do it: Grip the alternative ends of an extended (about 40 inches is typical) resistance band. You possibly can combine up your hand place, from susceptible (thumbs dealing with each other) to impartial (thumbs dealing with the ceiling) to supinated (thumbs pointed away from each other).
Place your palms about shoulder width aside, or at a distance the place you are feeling a little bit rigidity within the band. From there, pull your palms outward as extensive as you’ll be able to.
Pause and squeeze the muscle tissues in your higher again and shoulders, then reverse instructions and convey your palms again towards each other (again to the beginning place), and repeat. Deal with conserving your shoulders down and again all through the complete motion.
Carry out 3 units of 15-30 repetitions.
Mini-Band Lateral Walks
Bear in mind how pull aparts had been nice on your shoulders? These lateral band walks can do the identical on your glutes and assist them get up.
Place the band above your knees. Unfold your legs extensive sufficient that you simply really feel rigidity throughout the band. (Think about this an athletic place, like a baseball participant about to subject a floor ball.) Take one leg and step out to the aspect. Then, comply with together with your different leg, ensuring you keep rigidity on the band all through the motion.
Stroll for 10-15 steps in a single path (i.e. from left to proper) then swap and go for a similar distance in the other way (from proper to left).
Goblet Squats
Place the mini-band round your legs simply above the knees. Maintain a dumbbell vertically towards your chest with each of your palms supporting the burden beneath. Press your elbows inward towards your rib cage, which prompts the muscle tissues in your higher again.
Squat down by pushing your hips again and urgent your knees outward towards the mini-band. Doing so prompts your glutes and helps you avoid knee ache. Decrease your self down till your elbows contact the insides of your knees, then press via your ft to face again up.
Resistance Band Workout routines for Constructing Muscle
It doesn’t matter what some individuals would possibly insist, weights are usually not the one option to construct muscle. Weights are efficient as a result of they add resistance. Bands additionally present resistance, that means in addition they will help you construct muscle.
Specifically, bands is perhaps best when doing larger rep coaching, resembling performing 20 to 30 reps (or extra) per set (this is named “metabolite coaching”).
Analysis has repeatedly proven that constructing muscle is considerably depending on quantity — or the variety of reps x units x weight. As a result of you’ve got 3 variables you’ll be able to manipulate, bands present a option to enhance quantity (via extra reps) without having extra weight.
This strategy works for any muscle in your physique — from arms and shoulders, to your chest, again and even your butt. Simply ask anybody who’s ever tried Bret Contreras’s glute burnout. Right here is one other instance of how you should use bands to realize some metabolic glute work:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYPHRU-B8w3/?taken-by=l2fitnessyeg
Resistance Band Workout routines and the Thoughts-Muscle Connection
The mind-muscle connection is one thing that not everyone seems to be acquainted with however it might probably make an enormous distinction in your coaching. Principally, it’s about utilizing your mind to drive extra effort out of your muscle tissues. If that sounds a little bit loopy, relaxation assured it’s an actual factor. (Right here’s proof.) And with the assistance of resistance bands, you’ll be able to develop it.
Resistance bands are helpful option to construct that connection as a result of the farther you pull the band and the extra it lengthens, the more durable your muscle tissues should work.
The elevated rigidity gives a robust peak contraction on the prime of each rep. You’ll actually really feel these muscle tissues working. Need to take it up one other notch? Add in a pause on the prime. (Ooh, it burns!)
What are the Limits of Resistance Bands?
Like something, there are all the time some limitations. As an example, resistance bands don’t essentially problem your muscle tissues via a full vary of movement.
Lifting weights consists of a elevating portion (the concentric) and a reducing portion (the eccentric). The eccentric section of a elevate is the half the place you might be reducing the burden again down, and it’s useful for each muscle development and enhancing muscle management.
They really feel lighter in your muscle tissues because the bands themselves get shorter. As we mentioned above, that could be nice from an harm prevention standpoint. However since eccentric muscle actions are the place we elicit probably the most muscle injury in coaching, utilizing bands alone would possibly restrict the quantity muscle you’ll be able to construct.
Bands may make measuring your resistance a little bit tough. A part of including muscle is making a problem on your muscle tissues. That’s why bands work — they add resistance. Sooner or later, nevertheless, your physique will adapt to resistance. Because of this you would possibly cease seeing outcomes. Your physique adapts, and you might want to maintain creating a brand new problem as a way to battle off plateau.
There are various methods to do avoid plateaus, nevertheless. You can also make an train tougher (if you’re doing band rows with each arms, you’ll be able to swap to a 1-arm model with the identical band, which is able to make it harder), or you’ll be able to add weight. That is the place dumbbells and barbells have an apparent benefit, as you’ll be able to simply use larger weights.
However don’t stress an excessive amount of. Your hand placement, the space between you and the place the band is anchored, and the way far the band is stretched can all be used to extend or lower the resistance. You can too person thicker bands (which has extra resistance) and even add a number of bands.
Sooner or later — sure — you would possibly want so as to add extra weight to create an even bigger problem. However so long as you proceed to search out methods to problem your muscle tissues (which may additionally happen by doing extra reps and/or units of an train), your resistance band exercise will maintain delivering outcomes.
The Resistance Band Exercise for Constructing Muscle
Need to give resistance band workouts a strive? Right here’s a pattern higher and decrease physique exercise designed for constructing muscle.
Higher Physique Resistance Band Exercise
1) Band pull-aparts: 4 x 15-20 reps x 60s relaxation
2A) Band pushups: 3 x 10-20 x 45s
2B) Band 2-arm rows: 3 x 15-20 x 45s
3A) 1-arm band row: 3 x 8-15/arm x 45s
3B) 1-arm band chest press: 3 x 8-12/arm x 45s
4A) Band overhead triceps extension – 3 x 12-20 x 45s
4B) Band biceps curls – 3 x 12-15 x 45s
Decrease physique Resistance Band Exercise
1) Mini-band lateral walks: 4 x 15-20/aspect x 60 seconds
2) Band leg curl: 3 x 15-20 x 60s
3) Rear foot elevated cut up squat (can add band for resistance): 4 x 12-15 x 60s
4A) Band good morning: 3 x 20-25 x 60s
4B) Strolling lunges: 3 x 10-15/leg x 60s
5) Band iso maintain Pallof press: 4 x 30s/aspect x 60s
