This past year, I discovered an awesome piece of exercise equipment: the resistance band! I use resistance bands in my classes and am a huge supporter of using them for exercise.
First of all, they are light and easy to travel with. I keep a half-dozen bands in my trunk for my classes and I brought one with me on my most recent vacation. They don’t take up any space, and they are light to carry. You can really exercise your entire body by getting creative with the bands.
One of the reasons that I prefer them over weights is because there is tension on the band during the entire exercise, not just when you are contracting the muscle. When I use weights, gravity helps while returning the limb back to the starting position. With a band, you need to keep the tension during both the contraction of the muscle and return to the starting point, and don’t have the benefit of gravity.
There are endless possibilities for exercising with a resistance band. The bands allow the participant to work different muscle groups at the same time, which creates a more efficient workout. Here are 3 of my favorite moves that I use in classes.
1. Bicep curl with step out to the side: Stand on the band and slightly bend your knees while holding a handle in each hand. Perform a bicep curl with the handles coming up towards your chest. When your hands fall back down to your waist, step out with your right foot to the side, feeling the resistance of the band on your leg. Repeat the bicep curl, then step out with your left foot. Continue alternating sides with a bicep curl in between.
2. Chest press with lunge: Wrap the band behind your back at shoulder level, choking up so that it is tight behind your chest. Begin lunging forward, alternating sides. When you come forward, pull the band into a chest press, bringing your hands together in front of you.
3. Monkey move: Stand with both feet on the band with slightly bent knees and a tube in each hand. Lean over the left side while pulling the right tube up, close to your body. Repeat the move on the opposite side. Continue alternating sides.
Another awesome benefit about resistances bands is the cost. I bought mine for $10. Considering the versatility and effectiveness of resistance bands, I think it was bargain. Even the most expensive bands will be under $25.
Bonus: babies and toddlers are obsessed with hese bands. During my classes, they look longingly at all of the moms exercising with the tubes. A clean tube makes for a fun toy to keep your little one occupied (with very close supervision, of course.)
Leave a Reply