Resistance bands are great. They’re not just useless bits of elastic that you do a few warm up exercises with - they’re a legitimate training tool that can completely change the effectiveness of an exercise. Used properly, a resistance band can provide varying degrees of resistance to a variety of exercise. It can also help improve technique.
Finally, it can be used to gain a therapeutic benefit from an exercise, helping it to cure an injury.
So before you overlook a resistance band as something you get from the physio, or only use in a warm up, take a look at these 3 important exercises using resistance bands. I guarantee you that if you add them into your training, you’ll be fitter, stronger and less prone to injury.
And that’s a promise.
Resistance Band Exercise #1 - Lateral band walks
This is a class ‘oh my god I can’t believe how hard this is’ exercise. It’s a great way to strengthen the glutes, the hips and make the quads engage. When these muscles are strong, you help to eradicate problems such as IT band issues, runners knee and hip problems. You also improve your knee stability for exercises such as squats and lunges.
You can use lateral band walks as a primer before squats, a warm up exercise or even an exercise on their own. I like to use them as all three, depending on the context. Simply use a thicker, stronger resistance band when using it as a ‘proper’ exercise.
Here’s how they’re done…
Resistance Band Exercise #2 - Side plank clamshell
If you want to see your core training taken upon several notches, you need to get some side plank clamshells into your workout. They hit several points… They’re a side plank, so you have a lateral core and oblique engagement. When you add the resistance band, you make it a hip and glute exercise as well. This makes it a really effective prehab/rehab exercise.
The side plank clamshell isn’t just great for core and hip training - it’s also a really effective way of strengthening the lower back. This is helpful when you’re doing deadlifts, kettlebell swings, the olympic lifts or even heavy lifting at work.
Here’s how they’re done…
Resistance Band Exercise #3 - Standing abdominal crunches
As a rule, I’m not a fan of crunches for most people. It’s not that they’re inherently dangerous, they’re just more risky than they need to be for most. The reality is a lot of us don’t have especially good lower back health and strength, so creating a lot of spinal flexion doesn’t help. If you’ve had disc issues especially, they’re not a great idea.
Where you can perform spinal flexion in a safe, healthy position is when you’ve got a thick resistance band to work against. You can be on your feet with your torso straight. This helps to limit spinal flexion, but the thick resistance band adds an additional challenge.
Here’s how they’re done…
Resistance Band Exercise #4 - Spanish squats
The Spanish squat is a phenomenal exercise, and I don’t even mean that as a joke. It’s one of the best out there. It’s a really simply exercise, but it isolates the quads better than almost any other squat. Not only that, it helps to rehab knees really well, so if you’ve struggled with your knees, Spanish squats maybe the way to go. You can make them more difficult by adding extra weight.
In the Spanish squats, you can control depth really easily, and the thick resistance band stops the knees travelling over the toes (which is the essence of the Spanish squat - that’s how they isolate the quads so well). You only need a strong resistance band and a solid anchor point.
Here’s how they’re done…
Resistance Band Exercise #5 - Shoulder pull aparts
Shoulders are up there with lower backs as one of the most vulnerable body parts when it comes to injury. A big part of the problem comes from the fact that modern life see’s us in a forward-leaning, internally-rotated position in the shoulder. This leads to a tight chest, weak upper back and rounded shoulders. Over time, this becomes painful and can restrict strength and movement.
One of the ways to combat this is with exercises for the upper back and rear deltoids (back of the shoulders). By strengthening these areas, you correct your shoulder alignment, strengthen the important muscles in the neck and back and ease the issues you were suffering. All you need is a good resistance band.
Here’s how they’re done…
When you add these exercises into your workout, not only will you be a stronger, fitter person, you’ll also be a healthier and more injury-resistant one. These exercises will elevate your workout significantly, and help you to get more out of your training.
If you want help with your health, AdMac Fitness is the place to go!
We help people using tried and tested fitness approaches. Our expert team of personal trainers, based in both Bow and South Woodford can help you get a grip of your health and fitness. With our guidance you can see your health and fitness reach new levels!
For more information on who we are, what we do and how we can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, contact us on… 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
Our locations are…
AdMac Fitness Bow: Arch 457 Robeson St, London E3 4JA
AdMac Fitness South Woodford: Unit 4 Marlborough Business Centre, 96 George Lane, South Woodford, London, E18 1AD.