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Resistance bands

Resistance bands

Resisted Pushups: Hold one strand of the band on each end. Wrap it around your upper back. Lie face-down on the ground with hands below your shoulders. The ends of the band should be between your palm and the ground. Press up with straight legs and neutral hips, so that your backside forms a straight line. Only your hands and feet are touching the ground. Bend your arms and bring your chest towards the ground. Once your chest comes within a few inches off the ground, press with your arms to bring your body back up. Maintain a straight line with your backside throughout the movement. Make sure the band remains wrapped around your upper back and doesn’t slide onto your neck. This will challenge your chest, triceps, and the anterior (front) of the shoulders. Perform 3 sets of 8 repetitions.

Shoulder Pulls: Hold two strands of the band with both hands, palms facing down. How close or far apart your hands are determines the level of resistance. Now hold the band out in front of you. With a strong, upright posture, pull the band apart in a controlled manner until the center touches the middle of your chest. Slowly bring your hands closer together. Maintain body control and band tension throughout the movement. This exercise tests primarily the posterior (back) of the shoulders—an important and undertrained muscle for good posture. Perform 2-3 sets of 10 repetitions.

Seated Rows: Sit on the ground with legs straight out in front of you. Hold one stand of the band on each end. Wrap two strands of the band around the center of both feet. Straighten your back and maintain an upright posture as you pull with both hands. Think of squeezing your back together and pinching your elbows at your sides. The tension will increase as your hands come closer to your torso. This engages your back and biceps. Perform 4 sets of 8-10 repetitions.

Lateral Walks: Step on one strand of the band with the center of each foot. Widen your stance to slightly past shoulder-width apart. Cross or make an "X" with the band to create a second loop. Hold the second loop with each hand. Pull the band with your arms to torso-level. Begin by stepping to the side with one foot and following with the other. The tension in the band will try to force your feet together. Maintain the same distance between each feet as when you started. This will challenge your hip and leg strength, as well as core stability. Perform 2 sets of 10 steps in each direction.

X Crunches: Sit on the ground with legs straight out in front of you. Wrap one strand of the band around both feet. Cross or make an "X" with the band to create a second loop. Hold the second loop with each hand. Pull the band with your arms to torso-level and lie back so that you’re lying on the ground. Make sure the band is securely wrapped around the center of each foot. From here, extend your arms overhead. At this point, the taller you are the more tension there will be in the band. Carefully bend your knees and arms toward each other simultaneously. Perform a small crunch with your torso, but only so much to maintain tension in the band. Then, extend your knees and arms back to the lengthened, lying position. This is primarily an abdominal exercise. Perform 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions.

— Frankie R. Lipscomb University

Resistance bands

Bicep Curls: Hold the handlebars or the ends of your resistance band and stand directly on the band, feet about hip width apart. Make sure your palms are facing up and elbows are tucked by your sides. Inhale and on your exhale curl your hands up towards your shoulders and then release. Do 10 repetitions for 2 sets. To modify, shorten your range, and to intensify, curl extra slowly to fatigue your muscles.

Squat with Bicep Curl: Hold the handlebars or the ends of your resistance band and stand directly on the band, feet about hip width apart. Make sure your palms are facing up and elbows are tucked by your sides. Inhale and on your exhale curl your hands up towards your shoulders and lower down into a squat. Next, release out of the curl and squat. To capture what this looks like, your arms are curled and up when you are low in your squat and then you ‘release’ by straightening out your arms and standing back up at the same time. Do 10 repetitions for 3 sets.

Tricep Extensions: Hold the handlebars or the ends of your resistance band and stand directly on the band, feet about hip width apart. Relax your arms down by your sides, palms facing your body. Then, row your arms up so your elbows are pointing back and your shoulder blades come together. From here, extend your arms behind you, feeling a squeeze in your upper arm, and then bend your elbow back to that row-like form. That is one repetition. Do 10 repetitions for 2 sets. To modify, you can lower your arms down a little and to intensify go slowly to fatigue your muscles.

Boat Pose Press: Take a seat on the ground and hold onto the handlebars or ends of your resistance bands. Extend your feet out in front of you and put the band part on the soles of your feet. Bend your knees a little, flex your feet, and slowly raise your legs off the ground. This takes a lot of balance! Once you are here, you can test your core and balance by pushing against the band and lengthening your legs and then bending them back in. To modify this move, you can do it without the resistance band. Do 5 repetitions for 4 sets.

— Eliza S. University of Massachusetts Amherst

Resistance band exercises

Chest press: Hold the handlebars or the ends of your resistance band with the band behind your back. Begin with your arms in an L shape, then extend them fully forward, and back again.

Push-up: Perform pushups with the band behind your back while holding the ends in your hands.

Standing overhead press: Hold the handlebars or the ends of your resistance band and stand directly on the band, feet about hip width apart. Position your arm so that it’s down by your side with your elbow pointed up. Push your arm up so it’s fully extended, then return to the starting position.

Rowing: Wrap the band around any pole. Hold the ends of the bands in your hands, with your arms extended, then pull them both back toward your body.

— Nick M. University of Tennessee Health Science Center