Resistance Band Workout

[Mel]

Here's a full body workout posted originally by Meg:

Here's the workout that I put together for my clients - it covers all body parts except for abs. Those you can do with a million kind of crunches and no resistance at all.

Legs (blue band)
Squats
Lunges
Inner and outer thighs, butt kicks (band under a table leg)
Single-leg leg press / leg lift combo (lying down)

Chest (red band around a pole or doorknob)
Chest press
Pec flyes

Back (red band around a pole or doorknob)
Back row

Shoulders (yellow band)
Front raises
Side raises
Overhead press

Arms (green band)
Curls
Hammer curls
One-arm overhead extension

I bought my bands online at http://www.bodytrends.com/products/resistance/index.htm . It would be hard for me to write up descriptions of the exercises if you're not familiar with them (I spend an hour teaching this workout to clients) but there are books and videos available that might be helpful and you might be able to find illustrations on the Internet.

Mel

[Misti in Seattle]

Thanks Mel... and Meg for the original post. This is very helpful for me!!

[ammelum]

Yes, thanks Mel for reposting.

[Misti in Seattle]

Mel, I just wanted to say how helpful these descriptions are. I had tried before to search the Internet for resistance band exercises without buying a book but was unsuccessful. But when I type in what you call them I am coming up with stuff. I have to keep digging!

Ahhhh here we go...

http://exercise.about.com/cs/weightl...ndreardelt.htm

There is a drop down menu if you scroll down just a bit that says "More Resistance Band Exercises" Yay! These descriptions are fantastic and have animated illustrations of people doing them.

[marapets]

yeah thanks alot learned quite a bit

[sirak]

When lifting weights, gravity plays a big part. You get more resistance during one part of the movement (lifting against gravity), but then gravity makes lowering the weight easier. When using bands, however, the resistance is constant, so you have to work harder.

This is a quote that I got off another site. I want to make sure that the information is correct as I have been increasing my reps with the bands to compensate for the fact I was not working with traditional free weights or a machine. I don't have a gym membership and have been working with strechies and resistance bands for a while.I am trying to incorperate them as I learn more exercises to add to my workout.
Can I still pyramid using the medium band and the blue ( tough as nails) band or would this not be as effective as regular weights?

[Mel]

Yes, you can still pyramid. If moving up to the next band is too tough, just shorten the working amount a bit- step back further, step on more of the band, etc. Some of the bands are so tough I can barely use them. The black one seems to be equivalent to about 40 pound dumbbells!

Mel

[KO]

For Every brand of band, Do the same colors correspond to the resistance?

[Mel]

Nope- I use gym quality bands and most of them seem to correlate. The Walmart and Sports Authority bands are different. And even really good bands get stretchier over time. Just experiment with what is right for you. It's a lot like using some weight machines and cable machines. "5" really just means it's heavier than "4" and lighter that "6"

Mel

[KO]

Thanks for the input!!

[SoulBliss]

How would you say that resistance bands (such as those used in PT and shown in te link below) compare in doing these exercises? http://www.bindependent.com/hompg/bi...therabands.htm

[Mel]

You can use the flat therabands, but they have no handles which either limits what you can do, or you have to get it long enough so that you can wrap it around your fist and have enough to hang on to.

Therabands also tend to tear quickly if they get a scratch or small cut.

Mel

[SoulBliss]

Thanks! My DH got them for me for free from work, so I think I'll give them a try. He cut really long pieces of them, so I will have plenty to wrap around, so that's good.

[Victoria Ayumi]

I've been doing workouts with a green resistance band for 3 weeks now, and It's been changing my body shape, which is great. My waist is looking a lot more pronounced. I got the workout from Prevention. So if you're looking to tone up your body a bit, this is a good way to do it imo.

[sharonrr1]

Thank you all for the information about resistant bands. I'm going on vacation fro 6 weeks with my family. Most places we are going will have exercise equipment. The bands will be great to pack and use when we are not staying someplace that has weights.