Have you always wanted a toned, muscular body? Perhaps you thought it could only be possible with an expensive gym membership. Did you know that you can get impressive results by using resistance bands for an at-home workout?
Fitness experts tell us that it’s vital to keep our bodies moving for optimal health. Countless reports demonstrate the debilitating relationship between a sedentary lifestyle and obesity. If you spend most of your free time as a couch spud, it’s easy to see why your muscles would be as limp as mashed potatoes.
If you are determined to get a leaner and healthier body, you can schedule a few minutes each day to exercise at home. You needn’t purchase a bunch of pricey workout equipment that takes up a lot of space and will eventually become an expensive clothes rack. Don’t break the bank with costly gym memberships across town that you may not use anyway.
Are you like most people and juggle family, career, and social obligations? You may be short on time and have limited space for an at-home workout. However, resistance band workouts don’t require a lot of time or space, and they are fun to do.
What Are Resistance Bands?
Did you know that these colorful, stretchy bands are some of the most inexpensive workout equipment that you can buy? They are perfectly portable, don’t require a lot of space to use, and you simply roll them up for storage. Plus, they are so easy to use that almost anyone can do it.
Resistance bands are like oversized rubber bands that are available in a variety of sizes. You can do resistance training with just about any part of your body that needs work. More durable bands provide more resistance to strengthen your muscles and help burn fat, while lighter elastics are suitable for your upper body.
When shopping for the right bands, you will notice looped bands that vary in size, length, and thickness. Some bands don’t have loops, and they may have handles or not. Choose a few that feel comfortable to you and will provide varying degrees of resistance for the best workout.
Benefits of Resistance Training
It’s impressive when you consider how pulling and stretching elastic bands can have so many benefits. Medical research suggests that resistance training with bands may lower your blood pressure, reduce belly fat, and manage or prevent Type 2 diabetes. These workouts also demonstrate positive results for building muscle and strengthening bones and joints.
Are you ready for an in-home work out that isn’t complicated and can be fun for your whole family? Resistance band training can be tailored to exercise almost any part of your body.
10 Resistance Bands Exercises to Melt Fat and Sculpt Your Physique
Here are ten innovative resistance exercises for you and your family to try at home.
1. Shape Your Booty
Your glutes make up a trio of muscles that are responsible for supporting your backside and hips. As you get older, it is normal for your behind to sag a little and stores up excess fat. Resistance exercise is an ideal way to strengthen these muscles and burn away saggy fat from your booty.
To begin, lie on your side and support yourself with a hand. Place your elastic band around your ankles for strong resistance or right above your knees for a lighter workout. While keeping your body straight without bending, lift your first leg sideways while you squeeze your outer buttock, then return to the starting position. Repeat 10-15 times, switch sides, then do another set of repetitions.
2. Learn to Master Your Thighs
Do you secretly resent the thighs you inherited? Of all the complaints women have about their bodies, thick thighs are among the top. While genetics and aging can affect your hips, proper diet and resistance exercise can help strengthen and tone them.
Start by placing your elastic band right above your knees, and then stand with your feet in line with your shoulders. Let your toes point out slightly. Now, squat with your behind close to your ankles, stand up with a jump, and gently land on the balls of your feet. Continue for a repetition of 10-15 times.
3.Resistance Leg Lifts
Leg lifts are a classic strengthening exercise you have probably done since high school gym class. They are an ideal way to work out your hamstrings, glutes, and your lower abdomen. When you use an elastic band for resistance, you boost the fat-burning power of this exercise.
Put your elastic band around your ankles, then assume a push-up position with your hands and feet supporting your body. Smoothly lift one heel upward as you feel the band’s resistance while trying not to round your back. Do 10-15 repetitions with one leg, switch to the other, then continue for 10-15 more repetitions.
4. Backward Kicks
To do the backward or donkey kick, you must start on all fours in the downward dog position. Make sure the resistance bands are resting above your knees. You must keep your neck, back, and hips in perfect alignment. Start with your left heel and kick it out to stretch the band a bit.
As you do this exercise, make sure that you keep your hips level because if your back becomes round, you are in the wrong stance. Now, return to the starting downward dog position and switch to the other side.
5. The Jump Squat
Stand straight with your feet about 12 inches apart, and keep your toes paralleled. Place the resistance band right above your knees. Start in a squat and then transition into a jump.
If done correctly, then you should land on the balls of your feet. Stand back up and do it over again. There are many other squat variations that you can do with these bands too.
6. Hip Abduction
For this exercise, you will need the support of a wall. Place the band on your ankles and hold onto the wall. If you need less resistance, then place the band closer to the knee area. Squeeze your glutes while lifting your leg.
Start with the right and then switch to the left. It’s essential to keep your body straight and not to bend your torso. Do 10-15 repetitions on once side and then switch to the other.
7. Bicycle Crunches
It’s best to use a looped band for this exercise if you have it, but you can also use the other varieties. Put your feet into the band and make sure that it’s secure. Your feet should be about 12 inches apart. You want to ensure there is constant tension on the resistance bands.
Kick one leg out while you pull the other in, just like you would do if you were peddling a bicycle. Do this back and forth until you can feel the burn in your thighs and glutes. You are a fat-burning machine.
8. Squat & Walk
Go into a squat position and wrap the bands around your ankles. Next, try taking steps as wide as possible. The larger your steps, the more you will feel the bands working.
Don’t worry if you feel that this movement gets more complicated as you go, as that’s what this exercise is designed to do. Keep your chest up and fixate on something in front of you to keep you focused. Go back and forth until you feel that burn and tingling sensation in your legs.
9. “L” Shoulder Raises
For this move, you want to activate your core. So keep your knees slightly bent and your back straight. Put one arm straight ahead of you and one arm to your side to make the “L” shape as you move the resistance bands. Never let your arms go beyond your shoulders.
This video shows a variation of this concept, raising both arms laterally. It demonstrates just how easy it is to customize the best workout for your needs.
10. Fire Hydrant
For the fire hydrant, you want to start on all fours. Place the resistance bands
above your knees. Make sure you keep your back, hips, and neck aligned. While you turn to the side, you must keep your body aligned and in the right position. Do the repetitions on the right and then on the left?
Final Thoughts on Using Resistance Bands to Melt the Fat Away
If you have areas of stubborn fat that won’t seem to go away no matter how much you diet, then you are going to have to work them off. If you don’t have time to go to the gym or lack the funds to purchase expensive equipment, then resistances bands may be what you need.
You can use these bands for just about any workout out there. You need to use some creativity and find out how to intensify your exercise and make them so that they accommodate the bands. These bands come in various sizes as well as with or without hoops. So you can find the style that fits you and your workout routine perfectly.
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