How to Liven Up Your Exercise Using Resistance Bands

Many people are not often sure what resistance bands do when it comes to strength training. Yet resistance bands can be a great way to achieve strength and fitness away from the monotony of exercising with the free weights, cables and free motion gym machines. Or if you are away on vacation or on a business trip, and can’t do your regular routines at a fitness centre or your home gym, you can bring along a set of resistance bands in order for you to work out wherever you are.

There are many different moves and workouts that can be performed using resistance bands. For instance, you can do a chest press where you need only slip the band around a pole or a rail behind you. Ensure the band is raised to chest level and have a considerable gap between yourself and the pole or rail so that the band is taut. Your elbows should always remain parallel to the ground during the chest press.

You can also use the resistance band in a row work out. With the band in the same position as the chest press, turn around and face the pole – hold each side of the taut band in each hand. Now pull it making sure you use your shoulder and back muscles – the motion is the same as that one would do when rowing a boat.

For bulking up the biceps, you may want to try out the resistance band with bicep curls. Step on the band with both feet and with the band held on both hands, curl your hands up just like you would do with weights. This works in a similar way as a dumbbells exercise would. You can make the workout even harder by keeping your spreading your legs further apart.

Resistance bands have the advantage of being portable meaning you can carry them to work or on vacation and thus have no break in your exercise program.