A 10-Minute Lower Body Resistance Band Workout

Of all of the health equipment accessible, the resistance band has acquired to be essentially the most versatile. Enhance or lower the strain, wrap it round your self or one thing exterior, pull the band quick or sluggish. These easy items of latex (or material, if that is your jam) can provide you a power exercise that’s low affect however extremely efficient, and that—a decrease physique resistance band exercise—is what now we have for you at the moment.

Within the newest episode of Properly+Good’s Coach of the Month Membership, Lululemon Studio coach Lonnie Poupard takes us by means of a 10-minute routine centered on constructing power within the decrease physique and bringing stability to our hips and knees. All through, the resistance band will provide help to have interaction the muscle tissues that encompass these joints and fortify different tissues inside the joints, bringing extra assist to your on a regular basis motion.

Coaching with a resistance band

“Resistance bands work by providing an exterior power to the muscle tissues with out having to raise weights,” Alissa Tucker, CPT, CES, the grasp coach of AKT, beforehand informed Properly+Good about utilizing resistance bands. “Like lifting weights, resistance bands will help to enhance muscle endurance and power, and strengthen connective tissue within the joints.”

All you have to get began for this explicit exercise is a mini band, which is a small resistance band loop. Mini bands are available quite a lot of resistances, often designated by coloration. You may wish to select a resistance stage that challenges your muscle tissues, however nonetheless means that you can full the actions.

Associated Tales

“Select a band stage that’s difficult, however that you may transfer by means of your full vary of movement,” Tucker says. “Due to the rise of depth as you attain your full vary of movement, an inclination might be to restrict and never transfer by means of the total vary.”

Tucker advises having a number of resistance ranges available.

“Should you’re undecided which stage band to decide on, we all the time suggest grabbing two,” Tucker says. “You can begin with the heavier band and if/whenever you really feel your type begin to slip or that you simply’re reducing your vary of movement brief, swap to the lighter band.”

Most essential is that you simply don’t select a band primarily based on what you assume you ought to be utilizing, however slightly one which might be difficult, however nonetheless doable. Whether or not it’s “slightly lighter, slightly heavier, you decide what’s best for you,” says Poupard.

How a resistance band can enhance your mobility

After we consider enhancing mobility, many individuals give attention to stretching. However enhancing our mobility is definitely about ensuring our joints can work by means of their full vary of movement whereas underneath pressure—which is one thing a resistance band will help out with.

“Mobility is about management and dealing by means of full ranges of movement joint by joint, usually underneath pressure or by creating pressure,” coach Charlee Atkins, CSCS and founding father of Le Sweat, beforehand informed Properly+Good about mobility exercises.

Not accessing that vary of movement could cause imbalances in different components of the physique. For instance, motionless hips can result in decrease again ache. In case you have knee ache, your drawback may truly be restricted knee mobility.

Energy is one other key ingredient to stopping ache. In case you have weaker glute or hamstring muscle tissues, that may trigger a sequence response all through the again.

“Something that impacts how properly these muscle tissues operate, like joint mobility, weak point, or damage, might play a job in how environment friendly the low-back muscle tissues work too,” Leada Malek, DPT, CSCS, beforehand informed Properly+Good about mobility and again ache reduction. “If the hamstrings and glutes aren’t serving to to distribute the load, then extra might be positioned on the low again.”

That’s why engaged on mobility and power collectively makes for the right mixture, and is one thing Poupard incorporates on this new decrease physique resistance band exercise. Workout routines like clamshells will construct your glutes whereas difficult the vary of movement of your hips to speak in confidence to their full potential towards the resistance of the mini band. Banded walks and leg lifts will have interaction your quads as you’re employed to maintain your knees from bowing in, supporting that joint.

You are able to do the exercise by following alongside within the video above, or by finishing the workout routines beneath by yourself time. Discover the fitting mini band for you, and get after it!

A ten-minute decrease physique resistance band exercise

Format: 4 body weight warmup strikes, adopted by 4 mini-band workout routines, rounded out with a hip mobility problem.

Gear Wanted: One mini band (a round resistance band), or two in case you are uncertain which resistance stage to make use of.

Who is that this for?: Anybody who needs a fast lower-body exercise that additionally advantages their hip and knee joint stability.

Heat-up

1. Good mornings (30 seconds)

1. Whereas standing with toes hip-distance aside, place palms behind head and convey a slight bend to your knees.
2. Bend over so your torso is parallel to the ground, urgent your hips again and making a stretch in your hamstrings.
3. Stand again upright and repeat.

2. Body weight squats (30 seconds)

1. Start in the identical standing place with palms behind head and toes hip-distance aside.
2. Bend knees and decrease backside right into a squat.
3. Stand again upright and repeat.

3. Butt kicks (30 seconds)

1. Jog in place.
2. Exaggerate the motion of the legs by bringing your foot to your backside and swinging your arms.

4. Leaping jacks (30 seconds)

1. Start in a standing place.
2. Soar your legs aside whereas bringing your palms overhead.
3. Return to the beginning place and repeat.

Now, seize your mini bands and let’s get into the meat of the exercise.

5. Mini band walks (30 seconds)

1. Place a mini band round your decrease legs simply above the ankles.
2. Begin along with your toes hip-distance aside, decrease right into a slight squat along with your however behind you, and brace your core.
3. Take a step out to the left along with your left foot, then convey your proper foot in so that they’re hip-distance aside once more. Hold pressure within the band the complete time.
4. Repeat thrice in a single path, then go the opposite approach.

6. Mini-band leg lifts (30 seconds per aspect)

1. Start in a standing place with toes hip-distance aside and the mini band simply above the ankles.
2. Raise your proper foot straight out to the aspect.
3. Carry it again in slowly and with management.
4. Repeat for 30 seconds.
5. Repeat on the opposite aspect.

7. Mini-band squats (1 minute)

1. Carry your mini band to only beneath your knees.
2. Start in a standing place with palms behind head and toes hip-distance aside.
3. Bend knees and decrease right into a squat.
4. Press the knees out to withstand the power of the mini band.
5. Stand again upright and repeat.

8. Clamshells (30 seconds per aspect)

1. Both take away the band or place it above your knees.
2. Come all the way down to the bottom and lie in your left aspect, along with your knees bent, resting in your left elbow.
3. Holding your toes touching one another, increase your high (proper) knee.
4. Return to beginning place, and repeat for 15 seconds.
5. For the ultimate 15 seconds, maintain your high knee raised, and solely decrease it down in small pulses.
6. Swap to the opposite aspect and repeat the collection.

Repeat strikes 5-7, earlier than one remaining stability and mobility problem, sans mini band

9. Hip rotations (1 rep per aspect)

1. Come right into a standing place.
2. Raise your proper leg bent out in entrance of you, so you might be balancing in your left leg.
3. With a bent proper leg, open your proper knee out to the aspect.
4. Carry the leg round to the again and rotate the foot behind you so your knee comes down to satisfy the opposite knee.
5. Return the foot to lifted place, bent in entrance of you.
6. Reverse that circle within the different path.
7. Repeat on the opposite aspect.