Working Out With Stretch Bands - Everything You Need to Know

Perhaps one of the most portable pieces of exercise equipment ever invented are resistance bands or stretch bands. Unlike free weights that can be heavy to lug around, resistance bands are foldable and can easily be stored to take with you wherever you go. They provide great strength training workouts in place of free weights and are especially handy for women and individuals who need to travel constantly because of their work. Compared to free weights, they are much cheaper, too. Exercise bands are color-coded to signify the degree of resistance offered. The color codes usually depend on the manufacturer but it is common to find yellow as the one that offers the least resistance followed by red, green, blue, black and silver. Obviously, more advanced practitioners prefer to use the silver bands since they offer the heaviest resistance to their workouts. Highly versatile, these flexible rubber bands are easily twisted to suit different exercises for different body parts. To workout your back, begin by putting the band around your back as both your hands get a firm grip on the ends. Slowly extend your arms, holding your hands in front of your shoulder as you pull on the band. Bring your hands together in front of you and slowly release to the starting position. Repeat for ten times. Bicep exercises such as bicep curls can also be done with resistance bands. Stand on the middle of the band and hold both ends of the handle with your palms facing out. With your abs tucked in and your knees slightly bent, start bending your arms and bringing the palms towards the shoulder the way you would do in a bicep curl with weights. If you want greater tension, you can spread your feet wider. Repeat sixteen times. Triceps extensions, meanwhile, are done by holding the band in one hand with that hand placed behind the back. Grab the other end of the stretch band with the arm over your head and extend the top elbow until the arm gets extended fully. Return to the starting position and repeat for sixteen counts. For leg exercises involving stretch bands, you can begin by sitting on a chair. Tie the ends of the band in a square knot so that a circle is created. Then, slip the tied portion over your ankles. Steadily hold one foot as you pull the other foot out from the knot slowly. Try to do ten repetitions. You can also do squats using stretch bands. Stand on the middle of the band with your feet shoulder width apart, Grab both ends of the bands and try to raise your elbows above your head as you bring your fists up under your neck. When the bands are already tight, you can squat down on your back as you pull back on the resistance bands to tone your legs. Make sure that you don't move your upper body as you do this exercise. Those are just some of the many resistance band exercises for your back, arms and legs. You can check out websites online for more suggestions.

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