Mini-bands are lightweight, easy to store, and compact—perfect for a workout on-the-go. Even though they are light, themselves, the resistance and results are anything but. You also are not limited to just one muscle group while performing mini-resistance band exercises. You can hit a full body workout on your time, with just a mini-resistance band at your mercy. You can adjust the level of resistance with the different colors of the bands.
If we haven‘t convinced you yet to invest in a pair of mini-resistance bands, these exercises might persuade you a bit. However, these exercises are, by far, not the only ones out there by any means. If you are loving what you‘re doing and how you‘re looking, you can always ask your Trainiac trainer to add a few more like these to the routine.
Especially if you‘re looking to spice up some bodyweight exercises with a little more difficulty, adding mini-resistance bands to your exercises in different ways can be the modification or variation that you‘ve been searching for. Ask your Trainiac trainer for more.
Let‘s get into the exercises:
The band pull apart is a great exercise to target upper back and shoulders. It can be modified slightly to target different upper body muscle groups. The key is to keep tension on the band and maintain core awareness to maximize the upper body impact for this move.
To perform the band pull apart:
Other options:
If you really want to target those glutes and make those hamstrings burn, you can also rely on bridges. Just like the real, physical sense of the word—they are dependable and strong. If you find that single leg bridge lifts are too difficult, you can first start off with double leg bridge lifts and work from there.
The key to single leg bridge lift is that you really need to be driving through the hips, making sure you get them high enough up. Ultimately, your body, from your toe to your head, should look like a straight line. The reason why they often refer to bridges as “glute” bridges is that they really make them burn, especially when you squeeze at the top.
Depending on how hard you want the exercise to be, you can place the band below (harder) or above (easier) your knees.
A good starting point is to do 3 sets of 10 reps, or 3x10.
To perform single leg bridge lifts:
If you‘re still hooked on bodyweight squats, you can add a simple resistance band to up your game. Not only does this simple change help activate your lower body in new ways, it also helps your form. It helps eliminate the temptation (and common mistake) of your knees caving in.
Doing banded squats also gets you to open your hips up more while in motion, which makes for a deeper squat without all that back-rounding. Banded squats are basically a total lower body workout, working on your quads, your hamstrings, your glutes, your outer thighs, and also engage your core.
A good starting point is to do 3 sets of 10 reps, or 3x10.
To perform banded squats:
Another great exercise that can really engage your lower back, your glutes, and your hamstrings is the standing kickback. Doing this pilates and resistance band exercise will really get the glutes burning.
While performing the standing kickbacks, hold the movement at the top—or peak—of the movement, and then lower it back down slowly. Especially when beginning and based on the strength of the resistance band, there might not be a huge range of motion. You don’t have to focus on that—instead, focus on squeezing the glute, especially at the outermost point of the exercise.
If you notice that you’re struggling with all the weight shifted to your lower back and find your body rocking, try doing the kickback with a lighter resistance band or doing it while on the ground, face down to begin.
A good starting point is to do 3 sets of 10 reps, or 3x10 each leg.
To perform standing kickbacks:
If you seem to have already mastered or gotten bored with a normal plank, it’s time to kick it up into high gear with plank kickbacks. This exercise simply adds the resistance band to really target those glutes, as well as the core for main stabilization.
While performing this exercise, execute it like a normal plank—keeping your body as still as possible—so you can focus on the kickback part of the movement. Overall, this exercise will primarily be targeting the abs and then secondarily targeting the glutes and hamstrings.
Since it’s a very difficult core exercise mixed in with lower body, it is one of the harder band exercises. If you’re having trouble, ask your trainer to send a video of how to do it.
A good starting point is to do 3 sets of 10 reps, or 3x10 each leg.
To perform plank kickbacks:
Another great exercise to help you use resistance bands to engage your core are bicycle abs crunches. If you’ve already done regular crunches, you can kick up the notch and really challenge yourself. As you’re bending and extending your legs with the resistance bands, your abs are really engaged.
Once you build up the strength to add the resistance band, you can complete this exercise almost as often as you’d like.
A good starting point is to do 3 sets of 20 reps, or 3x20.
To perform bicycle ab crunches:
Unfortunately, personal trainers and exercisers alike normally tend to underestimate the full benefit of such a basic movement like the push up. However, since it often requires such a basic body movement, it will help the exerciser develop proper movement patterns for the scapula and shoulder joints.
It also reaps tons of benefits for muscle works, working on the chest area, and other upper body muscles. Once bodyweight is not enough, you can add resistance in the form of bands while still going through the push-up movement pattern.
Strength is found at the de-loading portion of the movement—where you’re at the bottom of the push up. When the resistance band is added, this will be the initial, “easiest” point of the exercise, until you have to push up from 0-100—targeting and working on your shoulder health and strength. However, at the top of the push up, you’re met with the most resistance.
A good starting point is to do 3 sets of 10 reps, or 3x10.
To perform banded push ups:
Exercises aren’t the most important part of your workout routine. Stretching before and after your workout—whether it’s through dynamic or static stretches is also extremely important. The resistance band hamstring stretch is an essential stretch—especially if you’re planning to work your lower body out.
While performing the stretch, make sure you’re keeping tension on the band the whole time throughout the stretch. Do not use too much force and overstretch the muscle—this can do the opposite of the sole purpose of a stretch and get you injured. Our best advice would be to never stretch while your cold. First, perform a light warm-up and then get into stretching.
To perform a mini band hamstring stretch:
Stretching is vital to the warm and cool down of any workout. Especially in major muscle groups like the quads, these muscles need the benefit of elongation, increased flexibility, improved circulation, and a reduction of stress. If you are planning on working out with tight quadriceps, you can risk running into knee or back pain later—or other injuries.
Doing the quad stretch with the resistance band not only helps increase your range of motion, it also will help get you the stretch that you wouldn’t be able to do on your own.
To perform a mini band quad stretch:
Your shoulder joint contains a major muscle group in your body, as well. A lot of upper body exercises will utilize the shoulder joint, therefore it is important that you stretch out before and after your workouts.
The shoulder and back stretch with the resistance band will stretch out the rear deltoids, rhomboids, and Teres minor. These muscles are responsible for stabilizing the shoulder joint and warming them up properly will help you sustain from injury.
While you’re performing this stretch, it’s important to remember to keep a neutral spine and good posture.
To perform the shoulder and back stretch:
These stretches and exercises can help you get more out of your workout as well as help prevent you from getting an injury. If you’re looking for more exercises with resistance bands like these, talk to your Trainiac trainer today!