If you’re looking for a simple workout that requires minimal space and very little equipment, then you’ve come to the right place. Using just resistance bands, this 20-minute workout will fire up muscles you may never have felt work before and trigger a bunch of feelgood endorphins. Plus, it can be done at home, in the gym or wherever you want!
Why Use A Resistance Band?
t might look like an innocent piece of equipment, but don’t be fooled. Resistance bands can really up the intensity of a workout and offer a great alternative to free weights such as dumbbells and barbells. As well as being lower-impact, resistance bands are transportable and can be used for so many different exercises.
Different bands will offer different levels of resistance, but keep the resistance manageable. Doing more reps and keeping your muscles under tension for longer will help strengthen your muscles.
For the exercises in this workout, you’ll need a mini band and a longer therapy resistance band, essentially an unlooped band that allows you to hold an end in each hand, or wrap the band around an anchor such as a lamppost or door handle.
Run through the exercises below, then go twice more, for a total of three rounds.
1 Banded pulse squat
Time 60sec Rest 15sec
This simple move really works your lower body. Wrap a mini band around your legs, just above the knees, with your feet just wider than hip-width apart. Keeping your back flat and your gaze forwards, bend your knees and push your hips back and down into a sitting position, aiming for your thighs to be parallel to the ground. Add a pulse by rising up slightly then dropping back down into the squat, then push through your heels and come back up to standing.
2 Squat lateral walk
Time 60sec Rest 15sec
Place a mini band around your thighs, with your feet hip-width apart, and lower into a squat. Keep your back flat and gaze forwards as you take a small step to the right with the right foot, then follow it with the left foot. Maintain resistance in the band throughout as you take three steps to the right and three to the left. You can also do this move with the band placed just above your ankles.
3 Banded deadlift
Time 60sec Rest 15sec
Hold the ends of your longer therapy band and stand in the middle of the band with your feet hip-width apart. The band needs to stay taut throughout the movement; you may need to wrap it around your hands a couple of times if it’s a particularly long band.
Keeping your back flat, chest up and arms straight down either side of your legs, hinge at your hips, push your hips back, soften your knees and lower your arms. When your hands reach your knees, push through your heels to rise back up to standing and squeeze your glutes at the top.
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- The Best Core Exercises For Women
4 Banded biceps curl
Time 60sec Rest 15sec
Start in the same position as for the deadlift: feet in the middle of your therapy band, an end in each hand. Keeping your upper arms pinned to your body, bend at the elbows to bring your hands close to your shoulders. Pause at the top, then lower them back to the start. To add resistance, wrap the band around your hand again to shorten it.
5 Banded lateral raise
Time 60sec Rest 15sec
Place one foot in the middle of the band and the other just behind you on the floor, and hold one end of the band in each hand, keeping your arms down by your side. With your core braced and looking forwards, slowly lift both arms out to the sides. Keep a slight bend in your elbows throughout. Pause when your arms reach your eye level, then slowly lower back to the start.
6 Banded bicycle crunch
Time 60sec Rest 15sec
Expect your core to begin to burn very quickly performing this move, so don’t go too fast. Lie back on the floor and place a mini band around both feet. Your arms should be by your sides. Lift your neck and shoulders off the floor, engage your core, then lift both legs slightly off the floor. Bring your left knee in to your chest, then as you straighten that leg, bring your right knee to your chest. Ensure your lower back stays flat on the floor throughout.
