Resistance Exercises

Resistance Bands Add Power To Push-Ups

Exercise resistance bands are among the most versatile tools for resistance training, and they are available in a range of resistance levels. Many people don’t think of resistance bands when they think of push-ups, but you can turn push-ups into a form of functional resistance training by adding the bands.

-Start in a basic push-up position, either on your knees or with your toes curled under.

-Wrap the band around behind your back and hold one end in each hand.

-Wrap the band around your hands a few times to get the desired level of tension, if necessary.

-Bend your elbows and lower yourself towards the floor as in a traditional push-up position.

-Be sure to keep the back flat, as with any push-up, and keep the palms flat on the floor.

Beginners should start with their knees on the floor, and then graduate to balancing on their toes as they progress with this exercise. Or increase the intensity by choosing a tougher level of resistance for the bands.

Tone Your Triceps With Tubing

Triceps can be tricky muscles to isolate, but resistance exercise for triceps using exercise tubing can be more challenging than using a weight machine, or even free weights. Here’s why: When you use exercise tubing, you get resistance in all directions.

Try this basic triceps toner using exercise tubing with the appropriate resistance level.

-Stand up straight, or sit on a bench or fitness ball.

-Hold the exercise tubing in both hands, with your left arm straight out in front of you and your right arm bent at the elbow across your chest.

-Keep the left arm straight to maintain the tension on the tubing.

-Slowly extend the right arm out to the side by contracting the triceps.

-Return to the starting position.

-Start with 1 set of 10 reps, and then repeat on the other side. Or you can alternate left and right arms.

Exercise tubing is available in a range of resistance levels to accommodate a range of fitness and physical therapy clients. Beginners should start with less resistance, and work up gradually to the tougher exercise bands.

Have A Ball With Resistance Training

Some of the best resistance exercises can be done using different types of medicine balls. Using a medicine ball, sometimes called a resistance ball, for strength training exercises adds variety to your fitness routine. Also, a resistance ball, such as FitBALL’s MedBall, offers an opportunity for manual resistance exercises that engage the core muscles more than doing strength training on a machine. Alternatively, doing a resistance exercise with a resistance ball can warm up your muscles for more specific, high-intensity work on the machines.

Try this basic move, using a resistance ball, to warm up the chest and shoulders, or to add some extra muscle fatigue at the end of a workout:

-Sit up straight on a bench or chair, or on a fitness resistance ball.

-Hold a medicine ball in both hands at chest height.

-Squeeze your hands together, pushing into the ball, to contract the chest and shoulders.

-While pressing into the ball, slowly stretch your arms straight out in front of you, parallel to the floor.

-Bend your elbows and bring the ball back to the chest.

-Repeat 10 times, for as many sets as desired.

When Two Balls Are Better Than One

Sometimes the term “resistance ball” refers to a weighted medicine ball, and sometimes it refers to a large fitness ball. But some resistance training exercises use both types. Exercises that involve a fitness ball and a medicine ball develop core strength and balance that enhance a resistance exercise program.

Try including these medicine ball leg extensions in your next workout—your abs, glutes, and thighs will feel it.

-Start with a large fitness ball under your upper back, with your knees at a 90-degree angle and feet flat on the floor.

-Hold a medicine ball in both hands and extend your arms straight overhead, perpendicular to your torso.

-Lower your arms back over your head, at the same time that you extend your left knee and straighten your left foot, so your left leg, your torso, and your arms form a straight line parallel to the floor.

-Hold for 2-3 seconds, then return to the starting position and repeat with the right leg.

Resistance Bands Build A Better Back

Most fitness professionals and exercise enthusiasts are looking for new exercises to keep their clients’ body resistance exercises fresh. And with so many different kinds of resistance training equipment available, there’s no reason not to mix it up. As an alternative to lat pulldowns, try straight arm pulldowns using resistance training bands. This exercise also involves a large fitness ball, so it improves core strength, too.

-Wrap the resistance band around something sturdy and lie with your chest on a fitness ball. You can kneel or balance on your toes.

-Hold one end of the resistance band in each hand, with arms straight out in front of you.

-Keeping the arms straight (with just a slight bend in the elbow to protect the joint), squeeze the shoulders and pull the arms out and down, so they are alongside the torso.

-Return to the starting position, and repeat as desired.

Note: You can vary the intensity of this exercise based on the type of resistance band you use. Start with a mild level of resistance until you master the technique, and then progress to bands with higher levels of resistance.

Lunge Lovers: Add A Strength Ball

The side-to-side lunge is a multipurpose exercise that targets and tones the glutes, hamstrings, and quads. But adding a strength ball to the equation transforms this move into a resistance exercise. Performing the side-to-side lunge with a strength ball also promotes balance, coordination, and core strength, so it can be a useful addition to a functional resistance training routine.

Start with a lightweight strength ball, also known as a medicine ball, and increase to a heavier ball once you master the technique.

Here’s how to liven up a lunge:

-Start with your feet 3-4 feet apart, and your toes angled out at about 45 degrees.

-Hold the medicine ball in both hands at chest height.

-Bend the right knee and lunge to the right, and touch the medicine ball to the floor beside the right toe. Be sure that the right knee doesn’t extend beyond the right toe.

-Return to standing, and lift the strength ball back to chest height. Repeat on the left side.

Reap The Benefits Of Resistance Training

Some exercise novices are confused by fitness terms like resistance training. Remind new fitness clients that resistance training is the same as strength training or weight training, but it refers to strength training exercises that are performed using exercise bands or resistance tubing. Resistance training exercises should be a component of any total fitness program. Resistance training builds strength, boosts metabolism, and prevents injuries—because strong muscles are less likely to get hurt.

Resistance exercise training delivers a similar workout to strength training exercises using free weights or a weight machine. And resistance exercise equipment adds an element of functional training, because more of the body’s core is engaged. When you use resistance exercise equipment, whether it is exercise tubing, resistance balls, or resistance bands, you’ll get resistance in all directions, which makes each exercise more challenging. And using a band or tubing with a greater degree of resistance promotes muscle endurance as well as strength.

Conquer A Tight Chest

Chest tightness is a common problem, especially among the desk-bound. The chest press is a great exercise to strengthen the chest muscles, and you can do it using resistance tubing as an alternative to a weight machine, as part of a resistance exercise program.

Try the alternating chest press, which can be done effectively in a gym setting or at home:

-Start by wrapping the tubing around something sturdy (a support piece on a weight machine or the stair railing at home)-Keep the tubing at about chest level.

-Hold one end of the band in each hand, and bend the elbows at a 90-degree angle.

-Keep the right arm bent and push the left arm out. Bend the left arm and push the right arm out.

-Alternate for 15 reps on each side. Try 2-3 sets 2-3 times a week.

Beginners should start with a light level of resistance tubing, while advanced exercisers can use tubing with a higher level of resistance.

Simple Steps For Stronger Legs

Using resistance bands for exercise is a great way to build strength and promote coordination. The side step is a simple resistance band exercise, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Fortunately, exercise resistance bands, such as the FitBALL® Band Loop, are available in several levels of resistance, so you can find the one that suits you, or start beginners with less resistance until they master the technique.

-Start by looping the resistance band around the ankles so that there is a distance of about 4-6 inches between the feet. Note: This exercise is more comfortable if you are wearing socks that come up over the ankles.

-Step to the right, and focus on contracting the gluteal muscle and outer thigh muscle.

-Step back to the center and repeat 8-10 times.

-Switch sides and step out to the right.

The side step exercise is among the best resistance exercises for the outer thighs, but it also promotes core strength and stability because you have to work to keep your balance as well as working against the resistance band.

Take A (Triceps) Dip With A Fitness Ball

Almost any upper or lower body resistance exercise, including the triceps dip, can be done using a fitness ball. Incorporating a fitness ball into your resistance exercise program promotes core strength and stability as well as triceps muscle strength.

Give the traditional triceps dip a new twist—try it on the ball:

-Start by positioning the ball directly behind you.

-Place your hands on the ball, with your fingers pointing towards your back.

-For a tougher exercise, keep your legs straight and rest your weight on your heels. Beginners should start with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.

-Balancing your weight between your hands and feet, lower your hips towards the floor, but don’t go beyond the point where your elbow forms a 90-degree angle.

-Push back up to the starting position.

-Repeat 10 times.

Note: The fitness ball should be fully inflated for this exercise. Beginners can start by practicing tricep dips on a bench or chair before moving onto the ball.