Friday, November 9, 2012

Mini Band Exercises



Mini-bands are an inexpensive and portable way to get a workout. They make essential travel fitness tools, too, because they take up little space and weigh next to nothing. Mini-bands, which measure nine inches when resting flat, also make it easy to work out at the cottage or beach. These elastic bands typically come in four tension levels: easy, light, intermediate and heavy. If you’re a beginner, use the easy one for upper-body and the light one for lower-body exercises. As you get stronger, you can move up to a heavier band, but only if you are able to maintain proper form.





Bent Knee Lateral Walk
Stand in a quarter-squat position with your feet hip-width apart and a mini band looped around your ankles.Walk to the side with small steps as you drive your elbows back with each step. Step with your trailing leg first and follow with your lead leg.Continue for the full set. Reverse directions and repeat.






Mini Band Romanian Deadlift
http://www.golfchannel.com/media/golf-fitness-academy-dr-greg-rose-russian-dead-lift-mini-band/
Here's a great power tip for you using a mini band. When I think of power, I think of legs strength and I mean a lot of leg strength. A great way to do that is by something called a Romanian Deadlift. Take the mini band. Put it around in your left foot. Hold on it with your right hand. From here, you're gonna do a deadlift all the way down knees bend, back is arch and I drive my hips towards the mini band. Trying to maintain your balance, nice and controlled and drive. This is one of the best exercises to get hip, power, leg strength.










Start
Wall Crawl

Mini-Band Wall Crawl: More larceny. This exercise is extracted straight from Shirley Sahrmann’s text (1). It’s designed to improve shoulder flexion range of motion by activating the serratus anterior (by pushing into the wall). The mini band requires the lateral rotators of the rotator cuff to fire and fulfill their role as humeral depressors as the arm is elevated.








Pelvic Thrust 
Lie on the floor or a mat. Place both feet bent on the floor or a mat. Place arms down on mat to each side of hips. Raise body by extending hips upward (Press up through glutes, not stomach). Return to original position.




Mini Band Squats



Stand with your arms at your sides, your feet shoulder width apart and pointing straight ahead, and a mini band around and above your knees. Maintain perfect posture and initiate movement with your hips. As you reach your arms far forward, squat your hips back and down until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Return to a standing position by pushing through your hips.

Keep your knees out. Repeat until you've completed all your reps






1 comment:

  1. Nice page about some mini band exercises. I like to use these exercise bands to incorporate into my workouts too. I use the Level x bands here on amazon http://www.amazon.com/Exercise-Bands-Resistance-durability-resistance/dp/B00CU60Z2A . I've been using them for several months and they seem to hold up well. The guy demonstrates a push up while lifting one leg with a mini band on the leg. It gives a really challenges my core/balance. Have you tried that one yet?

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