Not all fitness training is created equal. Functional fitness exercises focus on improving your everyday movements, whereas strength training with resistance builds muscles by overcoming external forces. Sounds pretty intense, right? Yes, but in a good way.
Resistance training is a form of exercise that focuses on building muscular strength and endurance by using opposing forces with equipment like stretch bands, TRX bands, or your body weight.
It’s one of my favorite methods of building strength because you’re working with equipment or doing exercises that are designed to work against you. There’s nothing more satisfying than getting stronger by using your own body weight or pushing past the resistance.
What are the Benefits of Resistance Training?
The obvious benefit of training your body with resistance exercises is to put tension on your muscles to stimulate growth and shape. However, there are other benefits that go beyond building muscle mass.
Muscular definition
Lower risk of injuries
Supports a brain health (focus, memory, responsiveness)
Strengthens bone density
Improves your mood
Choosing the Right Resistance Band for You
Resistance bands come in different colors to signify the intensity of the tension, typically the lighter the color the less tension. Try to choose a band that has enough tension to give you the resistance you need to build your strength and engage your muscles.
However, don’t choose a band with a tension that is too strong and you’re unable to move and do the workouts properly.
Do a quick stretch test with the bands and go with one that will support your resistance training, not slow you down or feel like there isn’t tension at all.
5 Essential Resistance Training Exercises with Bands
Here are the five best essential resistance exercises with stretchy bands or anchored bands/ropes to add to your strength building routine.
Lateral Band Walks
Lateral band walks not only help strengthen the hip abductors (specifically the gluteus meidus) but also an excellent pre-workout exercise to activate stabilization for the pelvis for single leg movements. Adding this resistance exercise before you begin your workout can help your overall performance.
How to do a Lateral Band Walk:
Place a resistance band just above your knees.
Begin standing with your feet hip-width apart and lower into a squat with your arms slightly bent and your hands together in front of your chest.
Take a step as far as you can sideways to the right. To fully activate the muscle, be sure to step onto your heel, rather than your toes.
Bring your left leg slowly toward your right, returning to the starting position.
Step to the right 15-20 times, then reverse directions stepping to the left.
Kickback Exercise with Resistance Bands
The standing glute kickback exercise focuses on improving your balance, mobility, and range of motion through leg extensions. It’s a simple standing exercise that can help shape and firm the glute and leg muscles just by adding resistance bands to the movement.
How to do a Standing Kickback Glute Exercise :
- Place a resistance band above your knees.
- Place your hands together in front of your chest and slowly lift your right leg back.
- With a slight bend in your left knee and balancing on your left leg, move your right foot upward, creating tension in the band.
- Tighten your core, and slowly kick your right leg back about eight inches behind you.
- Return your right foot to starting position, keeping tension in the band.
Repeat 15-20 on each leg.
Fire Hydrant Exercise with a Resistance Band
The banded fire hydrant is an excellent bodyweight exercise for strengthening and toning your gluteus maximum. The key to getting the most out of the fire hydrant exercise is to stabilize your core and pelvis. Your hip should be the only body part that is moving, otherwise, your hips and glutes won’t activate properly.
How to a Fire Hydrant Exercise with a Resistance Band:
Lay a mat down and place the resistance band above your knees.
Bend down and get on all four with your hands and knees.
Make sure your shoulders are directly above your hands and your hips are above your knees. Tighten your core and look down.
Lift your left leg away from your body at a 45-degree angle. Keep your right knee at 90 degrees.
Lower your leg to the starting position to complete 1 rep.
Do 3 sets of 10 reps. Repeat with the other leg
Chest Presses with Resistance Bands
This chest press with resistance band uses an anchored band system like TRX suspension cables. This standing push-up exercise uses your body weight to lift your chest up to help build strength in your upper body and improves the stabilization of your core. Chest presses with resistance bands work the chest, shoulders, triceps and abdominal muscles.
How to do chest presses with suspension straps:
Turn your body away from the anchor point and grab the handles at your sides.
Lean your body forward into a 40-degree angle, extend your arms straight and make sure your hands are stacked underneath your shoulders.
Engage your core and keep your body straight in one long line from your head to your toes.
Lower yourself down, bending at the elbows and until your chest is leveled at the center of the cables. Use your chest, arms and core as leverage.
Exhale as you push yourself up, engaging your core, and go back to the starting position. This completes one repetition.
Squats with TRX Bands
TRX squat is an excellent strength building exercise that uses your bodyweight to help strengthen the lower body muscles like the quads and hamstrings, but most importantly shapes the gluteus maximum.
How to do TRX Squats:
Facing the anchor, grab the suspension handles taking a few steps back and stand shoulder-width apart. Bend your elbows at your sides- they should be positioned right underneath your shoulders.
Keeping your chest up and looking straight, push your hips back into a squat and engage your core. Your arms should naturally extend.
Lower down until your thighs are parallel to the ground and your knees are bent at a 90-degree angle in a low squat position.
To pull up into a standing position, push through your heels and use your upper body and arm strength to push up to the starting position.
Repeat 15-20 times
Final Takeaway- Resistance Training at Home or the Gym
Whether you use resistance bands, suspension bands (TRX) or your body weight, resistance training is a low impact workout with excellent strength building results. If you’re recovering from an injury or just starting off your fitness journey, resistance training can help you build muscle and strength by using heavy weights or strain on your joints. One thing is for sure, there’s great satisfaction when you’ve pushed through resistance to not only build your muscles, but also out of your comfort zone.
