Resistance band exercises are often used in lieu of strength training using dumbbells or barbells. They are a good way to keep progressing in your workouts, and provide your muscles with a greater challenge than simple bodyweight exercises.
Resistance bands use oppositional force to train your muscles. The more you pull on a resistance band, the heavier it will feel. This requires you to sustain the speed and force you use to complete a full range of motion movement.
Resistance Band Exercises for Women
1. Front Squat
Your buttocks, inner and outer thighs, and hamstrings will thank you for this resistance band exercise. Additionally, front squats can improve the strength of your groin, hip flexors, and calves.
Here's how you should do it:
- Position your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart on the band.
- With one handle in each hand, place the band's top over each shoulder. If the band is too lengthy, cross your arms across your chest to keep it in place.
- Reduce your height as if you were sitting on a chair. Maintain an upright chest, strong abs, and flat feet.
- Return to the beginning position.
- Repeat 8–12 times.
2. Glute Bridges
This resistance band exercise not only improves the glutes, but also strengthens the hamstrings and lower back. Because this movement is performed slower and with greater control, you are able to fully engage and feel the tiny muscles working.
Here's how you should do it:
- Place a resistance band around your legs just above the knees.
- Maintain a face-up position with feet on the ground and knees bent to 90 degrees.
- Raise your hips by clenching your glutes and giving gentle pressure on the band until your shoulders, hips, and knees are in alignment.
- Repeat 15 to 20 times.
3. Banded Clamshells
The clamshell exercise targets the outer thighs and glutes and strengthens the hips. In addition to stabilizing the pelvic muscles, this exercise tones the thighs. The resistance band version of this exercise offers greater benefits.
Here's how you should do it:
- Wrap a band slightly above the knees around your legs.
- Lying on your side, flex your knees and hips to 90 degrees.
- Keeping your feet together, draw your knees away from one another for 2–3 seconds while squeezing your glutes.
- Return slowly to the starting position.
- Aim for 10–12 repetitions.
4, Banded Single-Leg Deadlift
This resistance band exercise is an effective workout for improving muscle strength. It aids in the development of lean muscular mass. Banded deadlifts primarily strengthen the muscles of the posterior chain. The posterior chain comprises of all of the back muscles, including calves, hamstrings, glutes, erector spinae muscles, and latissimus dorsi.
Here's how you should it:
- Begin by standing on your left leg with your foot over the middle of a long resistance band and one end in each hand.
- Push the hips back to hinge at the waist while lowering the torso toward the floor and elevating the right straight leg behind the body until both are parallel to the floor.
- Reverse the movement and return to the starting position by applying force through the left heel. That is one repetition.
- Perform 30 to 45 seconds of repetitions on one side, then switch to the other side before moving on to the next exercise.
5. Standing Biceps Curl
If you are not a fan of using weights but would still like to train and build your arm muscles, this resistance band exercise is the perfect one for you. The exercise will activate your biceps and allow your entire upper body to get a nice workout.
Here's how you should do it:
- Position your feet shoulder-width apart and in the centre of the band.
- Begin by grasping a handle in each hand with your arms at your sides.
- Bending at the elbow, draw your arms toward your shoulders with your palms facing forward until you get a good bicep contraction.
- Slowly descend backwards.
- Do 12–15 curls.
6. Triceps Kickback
Your triceps are just as important as your biceps when it comes to building arm strength. This resistance band exercise will help you work out your triceps, which are the muscles at the back of your upper arms.
Here's how you should do it:
- With your feet together and in a forward bend stance, situate yourself over the center of the band.
- Position your arms at your sides, palms facing behind you while holding either end of the band.
- Keep your elbows tucked into your sides as you bend at the elbows until your forearms are parallel to the floor.
- Next, fully extend your arms by pressing them down and pushing the band behind your body.
- Lower your back.
- Repeat 8 to 10 times.
These six resistance band exercises are good for most of the major muscle groups in your body. Perform them regularly and slowly progress to tighter resistance bands. They give you a good resistance workout.
Do Resistance Bands actually work?
Absolutely. While resistance band exercise may not seem like much, they can build your muscles just as well as more conventional weights.
In fact, a 2019 study demonstrates that resistance band training produces strength improvements that are comparable to those produced by utilizing standard gym equipment.