One of the primary reasons people give for not working out is that they do not have enough time. While it can be time consuming to drive to a gym, workout and drive back home, many strength training exercises can be performed at home without special machines for each muscle or a hefty membership fee. Resistance bands are ideal for home workouts. A wide range of isometric and isotonic exercises may be performed with just one band.
Types of Strength Training
Isometric, isotonic and isokinetic are the three primary types of strength training overloads. The three types are separated based on the type of muscle contraction used during the exercise. Isometric refers to exercises where there is no change in muscle length during the exercise. Isotonic exercises have a general amount of resistance that challenges the muscle throughout the entire range of motion. However, with an isotonic exercise, the tension in the muscle is not constant because the force generated by a muscle will change throughout a movement because of the biomechanics of the joint involved. Isokinetic exercises cause the working muscles to generate maximum force throughout the entire range of movement. The movement remains constant as well as the amount of force generated. Isokinetic exercises generally require special machines that are able to target the muscles throughout the entire range of movement.
Isometric Training
Isometric exercises generally involve effort against an unmovable object. For example, rather than an exercise such as a bicep curl where muscles shorten and extend, an isometric exercise would be pushing against a wall or holding a dumbbell with arm bend at a 90 degree angle. For both of these exercises, the muscles do not contract, they remain at a constant length.
Upper Body Resistance Band Exercises
There are many common upper body dynamic exercises that can be converted to isometric exercises. To target your biceps, stand on the middle of the resistance band and hold an end in each hand while standing. Arms should be by your side with palms facing forward as if you were to do a standing biceps curl. Keep your elbows by your side and raise the resistance bands forward, bending your elbow to a 90 degree angle. Hold this position for 15 to 30 seconds before lowering. Repeat for desired amount of repetitions.
Starting in the same position, you can work your shoulder muscles by keeping your arms straight and raising them out to the side. Face palms towards the floor and hold out for 15 to 30 seconds for one repetition.
To target your triceps, hold one end of the band and place that hand behind your back. Extend your opposite hand over your head. Bend at your elbow to grab the other end of the band. Raise that arm until you feel a difficult resistance. Hold in this position for 15 to 30 seconds and complete desired repetitions before switching hand positions.
Lower Body Resistance Band Exercises
It is slightly harder to create isometric resistance band exercises for the lower body. However, there are a few that will target your leg muscles. One exercise is a modified version of wall sits. To do the exercise, loop the band around a sturdy object such as a tree or pole about as high as your hips. While holding both ends of the resistance band with arms extended straight in front of you, stand far enough away from the object so that there is a strong resistance. Bend through your knees and squat down towards the floor until your knees are bent at a 90 degree angle. Hold this position as long as possible.
Safety
Inspect resistance bands for any tears or partial tears before performing exercises to prevent band from snapping.
References
- "Ace Personal Trainer Manual"; By Cedric X. Bryant, Daniel J. Green; 2003
- Sports Fitness Advisor: Resistance Band Exercises
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