Elastic resistance bands, explain Phillip Page and Todd Ellenbecker, authors of "Strength Band Training," work on a simple principle. The resistance increases as you stretch the band. Sports conditioning specialist Juan Carlos Santana notes, in an article on the Perform Better website, that, unlike traditional strength training, where the resistance increases in one plane of motion, bands support multi-directional movement, making them efficient for sport-specific strength training.
Biceps and Triceps
Resistance bands can simulate most free weight and strength training machine exercises, as long as you are stretching the band away from its attachment point. To perform a biceps curl, for example, anchor the band under your feet, and flex your elbows to perform the exercise. A triceps extension exercise requires you to change the set-up. Hold the band with one hand and place it behind your back. Then grab the other end of the band with your other hand, bring your arm overhead, bend your elbow so that your hand moves toward your shoulder and slowly extend your arm toward the ceiling. Perform three sets of 12 repetitions of each exercise.
Chest and Back
To simulate a bench press, assume a supine position and put the band under your shoulder blades. Hold each end with each hand, and begin with your elbows bent and in alignment with the center of your chest. Slowly straighten your arms toward the ceiling. Balancing chest exercises with back exercise assures proper alignment. Perform a rowing exercise for the upper back by sitting upright, wrapping the band around your feet and squeezing your shoulder blades toward each other as you bend your elbows. Perform three sets of 12 repetitions of each exercise.
Rotary Movement
Tennis, golf and baseball require rotary movements that are not easily simulated on traditional exercise equipment, but strength bands are ideal for this purpose. The wood chop exercise is an example. Place the band under one foot, and hold both ends with both hands. Keep your hands together, as if you were holding an axe, and then bend at the waist, flexing your torso toward the foot that is anchoring the band. Next, extend your spine and rotate your upper torso, and bring the band toward your opposite shoulder. Perform 10 repetitions on each side.
Adding Challenge
Change your stance, plane of motion or movement speed to intensify your band workout, suggests certified trainer Dave Schmitz. In an article on his Resistance Band Training website, he advises that a narrow stance adds more challenge than a parallel stance, and that stepping further away from the anchoring point will also intensify exercises. Certain stronger bands facilitate exercises such as band resisted running or lateral jumping. These bands come with a waist belt, as well as a device to secure the band to a stable object.
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