What To Do For A Rubber Band Exercise

Rubber resistance bands provide a way for people of all fitness levels to perform traditional strength-training exercises and other endurance and flexibility drills. Rubber bands for exercise come in a variety of sizes and strengths, from bands that are easy to stretch for beginners and elderly people to extremely firm bands that require a significant amount of muscle engagement to stretch. You can use regular office rubber bands to stretch and strengthen smaller parts of your body, such as your fingers.

Upper Body Exercises

Using a rubber band to work your upper body helps tone your arm, shoulder, back and chest muscles. Pull the rubber band around the middle of your back and hold each end of the band with your forearms parallel to the floor. Push your arms straight out from your chest while stretching the band to work your arms and pectoral muscles. Loop the rubber band around one hand held at waist level. Hold both free ends of the band in your other hand, palm turned upward. Pull your arm up toward your chest by bending your elbow to work your biceps. Hold one end of the band in each hand with your arms held out straight in front of your chest. Make sure the band is taut, then pull your arms to the sides to work your upper back. Repeat each exercise 10 to 15 times.

Lower Body Exercises

Lower body rubber band exercises provide a convenient way to strengthen your hips, legs and core muscles while improving your flexibility. Tie the band in a loop and place it around both ankles with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold onto a counter or chair for balance and push one leg out to the side against the resistance of the rubber band to work your thighs and hips. Keep the band looped around both ankles and push one leg across your body so that it crosses over your other leg to work your inner thighs. Perform a modified squat by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart in the center of the band. Grip the ends of the band in your hands with your arms at your sides. Lower your body by bending your knees as if you were siting down in a chair and pull up slightly on the band as your squat. Perform 10 to 15 repetitions of each exercise on both sides of your body.

Finger Exercises

Use a regular rubber band to help strengthen your fingers and improve your motor skills. Stretching a rubber band over your fingers and slowly spreading them apart, then pushing them back together with controlled movements help strengthen your fingers and hand muscles and improve flexibility. Loop a rubber band around a stiff or arthritic finger and gently pull up on it with your other hand to stretch your muscles and improve your range of motion.

Considerations

Choose a rubber band that offers enough resistance for you to feel a light stretch and muscle exertion when you exercise with it. As your strength and fitness level increases, purchase bands that offer greater resistance or stretch the bands further to give yourself more of a workout. Purchase bands made of natural rubber latex if possible. Bands made of synthetic rubber can harden and lose their elasticity. Discard bands that are worn or cracked, since they could break and cause injury. Talk to your doctor before exercising with rubber bands if you have an injury or have recently undergone surgery.