Therabands are rubber tubes that are easily transportable and ready to use almost anywhere. They provide a total body toning workout and also help to increase your strength. Since Therabands are not a fixed motion machine, you have to stabilize the bands yourself, which helps to activate more muscles. This helps to increase your tone effectively.
Guidelines
The National Strength and Conditioning Association recommends doing about three sets of 12 to 15 repetitions for optimal tone and strength gains. Do total body exercises at least twice per week on non-consecutive days. As you increase your exercise tolerance, increase your resistance on the Theraband. If you are standing on the Theraband, widen your stance to increase resistance. If you have your Theraband looped around an object, step father back from it or use a shorter or tighter Theraband.
Shoulders
If you have a longer Theraband, start with shoulder presses by standing with both feet in the center of the band and pressing the handles straight overhead. If you have a shorter band, then sit on the center. Also, do lateral raises by raising your arms, holding the handles straight out to the sides. Try frontal raises by raising them out to the front while still standing on the center of the band.
Chest
Find a fixed object to loop the middle of the Theraband around, such as a tree or banister. Grab the handles and face away from the object. Do a chest press by pressing both handles forward. Return to the start by bending your arms to about 90 degrees out to the sides of your body. Also, try a chest fly, which is similar to chest press, except that you keep your arms mostly straight, with your palms facing inward.
Back
Loop the Theraband around a fixed object and turn and face it. Do a back row with your palms parallel to each other. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and pull the handles to your ribcage, keeping your elbows tucked at your sides, and then slowly release. Try reverse flys by opening your arms straight out to the sides while simultaneously squeezing your shoulder blades together.
Arms
To tone your biceps, stand on the center of the Theraband and do bicep curls by bending your arms up and toward your shoulders. Also do hammer curls by having your palms face each other during the curl. For triceps, do overhead triceps extensions by standing in a lunge position with the Theraband under your back foot. Grab the handles and hold your arms straight overhead. Bend your elbows behind your head, and then straighten them back up.
Legs
Do resisted squats by standing on the center of the Theraband with a wide stance. Hold the handles and squat, then stand back up against the resistance of the band. Do rear leg lifts to target the glutes by either tying the Theraband so that it forms a loop, or using a loop Theraband. Place the Theraband around both ankles and proceed to lift one leg straight back repetitively. Then, switch your legs.
References
- American Council on Exercise: Exercise Library
- “Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning”; National Strength and Conditioning Association; Baechel, Thomas R. and Earle, Roger W; 2008
Member Comments