Movement

Holiday Full-Body Workout With Theraband

If you’re looking for a new way to take your fitness to the next level, consider Therabands. Learn a full-body workout with Theraband from Ismail UR.Life .

By URLife Team

10 Jun 2024

Therabands, also known as resistance bands, are elastic bands used for strength training, physical therapy, and fitness exercises. They come in various lengths, thicknesses, and resistance levels, providing a versatile and portable alternative to traditional weights and gym equipment. Physical therapists often use them to help people recover from injuries, but strength training with these bands is also effective. The exertion you use to stretch resistance bands works your muscles, similar to the impact of free weights or weightlifting machines.

Research shows that resistance training with exercise bands can lead to the same kind of strength gains as conventional resistance training with weights. They can also help people lower their blood pressure, lose weight, and improve brain function. noting increasing levels of muscle activation with increasing levels of resistance. Interestingly, the researchers noted approximately a 10 per cent increase in EMG activity between resistance levels in both conditions.

There are multiple benefits of incorporating resistance band exercises into anyone’s routine. They serve as valuable tools for both warming up and cooling down. Additionally, exercise bands enable athletes to target smaller muscles that may need attention. If you’re doing a chest press with a machine, for example, the weight moves on a rail in one direction. It’s predictable and it focuses on specific large muscles. If you do the same exercise, in the same position, but use an elastic band — now it’s a little wobbly. Your smaller muscles have to work harder to stabilise that wobbly feeling. Stabilising that “wobbly” feeling, strengthens smaller muscles. This can help fix faulty movements and muscle imbalances to improve the overall quality of your movements. This can make your other workouts safer and more effective, as well as improve your performance. However, individuals aiming for muscle hypertrophy may find heavier weights, such as dumbbells or barbells, more suitable for their goals.

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Are Therabands Beginner Friendly?

Therabands are highly beginner-friendly and equally suitable for experts, making them a versatile tool for people of all fitness levels. For beginners, Therabands offer adjustable resistance levels, allowing individuals to start with lighter bands and progressively increase the resistance as they build strength. They are simple to use, requiring no special equipment or extensive setup, which makes them perfect for home workouts in limited space. The gentle resistance they provide is less intimidating than traditional weights, making them ideal for those new to exercise or recovering from an injury. Additionally, numerous instructional videos and workout guides are available online, helping beginners learn proper techniques and routines.

For experts, Therabands offer advanced exercise possibilities. Higher resistance bands or combining multiple bands can increase workout intensity. They can be used in more complex and varied routines to challenge muscles differently and enhance athletic performance. Even seasoned athletes use Therabands for rehabilitation and injury prevention, as they effectively strengthen smaller stabilising muscles. The portability of Therabands is a significant advantage for experts who travel frequently and want to maintain their fitness regimen without the burden of carrying heavy weights.

Full Body Workout With Theraband

Mr Syed Ismail, UR.Life Fitness Manager & Trainer at UR.Life Studio, Apollo Health City, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad has curated a full-body workout with Theraband. Here are the exercises he mentioned practising with a Theraband:

Front Raises

Hold the Theraband with both hands, palms facing down.
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and arms hanging down in front of thighs.
Keeping arms straight, lift the Theraband in front of you until it's at shoulder height, then slowly lower back down.

Targeted Areas: This targets the front deltoid muscles, which are crucial for shoulder flexion and overhead lifting. Additionally, it engages the upper chest muscles, providing secondary support. The muscles around the shoulder blade, particularly the serratus anterior, help in stabilising the shoulder blade, while the upper trapezius supports the lifting motion.

Side Lateral Raises

Hold the Theraband with both hands, palms facing down.
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and arms hanging down by your sides.
Keeping arms straight, lift the Theraband out to the sides until they're at shoulder height, then slowly lower back down.

Targeted Area: This targets the side deltoid muscles, essential for shoulder abduction, allowing you to lift your arms to the sides

Biceps Curls

Stand on the Theraband with feet shoulder-width apart, holding one end in each hand, palms facing up.
Keep elbows close to your sides and curl the Theraband up towards your shoulders by bending your elbows, then slowly lower back down.

Targeted Areas: This targets the biceps muscles. The shoulder muscles, including the deltoids, play a stabilising role during the movement to keep the arms on the correct path. Performing biceps curls with a Theraband can effectively build bicep strength, improve arm aesthetics, and enhance overall upper-body functionality.

Tricep Extensions

Hold one end of the Theraband with one hand and bring it behind your head, keeping the elbow bent.
Hold the other end of the Theraband with your other hand.
Extend your arm overhead, straightening your elbow and stretching the Theraband, then slowly bend the elbow to return to the starting position.

Targeted Areas: This targets the triceps muscles responsible for elbow extension and plays a crucial role in many pushing and lifting movements. Additionally, it engages the muscles of the shoulder and upper back for stabilisation

Chest Press

Anchor the Theraband behind you at chest height.
Hold one end of the Theraband in each hand and step forward so there's tension in the band.
Push both hands forward until your arms are fully extended in front of you, then slowly return to the starting position.

Targeted Areas: This targets the chest muscles and pectoral muscles (pectoralis major and pectoralis minor), which are responsible for bringing the arms together in front of the body and pushing movements.

Kick Out to the Side

Attach the Theraband to a sturdy object at ankle height.
Secure one end around your ankle and stand facing the anchor point.
Keeping your core engaged, kick your leg out to the side against the resistance of the band, then return to the starting position.

Targeted Areas: This targets the outer thigh and hip muscles, including the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus, which are essential for hip stability and lateral movements.

Banded Squat

Place the Theraband just above your knees and stand with feet shoulder-width apart.
Keeping your chest up and core engaged, bend your knees and lower your body into a squat position, pushing your hips back as if sitting in a chair.
Keep tension on the band throughout the movement.
Push through your heels to return to the starting position.

Targeted Areas: This exercise primarily targets the quadriceps (front of the thighs), glutes (buttocks), and hamstrings (back of the thighs). The band adds resistance that helps to engage the abductors (outer thigh muscles) and gluteus medius, promoting proper knee alignment and stability.

Resistance Side Stepping

Place the Theraband around your ankles and stand with feet hip-width apart.
Keeping tension on the band, step sideways with one foot, then follow with the other foot, maintaining a slight bend in the knees and keeping tension on the band.
Continue stepping sideways for the desired number of repetitions, then switch directions.

Targeted Areas: This targets the hip abductor muscles. Also, resistance side-stepping helps improve overall lower body stability and balance, reducing the risk of injuries related to hip and knee alignment.

Banded Hamstring Curl

Lie on your back with your knees bent and the Theraband looped around your ankles.
Lift your hips off the ground into a bridge position.
Keeping your hips lifted, bend your knees and pull your heels towards your glutes against the resistance of the band, then straighten your legs to return to the starting position.

Targeted Areas: By performing banded hamstring curls, you can effectively target the hamstrings and glutes and strengthen these muscles, improving lower body stability and athletic performance.

Banded Standing Backward Kick

Secure one end of the Theraband to a sturdy object at ankle height.
Attach the other end around your ankle and stand facing away from the anchor point. Keeping your core engaged and your knee slightly bent, kick your leg backward against the resistance of the band, then return to the starting position.

Targeted Areas: This targets the glutes and hamstrings. Also, the engagement of the core muscles throughout the movement helps enhance overall core strength and stability, promoting better posture and reducing the risk of injuries

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