Hello friends! I love talking about amazing exercises that you can do from the comfort of your home. Last week, I explored the many benefits of doing HIIT workouts at home. This week, I’m talking about how you can literally transform your upper body home workouts with resistance band exercises.
What are Resistance Bands?
The resistance bands that I’ll reference within this post are also known as mini bands. They are small, portable, and cheap pieces of exercise equipment made from latex. You can get them almost anywhere. In addition, you can often buy them in multi-packs with varying levels of tension, such as these.
During the COVID-19 quarantine, resistance bands were some of the few pieces of fitness equipment that I could find when all else was sold out. I was so thankful to have them once I realized how easy it is to integrate resistance band exercises into a HIIT workout!
What are the Advantages of Resistance Band Exercises?
Trust me, you’ll reap many benefits when you use resistance bands. Here are just a few of the them:
1. They Travel Well
Say goodbye to excuses for not working out while traveling. Each band weighs virtually nothing, so it’s easy to pack a few bands in your purse or bag. In addition, you don’t need a bench or any other piece of equipment since you can do resistance band exercises from a horizontal or vertical position.
2. They Provide Constant Resistance
When lifting free weights, you have resistance as you lift the weight (i.e., when you contract the muscle). However, you have to create your own resistance during the eccentric motion (i.e., when you lengthen the muscle). Not so with resistance band exercises. The bands provide resistance during the contraction and lengthening phase, creating a more challenging strength exercise. Another benefit? You have to engage stabilizing muscles during the exercise in order to maintain your form.
3. You Can Use Them During Compound Exercises
Simply put, compound exercises are those that work multiple joints and engage several muscles or muscle groups at the same time. This is why resistance band exercises are perfect for HIIT workouts. You can easily build strength in your upper body while you’re doing lunges, as an example. This is a great way to maximize your precious time, get a total body workout, and burn additional calories!
A word of caution: when doing resistance band exercises, proper form is still very important. Yes, elastic bands limit your range of motion; therefore, the risk of overextending the joints with bands is less compared to lifting weights. However, you do need to make sure your body is always in proper alignment while using bands. This will ensure two things: 1) that you’re getting the most out of the exercise, and 2) that you’ll avoid injury.
Now, onto the good stuff! Check out this video for some of my favorite resistance band exercises for an upper body workout.
Let’s breakdown each exercise including the major muscles worked, the benefits of each exercise, and how to do these resistance band exercises.
The Exercise: Lat Pulldown
Major Muscles Worked: The latissimus dorsi, posterior deltoids, rhomoboids, and trapezius muscles
Benefits: Builds shoulder and spine mobility, helps improve posture.
How to Do It: With your feet hip-distance apart, take hold of the resistance band with one end in each hand. Raise the band overhead, but make sure to keep the band slightly over your forehead (i.e., not directly over the top of your head. This helps to protect the shoulder joint.) While keeping one arm straight, bend the opposite elbow to 90 degrees. Repeat on the other side to complete one rep.
The Exercise: Rows
Major Muscles Worked: The latissimus dorsi, posterior deltoids, rhomboids, trapezius, and biceps muscles
Benefits: Builds back strength, which allows us to pull, squat, and press greater loads.
How to Do It: With your feet hip-distance apart and feet parallel, place the right foot in a kickstand position, aligning the big toe of the right foot to the heel of the left foot. Place the resistance band under the left toe. Hinge forward with the right hand on your hip, squared shoulders, and hold on to the band with your left hand. As you engage your core, pull your left hand to your left hip into a row. You should feel your left elbow graze the side of your body. Release to the starting position to complete one rep.
The Exercise: Bicep Curls
Major Muscles Worked: The biceps, brachialis, and brachioradialis muscles
Benefits: Builds strong bicep muscles and helps with normal everyday activities that require pulling movements.
How to Do It: With your feet hip-distance apart, take hold of the resistance band with one end in each hand. Place your left hand onto your left hip. Keep your right elbow tucked into the side of your body as you raise your right palm towards your right shoulder, then extend your right hand downwards toward your thigh to complete one rep.
The Exercise: Bicep Curl to Shoulder Press
Major Muscles Worked: The biceps, brachialis, brachioradialis, deltoids, triceps, trapezius, and pectoral muscles
Benefits: Builds strength within the biceps, shoulder muscles, and the core which you engage throughout the exercise.
How to Do It: With your feet hip-distance apart, place the band around your wrists. As palms face each other, keep both elbows tucked into the side of your body and push palms away for each other. Extend both hands toward your shoulders, then extend both hands towards the sky. Bring both hands back down to your shoulders, then towards your thighs to complete one rep.
The Exercise: Tricep Kickbacks
Major Muscles Worked:The triceps, rear deltoid, and core muscles
Benefits: Builds arm strength, stabilizes the shoulder joint, and helps with normal everyday activities that require pushing movements.
How to Do It: With your feet hip-distance apart, wrap the right arm across your waist like a seat belt and hold onto one end of the band with the right hand. Hold onto the other end of the band with the left hand, palm facing away from you. While keeping the left elbow high and not breaking your left wrist, press the left palm away from you to straighten the left arm. Bend the elbow to come back to the starting position. That completes one rep on the left side. During the entire exercise, keep your shoulders and hips squared towards the direction that your body is facing.
The Exercise: Chest Press
Major Muscles Worked: The pectorals, deltoids, and tricep muscles
Benefits: Builds upper body strength and helps with normal everyday activities that require pushing movements.
How to Do It: Thread the left arm through the band and hold onto the band at the left shoulder with your left hand. Grab hold of the other end of the band with the right hand (specifically between the thumb and pointer finger, palm facing away from you). Keep both shoulders relaxed, and keep the bent right elbow at shoulder height. Press your right hand away from you, then bend the elbow to come back to the starting position. That completes one rep on the right side.
So, are you convinced that resistance band exercises can transform your upper body workouts? I hope so! And in case you missed my big announcement…
Wellness With Wendy is HERE!
I’m super excited to announce that Wellness with Wendy on-demand fitness classes are here! I have on-demand HIIT classes, barre fusion classes, and stretching classes available right now. All you have to do is press the play button! I also offer modifications for many exercises, which means they are accessible to most people. So, if you’re just starting out, or if you’ve been working out for some time, I’ve got you covered! And here’s the best news: new subscribers get their first 7 days FREE! So what do you have to lose? Hit the button below and join me today at wellnesswithwendytraylor.com. I can’t wait to workout with you!
I’m SO looking forward to you joining the Wellness with Wendy community. Don’t wait–sign up to start working out with me today!ย
Mrs. Traylor is a Fitness Instructor, NASM Certified Personal Trainer &ย Nutrition Coach, AFPA Certified Prenatal and Postnatal Fitness Specialist,ย wife, and momma who provides actionable advice for positive lifestyle changes with fitness, nutrition, and wellness.ย Read about Wendyโs inspiring entrepreneurial journey, and subscribe to Wendy’s newsletter here!