I know many of you are shaking your head “no way”, but hear me out. Maybe it's time to consider a new approach. What if you used resistance bands with your free weights? If you've avoided those giant rubber bands up until now, it's time to take to revisit and be at the forefront of the biggest new workout trend to hit us to date.
What Resistance Bands Do
Resistance bands have the unique ability to provide resistance throughout the entire movement. When you use free weights, you don't necessarily get that continuous resistance. When you use them together, you bet you get the resistance of your life. For example, during the lifting phase of a bicep curl, gravity works to provide your bicep with resistance, along with the weight. During the lowering portion of the movement, you lose some of that tension and often simply drop the weight. With bands and weights, you can concentrate on both the lifting and lowering phase of each exercise. The result is that your muscles are challenged in a completely different way, which can help you avoid boredom and, more importantly, plateaus. Bands are light and fit right into your suitcase or gym bag, and really come in handy when you're on the road or when the gym is packed and you just don’t feel like fighting for parking and dealing with the crowds. Plus, with the summer weather upon us, you can take a set of dumbbells, your small bag of bands and head to your backyard or nice grassy park and have a killer workout under the big blue sky in the fresh air without ever setting foot near a gym. It’s a nice alternative to have if you want a change of scenery from the gym. Choosing Resistance Bands The cool thing about bands is that there are many different types available, although I have to admit, after trying several different kinds of bands, I am partial to the Bodylastics Muscle & Fitness resistance bands system. These bands truly set the standard and stand toe to toe with the best home workout equipment, and includes everything you need to work your arms, legs, back, chest, shoulders, and abs. The thicker the band, the harder your workout will be. Even if you are using lighter free weights, these bands can make up the difference. Some great resistance band/free weight combo exercises you can do ‘;on location’ this summer!
Sumo squat with bi-cep curls:
Stand with feet wider than your shoulders, toes turned out and feet at an exaggerated width. Keeping the band taut on your free weights. Lower your body into a sumo squat. Stay planted there in your squat position and do 15-20 curls for 3 sets. Slow and controlled, really feeling it on the negative (due to the addition of the resistance bands).
One Legged squat with shoulder press:
Stand with one foot on the band and the other foot lifted a few inches above the ground. Do a slight squat (butt back, knee behind toe) as you press up with your dumbbells (connected to your resistance band of course) into a shoulder press. Trust me, you will feel a burn like no other. Try to perform 15-20 on each leg for 3 sets.
Double arm Fly backs:
Stand with both feet centered on the band, the ends of the band secured around each dumbbell. With legs slightly bent, lean over to a 90-degree angle, then extend the dumbbells backward behind you with your upper arms glued to the side of your ribs and lats. Remain in your bent position as your arms become fully extended behind you. Then return your arms to their starting position at your sides. Repeat for 15 to 20 slow and controlled repetitions for 3 sets. You will feel quite a difference from doing these with the bands vs. without the bands.
These are just a few great exercises you can do from anywhere with just a set of dumbbells and a resistance band. You don’t even need additional weights of dumbbells; you can cover the same variety of difficulty with a few different strengths of bands (which are much smaller and more portable than weights).
