Resistance bands are some of the most inexpensive, versatile, and transportable pieces of equipment that you can have in your home gym. Not only are they effective for toning and strengthening the most sculpted muscles, they are invaluable tools to help an injured guy bring his body safely back into shape. This includes the entire spectrum of rehabilitation, from bouncing back form major injuries, to strengthening the bones and muscles of senior citizens, to getting someone who is very overweight or out of shape to slowly start working low-impact strength training into their lifestyle.
Resistance bands not only improve your flexibility and the strength in the targeted muscles, they also work your core stabilizing muscles (largely, your abs and back) with every stretch of the band. They are used in everything from pilates and yoga to serious strength training, to a light-weight solution to preserving your hard-earned muscle mass while away on vacation. Not only are they affordable, they are light and easy to pack in your bag.
In Part One, we explored how the resistance band can supplement or replace weights in your upper body workout. Here, we take a look at a routine that will give you full-lower body workout using only resistance bands.
Lower Body
For your lower body, you need resistance tubing with handles and a small band that looks like a flat elastic band, about 12 inches long and 1 inch wide. You will have to try out some bands to figure out what thickness suits your current strength level. A dynaband (which looks like a long strip of elastic usually about 6 inches wide and at least the length of your arm span) can be substituted in these exercises if you only want to deal with one piece. For those exercises using the tubing with handles, simply bunch the ends of the dynaband up in your fist at the resistance you wish. To replace the small resistance band, just tie the dynaband off at the place that gives you the proper resistance (creating about a 12-inch loop is about average).
Leg Work
When doing squats, make sure that you stick your butt out as if you are lowering yourself to sit on a chair. If you have a chair handy, place it behind you, squatting until your butt just touches the seat of the chair, and then rise. Do not rest your weight on the chair.
If you wish to isolate your quads, use the resistance tubing with handles. Holding the handles with your palms up, lay the middle part of the tubing on the floor. Place your on the feet shoulder width apart (or closer together for a more challenging workout) on the tubing. The tubing should be slack when you are at the bottom of your squat, with your arms at a 90 degree angle. The tubing will create resistance as you raise yourself up from the squat. Do three sets of 15.
If you wish to incorporate your abductor muscles (this is the muscle group used to pull your leg away from the inner axis of the body, and include muscles on your outer thigh, hip, and glutes), take the smaller resistance band and wrap it around your legs, just above the ankle. Standing with your legs a little less than shoulder width apart, do 10 side squats, moving your right foot to the right against the resistance of the band, and dropping into a squat as you shift your weight onto both feet. Coming up out of the squat, lift your right foot and return it to the original position. Do 4 sets of 10 reps on each side.
Lunges work your quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves. Starting in a standing position with the small band around your lower leg, step forward with your right foot into a lunge. After 15 lunges, switch legs, stepping forward with your left foot. Do three sets of 15 on each leg.
Calves
To isolate your calves, grab the tubing with handles. Holding the handles, step on the tubing with your toes so that you feel light resistance on the tubing with your hands at your sides. With a straight back, rise up on your toes ten times. Once you have finished 3 sets of ten, rise up on your toes and hold for a count of 10, and then lower your heels. Rise up on your toes, hold for a count of 9, and then lower. Repeat this rhythm, counting down to a hold of 1 second. As you are doing these reps, make sure your core is strong, sucking your belly button in toward your spine. Keep your shoulders back and dropped so that you are not hunching over. This ruins your posture and your core workout.
Multiple Muscle Sets
Many of these exercises work large groups of muscles, incorporating your legs and abductor muscles. The following is a very inclusive workout for almost every group of muscles in your lower body. While you are concentrating on working your abductors and glutes on the side you are lifting, you will also be working all of the muscles in your balancing leg, as well as your core, to stay upright. As you balance, do not let the hip of your balancing leg get lazy and sag. Hold yourself upright, as if you have a string tied to the top of your head and someone is pulling it straight up, like a marionette.
For your abductor muscles, wrap the small band around your legs, just above the ankle. You will be doing a variety of leg lifts that will not only isolate lower body muscles, they will also work your core, flexibility, and balance.
Plant your feet on the ground, with your legs slightly less than shoulder-width apart. Shift your weight first to your left leg, lifting your right foot to your right hand side. Do 10 leg lifts to the side, then shift your leg to the back. Do 10 leg lefts, keeping the knee straight and bending slightly forward at the hips for balance. Do three sets each on the side and the back, then drop your foot, and shift your weight to your right foot. Raise the left foot and do three sets of 10 leg lifts to the side and back, as above.
When you first start working out with the bands, you will have to make adjustments to the number of reps and sets, according to your current level of strength. If you are just looking to maintain your muscle mass (while on vacation, for instance), you can probably do this lower body workout in about 20 minutes, including a good stretching session at the end. As always, your muscles work best when warm, so do 4 or 5 minutes of light cardio (a light jog, brisk walk or easy bike ride will do) to get limber. If you find your workout with free weights is feeling a little dull, incorporate resistance bands to give your muscles a new challenge. It will keep both your mind—and your muscles—engaged in a whole new way.
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