Elastic fitness bands are a great workout tool at home. This article presents a home workout program to strengthen your leg muscles with latex/rubber and fabric resistance fitness bands.
Fitness elastic is a compact elastic band made of a special material in the form of a ring. The load is provided by the resistance that occurs when the elastic is stretched. This very simple and affordable inventory is incredibly functional and effective! You can do your usual exercises with it, but with much more muscle benefit. During training with a fitness elastic band, you can easily adjust the load due to the stretching amplitude. In addition, this mini expander does not harm skeletal muscles and ligaments.
When performing exercises with elastic bands, slow muscle fibers are included in the work – which improves blood circulation in the tissues and helps to quickly strengthen the muscles of the legs. Below you will find the best exercises with elastic bands for the buttocks and hips.
Fitness rubber bands have several levels of load depending on the hardness of the rubber: soft, medium, hard, very hard. Each level corresponds to a certain color of the band, and the color set depends on the manufacturer. If you decide to purchase fitness rubber bands, then it is better to immediately buy a whole set of several rubber bands of different resistance. This will not only help you train each muscle group in accordance with the required load, but at the same time do exercises on the arms and legs.
Choose the resistance level of the elastic during exercise according to your capabilities. You should feel a good load, but the exercise technique should not suffer. As a rule, you can use a soft fitness elastic band for arms, shoulders, chest. For legs and buttocks, you can safely take a medium or hard elastic band. If you want to increase the load, you can put on two bands at the same time.
10 ADVANTAGES OF USING RUBBERS FOR FITNESS
- It is an ideal tool for toning muscles, getting rid of problem areas and flabbiness, creating a toned and flexible body. Exercises with a fitness elastic band help to work qualitatively on the muscles of the thighs, buttocks, arms, shoulders, chest, abdomen and back.
- This is a very compact and lightweight inventory. You can take it with you on a trip, to the gym or outdoors. It fits easily into your bag and doesn’t take up much space.
- The advantage of all resistance bands is a uniform load along the entire trajectory of stretching without “dead zones”. Plus, you can easily control the load yourself by simply adjusting the level of stretch: stronger or weaker.
- Fitness rubbers are ideal for low-impact workouts without stress on joints and connective tissues. For example, you can work very efficiently on the hips and buttocks without lunges and squats, which are not recommended for knee problems.
- Training with elastic bands is suitable for those who are contraindicated to load with additional weight due to the load on the spine.
- Fitness rubbers have multiple resistance levels, so you can adjust the load based on your ability. Alternatively, you can put on two bands at the same time and increase the load on the target muscles.
- You can perform almost any classical exercise with the band, while the resistance of the rubber will increase the load significantly. Put on a band while doing squats and get additional stress on the gluteal muscles.
- Rubber bands are becoming more and more popular for in-home fitness programs.
- Fitness elastic is very effective for working out the gluteal muscles. So you will tone and round your buttocks.
Exercises to strengthen leg muscles
The benefits of exercising with fitness rubber bands for women is that such workouts involve slow muscle fibers. Recall that these fibers use free fatty acids as energy, not glycogen. Basically, doing exercises with elastic bands on the legs and buttocks improves the firmness of connective tissues and helps fight cellulite.
However, in order to achieve this effect, exercises with an elastic band on the buttocks must be performed in a static mode – like a plank exercise. It is necessary not only to perform repetitions, but also to linger at the final point for 20-30 seconds. It is also important to learn how to feel the muscle stretch at the same time as stretching the elastic band – this will increase the effectiveness of the workout.
The key focus of the presented program is the activation of the gluteus medius muscle. It is this muscle that gives the buttocks their characteristic roundness – however, it is not used when walking, and requires special exercises for the buttocks. In particular, lunges to the sides and kicks back are necessary to engage it – and these are the exercises that can be performed with elastic bands.
What is cellulite?
Cellulite is a structural change in the subcutaneous fat layer, leading to a interruption of microcirculation and the appearance of lymphatic drainage. It most often occurs on the legs and buttocks, but it also occurs on the arms. For a number of reasons, it is women who suffer from cellulite, while for men it is not typical. The hormonal background and the structure of adipose tissue play a role.
First of all, the female body has more connective and adipose tissue, and in their structure they are looser. In addition, in women, the fibers of the connective tissue are parallel to each other, while in men they are perpendicular. Since male fat cells are distributed in a crisscross pattern, they do not put pressure on each other and do not bulge out on the skin’s surface.
Exercises for the buttocks and legs
Performing the set of exercises with elastic bands presented below 3-4 times a week will allow you to significantly strengthen the muscles of the abdomen, legs and buttocks. Also, due to the improvement of microcirculation in adipose and connective tissues, elastic fitness bands are an effective means of fighting cellulite – which is of particular importance for some women.
Leg Swing
Get on all fours – your hands are firmly on the floor, the load is evenly on the palms, the legs are bent at the knees, the stomach is pulled in, the core is tense. Slowly and with a feeling of the muscles of the buttocks, straighten one leg and lift it up. Hold for 10-30 seconds. Repeat for the other leg.
Squats with elastic bands
Stand up straight, feet shoulder-width apart, toes point slightly to the sides. Tighten your abs. As you exhale, slowly lower yourself down – your hips should be parallel to the floor. Hold at the bottom point, while straining the buttocks. Then, with an explosive movement, return to an upright position.
Side lunges with rubber bands
The starting position is similar to the previous exercise, hands are closed in a lock at chest level. As you exhale, tighten your buttocks and slowly move your leg about half a meter to the side. Try to keep only your leg moving and your body motionless. Keep your abs tight.
Side leg raises with elastic
Lay down on your side, prop yourself on your elbow such that it is perpendicular to your shoulder joint then raise your leg. Hold this position, straining your buttocks and core as much as possible. Return to starting position; after 10 reps do the same for the other leg.
Lying Pelvis Raise
Exercise works on both the gluteal muscles and the muscles of the lower abdomen. Starting position – lying on your back, arms along the body. As you exhale, slowly lift your pelvis up, then spread your hips to the sides. Stay in this position, feeling the work of the abs and buttocks.
Training regime with elastic bands on the buttocks:
- 3-4 times a week
- before starting the workout perform 5-7 minutes of exercise on a bike (or other light cardio)
- after exercise with elastic bands – exercises for the core
- at the end – stretching
How to improve training efficiency?
The main rule of performing exercises with elastic bands is a complete feeling of muscle involvement in the work, and not just automatic repetition of movements. You should feel that both the abdominal muscles and the muscles of the legs (muscles of the front and back of the thighs, muscles of the buttocks, etc.) are working. Strive to find the rhythm of the exercise that maximizes the feeling of work.
Since a set of fitness bands usually includes bands with varying levels of elasticity, start with the lightest and work your way up to the stiffest. Each exercise is performed in 3-4 sets of 10-15 repetitions. Also, in most exercises, it is necessary to linger at the final point for 20-30 seconds to engage the stabilizing muscle fibers in the work.
Fat Burning Workout Rules
A home workout program to burn belly, hips, and buttocks fat should include both regular cardio and core strengthening exercises. The easiest way to do cardio at home is through circuit training. Their essence lies in performing exercises in a row, one after another – but in several cycles.
Formula effective training according to the Tabata method – 20 seconds of fast cardio, then 10 seconds of rest; the cycle is repeated 6 to 8 times. In total, each exercise takes 3-4 minutes. Research results have shown that a 20/10 ratio is effective for both aerobic and anaerobic exercise. This makes this type of workout a better way to burn fat than regular extended cardio workouts.
Another effective exercise for increasing the tone of the abdominal muscles is the vacuum of the abdomen – a breathing exercise from yoga. The vacuum helps strengthen the diaphragm and engages the deep abdominals. To perform the exercise, you need to exhale the air from your lungs, then pull your stomach in as much as possible and stay in this position for 10-30 seconds.
Exercising with fitness bands is a simple, yet extremely effective way to work out the muscles of the legs and buttocks at home. However, when performing training, it is necessary to ensure that the movement is made consciously, and not due to the force of inertia. Also, at the final point of the exercise, you need to linger for a few seconds, tensing the muscles.
Currently, there are several types of fitness bands on the market. To pick the right fitness bands for your workout you need to think about your fitness goals.
Can I drink while exercising?
