If you invest in one piece of home workout equipment, make it a set of resistance bands with handles. You can take nearly any exercise to the next level by adding resistance, and better yet, these bands aren’t heavy and don’t take up a ton of space, so they’re travel friendly, too.
Adding workouts with resistance bands to your routine will help you build and maintain the muscles responsible for running. That’s why Kara Miklaus, NASM-certified trainer and co-owner of WORK in Irvine, California, created a total-body circuit using this piece of equipment. You’ll activate the muscles in your upper body, core, and lower body for a killer cross-training workout on the days you’re not out running.
How to do it: Perform 3 rounds of this circuit. Do 15, 20, then 25 reps of each exercise (donkey kicks are per leg). This should take about 20 to 25 minutes. If you’re short on time, you can do 15 reps of each exercise the whole way through, which should take about 15 minutes. Each exercise is demonstrated by Study: no-weight workouts are perfect for cardio., so you can learn proper form.
Banded Biceps Curl
Stand with your feet hips-width apart on top of the band, making sure there’s an even amount of the band on each side to even out the tension. Reach down with straight arms and grab onto the handles with an underhand grip, so that when your hands are at thigh-height, your palms face away from your body. Engage your core and glutes, microbend knees, and keep your arms close to your torso. Then, squeeze your biceps to perform a controlled curl with both arms, bringing hands to shoulder height. Slowly lower down, then repeat.
Banded Chest Scoop
Stand on resistance band with right foot. Your left foot should be almost directly in front of your right foot. Grab both resistance band handles with an underhand grip, arms should be at your sides. Keeping arms straight (with a slight bend in the elbows) the entire time, lift them both up to meet at chest level. Return to starting position, then repeat.
Banded Squat
Stand with your feet hips-width apart on top of the band, making sure there’s an even amount of the band on each side. Reach down with straight arms and grab onto the handles with an overhand grip, so that your palms are facing away from your body, and bring handles to shoulder-height. Send hips back and bend knees to lower down as far as possible with chest lifted in a controlled movement. Keep lower back neutral. Press through heels to stand back up to starting position. Repeat.
Banded Shoulder Press
Stand with your feet hip-width apart on top of the band, making sure there’s an even amount of the band on each side. Reach down with straight arms and grab onto the handles with an overhand grip, so that your palms are facing away from your body, and bring handles to shoulder-height. Press arms overhead by extending the elbows and flexing the shoulders. Lower arms back down to starting position in a controlled movement, then repeat.
Banded Triceps Extension
Stand on resistance band with right foot. Your left foot should be almost directly in front of your right foot. Grab both resistance band handles with an overhand grip and lift the handles overhead until arms are straight. Keeping upper arms and elbows still, bend elbows to lower the handles slowly behind head. Pause, then straighten arms to contract the triceps and return to start. Repeat.
Banded Donkey Kick
Start on all fours with wrists under shoulders, knees under hips, toes tucked, and back flat. Loop resistance band around left hand and hold onto one handle. Place left foot inside the the other handle of the resistance band. Extend left leg out and up. Return to starting position. Repeat with other leg.
From: Bicycling US
