By Sara Baker
I am lucky enough to have a home gym filled with equipment I have gathered over the years. However, I know many people either have equipment they do not use or do not have equipment on hand. I often recommend to my clients to buy a few different resistance bands to use for both travel and home workouts. They are most often under $10, travel well and can provide a different type of resistance than dumbbells. Bands require control during the entire range of motion, unlike weights which can easily be used without control. If I am traveling and know I will not have access to a gym, I pack my bands and along with push-ups, dips etc., can at least get in some strength training. The best part about bands is you can easily make them more challenging by shortening the length. Example: If you are doing a band bicep curl, while standing on the band and want to increase the challenge, spread your feet further apart to shorten the band and vice versa if it is too intense.
The workout below uses only bands and a bench (a step or sturdy chair could work too) and provides a great all body workout. The upper body movements with the bands use higher reps since the resistance is lighter than typical dumbbells. The 1st circuit uses only the bench, the 2nd using only bands and a third circuit incorporating both. Rest after each circuit 30 seconds or until ready to go again. Rest after each set 1-2 minutes. To increase the challenge, add an additional set to each circuit.
Warm-up:
5 min-easy jog followed by dynamic warm-up of walking lunges, body weight squats, push-ups, high knees, skips.
Circuit #1
- Alternating Step-ups, 20 total (10 each leg)
- Bulgarian Split Squats, 20 total (10 each leg)
- Single Leg Squats (stand on bench with one leg, lower other leg as far as possible below the bench, while maintaining balance then return to standing), 20 total (10 each leg)
- Bench Jumps, 10 reps
Repeat 3 times
Circuit #2
- Band Bent Over Rows, 15-20 reps
- Single Arm Upright Angled Band Rows across body, 15-20 reps
- Band Wide Bicep Curls (open shoulder, elbows into ribs), 15-20 reps
- Band Narrow Curls, 15-20 reps
Repeat 3 times
Circuit #3
- Band Upright Rows, 10-15 reps
- Band Side Raises, 10-15 reps
- Bench Push-ups, 10-15 reps
- Bench Dips, 10-15 reps
Repeat 3 times
Related: Home Workout: Tabata Intervals–4 Minutes of Fat-Burning
