The Exercise Band Workout

The Exercise Band Workout

The Exercise Band WorkoutDuring the week I like to train in the gym but on the weekend if it’s nice outside I’d rather not be indoors. Instead I grab some of my favorite exercise equipment and head to the park to workout. Some of my favorite toys to use outside are TRX cables, a Skip-Rope and an Exercise-band. Today’s workout focuses on using an exercise band. Hopefully this post will help you realize that you don’t always need a fancy gym or a ton of equipment to get a great workout in.

Get creative and have fun with the environment around you. You might surprise yourself with how great of a workout you can have when you mix things up and get a little fresh air. I used some steps at the park near my house and a medium strength exercise band to do the whole workout. You can always use a lighter or stronger band to suit your needs. There is also a video demonstrating the movements below. See if you can do this routine as a circuit where you move from one exercise to the next with little-to-no break in between the movements. Then take a small break at the end of the circuit before repeating it again.

Exercise Band Circuit

1. Stairs Sprints – Sprint up and down the stairs for around 5-6 times each way. Aim for 2-3 minutes of cardio. If you don’t have stairs nearby you could always run sprints in the park or use a skipping rope for a few minutes.

2. Push-ups – I used a step in the video but you could use a park bench or do full pushups on the grass (10+ push-ups)

3. Step-ups (alternate legs) – If these aren’t possible try walking lunges (10-15 reps per leg)

4. Exercise Band Squats and Rows – (10-15 reps).

5. Exercise Band Wood-chop – (10-15 reps per side).

6. Band Shoulder Press – (10-15 reps).

7. Optional movement like Band Bicep Curls – (10-15 reps).

*Optional additional exercise – Crunches or Sit-ups – Aim for 20 reps

Take a small break (30-60 seconds) and repeat the full circuit again for a total of 2-6 times, depending on your fitness level. Beginners should aim for around 2-3 rounds of this circuit, Intermediate 3-4 rounds and Advanced 4-6 rounds of this circuit.

Here is a video demonstrating the exercises.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/e43mTm-iZF8[/youtube]

Vancouver Health Coach