Rounding Out Your Workout Regimen With Resistance Bands

Article by Vikram Kumar

Many people are often skeptical about the effectiveness of training with resistance bands, because they have been too heavily influences by modern popular culture, and only believe in the effectiveness of hardcore weight training. The truth, however, is that resistance training can do for your body some things that regular weight training cannot. One of these things is building better muscle endurance.

Many people believe that you can easily build muscular endurance by simply doing more weight training more often. The truth, however, is that when using weights, your muscles are engaged in short bursts, and this results in much greater increases in strength than in endurance. With a fitness band, however, you will be able to keep a constant pull on your muscles, so that they are continuously activated. This will result in a much greater gain in muscular endurance than with any form of regular weight training.

How To Use Resistance Bands

Resistance bands are relatively simple to use. This is due mostly to their simple construction. A fitness band is little more than an elastic band with handles attached to it. While this may not sound like much, modern resistance bands are manufactured to be light and strong, able to withstand the pressures of being stretched over and over again thousands of times without breaking or losing their elasticity.

The basic principle behind training with a fitness band is that you use the fitness band to generate a constant pulling force, and you then use your muscles to counter that pulling force. In doing so, your muscles are constantly doing work, thus allowing you to improve on your strength and muscular endurance.

With the right exercises, you can work almost every part of your body when you train with resistance bands. How to do that may not be obvious at first, but after awhile, the working principle behind the fitness band exercises will become obvious to you and you will not even need a guide or manual to figure out which exercises to do to achieve your training goals.

The most basic of exercises using resistance bands is also the staple exercise of many regular gym users – the bicep curl. It is a rare occasion that you step into a gym and you do not see at least one gym rat standing in front of the mirror, gripping a weight and doing bicep curls. With resistance bands, you can also do bicep curls that will give your biceps as good, or even better, a workout as you would get when doing bicep curls with free weights. Simply place your foot over the middle of the fitness band, then pull your arms upwards to your shoulders like you would with a regular bicep curl. Your foot will stop the band from moving, and you will be able to use the resistance generated from that to train.

The possibilities are endless when you exercise with resistance bands, and things get even more interesting when you start to make use of the fixtures around you such as pillars and railings to give your workout some variety.

How To Use Resistance Bands

Article by Jordan English

Learning how to use resistance bands is something that many people are interested in doing. Resistance tubes and bands are lightweight and very easy to store. They are easily taken when you travel to help you workout no matter where you are.

How do resistance bands work?Exercise bands and tubes are made out of elastic. As you stretch out the bands, you will be met with more resistance the farther you stretch them. This resistance allows you to safely tone your muscles. Because the resistance can be applied in any direction whether up or down, you do not need to rely on gravity like with free weights.

An example of how this principle works can seen with a rubber band. Take the rubber band with both hands. If you keep one hand stationary while the other pulls away you will feel the resistance being applied. Try moving your hand away to the side, diagonal, up, down, or any other direction and you will still feel resistance. As your hands move farther apart, your muscles have to work harder to maintain their distance. This is how the resistance tubing and bands work, only on a larger scale.

Who can use resistance bands and tubes?Resistance tubes and bands can be used by any age group from kindergarten to a senior citizen it really does not matter. Exercise bands and tubes are also great for any type of lifestyle whether you are heavily involved in sports or retired and want to get into shape. The exercise bands are easy on the joints and allow for a smoother movement.

Are resistance tubes and bands safe?Resistance tubes and bands are safe to use. There are a couple things to consider with resistance tubes. First, each color means a certain resistance level. Because of this you do not want to buy a resistance band or tube solely based on the color. You must shop by resistance level rather than the color. Second, as you are working out keep in mind that the resistance bands and tubes act as a rubber band, meaning they want to snap back into their original form. Never let go of a resistance band or tube while it is stretched as this could cause injury.

How do I use resistance bands?Resistance tubes and bands can be used the same way you use weights. Because there must be resistance for the bands to work, you must step on or attach one end to a stationary object. For example, to do curls you simply step on one end of the exercise band and hold the other end in your hand making sure there is no slack in the tube when your arm is relaxed. As you slowly curl your arm upwards, you will feel the resistance causing your muscles to work harder.

You can apply the same principle to just about any exercise. Resistance bands are truly the universal exercise equipment and a must have for everyone.

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(0:30)- Routine Sets & Reps (1:32)- Low Row (1:46)- Outer Row (2:00)- Inner Row (2:25)- Chest Press (2:48)- Chest Fly (3:06)- Speed Punches (3:28)- Bicep Curl (4:27)- Shoulder Press (5:01)- Overhead Tricep Extension (5:38)- Front Raises 2-4 circuits 10-20 reps per exercise 60 second MAX rest between exercises or TIMED: 30 seconds per exercise little to no rest between exercises Check out www.scotthermanfitness.com for more information and detailed exercises! Join the most supportive and fastest growing community on facebook! www.facebook.com Check out my Routines & Tips on the SEARS FitStudio page! 🙂 www.fitstudio.com iPhone App! itunes.apple.com Bio-Engineered Supplements & Nutrition BSN www.bsnonline.net Check out my Meal Plan!: www.scotthermanfitness.com View TRX Pro Pack Here! tinyurl.com Follow me on Twitter! twitter.com
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Resistance Band Exercises – Your Way To Perfectly Shaped Legs

We can all appreciate the beauty of toned, sexy, shapely legs. On the beach or a club, aside from the proverbially attractive six-pack, a pair of fit and visually appealing legs is sure to be a sure head-turner.

But aside from the fact that it’s physically attractive, it’s also important to have strong legs that can support your daily and seemingly mundane yet vital activities, like walking, running, and standing, among others. Resistance band exercises can take you one step closer to achieving this goal.

Workouts with resistance bands have become widely popular in the fitness realm lately because aside from the apparent convenience, affordability, and portability of the bands, it has proven to be a great method for toning and strengthening muscles.

While there are many choices in terms of specific leg exercises that can be done using the bands, the following paragraphs will highlight a few, which are considered the most complete because they work out most, if not all, leg muscle groups.

Squat Press. This routine will work your thighs, hamstrings, and your lower gluteal muscles. To do them, start by standing on the band with your feet hip-width apart and your arms on your sides holding the ends of the tube. Inhale and squat as if you were sitting on a chair. As you move to this position, extend your arms forward. Next, move from the squat back into a standing position while straightening your arms over your head. At this point, squeeze your shoulders, contracting your muscles. Lower your arms to its initial form to conclude one rep.

Eversion. In this exercise you will need to tie your resistance band in a knot so that it creates a circle. Loop the band around a secure table leg then sit on the floor with the side of your foot on the inside portion of the band. Pull your ankle away from the midline of your body as far as you can but still keep your knee and shin steady. Resist the movement back towards the midline of your body and hold it for at least 16 counts. Bring your ankle back to where you feel no resistance from the band to complete one rep.

The eversion strengthens your lower legs, mainly your calves and ankles.

Double Leg Drop. The double leg drop is one of the resistance band exercises that will really shape the entirety of your legs. Start by lying on your back. You should place the resistance band around the balls of your feet and extend your legs up towards the ceiling. Each end of the band should be in your hands and your arms need to be extended to the sides as well. Turn your legs out, bringing your heels together but toes apart. Roll your head and shoulders up with your arms hovering a few inches off the floor with your fingers pointing towards the front of the room. Lower your legs away from your torso. It is at this point of the routine that the maximum resistance from the bands should be felt. After holding the position, lift your legs back to the starting point. Do 10 reps.

Lying Side Kicks. Another great exercise, you start by lying on your left side, supporting yourself upon your elbow with your left leg slightly bent. Your right leg should also be at an angle. Loop one end of the band around your right foot and pull the rest of it behind you and around your left shoulder, holding on to it with both hands to secure it. Push your right leg straight out, making sure to keep it parallel with your other leg. Hold for at least 8 counts then pull it back towards your body. Do 12 repetitions for each leg.

Resistance band exercises are a great way to tone and strengthen your legs. Just make sure to be consistent with the exercise and always take precautions so as not to injure yourself.

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Packaging secrets-Melt Strapping

Article by Kent Wrotham

With markets becoming global and business houses planning to expand their products globally packaging has gained immense importance. Gone are the days when packaging was something that holds the product. These days packaging plays a very crucial role. It not only carries the manufacturers’ reputation as a brand but also has the responsibility of holding the product without any damage to its quality, structure and longevity.

With such importance to packaging it has also become necessary that utmost care is taken in the packing procedure. Cord Strapping , Gone are the days when the packaging was done manually and took hours of time and lots manpower as well. With the advent of various technologies packing has become easy and fast and full proof. Strapping is the most commonly used strapping technology or strategy. Under this technology, a strap is applied across the item to tighten, combine and hold the product to ensure that the item is stable and is prevented from damage that may occur while shipping or transportation. Depending upon the item you would like to strap the strapping material is used. There are various strapping materials starting from the simple paper strap to the strongest steel strap. Depending upon the climatic conditions, transportation type etc the strapping material is decided.

There are various ways of packaging let’s have a look at them:

1. Hot Melt Strapping: high quality or oriented polyester and nylon are considered to be the strongest plastic strapping material that can withstand dynamic climatic conditions. These are so strong and reliable that they are considered the next best strapping material after steel. Polyester not only can withstand climatic conditions but can also take lot of load as well. Depending upon the climatic condition the polyester is tampered. That is when the Hot Melt Strapping comes into picture. Hot Melt Strapping is nothing but a strapping technology wherein the strap is bonded in hot melted glue which makes it weather proof. Hot Melt Strapping is used for cold climatic conditions.

2. Polyester Woven Strapping: With latest developments in strapping technology Polyester Woven Strapping came into existence. In the strapping industry polyester is considered to be the most useful, strong and cost effective way of strapping. Polyester Woven Strapping is used mainly in cargos and they are available in various widths and lengths as well to match any packaging need. Some of the benefits of Polyester Woven Strapping are:

a. Cost effective and high quality protectionb. Strong as steelc. Rust free as it is a chemical

3. Woven Lashing: Woven Lashing is also a type of polyester strapping. Under this strapping technology the strapping is done through high tenacity polyester yarns. Woven Lashing is a better way than steel strapping, chains etc. The webbing structure of Woven Lashing makes it the most preferred strapping material due to its ease, and high performance. Some of the features of Woven Lashing are as follows:

a. Strong as steelb. Light in weightc. Can absorb shockd. All weather resistant.

This article talks about strapping technologies and talks about Hot Melt Strapping , Polyester Woven Strapping, Woven Lashing in detail.

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The Benefits of Resistance Training you can get from Home

Article by Dave Fraser

Similar to using workout machines, or free weights resistance training benefits are the same, and possibly even better. If you’re using exercise bands for training then you have the unique benefit that resistance will increase as you push or pull your way through the exercise, not to mention how portable and cost effective they are. What about the health benefits of using resistance training? This article will explore what other benefits beyond cost and space savings resistance training bands can offer you.

Range of activities and Strength increase

When you exercise using resistance training you begin to develop longer muscles, and stronger bones. This doesn’t happen over night but little by little it offers you the benefit of of a stronger you. This will help even more as you grow with age, and it allows you to become stronger and withstand more strenuous outdoor or indoor activities.

Lower Body Fat Percentage

Like most exercise routines resistance training burns fat. By increasing your heart rate you burn more calories then when you’re just standing still. A second benefit and way to lose weight is that muscle on our bodies burns more calories then fat when we’re resting. As we develop more lean muscle on our body from the workouts we’re doing we’re also increasing the number of daily calories we’re able to burn while resting.

Self Confidence Booster

Of course a big benefit of resistance training, and why most people start working out in the first place is an improve personal appearance. Resistance training isn’t for bulking up, rather it’s a sculpting routine that will elongate and tone muscles. The legs, buttocks, abs and arms can all be firmly shaped and toned with resistance exercises. A better personal appearance can also help us feel better about ourselves and in other areas of our life.

If you’re not already using resistance training in your exercise routines you should be. It’s a fun and unique form of exercising that can be done from home without expensive equipment, or expensive gym memberships.

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Strength Training Without Weights: Ways To Get Set Up

Article by Thomas Christopher

The common image of strength training is a sweaty heavyweight hoisting massive barbells, nevertheless if you aren’t attracted to pumping iron, you don’t have to. You don’t need any iron whatsoever in your home workout equipment. At minimum, you need your own body mass. Beyond that, a few items of plastic will help.

The human body offers significant variety with its variously weighted limbs and its joints which give a near boundless number of movement options. Directed and repeated movements of simply your body can supply all the strength training you want. But to move your body with comfort and safety, you should purchase a good workout mat. Padding makes most of the prone and seated activity a lot more comfortable. Try to find a mat that’s at least 3/8 inch thick. The thin yoga mats may be convenient to roll up and stick under your arm for transport, but they are not thick enough to pad your body properly.

You can find many video clips and write-ups on body-only strength workouts on the web, but be careful about the certifications of the instructor. You can find as many online videos as you want from certified physical trainers and physical therapists. If something hurts–you know the contrast between working muscles and real pain–stop! Strength training should not cause pain.

You’re likely to get bored just using your own body, and boredom might lead you to stop working out. So this is where simple resistance bands or tubes come in. These rainbow-colored bands add resistance between limbs, or can be attached to a door knob or a grip bar. They give variety and increase the strength needed to perform a movement. The bands gain in strength as the color gets darker. This means you can go a very long way in getting to your strength training aspirations with only these light, economical, easily stored bands. You can find them at any decent sporting goods shop or on the web. Hang them on light plastic hooks to avoid tangles.

One more rubbery enhancement to your home exercise equipment should be a fitness ball. Pick one that enables you sit on it with flat feet. A fitness ball magnifies your body-only exercises. You will be amazed at the increased difficulty of a push-up started with your feet on an unsteady round surface. Your core stability and your balance will both be dramatically challenged, and improved.

A buying tip: get the ball with a pump, spare plugs (in case you damage one trying to re-inflate a flat ball) and the training booklet or DVD. These extras will make life with your fitness ball a challenge–not an irritation. (Note: a bicycle pump even with a “ball needle” will not work.)

Don’t pump iron, pump plastic! It will save your space and your money and is just as effective.

Resistance Bands: Working Out Without Equipments

Article by Viola M. McCain

Many people have made lifting weights and operating out a part of their lifestyle. It has become an choice for people who want to attain improved physique and overall health. The majority of the time, individuals workout to shed undesirable pounds and gain muscle mass. Some workout and physical exercise for relaxation and relieve stress. Nevertheless some do not have the cash to avail of gym memberships and acquire necessary equipments. These individuals can use resistance bands to aid them in their workout regimen. These bands are versatile alternatives to workout routines that requires machines and equipments. Additionally, this bands are cheap, handy, and are simple to make use of. Resistance bands are widely utilized in strength, conditioning, and rehabilitation programs.

Resistance bands are hollow elastic tubes that are becoming a handy tool many workout routines. These bands provide continuous resistance all through each and every physical exercise movement which makes it feel harder. The tension supplied by these bands might aid within the development of muscle strength, speed and power. When used correctly, these bands can offer the right degree of tension with out using totally free weights or machines. In addition, these bands offer more selection of workout because one can create tension from numerous angles and may be adjusted to any shape and size of the physique. Because of this, not only the main muscles are trained but also the small ones. Fitness specialists believe that stabilizing the muscles properly is very important in muscle development, injury prevention, and improved well being.

Regular exercise along with a healthy diet can give numerous benefits like improved physical and mental health. Utilizing resistance bands during workouts might provide additional tension required for improved health along with a fit-looking body. Resistance bands added in a coaching regimen might help promote the following:

. Improved muscle strength and tone . Weight management . Prevention and manage of health circumstances like diabetes, heart disease and arthritis . Pain management . Improved mobility and balance . Improved posture . Decreased risk of injury . Increased bone density and strength . Reduced physique fat . Increased muscle-to-fat ratio . Boosted metabolism (burning more kilojoules when at rest) . Improved sleep patterns . Increased self-esteem . Enhanced efficiency of everyday tasks because of improved strength and flexibility. Enhanced self-esteem . Increased cognition and memory Working out with resistance bands not only promotes improved overall health but is also an efficient and secure method to train. In contrast to weight-training, working out with resistance bands uses tension to improve muscle development and strength. This tension could be adjusted rapidly and merely by altering bands or shortening the length from the band. Being able to change resistance rapidly in workouts may help increase the cardiovascular aspect of one’s workout. Additionally, resistance bands are perfect for numerous seniors simply because tension can be adjusted to the tension that suits them. Another notable advantage of resistance bands is it portable and may be brought whilst traveling because it fits in an ordinary bag. Resistance bands are perfect for people who want workouts that builds strength and improve overall well being.

Bodybuilding using fitness bands

Article by Harry

Fitness bands are a new addition to the Body building world. The fitness bands have gained increased popularity because they are versatile and can give a full body workout. These bands are also portable and cheap.

These fitness bands apply the same theory of resistance like those of the gym. Except that these bands rely on elastic bands to provide the resistance whereas the weights in the gym rely on cables and pulleys. The bands offer various levels of resistance depending upon their thickness.

These fitness bands are also effective as they will allow you a wider range of motion and provide you with a full body workout rather than the traditional weights. When you’re able to get a wider range of motion then you can recreate any exercise similar to those of the health clubs.

The cost of fitness bands is very low compared to the gym equipment and the traditional weight machines or the home gym systems. The bands generally cost just around fifty dollars while offering resistance of five pounds to twenty-five pounds. These bands can be attached to ankle straps and used to perform exercises so that they give you increased resistance. For example, the resistance offered by the band is very less then you can change another band or add another band and attach the bands to the ankle straps.

These fitness bands can be used to build muscles for any body part. So you don’t need to go buying fitness equipment for different body parts. The convenience offered by these fitness bands is its strongest selling point. You could take your fitness bands and use them while holidaying or at home or in the field. You can carry them anywhere you want and they are also versatile. They are quite easy to pack in a bag and you can work with them anywhere you want. You can build muscles with these bands no matter what your fitness and budget level is.

Fitness bands are inexpensive but most of these bands are not quite effective. Currently the most effective fitness bands are those of the Bodylastics. Bodylastics is the industry standard home gym that is available from just fifty dollars. You can buy these fitness bands separately or purchase the whole package with various extensions. The bands at Bodylastics just cost from ten dollars.

Visit Bodylastics Fitness Bands Here.

Read my review of Bodylastics.

Read a comparison between Bodylastics And Bowflex .

www.fitness4mma.de – Fitness Band Thera Band Workout FITNESS 4 MMA is sponsored by Otuga www.otuga.de
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Keys To Successful Cardiovascular Training

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Doing cardio just for the sake of doing cardio is a plan for failure. Without a clear goal, it’s going to be tough to know where you are, and if you’re progressing. Many people – both bodybuilders and the untrained – begin their cardiovascular training with a very unclear path in front of them. They know they want to lose some of the fat on their body, but other than that, it’s hard for them to quantify where they’d like to be, or even where they currently are.

You can avoid this pitfall by taking measurements of your waistline with a tape measure, and having a body fat percentage analysis completed at your local gym or fitness center. Then you’ll be able to set realistic fitness goals for your cardio. Realistically, a man should want to get down to 7 or 8% body fat, and a woman should aim for 9 to 12% body fat. Take a test every 2 to 4 weeks to measure your progress, but no more frequently than that. Otherwise, the daily fluctuations may cause premature feelings of success or failure.

Mix it up
Variety is the spice of life. While it may make for easy planning to write “30 minutes elliptical machine” on your morning to-do list, actually following through with this repetitive and tedious task may not be nearly as easy. However, if you plan out a variety of activities for cardio, you’ll be much more likely to quit out of boredom.

Train early
Cardio training should be completed immediately after you awake in the morning, on an empty stomach. Wake up, stretch out, urinate, grab an ice cold bottled water, turn on the television (the news or sports works great) and complete your cardio training before you consume a single calorie. This will ensure the energy being spent comes from fat stores in your body, not carbohydrates in your bloodstream.

Granted, this isn’t always the rule. If you enjoy a nice cheat meal with a loved one and seriously feel like you need to knock out a nice 30-minute walk after dinner, then by all means, put on your walking shoes and get out there. Rather than limiting yourself to only early-morning cardio, make it your focus but allow for the introduction of cardio later in the day when applicable and necessary.

Stack it up
In addition to the cardio, make adjustments to your diet and supplement regimen as well. Use a fat-burner such as ECA (ephedrine, caffeine & aspirin stack) to speed up the fat-burning effect in your body. Lower the amount of simple sugars and starchy carbohydrates in your diet, and you’ll notice the cardio working even faster than you could have imagined!

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Incorporating Advanced Tubing Exercises into Your Exercise Routine

Article by Mandy Gibbons

Tubing exercises can be worked into your exercise program in a variety of ways. They are gentle enough to be used as recovery workouts between more intense workout days yet they can be used for major strength training and toning as well. They can even be worked into circuit training workouts for a combined cardio and strength training effect. It is a great way to get in effective workouts when you are pressed for time.

Example tubing exercises:

Cable Twist

Attach your tubing or exercise band to a door or wall and stand at the furthest point away from the wall, turned sideways with arms holding the handles in an outstretched position. Pull the handles across the body to the other side. So, if you are standing with your left side facing the wall you will hold your arms outright point toward the wall then pull the tubing handles across the body and out to the right side.

Make sure you are standing sideways so you can easily pull the tubing across the body to the other side. You can make tubing exercises like this more powerful by picking up the speed. Just make sure to keep your legs comfortable and only move the upper body. Your feet should remain stable even when pulling at a faster speed.

You can also make this basic movement a full body workout by stepping out into a side lunge away from the wall as you pull the tubing or bands across your body. This is one of the best tubing exercises for circuit training since it moves your energy from one area of the body to the other within the same movement.

Weightlifting Tubing Exercises

If your goal is to incorporate tubing exercises with your strength training routine, consider adding tubes or cables onto your bench press. The tubes or cables are connected to each ends of the bar and then down at the bottom of the bench frame somewhere. Every time you lift the bar you will notice it is a lot more challenging than just lifting the same weighted bar without the extra resistance. You may want to use a spotter, have someone supporting the bar, for this exercise.

Tubing Exercises for Arms & Back

If you have an exercise ball on hand, lie across it and pull the tubing or bands back alongside the body. You should be positioned with your stomach on the ball and hands out in front of you superman style to grip the handles of your tubing. Your weight is balanced by your feet which are stretched out behind you with toes down to the ground.

Not only will you work your arms and back with tubing exercises like this, but you will also work the rest of your core muscles as you balance and control your body to stay in the proper position on the ball.

These tubing exercises are great for strength training and can easily be incorporated into circuit training with cardio movements.

Work your body, have fun and get fit with Reebok Fitness. This online workout video utilises the resistance tubes fitness accessory within a lateral raise workout.
Video Rating: 5 / 5

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