Resistance Band Exercises and Swiss Ball Exercises – The Best Low Cost Gym Equipment?

Article by David Johnston

Resistance band exercises are really great, simply because of how portable a resistance band actually is. Swiss ball exercises can also be quite portable, certainly from room to room in your house, and possibly further if you wanted. Why should you read this? To give you a brief introduction to resistance band exercises and Swiss ball exercises so that you will recognise that they are a really valuable piece of gym equipment, and are portable as a bonus.

So what is a resistance band? Well it is a piece of rubber usually, sometimes if you buy more expensive ones, they have handles at either end, though a tough piece of rubber is going to work fine. The resistance band is used for resistance training, where you will look the band under your foot, around a column, around a chair, under a chair, whatever you need to do to make it work. Resistance bands come in different lengths and with different resistances too, if you want a harder workout for example. The great thing with a resistance band is that it offers resistance in both the concentric contractions and the eccentric contraction, which is basically when your muscle is tensed, and is either getting shorter, or longer respectively. What is a Swiss ball? A Swiss ball is an inflatable ball made out of thick rubber – the balls come in different diameters – the smaller balls are for shorter people, and the larger ones for taller or heavier people. The Swiss ball is also known as the fit ball, or gym ball, and can be used for bodyweight exercises, or exercises with weights.

Here are a selection of resistance band exercises:

Resistance Band Exercises – 1. Squats: Put the middle of the resistance band under your feet, and hold either end of the band in your hand. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, and your legs straight. Holding your hands up at your collar bone, with your elbows sticking out, slowly squat down until your upper thighs are parallel with the floor, then slowly return to the start position. You should feel resistance during the whole exercise.Resistance Band Exercises – 2. Chest Press: Lie on the middle of the resistance band and hold the resistance band with one end in each hand. By contracting your chest muscles, extend your arms above your chest until they are almost straight. Hold this position, then slowly return your hands to your chest. Repeat for as many time as you are able. Resistance Band Exercises – 3. Bicep Curls: Place the middle of the resistance band between your feet, and hold the ends of the band one in each hand. Keeping your elbows in the same position at your sides, contract your biceps, and pull your hands upward to shoulder level. Hold, and then lower back again slowly. Do not swing or rock to help your progress – perform with strict form otherwise the exercise will not work properly..

Here are a selection of Swiss ball exercises:

Swiss Ball Exercises – 1. Squats: Trap the ball between your upper back and a wall. With your feed shoulder width apart, squat down until your thighs are parallel with the floor. Hold the position, then slowly return to the standing position. Ensure you keep your abdominal muscles tight and tucked in throughout the exercise.Swiss Ball Exercises – 2. Push Ups: Start in a push up position with your shins resting on the top of the ball. Bend your arms and lower your chest until your chest is close but not touching the floor. Briefly hold the position, and then push up back to the starting position. If you wish to make the exercise harder, rest your feet on the ball instead of your shins. You may also keep your feet together to engage your core more. Swiss Ball Exercises 3: Crunches – Sit on the ball with your feet flat on the floor, and lower / roll until your pelvis and lower back are also in contract with the ball. Tuck your abdominal muscles in, and slowly raise your upper body to about 45 degrees, half way between lying and sitting up. Hold, and return to the start position. You can hold your hands at the sides of your head, or across your chest, whichever you find most appropriate.Swiss Ball Exercises – 3. Crunches: Begin by sitting on the ball, then rolling the ball until only your lower back and pelvis are in contract with the ball. Keep your abdominal muscle tight, and pulled in, and contract, and slowly raise the torso until it is about 45 degrees from the horizontal position. Hold the position, then lower to the starting position slowly. You arms may be across your chest or touching your temples, whichever feels best for you.

As you can see, both the resistance bands and Swiss ball are excellent equipment to keep your body strong, and are also excellent to have around the house and use for your workouts. These exercises can be made a lot harder than presented here, by doing things like lifting up one leg, to engage the core, or put more pressure on the legs. We just wanted to ease you into the equipment.

The swiss ball and resistance bands are great equipment to really challenge and strengthen your body, and are great for home gym equipment. All the exercises can be made much more difficult by lifting a leg to engage the core, or make it harder on the legs – these exercises are intended to start you off.

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