If it’s raining outside and you don’t want to go to the gym, you can do the same exercise at home with resistance bands.
The monsoon is the perfect weather to sweat it out without feeling extremely tired, but it’s a terrible time to travel to a gym or some other exercise facility. Getting motivated to stay awake or waking up on a rainy morning is a task in itself, so spending an hour on your body deserves an extra pat on the back. But if it’s hard to stay consistent But if you’re struggling to stay consistent with your weight training, then it’s time you became best friends with resistance bands.
Today’s workout column aims to give you videos for a full four-day workout week using just resistance bands, so even if you miss a week in the gym, you should be fine. Some of these workouts may use either a short band or a long band and the ideal combination is to have a pair of each. If not, the long band can be folded into a half size knot and act as a short band as well.
So while we’re dealing with waterlogging, don’t forget to log your workouts on these four days that hit all of your muscle groups. Some workouts can be too short, so the key is to combine them with your usual warm-up and mobility routines and some cardio or core work, depending on your fitness levels.
Day 1 (Chest and Shoulders)Start with the muscles of vanity! Who knows, this might even convince you that resistance band workouts are effective. The videos below are from YouTube channels. THENX by Chris Heria and Athlean-X by Jeff Cavaliere. Both have a combined subscription of over 20 million people and the videos have a combined audience of over four million, so you’re in good hands.
THENX’s shoulder workout is particularly enjoyable as it hits the rotator cuffs with some mobility work and is a short follow through.
The chest workout Athlean-X it’s a great way to learn some really good drills. Although this exercise requires a slightly heavy band, you can easily do it with a lighter band as well. The upper chest band jumper is one of my favourites.
Day 2 (Back, Biceps and Hamstrings) Consider this more of a posterior chain workout, with your back and hamstrings being worked out on the same day. TO T-Nation article, titled He 11 division of body parts in different training splits he states that “back and hams on the same day can work well together, as the deadlift and deadlift variations are great exercises that can work both.”
The first video is a back, biceps, and shoulder workout with an emphasis on pulling. The extra shoulder work is a bonus and shouldn’t be skipped. The training is easy, lasts 30 minutes and consists of three series. Perfect.
Continue with this brilliant 12-minute bodyweight hamstring workout from Carolina Girvan, who is a certified nutrition coach, prenatal and postnatal specialist, and kettlebell expert.
Day 3 (Legs) We have reached the dreaded leg day. And when it comes to band follow-up videos, especially on leg days, look no further than Daniel PT. His 30 minute band workout is a brilliant burner and very effective.
Fitness YouTuber Heather Grahamson posts some really great workout sets. One of her most popular videos is the 10-minute mini band workout for what she calls “legs, thighs, and glutes.”
Day 4 (Mobility and Core) While proper warm-ups are a no-brainer, it’s always good to spend a whole day working on it and combine it with a core workout to get your heart pumping and your abs tightening.
Julia Repel has a 12-minute banded mobility workout you can find below, and it’s packed with deep squats, shoulder crunches, and hip work to unlock your body’s range of motion. If you’re interested, there’s also a great 20 minute bodyweight only mobility workout video from Repel.
And we can’t forget about the abs. Core exercises that work the legs can always be made more challenging by adding bands. Eylem Abachi’s 8-Minute Ab Workout with Mini Bands is a great starting point.
Pulasta Dhar is a football commentator and writer.
