You don’t require expensive equipment for building total body strength. Actually you can work on all of your running muscles with the simplest, easy-to-use tool that is The mini-resistance band.
This list of mini-band exercises will help you figure out how you can incorporate this simple but powerful tool in your next workout routine or pre-run warmup.
Apart from being cost-effective and lightweight, as well as simple to carry Mini bands can also be extremely beneficial in helping runners build their endurance from head to foot. “Resistance bands can provide an excellent stimulation that increases the activation of stabilizer muscles to assist larger muscle groups and movements at joints,” Yusuf Jeffers, NASM-certified personal trainer and USATF-certified coach for running, informs Runner’s World. In the example of the single-leg standing step out, he states that the muscles that surround the knees, hips and ankle joints of the leg that stabilizes must be working in overdrive to help you keep your equilibrium, while the other leg is moving in different directions of motion.
What are the benefits of this exercise in stability? It helps strengthen the muscles you require to be strong to perform the single-leg sports of running, assisting in preventing injuries to your body and increase your more efficient when you run.
“Increased strength of stabilizers translates to more efficient transfer of power throughout the body, and more capacity to withstand external forces, which helps to make an efficient, stronger athlete, and eventually a quicker athlete” Jeffers says.
For this workout , you’ll require a mini-band, along with an exercise pad is not required. Jeffers will demonstrate every step in his video below so that you can understand the proper method of exercise.
1. Standing Single-Leg Tap Out
What it does:This exercise will help to build stronger glute muscles, while also improving stability, one step at each step.
How to perform the exercise:Start standing with hands on your hips, knees bent, feet spaced shoulder-width apart and a band wrapped between the ankles of both feet. Imagine the left foot as the center of an elongated clock lying standing on the floor. Tap left foot until 12 o’clock and then back to the center. Tap left foot until 9 o’clock, and then return to the center. Tap the left hand at around 6o’clock returning to the center. It’s one repetition. Maintain your right foot with your knee slightly bent all the time. Repeat until you’ve completed 8-10 repetitions. Repeat on the right side, and move up to 12, 3 and 6 hours.
2. Quadruped Leg Extension
The reason it works:This exercise will strengthen the core muscles as well as your lower back and legs. All of these are crucial to a strong posture and the ability to maintain a steady pace.
How to perform the exercise:Start on all fours with your shoulders above wrists, shoulders in front and knees underneath hips with a small band between both feet, near the arch of your feet. Engage the core and then extend your left leg straight back behind , keeping the foot in a flex position and pushing through the heel. Bring it back into an all-fours posture. Do between 8 and 10 reps. Do the same on the opposite side.
3. Single-Arm Plank Tap Out
What it does:Planks are a great method to build strength throughout the body since they work on almost every muscle. This particular variation will test your the core and shoulder stability while your hand moves in various directions.
How to perform It:Start in high plank posture with wrists and shoulders above your shoulders and feet that are wider than shoulder width apart, and the in a core-engaged position. The body should be in an even line from the head to the heels. As if the left hand were at the middle of a timepiece that was on the ground, press left hand until 12 o’clock, then return to the center. Tap left hand until 9 o’clock, and then return to the center. Tap left hand until 6 o’clock, and then return to the center. It’s a single repetition. Maintain your hips in a straight line and feet spread throughout the duration. Repeat until you’ve completed 8-10 repetitions. Do the same on the left side.
4. Three-Position Pull-Apart
What it does:This compound exercise requires you to work your core to help develop strength. Additionally, it targets muscles in your arms as well as your shoulders, which helps improve your posture.
How to perform It:Start kneeling with arms extended in front of the body and elbows bent to 90 degrees and secured to sides, with palms facing each other and the small band that wraps around the wrists. Engage your core and then pull fingers away from one another and out to the sides, making sure that elbows are tight to the the torso. Slowly return to the center. While keeping your the arms bent, lift arms until they are at eye level, in a way that the triceps remain in line with the ground. Engage the core and then pull arms away from each other , and towards the sides. After that, slowly return arms back to the center. After that, you can extend your arms straight to the point that biceps sit close to ears. Engage the core and draw hands away from each other. After that, return arms to the center. Make sure shoulders are tightly packed. Reverse elbows and start at the top. The 3 positions are equivalent to one rep. Repeat 8 to 10 repetitions.
5. Sprinter Sit-Up
What it does:Practicing this sit-up variation can strengthen your abs and aid in enhancing your running technique and run with confidence and strength.
How to use this:Lie faceup on the mat with your legs straight with a mini band positioned on both feet, in arch height, while keeping arms to the side. Engage your core to sit up on the tailbone while pushing the right arm forward and the left knee towards chest. Return to the floor. After that, you can engage your core to sit up and drive left arm forward, and right knee towards the chest. Retire to the floor. Keep alternate for 8-10 reps each side.
6. Mountain Climber
What it does:Adding mini bands to this exercise won’t only test your balance but can also help build your hip and core strength.
How to perform It:Start in a high plank, with shoulders stacked directly over wrists. Hands are placed shoulder-width apart. Then, a small bands are placed around the feet at the arches. Engage the core so that your you are in a straight line from the shoulders through the hips and heels. Engage the glutes, quads and the thighs to ensure that legs remain straight. With a firm core, start the move by pushing the left knee towards chest and then swiftly moving back back to a plank position. The right knee should be immediately driven towards chest, and then take it back to plank position. Keep alternating between 8 and 10 reps on each side.
Monique LeBrun joined our editorial team in the month of October 2021. She is assistant health and fitness editor. She holds a master’s degree in journalism. She has earlier worked at ABC news as well as Scholastic. She is a committed athlete who enjoys spending time outdoors.
This content was sourced from OpenWeb. You might be able to locate the same content in a different format, or be able to locate additional information on their website.
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