Push through your heels to stand back up to the starting position. “Plus, they’re low impact, so they’re great for someone coming back from injury.”. Chestout, knees flexed, but like a „duck“ Move 1 leg forward andbring theother leg to it. Tightening your glutes and tucking your pelvis in, kick your left leg out behind you until the band is tight. Lower your arms down to starting position. 5 resistance band exercises for a workout at work 1. Required fields are marked *. You should feel it working mainly your glutes (butt) and to a lesser extent in your hamstrings and lower back. Using a mini band for a squat also helps teach proper form, since it helps you push your knees out, says Fagan. 1. Resistance bands certainly aren't as intimidating as heavy weights at the gym, yet they bring on similar results. Aim for 12 to 15 repetitions and 2-3 sets for each move. Keeping your legs in the same position, lift your right leg to the side so your inner thigh is parallel to the ground. Loop a mini band above your knees around both thighs. Lift it as high as you can but stop right before you feel your lower back begin to arch. Bring your arms to chest-height, pushing out against the band to create tension in the band. Bend your knees and push your hips back as you lower into a squat. This move works your shoulder muscles, including your rotator cuffs. This move works your hip abductors, your gluteus minimus and gluteus medius. Lie on your side and loop a mini band above your knees. Pull your shoulders away from your ears and your core engaged. Keep your chest up and your back flat throughout the movement. Bring it back to starting position. Keep your top leg straight and bend the leg closest to the floor at 90 degrees. To make this move easier, you can wrap the band above your knees. Tips: Keep your knees behind your toes. Keep both hands in front of your body for support. Do not lean as you side step Keep tension on the mini band by pressing your knees outward against the band, so that your knees do not collapse to the inside. Knees pushed apart and over toes at all times, toes pointed straight forward even as you move laterally. Here are 5 mini-band exercise ideas you must try. Make sure to keep your back straight. Bring your elbows down, pushing laterally along the sides of the mini band as you do so. Loop a mini band above your knees and stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, toes slightly turned out. Tighten your core and bend your leg at the knee, bringing your heel toward your glutes as far as you comfortably can. Rest for 30 seconds then move onto the next circuit. Carefully bring your leg back down. Use the appropriate resistance for each exercise to get the best bang for your buck. Wrap the resistance band around your right foot, with your right hand still holding the other end. “Mini bands are super convenient, you can take them anywhere, and they barely weigh anything,” ACE-certified personal trainer Sivan Fagan, owner of Strong With Sivan in Baltimore, Maryland, tells SELF. 3-Way Seated Abductions – This is a great move to target your glute medius and even hit different aspects of the muscle. Push the heel of one leg backward against the resistance of the band until it is parallel to the floor. Keep tension on the mini band at all timesDo not let feet and legs come together. While specifically targeting the inner thighs and outer glutes (also known as the adductors and abductors) using a mini resistance band. This is 1 rep. Just by wrapping the mini-band around your legs for your favorite leg exercises (squats, clamshell, donkey kicks) immediately makes each exercise more challenging, thanks to the added resistance. You can get in a full-body workout with mini bands by making sure you’re incorporating the main movement patterns, says Fagan. 3. To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. I recommend resistance bands most to train the thighs and legs. Using a smaller band, put your feet inside of it and pull it up onto your thighs, about mid-way (you don’t want the band to sit too close to your knees as you risk injury, and you don’t want it to sit too high as it won’t do anything). Keep your arms flat on the ground on either side of you. Lower Body Lunges to side Posture! Bra and tights by Outdoor Voices. Tighten your core, and hold one leg firmly in place (the anchor leg) while you press against the band to fully extend the opposite leg. Gaddour, C.S.C.S. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. And they’re all you need to get a super-effective thigh trimming and butt sculpting workout. Equipment needed: mini looped resistance band (a.k.a booty band) Time: 20 minutes Instructions: Choose a mix of three lower- and upper-body exercises and two core moves from the list below. Slowly lift your top leg, keeping it straight and squeezing your butt. How to do it: “Lie on your back with your knees bent at 90 degrees, with the mini band around your legs and positioned just above your knees. Demoing the moves below are Hejira Nitoto (GIFs 1, 2, and 5), a mom of six and a certified personal trainer and fitness-apparel-line owner based in Los Angeles; Angie Coleman (GIFs 3, 6, 8, 9, and 10),  a holistic wellness coach in Oakland, California, helping people find balance and a personal connection to movement; Crystal Williams (GIF 4), a group fitness instructor and trainer who teaches at residential and commercial gyms across New York City; and Salma Nakhlawi (GIF 7), the founder of StrongHer Girls. To get an effective leg and butt workout, these resistance band exercises for legs and glutes are great for long-lasting results. Targets your glutes, hamstrings, quads, and thighs with these 8 leg exercises with bands. After making healthy living a priority, Misato lost over 20 lbs in less than 90 days. Recap: 5-minute exercises to reshape the thighs and butt. Switch legs and repeat. Scoot away from the anchor to create tension. Tips: Squeeze your glutes and maintain a neutral spine throughout the movement. Slowly lower your top back to the starting position. Sign up for the latest health & fitness tips from experts. Lie faceup with your back flat on the floor, a mini band just above your knees, and your feet flat on the floor hip-width apart. You can also stand in front of a wall to touch lightly for balance. Adding a mini-band to traditional lower body exercises is not only a great way to add resistance, but it helps with your everyday performance by improving hips mobilizations and glute activation. Balance on left knee and left hand, right leg extended with right foot resting on the ground and a mini band looped around both legs with mini band just above knees. Push through your heels and squeeze your glutes to raise your hips until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees. Your email address will not be published. Continue to move as quickly as you can, while focusing on keeping your core engaged and your hips level throughout. It also includes core work and some accessory movements, like shoulder external rotation, to work the smaller, stabilizing muscles that can help you lift weights safely. Loop a mini band around your legs, just above your knees and lie face-up on the ground with your arms at your sides, palms facing up. Do 1 to 2 sets of 10 to 20 reps of each exercise. 1. She co-founded Fitwirr to make health and fitness simple for everyone and share her tips through writing evidence-based articles on nutrition, weight loss, and exercise. Small adjustments to the exact amount of HIP FLEXION we sit in can not only impact HOW we work the muscle, but even how well we are personally able to activate it. They increase time under tension for your muscles—something important for building muscle—since they must stay engaged the entire time, says Fagan. Lower Body Posture! 1. Loop a mini band around your ankles and keep a soft bend in your knees. Leg pulses. That’s 1 rep. Instead of weight loss being a dreading experience, living the lifestyle of health and fitness granted her more happiness and joy than ever before. © 2021 Condé Nast. Squeeze right outer thigh to lift straight right leg off the floor until parallel, then lower right leg to return to starting position. Contract your glutes to raise your hips off the floor until your knees, hips, and shoulders are all in a straight line. Mini band — Choose a medium or medium-heavy tension. This is 1 rep. Complete 2–3 rounds total. Loop a mini band around your legs, just above your knees and lie face-up on the ground with your arms at your sides, palms facing up. Rest for 15 seconds then repeat the circuit a second time. You should feel it working your glutes, and outside of your thighs. To do the Half-Kneeling Single-Arm Row, set up in a half-kneeling position on the ground with one end of the mini band around your front foot and the other side in the opposite hand from the leg that is forward. This 20 Minute Legs, Cardio + Core Workout is basically a lower body HIIT workout using a mini resistance band. 30-Day Squat Challenge: Get Your Best Butt in 1 Month, Naked Yoga: What to Expect From a Nude Yoga Class, What Causes Love Handles and How to Get Rid of Them, Intermittent Fasting 101: The Complete Guide to Fasting. That’s one rep. Continue for the prescribed number of repetitions. Light-to-medium mini loop band depending on your fitness level. This is starting position. Extend your arms in front of you to sit back more comfortably. Make sure you don’t arch your back. This move works your quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings. The abduction works your hip abductors, the smaller muscles in your glutes called the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus. SELF may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Pause at the top and open your knees out, keeping your hips raised. Because you’re maintaining that plank position, it also works your chest and shoulder muscles isometrically, says Fagan. Initiating movement with your hips, squat back and down until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Utilizing a mini-band in traditional lower-body exercises such as squats, lunges, and glutes bridges increases the effectiveness of the workout by a large margin. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional. Resistance band exercises for legs even let yo Bring your same foot behind you to the side, tapping your toe to the ground. Switch sides and repeat! 10 Mini Band Moves You Should Be Doing To Activate Your Glutes. This move works the smaller muscles in your butt, your gluteus medius and gluteus minimus. Lie on one side with a mini band placed above your knees and legs bent to 45-degrees; make sure your hips and knees are stacked. You should feel it on the back of the thighs and your glutes. Complete 2 to 3 sets. Get down on all your fours and place a mini loop resistance band around your feet. You should feel it working your glutes, outer thighs, hamstrings, and quads. This move works your latissimus dorsi, your biceps, and your core. Here are 5 mini-band exercise ideas you must try. (Many mini bands, like the set here, come with four or five bands of varying resistance.). The full-body mini-band workout below does just that: It includes a squat pattern, a hip-hinge pattern, hip abduction (moving your legs away from your body), an upper-body push, and an upper-body pull. This is 1 rep. To first start off, you’re going to be stretching your right leg. The plan is simple enough to work for beginners and still has enough progressions (especially if you use bands with more resistance) to challenge more advanced trainees. It helps us continue to be able to make videos for you all here every single day! This move works your back muscles, like your latissimus dorsi and rhomboids. Banded Squats. PLEASE CLICK HERE and subscribe! Brace your core, lift your legs a little, pull your feet apart, bring your legs back down to the floor. This is the starting position. Honestly, they don't get enough credit. B. Lie on your right side and prop up your head with your right hand. Our elastic band exercises for legs can simulate and/or enhance nearly any lower body exercise you can think of.Feel free to explore new ways to use your bands and share by posting and tagging @rubberbanditz. This is starting position. Pause 1-2 seconds, then lower back down and repeat for 12 to 15 repetitions for 2-3 sets. This move works your glutes and your core. Bend your knees slightly and clasp your hands in front of your chest. This workout is for anyone looking to tone their legs — glutes, hamstrings, and quads. Keep a slight bend in your knees and bend over slightly. Assume an athletic stance with a slight bend of the knees and hips 2. It helps us continue to be able to make videos for you all here every single day! Bring your hands back up to starting position, relaxing the tension on the band and moving your hands closer together. Loop a mini band around your ankles, feet hip-width apart. Complete each move for 45 seconds (for single-arm or single-leg moves, do 45 seconds per side), trying not to rest between moves. While many people think of mini bands as a tool for warming up or activating their glutes and getting in a good lower-body workout, mini bands can also be used for upper-body moves. Straight Leg Raises. Keep both hands in front of your body for support. Step your right foot to the right, then follow it with your left, feeling resistance from the band. Return to the starting position slowly. Slowly reverse the movement for one repetition. Coaching Points: 1. Stand beside a chair (for balance) with feet shoulder-width apart; Place your mini exercise band right above your ankles; Lift your right leg to your side and squeeze your glutes as you lift; Lower your right leg, and repeat the motion eight times. What you need: A couple of pairs of mini-bands with varying resistances. Loops a mini band around the middle of your foot and get into a split stance, with your banded foot out front. Keep your top leg straight and bend the leg closest to the floor at 90 degrees. This mini-band workout below will not only strengthen your entire body, but since it’s performed in a circuit fashion—no rest between moves—it’ll get your heart pumping, which provides cardiovascular benefits too, says Fagan. Repeat 20 times and move onto the left side. Bend your knees 90 degrees and pull your toes up toward your … You can also do 50 to 100-rep finishers of one move at the end of your workout for an epic low-impact pump. Resistance band leg exercises are great if you want to tighten and tone your legs at home, a hotel, or in lieu of a machine at the gym. Glute Bridge. Stand up by pushing through your hips. Hold the resistance band with your opposite hand. Bring it back to starting position. Tips: Keep your chest up and maintain a back flat throughout. This resistance band workout uses a classic workout split (push/pull/lower body or PPL) to create the ultimate 3-day muscle and strength-building split that challenges all the major muscle groups. This is starting position. Move 1 leg sideways andbring the other leg to it. Continue to press out against the band as you bring your arms over your head. Band exercises have gained props over the years for being portable, affordable, and super-efficient, but their mini version (mini-band) has received less attention. Wrap a mini band around your ankles, then get into a high plank position. Yep, you can work your upper body with mini bands too. That’s 1 rep. Resistance band exercises are boost metabolism more than bodyweight leg exercises but without bulky gym equipment. For each circuit, you’ll do four exercises back to back for 30 seconds each. Continue for 12 to 15 repetitions. Keeping your elbows tight at your sides, move your palms away from each other, then bring them back to starting position. Wrap a mini band around your wrists. Put a mini band around your ankles, and stand in a quarter squat position with your feet shoulder-width apart. That doesn’t mean mini-band exercises are easy, though. Mini bands, like other kinds of resistance bands, work your muscles differently than free weights do. Your email address will not be published. This move works the largest muscle in your butt, your gluteus maximus, as well as your hamstrings. Wrap a mini band around your wrists with your palms facing each other. Bring your hands over your head and push your hands apart to create tension in the band. PLEASE CLICK HERE and subscribe! This resistance band exercise for legs is great for working your hip abductor, gluteus medius, and quadriceps. The more you stretch the band—say, when you’re at the top position of a single-arm row, where your elbow is just beyond your side—the harder the exercise will feel. Return your arm back to starting position. Bring your knees together and lower your butt back to the floor. With your glutes engaged, slowly extend one leg out behind you. This move works your rear deltoids and your rotator cuffs. That’s one rep. Continue for the full set. Bring one foot in front of you to the side, tapping your toe to the ground. These mini-band exercises will strengthen and tone your thighs and shape your butt completely. From this position, maintaining an engaged core, jump your feet wide apart, then jump them back together to return to your starting position. This is 1 rep. Continue for 45 seconds, then switch sides. With your core braced, perform a row by pulling your arm back and stretching the mini band toward your side. That’s 1 rep. Retrace the pattern back. The gluteus medius is important for stabilizing the legs, and the Mini-Band Side Shuffle is the perfect move for activating this muscle and teaching it to engage during lateral movement. Put your hands on your hips. Don’t let the short duration or the fact that this is a low impact workout fool you… it was intense. If you don’t have much space for at-home workouts, mini bands are going to be a key piece of fitness equipment. To perform a mini band quad stretch: To begin the quad stretch, have the resistance band ready and lay on your left side. Tips: Keep your abs engaged and squeeze your glutes throughout. At the end of the circuit, rest for 1–2 minutes. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. Keep your core engaged, chest lifted, and back flat. This move primarily targets your glutes. Bring it back to starting position. Bring your same foot straight out to the side, tapping your toe to the ground. Ad Choices, 10 Mini-Band Exercises That Will Work Your Entire Body. Do not move up and down 4. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated as of 1/1/21) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated as of 1/1/21) and Your California Privacy Rights. These light, portable and travel-friendly Mini-Exercise Bands are the ultimate body sculpting tool. Mini Band Exercise: Standing Abductor Lift. Your elbow should slightly pass your side. This mini band booty workout lit my glutes on FIRE in the best kind of way and if you’re looking for a serious booty burner, keep this workout in your back pocket! Pause for 1-2 seconds, then slowly return to the start. To squat with the band, stand with a mini band looped around your legs, just below the knees, arms at your sides, and feet shoulder-width apart. Take short steps laterally 3. Wrap a mini band around your wrists, palms facing out. 8 Resistance Band Exercises For Legs and Glutes. 10 Best Resistance Band Exercises for Legs and Glutes . You can use light mini bands for moves that work smaller muscles (like the shoulder external rotation) and heavier mini bands for moves that work larger muscles (like the glute bridge and squat). SELF does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Lie on your side and loop a mini band above your knees. Complete a few steps to the right, and then complete a few to the left. This is starting position. After making healthy living a priority, Misato lost over 20 lbs in less than 90 days.…. Exercise Equipment. This leg band workout is perfect for anyone looking build strong, toned and lean legs at home! Then immediately jump them wide again. Subscribe to our health and fitness newsletter! In your high plank, your wrists should be under your shoulders, your hips in line with your spine, your legs extended straight behind you, and your core engaged. Bend your elbows so your forearms are in a straight line. Kelsey McClellan. (Also read: Sculpt a Perkier Butt with Fitness Trainer Chontel Duncan’s Intense Glutes Workout) Swinging leg lifts Our resistance bands for legs are popular for lunges, calf raises, leg press, squats, and many more. It’s one set that will completely transform and reshape your thighs and butt. And there are tons of mini-band exercises you can do to make sure you hit every muscle in your body. All rights reserved. 20 Resistance Band Exercises to Strengthen Your Entire Body, 12 Dumbbell Abs Exercises That Will Seriously Work Your Core, This Back and Shoulder Workout Will Help You Stand Up Tall. One great Mini Band Back Exercise is the Half-Kneeling Single-Arm Row, which will strengthen your back and help improve your posture. Pause for 1-2 seconds, then slowly return to starting position bend in your knees get... Popular for lunges, calf raises, leg press, squats, and quads and... Four exercises back to back for 30 seconds each targeting the inner thighs and butt workout, resistance... Your top leg straight and bend the leg closest to the left side move works your latissimus and. Slowly return to starting position for 12 to 15 repetitions for 2-3 sets for move. Best resistance band then get into a high plank position, relaxing the tension on the mini band as comfortably. Wrap the resistance of the circuit a second time your forearms are in full-body... 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For a squat also helps teach proper form, since it helps us continue to move as quickly as comfortably. Outer thighs, hamstrings, quads, and your glutes, and hamstrings the largest muscle in butt! Chest-Height, pushing out against the band to create tension in the.! This article, visit my Profile, then View saved stories should feel it working your glutes.. Your gluteus minimus Cardio + core workout is basically a lower body HIIT workout using a mini back... Bodyweight leg exercises but without bulky gym equipment and back flat throughout the.! Gluteus maximus, as well as your hamstrings and lower back lbs less... A study non-moving stationary object get the Best bang for your muscles—something important for building muscle—since must!