The benefits of using a resistance band:
Facilitate the mind-body connection.
Clarifies specific cues/instructions - language can facilitate the experience and other times it can be too abstract.
Gives proprioceptive feedback. The bands provide feedback to the brain and strengthen the mind-body connection, which increases our proprioception—our ability to perceive where our body is in space. The band can reroute this misperception of where we THINK the body is in space.
Assists stabilising joint activity from isometrics - In isometric contractions, the muscle groups don’t lengthen or shorten and the joints don’t move. Isometrics bring an entirely new dynamic to the joint while physically supporting it. Adding resistance bands to your practice, you will almost immediately feel muscular activity surrounding the joint rather than just partial engagement (on only one side of the joint).
Emphasises control to movement as we move against external force.
Great way to sneak in extra elements of strength training into postural retraining.
Add variety to training.
Invites an element of curiosity and play, something different to be enjoyed.
The blue resistance bands offer good challenging work while the purple bands are much harder and heavier - you can choose the resistance you feel is best for the exercise and your level.
Warm-up and neck stretching:
Roll down to warm up your spine.
Add extension into the upper back.
Add spirals through the legs and straighten the legs up keeping tension on the bands
Stretch the neck down and up, right to left, the half circles taking up and around and then down and around.
Focus on a deep sense of connection through the pelvic floor, transverse abdominals and breathing. Bring the body and mind to connect and feel your sense of alignment through the body. Footwork:
Focus on drawing up through the arches of the feet and spiralling the muscles from under the foot and around the back of the calf forward, then over the top of the leg and around to the gluteus maximus.
Abdominal Work and Spinal Articulation :
1. Pelvic curl into Spin Curl with Offerings.
2. Chest Lift and adding Rotation.
3. Spine Twist Supine adding neck stretch.
4. Supported Roll-Up with back into extension at the top.
Hip and Gluteal Work:
Side lying series
1. Side scissors with the accent on the adductor's feet flexed (bring both legs into each other).
2. Side scissors with the accent on the adductor's feet pointed (bring both legs into each other).
3. Front back scissors with the accent on the back leg (bottom leg stable and top leg lifts).
4. Top leg lifts parallel - into turn out - down - and back to turn out (reverse movement - movement must come from the hip joint and not the lower leg)
Stretches:
Lateral Flexion and Quadratus Lamborum Stretch.
Over Head Shoulder Stretch (for healthy shoulders and knees).
Inner Thigh Stretch.
Hamstring Stretch.
Gluteal Stretch.
Full bodywork:
1. Cat Stretch
2. Front Support
The focus is on abdominals and scapular stabilisation.
Arm Work:
Standing arm work
1. Square arm push front - simple, pectoral and serratus
2. Hug a tree
3. Chicken wings
4. Rotators
5. Arm stretch front
6. Arm stretch side
Kneeling arm work 1. Tricep single arm reach
2. Tricep both arms pull back
3. Bicep curl up
Leg work
Feet parallel (can also do this version in turn out):
1. Front leg lifts from floor - add pulses
2. Side leg lifts from the floor - add pulses
Lateral Flexion and Back Extension
Basic Back Extension
Sunflower
Aeroplane (can also add lateral flexion - gliding from one side to the other in extension)
This blog has been inspired by Swissbody Resistance band Training