A Shoutout to Mini Bands + Weekly Workout Burnout
New workout buddies.
When I first got into at home workouts, all the videos I watched and did were the non-equipment ones. I mean, there’s no reason for me to shell out money for equipment when I can just modify, right? And I did that no-equipment for a good month or so. But there’s only so much no-equipment workouts on the Internet. Not gonna lie, having no equipment kinda limited my choices so it didn’t take me long to purchase my first two workout must-haves: a yoga mat and a pair of 2lbs vinyl dumbbells. Having them just changed my workout game. I was able to incorporate workouts with weights and I can now do yoga or pilates without fear of slipping; the mat even gives me the freedom to workout barefoot! Looking back, I’m just amazed at how I was able to workout without the weights and the mat. Feels like years ago, to be honest, because I’m very helpless without them, especially my mat.
I got the newest addition to my workout kit three months ago out of sheer curiosity but I wasn’t able to fully use it in my workouts until last month. Truthfully, that’s just because I already have my workouts planned so I didn’t see the point of breaking the schedules just so I could use these new ones immediately. I dunno, that’s just me hehe. The new equipment I’m absolutely loving at the moment? Mini. Resistance. Bands.
Mini resistance bands aren’t that hard to get ahold of. There are a lot of places to get them online (like on Amazon or eBay) as well as in physical sports stores. I got mine from Booty Bands PH. Finding their online store was such good luck because one: they’re a local brand and it’s just nice to support local brands; second, their shipping fee doesn’t cost an arm and a leg compared to other websites; and three, I liked their band colors the most. Purple, pink, and black? Come on. What can I say, I’m still a girly girl when it comes to such things.
Mini bands usually come in sets of three: a light, a medium, and a heavy. In the case of my bands, the light band’s resistance is 10-20lbs; the medium band is 20-30 lbs; and the heavy is 30-40 lbs. This is one thing I like about these bands. In one set, you get three bands with different weights that you can mix and match as you progress. Another thing I like about resistance bands is that they’re light and space-saving. They’re not bulky at all plus they’re the perfect travel companions since they won’t weigh down your luggage. Hell, you can even just put ‘em in your pocket and be done with it.
So how exactly do they work? Well, let me explain by quoting a few articles (because I may not explain this accurately in my own words):
“Mini bands apply tension during both the contracting and lengthening phases of a move, and since the band loops around your limbs, it naturally refines your form on most movement patterns.” (WomensHealth.com)
“The beauty of these wide, flat bands is in their versatility. They pack and travel easily. You can ramp up the intensity with varying resistance levels. You can take advantage of them in your home or at the gym. And they’re easy to incorporate into myriad exercises, helping you utilize lateral movements (which can combat injury and overuse), stabilization work (necessary for proper posture, form, and bulletproofing your body), and instantly make a workout more effective.” (MensJournal.com)
I noticed that these bands are usually used/incorporated in common moves: pushups, squats, leg raises, bridges, and walks. I personally love using the bands in squats, walks, bicycles, clams, and my personal fave: anything arm related. Tricep kickbacks, rows, curls- you name it, I’ll do it. It’s very effective on the triceps in particular. From my experience, my triceps get sorer when I use a band than when I use dumbbells. These mini resistance bands just give me a different sweet burn, you know? And don’t even get me started on using them in plank rows. KILLER.
Just like dumbbells, the bands also give you the option to drop weight. Basically, if you’re using a medium or heavy band but you seem to struggle in maintaining a proper form during your workout, you can always alternate your band to a lighter one. Meaning, from medium you drop to light or from heavy, you drop to medium. I always make sure my light band is always on standby, just in case my medium kills me haha! Always remember that proper form is always a priority and if dropping to a lighter band makes you more comfortable and centered, then there’s no shame in doing that.
In conclusion, I think it’s pretty obvious that I’m a big fan of mini resistance bands. I’m glad I got them because they’re super worth the money. They make my workouts challenging and interesting which I totally enjoy. And they’re very portable too! If there’s any con to them, it’s that they have the tendency to roll or slip, especially if you’re very sweaty and if you’re not keeping constant tension on them. Other than that, they're pretty cool. They’re the perfect at home workout equipment and when you pair them with cardio and weights? Holy guacamole, you’ll be a sweaty sore mess, for sure.
30 MINUTE WORKOUT BURNOUT
Of course this post won’t be complete without a 30 Min
workout! Since we’re talking about mini bands, Imma be sharing a mini band
workout! I absolutely loved doing the workouts I’m sharing today because they
got me sweating and sore and panting.
- This workout is particularly great for those who are new
to mini bands; a great intro to mini bands, if you will. This workout
isn’t too hardcore but it has a good sprinkling of cardio, leg & glute
work, as well as arm work. The exercises in
this workout aren’t too complicated and definitely fool-proof. I used a medium
mini band for the leg workouts and a light mini band for the arm work.
-Listen. I’m an arm workout junkie and that’s the reason why
this workout is here. This workout is an arm KILLER or more specifically: a
TRICEP Killer. (I’d like to think that’s partly because I used a medium mini
band throughout instead of a light haha!) This workout also has a couple of
core work because of some planks here and there but it’s focused more on arms.
In this workout, I dropped weight on the second round. I mean, my arms were
jelly already after using that medium mini band during the first round so it’s
better for me to drop weight than to push myself and lose form. Do this twice
and your triceps will be sore like no other. I can’t.
Workout Duration: around 35 minutes, excluding warm up and cool down
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