Everyone is raving about Pilates right now, and for good reason—it's an excellent way to build strength while also improving posture and mobility.
Equipment-free Pilates routines can help you get fitter, but if your main aim is to build muscle, adding a resistance band can speed up results.
Annabel Luke, founder of Pilates By Bel, says she regularly incorporates resistance bands into her workouts to increase the intensity.
We asked Luke to share her favorite resistance band exercise for building strength at home and she recommended the single-leg stretch for improving strength and mobility.
"If you've been doing Pilates for a while, a single-leg stretch may feel manageable," she says. "But if you add a resistance band around your feet, it will add an extra challenge for your core muscles and legs."
How to do a single-leg stretch
- Lie on your back and lift your head, neck and shoulders off the mat.
- Bend your knees to a 90° angle and raise your legs, so your shins are parallel to the floor hovering above the mat.
- Place a resistance band around both feet—you'll instantly feel your core engage.
- Extend one leg out in front of you while keeping the other in its starting position.
- Bring the extended leg back in, then switch sides.
- Repeat for 10-12 reps.
The benefits of resistance band movements
As the name suggests, resistance bands add resistance to your movements, making muscles work harder—just like free weights or machines—and promoting muscle growth.
Resistance bands can also be used for stretching or to assist with challenging movements such as pull-ups.
With the single-leg stretch, the resistance band not only adds resistance to your core and leg muscles but also enhances the stretch. This makes it a great move for improving both strength and flexibility.
Resistance bands to try
Need to stock up on your home gym equipment? We like the below options from Amazon. Once you've bagged these, you'll be able to do full-body resistance band workouts and resistance band arm workouts from the comfort of your living room.
The cheap, short-looped resistance bands are ideal for making your squats and lateral walks more challenging.
Open-ended bands are very versatile, and these latex-free options are currently less than $10.
Perform exercises like lateral pull-downs and weighted squats with these long-looped, durable bands.
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