Leg workouts engage some of the largest muscles in your body, so it's a wise idea to incorporate lower-body exercise into your regular training schedule. If you're worried about not having enough time or the right equipment for this, you'll want to try this five-move resistance band workout that's specially designed for engaging your lower body muscles.
Not all strength workouts that are worth your time require access to weights. Using some of the best resistance bands in your exercise routine can stimulate the same muscle activity as weights do, but they place less strain on your joints meaning you have less chance of injury from performing a banded strength workout.
Just like when you train with weights, like the best adjustable dumbbells, and move up and down weight size when you get stronger, or depending on the exercise you are using, you can do the same with resistance bands.
A set will often come with varying resistances so that people can apply progressive overload to their training and develop strength the same way you would with traditional weight training. After you've established what resistance you'd like to begin training with you're all set to take on Britany Williams' five-move lower body workout.
Williams, a NASM certified personal trainer and a Barre instructor for the Sweat workout app, says her resistance band session is ideal for when you’re away from home or your gym as it uses minimal equipment. You just need a band, a chair to lean on for support, and a workout mat, such as one of the best yoga mats, to protect your joints from any hard flooring.
If you're using this banded session on its own, aim for four to five rounds, spending 30 seconds on each exercise with minimal rests in between. Then allow yourself rest periods of one to two minutes between each round.
Watch Britany Williams' Five Move Lower Body Resistance Band Workout
This short routine can form part of a larger session, "This also would work well as part of a warm-up for a heavier strength training session to help activate the glutes, quads and hip flexors," explains Williams.
If you use a workout split and need a good warm-up for your lower body sessions she recommends completing two rounds of her routine. The varying exercises will help activate the glutes, quads and hip flexors, according to Williams.
Spending time under tension in your workouts builds tension in your muscles for a longer duration and helps lead to muscle growth. The great thing about working out with resistance bands is that they increase your time under tension during an exercise as your muscles are forced to remain engaged throughout the whole movement. Whereas with weight training, you can just drop the weight mid-movement if you feel like taking a break.
If you don't already train with weights but feel more inspired to after tackling this banded resistance session, then you should look into mixing in some dumbbell moves to your workouts. With a set of these weights, you can learn how to deadlift with dumbbells, this is a great lower-body-building move. You can build your upper body physique with this shoulder dumbbell workout or strengthen your core with these dumbbell ab exercises.
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