The monsoon is perfect weather for working up a sweat without feeling extremely tired, but it is a terrible time to travel to a gym or some other facility for your workout. Motivating oneself to stay awake or wake up on a rainy morning is a task in itself, so getting an hour in for your body deserves an extra pat on the back. But if it is difficult remaining consistent But if you are struggling to stay consistent with your weight training, then it is time you become best friends with resistance bands.
Today’s fitness column aims to give you videos for a complete four-day workout week using only resistance bands—so even if you miss a week at the gym, you should be fine. Some of these workouts might use a short band or a long band and the ideal combination is having a couple of each. If not, the long band can be folded into a knot half its size and act as a short band as well.
So as we grapple with the waterlogging, don’t forget to log your workouts in these four days which hit all your muscle groups. Some workouts might be too short so the key is to pair them with your usual warm-up and mobility routines and some cardio or core work depending on your fitness levels.
Day 1 (Chest and Shoulders)Start off with the vanity muscles! Who knows, this might even convince you that resistance band workouts are effective. The videos below are by YouTube channels THENX by Chris Heria and Athlean-X by Jeff Cavaliere. Both of them have a combined subscription of more than 20 million people and the videos have a combined viewership of more than four million so you are in safe hands.
The shoulder workout by THENX is particularly pleasing since it hits the rotator cuffs with some mobility work and it’s a short follow-along.
The chest workout from Athlean-X is a great way to learn some really good exercises. Although this workout requires a slightly heavy band, you can easily do it with a lighter band as well. The upper chest band pullover is a personal favourite.
Day 2 (Back, Biceps and Hamstrings) Consider this more of a posterior chain workout, with the back and hamstrings being hit on the same day. A T Nation article, titled The 11 Body Part Split on different workout splits states that the “back and hams on the same day can work well together, as deadlifts and deadlift variations are big exercises that can work them both.”
The first video is a back, biceps, and shoulders workout with an emphasis on pulling. The extra shoulder work is a bonus and you shouldn’t skip it. The workout is easy, takes 30 minutes, and has three sets. Perfect.
Follow that up with this brilliant 12-minute hamstring bodyweight only workout by Carolina Girvan, who is a certified nutrition coach, pre & postnatal specialist and a kettlebell expert.
Day 3 (Legs) We’ve reached the dreaded leg day. And when it comes to follow-along videos with bands, especially on leg days, look no further than Daniel P.T. His 30-minute banded workout is a brilliant burner and very effective.
Fitness YouTuber Heather Grahamson posts some really good workout series. One of her most popular videos is the 10-minute mini band workout for what she calls the “legs, thighs, and booty”.
Day 4 (Mobility and Core) While proper warmups are a no-brainer, it is always good to dedicate one whole day to working on it, and pair it up with a core workout for the quickening of the heart and the tightening of the abs.
Julia Repel has a 12-minute mobility workout with bands which you can find below, and it is packed with deep squats, shoulder tears, and hip work to unlock the body’s ability to move. If you are interested, there's a great bodyweight only 20-minute mobility routine video from Repel as well.
And we cannot forget the abs. Exercises for the core which are powered by the legs can always be made tougher by adding bands. Eylem Abachi’s 8-minute ab workout with mini bands is a great starting point.
Pulasta Dhar is a football commentator and writer.
