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The cheapest no-frills do-anywhere strength and fat-burning workout you'll ever need! For a mere 60 bucks, and three 20-minute sessions per week without free weights, you can keep your muscles and heart pumping

Men's Fitness, Sept, 2001 by Matt Fitzgerald

Resistance bands are a wonder. A set that weighs a mere pound can provide your muscles with well over 200 pounds of tension when secured to a stable object. And if you've ever dented the floor of your den with a dropped dumbbell, or tried to make do with a regimen of push-ups and crunches while traveling, you will quickly be won over by the economy and convenience of a resistance-band workout.

A deluxe resistance-band kit, which can be stored handily in a suitcase, car or sock drawer, allows you to perform virtually the same routine you might do using a complete personal gym that dominates a small room in your home. With some limitations, of course.

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"Resistance bands are easily the most convenient tool you can use to get a complete strength workout away from the gym," says Doug Holt, C.S.C.S., a personal trainer who uses bands with many of his clients.

Training with resistance bands alone will not be enough to transform a Prince Charles into a Charles Atlas, according to Holt, but used now and again to supplement your program when weights aren't accessible, the bands are more than adequate to help you maintain the strength and definition, even the size, you've acquired through tried-and-true iron pumping. And if you're entirely new to resistance training, the bands are a great way to get your foot, er, muscles in the door.

BAND BASICS

First employed as a rehab device by doctors in the 1960s, resistance bands have seen an explosive growth in popularity among athletes and exercisers in the past few years. In addition to their convenience--you don't have to store them under the bed the way you do the latest ab devices being hawked on infomercials--they provide smooth resistance throughout a full range of motion, concentric and eccentric, and they up intensity by offering the training benefits of continuous tension. "This develops nice, balanced muscles and is easy on the joints," says Holt.

The first resistance bands were just so much surgical tubing, with handles made from a loop and a knot. Today's bands, made of high-tech polymers and produced under brand names such as Lifeline and StretchCordz, are far superior. They last indefinitely, offer more options for varied resistance, and are available with extras such as leg straps, lifting bars, dynamic-weight charts and door anchors (depending on make and model).

Expect to pay as little as $15 for a basic setup and no more than $60 for all the bells and whistles. For the most complete resistance-band workouts (such as the one below), Holt considers a door anchor essential. He also recommends keeping two sets, one with greater resistance for the larger muscle groups and one with less resistance for the smaller muscles.

THE WORKOUT

The following is a 20- to 30-minute total-body circuit--good for combining strength elements with cardio benefits, which translates to fat loss--that Holt often prescribes to his clients who like to travel light and lift heavy. A minimal investment that requires little exercise space, this routine is suitable for anyone just launching into an exercise program, Holt says. Perform it two or three times a week with a day's rest between sessions.

The 10 exercises that make up the workout have familiar names (squat, biceps curl, etc.), but are modified slightly to fit your equipment choice. With such minor alterations you can replicate virtually any gym exercise you choose, so don't feel confined to those provided.

Warm up with a few minutes of light cardio (e.g., jumping jacks) and stretching. Do a single 10- to 12-rep set of each exercise, taking only as much rest as you need in order to get into position for the next movement. "This workout takes advantage of the fact that you don't have to make a lot of adjustments to get from one exercise to the next with resistance bands," Holt explains. Consequently, expect a high heart rate and some heavy breathing (hence, fat-burning) to accompany the muscle burn you feel.

Try to get through the circuit at least twice (20 minutes), ideally three times (30 minutes). Cool down, toss your resistance bands back in a drawer, and then order room service or click on SportsCenter.

THE EXERCISES

1. SQUAT Stand on the resistance band with both feet. Grasp a handle in each hand and stand up straight with your hands by your ears and palms forward (1a). Bend slowly at the knees and hips as if sitting down in a chair, keeping your eyes forward and your back comfortably upright (1b). When your thighs are parallel to the floor, slowly return to the starting position and repeat. To increase resistance, widen your stance or stand on a box with the band tucked beneath it.

[ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED]

2. CHEST PRESS Hook the resistance band to a door at chest level. Facing away from the door, grasp a handle in each hand and position your fists at chest level, with your elbows sharply bent (2a). Find the appropriate resistance by stepping away from the door, then plant your feet firmly. Press forward smoothly just as you would with a chest-press machine (2b), then slowly return to the starting position and repeat.

The cheapest no-frills do-anywhere strength and fat-burning workout you'll ever need! For a mere 60 bucks, and three 20-minute sessions per week without free weights, you can keep your muscles and heart pumping

Men's Fitness, Sept, 2001 by Matt Fitzgerald

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