Reading time: 5 min.
Personal trainer and TV coach Arne Derricks shows you the best mini band exercises for abs, legs, buttocks and more. A complete fitness band workout that only takes a few minutes. Have fun!
Contents
What are mini bands?
Exercise 1: Side Walk
Exercise 2: Lateral abduction
Exercise 3: Leg raises for a firm bottom
Exercise 4: Triceps Extension
Exercise 5: Biceps curl
Exercise 6: Side walks in the plank
Exercise 7: Arm raises in the plank
Exercise 8: Abduction from the side position
Exercise 9: rowing
Conclusion
What are mini bands?
You probably know Therabands . The long exercise bands have been found in almost every gym and in every physiotherapy practice for years. But do you also know the practical mini bands?
These are small elastic bands that are commonly used in fitness training. They are perfect for carrying out additional strength and stability exercises and specifically training the muscles. The bands can be placed around knees, feet or hands and enable exercises such as lunges, squats or shoulder exercises.
The intensity of the training can be controlled by choosing the strength of the band, so that even beginners can work well with the small exercise bands. Mini bands are very versatile and can be used both in the gym and at home.
Exercise 1: Side Walk
Let's start with two bands that are placed around the legs for the classic side walk. One slightly thicker mini band is above the knees, the other above the ankles. Find the right strength for you here before you get started. By the way, this applies to every exercise!
Your feet are hip-width apart and you crouch slightly, your arms are bent in front of your upper body. Make sure that the bands always remain under tension. Now you move sideways with small powerful steps. You should feel the effort in your outer thighs and buttocks!
In addition, this exercise offers numerous variations, for example the external rotation of the knees from a slight squat without lateral stepping movement. Just try it!
Exercise 2: Lateral abduction
For the next exercise you only need one band. It's about the abductions again, but now standing. You put a mini band of your choice around your feet, above the ankles and stand with your feet hip-width apart. For more stability, you can support yourself with one hand, for example on the wall. Now go with the right, stretched leg into the abduction to the side, stretch the leg to the side. The hips remain stable, the upper body straight, the left hand can be supported if necessary. Make sure you choose the intensity of the band so that you can do the exercise in the correct posture!
Exercise 3: Leg raises for a firm bottom
If you turn from the side position with your upper body to the wall, you can immediately do something for your glutes. Support yourself slightly with both hands, standing leg and upper body form a straight line forwards and upwards.
Now you lift the right, long leg from the hip backwards and use your buttock muscles properly. Be careful not to fall into a hollow back!
Exercise 4: Triceps Extension
The effective exercises with the mini bands are of course not limited to legs and buttocks, these versatile bands also enable effective training of the entire musculature for the arms and upper body.
Let's start with the classic and effective training for the triceps, the extension against the resistance. You take the rubber band in both hands, with one hand you fix the loop of the band on your shoulder by bending your arm to your upper body and putting your hand on the front of your shoulder. Now you can do the exercise with the other arm and press the other loop of the band down with the power of the triceps with a straight wrist. The arm is at the side of the body up to the elbow. Make sure you have a stable stance throughout the exercise!
Exercise 5: Biceps curl
Of course, we also want to work hard on the biceps. Go into a slightly bent squat and place one foot on the floor in front of you in the loop of the rubber band. Now grab the free loop with your hand, your palm facing up. This is the perfect starting position for the bicep curl. Your free hand stabilizes the upper body by placing it on the hip. To stabilize your posture, you can put your elbow slightly on the raised leg during the curls. By choosing different colors of the rubber bands, you can individually increase the intensity of the exercise.
Exercise 6: Side walks in the plank
Now let's get into the plank. You put a slightly stronger band around your ankles and a weaker band around your wrists. Hands and feet are about the same distance apart, namely hip-width apart. Now take small steps to the side with your arms and legs - make sure that the ligaments are always under tension! Your buttocks are tense, your torso and back are stabilized. In this exercise, you significantly strengthen the support function, which is already exhausting in the normal plank.
Exercise 7: Arm raises in the plank
The plank continues to be strenuous: Now you actively hold the loop with one hand and pull this arm up out of your shoulder. Everything in the plank and as a variation with a slight rotation of the upper body!
Exercise 8: Abduction from the side position
Now lie on your side, the mini-band is again around your ankles or slightly above them. The upper leg first brings the band into a basic tension. Then you alternately lift the stretched upper leg and return to basic tension. It becomes a bit more difficult if you also lift the other leg slightly off the floor and do this exercise as described. Then the lateral abdominal muscles have to work even harder.
If you want to work the outer thighs, pull the band over your knees and bend your legs slightly for this exercise while opening and closing your knees.
Exercise 9: rowing
When it comes to the upper body, the rubber band can be an excellent replacement for the oars: In a long seat, you put a band around your feet and hold it in your hands. With a straight upper body, pull your arms backwards against the increasing tension of the band, as you would when rowing. Depending on the intensity of the band, the chest, back, arms and shoulders have to tackle properly.
Conclusion
With mini bands you can train small and large muscle groups in an uncomplicated and effective way. Arms, legs, bottom - you can use it to strengthen all the muscles that you like to look at in the mirror.
Whether individually or in a set - the small fitness bands made of latex or with a comfortable textile cover are pleasantly small, light and really cheap to buy. There is room for two or three of them in almost every drawer or bag. So you don't have to do without the little workout in between when you're on the go.
