Video: Elastic Upper-Body Workout

One of the most attractive elements of these bands is how compact and lightweight they are. They can be stored in your junk drawer or tucked away in a cupboard, which makes them perfect for your home or office. This 4-movement workout requires no change of clothes and is also perfect for your home or office, 

The Workout

After a quick warm-up rotation, do 10 reps of these 4 exercises:

1. Lateral pull-downs
2. Lateral raises
3. Band pull-aparts
4. Band chest-press

I only do one set of each exercise, in a circuit, in the video. But I suggest you go through the entire routine two or three times, depending on your fitness level and the time available.

The first time you do this workout, you may be unsure which resistance band to choose. I suggest choosing a very thin/light band at first so you don't risk getting too sore or hurting yourself. You can always increase the level of resistance next time.

Resistance band reminders

Remember that the more you stretch a resistance band, the more intense the resistance gets, and the harder the exercise becomes. By starting all of these exercises with your hands about shoulder-width apart, you should be able to keep some tension on the band at all times and get a really good workout!

The more you stretch a resistance band, the more intense the resistance gets, and the harder the exercise becomes.

Doing these movements using resistance bands can feel a little unsteady or wobbly, which means you'll need to focus and work a little harder to maintain good form. Believe me, this is a good thing! This instability factor means your workout targets what we fitness pros call your stabilizer muscles as well as other muscle groups. This means you're building stability while you are building strength. 

For more information and a few more resistance band workout videos, check out my article called How to Use Resistance Bands for Your Home Workout.

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