FitSugar

Fun With Resistance Bands

FitSugar — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 10:58:14 PST

If you're traveling this holiday season, don't forget to throw a resistance band in your suitcase. You can give yourself a full-body workout with this lightweight fitness tool. Here are three of our favorite moves to work your arms, legs, and abs. Be sure to check out our hotel room workout too! It's full of moves perfect for tight spaces.

Don't Resist the Resistance Band

FitSugar — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 08:00:00 PDT

Here's a riddle: What's long, black, and red, stretches from feet to head, costs 11 bucks or less, and will help you look fab in a strapless dress? You got it. A resistance band is one of the cheapest ways to tone your muscles. Aside from that, here are some other reasons you should start using one.

Using a band requires coordination and balance so you end up utilizing more muscle groups to stabilize your body.
You can target specific muscle groups or smaller muscles more easily than with weights.
Bands offer more variety because you can create resistance in all directions, which helps you strengthen neglected muscle groups. Also, since there are different tension levels based on the color band you use, you can easily alter the difficulty level. Use a higher tension band for an easier exercise like Bicep Curls, or a lower tension band for more difficult exercises like Overhead Shoulder Presses.
Resistance bands can make all strength-training exercises more challenging. Try using one with basic moves like push-ups and squats. Or use a band in combination with dumbbells such as this exercise called Bent Over Row With Resistance Band.

For more reasons why you should use a band

DVD Review: 10 Minute Solution Belly, Butt, & Thigh Blasters

FitSugar — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 11:00:36 PDT

Everybody loves a free gift, right? With 10 Minute Solution Belly, Butt, & Thigh Blasters, you get a free sculpting loop. Though it takes some time to break in, it's a perfectly serviceable resistance band for this or any other workout.

Hosted by Jessica Smith, the bubbly but encouraging coach of 10 Minute Solution Quick Tummy Toners, this 50-minute workout DVD is split into five 10-minute segments. The first three segments are divided into abs, thigh, and booty workouts that combine Pilates, ballet, and resistance moves. The last two are cardio-focused, with an ab segment and a lower body workout. Even the noncardio segments are fast paced, so doing three at once will guarantee a good sweat. For the rest of my review,

read more. Though I'd classify this as an intermediate-level workout in terms of intensity, none of the moves are complicated or difficult to learn, and Smith is a capable instructor. On my first run through the video, I had to move a bit slower than she did in order to maintain my form, but after getting familiar with the routine, I found the cardio and the strength-training segments easy to follow. Which doesn't mean they were easy to do! The resistance band definitely increases the intensity of the balancing moves, squats and lunges, and bicycle crunches in an effective way. Plus, even though the segments are divided by the area of the body they work, most of the moves are multitasking, so by the end, my whole body was fatigued - a good thing in my book. Check out the video below to see what you can expect. If you end up not liking the DVD, at least you get a free sculpting loop out of the deal. Have a fitness DVD that you love? Write your own review in our Get Fit For 2010 community group. This is the week to catch up on all the previous challenges to enter to win our weekly prize - $100 Nike gift card - and our fabulous grand prize.

Guess Who?

FitSugar — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:30:26 PST

Can you guess which former American Idol contestant is working out with a resistance band?

Resistance Is Fruitful

FitSugar — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 09:00:03 PST

This Christmas I was excited about all the fitness-related gifts I received, especially a new resistance band kit. It's been raining a lot lately, and as a result I haven't been able to ride my bike to the gym as much as I'd like. It's a bummer, but using my resistance bands at home has kept me from going nuts. I use them to tone and strengthen as well as stretch. And even though it's not exactly the same as getting to my yoga class or climbing gym, it works the same areas of my body - hips, thighs, arms, back, you name it, it works it!

What's great about a resistance band is how inexpensive it is - you can easily find a good one for under $10 or a three-piece set for around $30. They're small and store easily, making them ideal for traveling or tucking away in a desk drawer at work. And depending on your level of strength, there's one for everyone - from light to super heavy tension and everything in between.

Read why I think you should learn to love resistance bands when you

Weekend Workout: Three Moves With a Band

FitSugar — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 04:30:52 PST

A resistance band is an inexpensive and lightweight piece of equipment you can bring anywhere. Whether you're going to the gym or visiting your family for the weekend, you can bring a band along and tone your muscles. Try these three effective exercises to work your upper and lower body and core. Repeat all three exercises for a total of three rounds.

Bicep Curls With Forward Lunges

Half Boat With Wings

Upright Rows

Still itching to do more short workouts? Check out these Weekend Workouts to learn how to tone other areas of your body.

Stretch It: Chest and Shoulder Stretch With a Band

FitSugar — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 08:00:08 PST

After doing upper body strengthening exercises, it feels so good to stretch out your chest and shoulders. Here's a simple stretch you can do using a resistance band, a yoga strap, or even a belt. Definitely use a band if you have one since the flexible material will allow you to get an even deeper stretch.

Music: "Adam and Eve" by Ani Difranco

To learn how to do this stretch,

5 Resistance Band Moves

FitSugar — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 05:50:10 PDT

Our friends over at the American Council on Exercise (ACE) have shared many workouts with us. There's a morning core workout to target your abs, a hip, thighs, and tush workout to get you ready for bikini season, four exercises for a strong and healthy back, and shoulder sculpting moves to get strapless-dress-ready. ACE has shared another workout with us, this time using a resistance band, that targets a few areas of the body that women say are "trouble spots." So grab a band and get started.

Band It: Half Boat With Wings

FitSugar — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 09:00:12 PDT

If you're looking for a way to tone up your core and thighs, grab a resistance band and give this move a try. It may not seem like you're doing much, but after a few reps, you'll start to feel the burn.

For step-by-step instructions on how to do this exercise, keep reading

Band It: Bicep Curls With Forward Lunges

FitSugar — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 12:00:33 PDT

Bicep curls are an essential strength-training move, but they can become boring after a while. So make them a little more challenging by adding lunges.

Grab a resistance band and keep reading