'This will increase the load, without having to buy more weight plates.' Take a long resistance band, hook the ends outside each of the plates, and then stand on the band,' she says. 'Resistance bands are a great way to increase the load on weights you already have,' says Tash Lankester, PT at FLEX Chelsea. You can make an exercise easier, to improve your form – adding a resistance band to your pull-ups to bring your chest to the bar – or, conversely, more difficult.
Play icon The triangle icon that indicates to playīesides turning up the heat on basic bodyweight movements like push-ups and squats, you can pair the band with other weightlifting kit to adjust the resistance for heavyweight results. 'This can range from less than 1kg up to a whopping 90kg, depending on the thickness of the band.' Matching the right resistance band to the right exercise, he says, induces a 'potent muscle-building stimulus'. 'When you stretch a resistance band, it generates increasing amounts of tension, which your muscles have to overcome,' says Hanrahan. That's because unlike dumbbells, kettlebells and weight plates, which remain equally heavy throughout the entire rep, resistance bands become increasingly challenging as they're pulled apart. Resistance bands exercises might look tame on the surface, but they can add serious value to your strength workouts. Here, we explain why resistance band exercises work, divulge the benefits of the band, and share 20 of the best moves for every muscle group: Why Resistance Band Exercises Work Get to grips with resistance band workouts, and you'll wonder what you ever did without this highly-functional bit of kit. 'Or, you can make body-loaded exercises easier or harder.' 'If you use a door anchor, you can replicate cable machine exercises, like pull-downs and chest press,' he says. Strong abs can also help improve your posture, balance, and flexibility.įor more, check out how I did reverse crunches every day for a week.'Resistance bands can be used on their own to perform almost every exercise you can think of with traditional weights like dumbbells,' explains certified personal trainer Jack Hanrahan. Reverse crunches are gentler on the neck and spine than ab exercises like bicycle crunches or traditional crunches, so if you’ve ever experienced neck pain during an ab workout, these are a good alternative.īuilding a strong core isn’t just an aesthetic goal - it can help you run faster, lift heavier, and reduce strain on your back. If you find you drop your hips or arch your back, stop, and return to reverse crunches until you have built up more core strength. Point your toes, and slowly lower your legs back down to the bench. To do a dragonfly, get into the reverse crunch position, but keep your legs straight and avoid bending at the hips. Of course, you can also follow in JLo's footsteps and extend your reverse crunch into a dragonfly ab exercise. You can also try putting a medicine ball between your knees and squeezing the ball during the crunch. Alternatively, at the top of the crunch, try rotating to one side, twisting the legs, then alternate from side to side. That said, if you’re really looking for a challenge, try straightening the legs during a reverse crunch. Reverse crunches aren’t the easiest ab exercise, so it’s easy to make them more challenging by increasing the number of repetitions you do. How can you make a reverse crunch more challenging? It’s also using just your bodyweight, so you don’t need any additional equipment. The reverse crunch works the rectus abdominis and the transverse abdominis - in other words the inner core muscles, and the outer, six-pack muscles on the torso. (Image credit: Shutterstock) What muscles are worked during a reverse crunch? Be careful to slowly lower back down too, and avoid collapsing back onto the mat. It’s also important to only lift your hips and bottom from the mat - if you’re getting your entire lower back off the mat, you’re going too far.
If you struggle to get your hips up off the mat, try strengthening your abs using other ab exercises. It’s tempting to rock back and forth, using momentum to raise the legs, but this won’t work the abs. Make sure you keep the entire movement slow and controlled. As you exhale, lower your hips back to the mat. Your head and neck should stay imprinted on the mat. Pause at the top of the movement, using your core to keep your hips raised off the mat. Keeping your knees bent, inhale, and raise your legs, hips, and bottom off the mat. Bend you legs at the knee, pressing your feet into the mat, and engage your core, thinking about sucking your belly button into your spine. To do a reverse crunch, start by lying on your back, with your lower back, head, and neck pressed into the floor.
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