Benefits of Step Ups. The lateral band walk is a great way to work your glutes, hips, and thighs. Most athletes are able to start with the green band and may or may not progress over time. Some resistance bands are even are sold with a guided exercise DVD. Berry JW, Lee TS, Foley HD, Lewis CL. The lateral band walking exercise is particularly helpful for any athlete who engages in sports that require running, jumping, pivoting and twisting. Your back should be straight, not rounded. Doing this exercise before working out can improve hip, foot, and ankle stability as well as knee joint stabilization. Stand straight with your feet hip-width apart, grab a resistance band with your right hand and step on to the band with your right foot. Here is Amanda from the Queen of Lean giving you instructional clips on the type of training you need to do in order to lose weight, get lean be strong. Equipment: Resistance band. Another good exercise to incorporate into your warmup and help fire the hip stabilizers is the side plank. Start with a lighter band and work your way up to a heavier band. How to do Resistance Band Bodyweight Squat: Step 1: Stand upright with a resistance band evenly spaced underneath your feet, shoulder width apart. Now let’s dive into the benefits of resistance bands further. When you sit for long periods, the gluteus medius and other abductors can become weak and lead to certain types of pain, such as patellofemoral pain syndrome and iliotibial (IT) band syndrome. Keeping the abductor muscles strong and flexible is one key to preventing these problems. Lunges are particularly valuable for legs workouts as they engage nearly your entire lower body. Run the stairs X 2. While there are many arguments for walking with side steps, if you are using monster walks as a part of recovery for knee or hip injuries, this can place an unnatural strain on the sensitive joints, when it is the muscles that you ought to be working. Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. Physical therapists loop a TheraBand, an elastic resistance band, around a patient’s legs and ask them to step from side to side. Wrap the band around your legs, right around the middle of your quads. First, you can use them to strengthen your movements in the same manner as weightlifting, but without the pressure on the joints and spine. Tone and strengthen. Move this leg in and out, sideways, for eight to 10 repetitions. Stair Workout with Resistance Band Workout. If you're having trouble doing the lateral band walking exercise, you may need to start with a less intense gluteus medius exercise, such as the side-lying hip abduction, which targets the gluteus medius. Get a cost-effective workout. Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Resistance bands are a means of strengthening and/or stretching your muscles, whether for aesthetics, athletic performance, or physical therapy. EXERCISE BENEFITS. Whether you buy them individually or as a set, resistance bands are an inexpensive addition to your home gym equipment. Bend knees slightly with your feet hip-width apart. DEMONSTRATION Band Pull Aparts. For a shapely backside, you actually need to tone the glutes on the sides of your pelvis too. Maintaining proper tracking is important when landing a jump safely. You may want to do this exercise in different ways depending on your abilities and level of fitness. The lateral band walking exercise looks (and feels) pretty strange, but it's actually the perfect way to improve hip stability, strengthen the hip abductors—particularly the gluteus medius—and increase stability of the knee joint. As a part of a warmup routine, the lateral band walking exercise engages many of the deep muscles that stabilize the pelvis. You will feel your muscles working, and they may even burn after a few steps, but there shouldn't be any pain. This exercise strengthens the gluteus maximus, medius and minimus, helps to stabilize your knees and hips, and prevents injury. Resistance band exercises are surprisingly effective and offer many benefits over traditional free weights. Using an appropriately tensioned resistance band, keeping the knees externally rotated works the glute maximus, whilst stepping outwards (abduction) against tension works the gluteus medius. Resistance Band Side Steps. 2015;45(9):675-682. doi:10.2519/jospt.2015.5888, Kim EK. This ensures you are targeting the right muscles and not straining your knees. Incorporate this move and similar ones into one of these popular workouts: Get exercise tips to make your workouts less work and more fun. However, by changing the resistance band location to the forefoot (ie the balls of the foot), we can add a little PERONEUS LONGUS and BREVIS activation as well. Copyright Office. Keep your hips level during the movement. Step 2: Bring the handle bars of the resistance band behind your shoulders and hold your hands above your shoudlers with palms facing forward. If you're doing it correctly, you should feel it in your gluteus medius. When compared to the likes of treadmills, exercise … The band should be taut, but not stretched. Position your feet shoulder-width apart. One of the benefits of using resistance bands is they help protect your joints and muscles. We thought we’d start off our section on the benefits of resistance bands with something practical. To put it short, resistance bands are cheap. In your half-squat position, keep your knees bent and aligned over the middle of your foot. 2. Secondly, people with limited flexibility caused by an injury can use bands to regain normalcy in their range of motion. Step inside of a tied resistance band. A weak gluteus medius—one of the muscles on the side of the hip—can lead to problems in the knee joint. In fact, it's often the underlying reason for knee pain and injury, especially ACL injuries. The effect of gluteus medius strengthening on the knee joint function score and pain in meniscal surgery patients. When you start lifting heavy weight, you can also use other tools like the Dark Iron Fitness weightlifting belt, which will also let you train safely. Do another 8 to 10 side steps. Stand up straight with the resistance band's handles in your hands. Resistance Bands with Handles – These tube bands are primarily used for working out and building muscle strength and size. With this exercise, it helps to maintain a low, forward-facing posture. Lie on your side, with the left leg on top. Step onto the resistance band. Just step on a long loop resistance band, slip the free ends over two dumbbells, and power through an intense round of deadlifts, chest flies, or bent-over rows. If you have any injury or condition affecting your hips, knees, or ankles, discuss this exercise with your doctor or physical therapist. SIDE LUNGE BAND LATERAL RAISE INSTRUCTIONS. She also created her own online training program, the TL Method. The stretch-band side step exercise strengthens your hips and outer thighs. The lateral band walking exercise is particularly helpful for any athlete who engages in sports that require running, jumping, pivoting and twisting. This makes perfect sense since 90% of what is written about strength training focuses on the use of free weights and machines. If this exercise is too challenging for you, use an easy band. Your hips will be on fire. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. You can do the lateral walk without a resistance band for the easiest modification. As resistance bands stretch, they create increased tension in your muscles and cause them to contract. While standing with your knees slightly bent, wrap a resistance band just above both ankles, place your hands on your hips, and take a hip width stance so there’s tension on the resistance band. This exercise has an average reps of 0 reps, a best reps of 0 reps, and has been logged 0 times in the last year. They are much easier on your joints, thus people with injuries can regain strength without any risk. 1. Side Steps up the Stairs x 2 Unauthorized use violators will be prosecuted. Jump squat up the stairs (skipping one step each time). Slowly step to the side with the right foot. Bend your knees slightly and move into a half-squat position to activate the gluteus medius. WHAT ARE RESISTANCE BANDS? There are many reasons you should incorporate Resistance Band Tricep Extension into your workouts. Keeping the band flat, not bunched, place the band just above each ankle and wrapped around both legs. Bend the knee so that it touches the torso as you bring your arm towards your chest. Avoid tilting the hips up and down or sideways. The result is that you improve the symmetry of your leg musculature. Modify if you need to- walk, jog, or run up and down the stairs two times. Resisted Side Stepping: The Effect of Posture on Hip Abductor Muscle Activation. There will also be less resistance on the band if you place it on your thighs rather than your ankles. To perform RESISTANCE BAND SIDE STEP: 1. Also Known As: Resisted side stepping, lateral squat walk with resistance band. 4. The stretch band adds resistance as it stretches and becomes tighter. Make sure you're situating yourself in the exact center of the resistance band's elastic portion. Separate your feet to shoulder-width. Side Steps With a Booty Band Place a resistance band around your ankles. This, in turn, improves overall body mechanics and movement efficiency during a workout or competition. That’s one rep. Let’s face it, the practical side of things can be almost as important as the physical benefits when it comes to fitness! The idea is that your knee and elbow touch. A strong gluteus medius not only stabilizes the hip but helps to maintain proper tracking in the knee joint by reducing lateral stress on the knee. Pause then step with the left foot in the same direction as the right. Tara Laferrara is a certified NASM personal trainer, yoga teacher, and fitness coach. Step to the side until the band provides resistance, then slide your other foot over to re-create your original stance. Walk with diagonal step, moving ahead and outwards, as opposed to side to side. They also force you to stabilize your core to maintain your balance as you step forward or backward onto a bent knee. Hold down the resistance band with your left foot. 3. 2. Then progress to the band with the least resistance (yellow). As you improve the strength of your muscles, you can use bands that have greater resistance. 2016;28(10):2751-2753. doi:10.1589/jpts.28.2751, Ford KR, Nguyen AD, Dischiavi SL, Hegedus EJ, Zuk EF, Taylor JB. Open Access J Sports Med. Many experts believe improper knee movement biomechanics is one factor that explains why female athletes have a disproportional incidence of ACL injuries.. Many CrossFitters and general gym enthusiasts use a barbell to add additional load to the bodyweight movement. Performing the lateral band walking exercise protects the knee by training correct movement patterns at the knee joint so it doesn't cave in or out. Read our, Medically reviewed by Richard Fogoros, MD, Try This Equipment-Free Exercise to Strengthen Your Core, If You Throw a Ball for Fun, Do These 9 Exercises to Avoid an Injury, 9 Best Glute Exercises for a Stronger Butt, Here Is a Dynamic Warm-Up to Add Before Your Workout, Work Your Back and Core With a Renegade Row, 12 Time-Efficient Exercises You're Not Doing (But Should), female athletes have a disproportional incidence of ACL injuries, Stability exercises for stronger hips and thighs, Lower body workout for opposing muscle groups, Resisted Side Stepping: The Effect of Posture on Hip Abductor Muscle Activation, The effect of gluteus medius strengthening on the knee joint function score and pain in meniscal surgery patients, An evidence-based review of hip-focused neuromuscular exercise interventions to address dynamic lower extremity valgus. The classic banded side step, with a band around the knees, is great for glute med activation. Place a slight bend in the knees while you keep your chest up. Resistance band training remains a unique training approach that can easily create questions, concerns and a feeling of being overwhelmed. A strong gluteus medius not only stabilizes the hip but helps to maintain proper tracking in the knee joint by reducing lateral stress on the knee. Keep your hands level and familiarize yourself with the weight of the resistance band. 2015;6:291-303. doi:10.2147/OAJSM.S72432, Lavine R. Iliotibial band friction syndrome. Try to move smoothly without swaying or bouncing, which will take the focus off the desired muscles. 2. Here are just a few: Strengthens Your Arms. To get the most from this exercise, avoid these errors. In fact, it's often the underlying reason for knee pain and injury, especially ACL injuries. Maintaining the half-squat position, shift your weight over one leg and take a step sideways with the other leg. Check out its benefits below to see some key advantages of implementing step ups into your routine. 2010;3(1-4):18-22. doi:10.1007/s12178-010-9061-8, Ⓒ 2021 About, Inc. (Dotdash) — All rights reserved. Performing the lateral band walki… Include this in your dynamic warm-up to strengthen your abductors. Resistance Band Tricep Extensions are a unique way to build arm strength. Do 10 repetitions and change side. Crab walks can be an excellent way to strengthen the glutes in a functional, weight bearing position. Resistance bands can be used for both lower body and upper body. This is the starting position. Your stance should be well outside of shoulder-width. You can find resistance bands in any sporting goods store or online. That’s the starting position. With the band on both feet (separately) and the legs always bent (in the air). Or if you are limited with the weights you have on hand, you can add a resistance band to a set of 10-pound dumbbells weights to amp up the intensity when you need something a bit heavier. Slowly step to the side with the right foot. Walk or jog down. Pause, then lower your arms to the starting position. Keep your feet in line with your shoulders and face forward with your body weight evenly distributed over both feet. Loop an exercise band either above your knees (least resistance), below your knees (medium resistance), or around your ankles (greatest resistance). Exercise #3: Band Side Step. This is an awesome leg exercise. The handles provide a sturdy grip and allow for a variety of exercises, like … Step inside of a tied resistance band. J Phys Ther Sci. The more you stretch the band, the more intense the resistance gets, and the harder the exercise becomes. Keep stepping out with the right until the set is complete then switch sides. Improve Symmetry & Balance. Our exercise illustrations represent original artwork registered with and protected by the U.S. Step 1 Loop a resistance band around your ankles and lie on one side with your feet stacked one on top of the other. Slowly shift your weight and switch legs. 1. With elastic band training, the resistance increases with the range of motion, allowing for greater resistance as your range of motion increases. Take this band on any trip and combine it with some basic cardio moves for a simple, overall fat burn anywhere and anytime! Separate your feet to shoulder-width. The step up is a unilateral leg exercise, which means that you train each leg independently. Furthermore, the resistance is also being applied on the return phase while free weights (dumbbells) use gravity on the return. 1. Bend at the elbows and curl the band up toward your shoulders. Adding resistance bands will be beneficial for high and low-intensity movements. For example, you can stand on the band and do excellent Resistance Band Squats. The band should be stretched up and behind your arms. End this exercise if you feel a sharp pain. The benefits: ... Then, step on the center of the resistance band with one foot (or two feet, for more resistance). An evidence-based review of hip-focused neuromuscular exercise interventions to address dynamic lower extremity valgus. Resistance bands are great for rehabilitation from an injury in two ways. You can switch gender of illustrations here. 2. Band colors indicate the level of resistance and progress, from yellow (easy) to green (moderate) to blue (hard) to black (hardest). In fact, these bands are one of the best for full-body moves. Step out to the side with your left leg, lunge and take your right hand toward your left foot. Elizabeth Quinn is an exercise physiologist, sports medicine writer, and fitness consultant for corporate wellness and rehabilitation clinics. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. These lateral walks strengthen those very muscles: the glute meds. To perform this exercise do the following steps: Step 1: Grab an elastic band and hold one end in each hand with an overhand grip. As mentioned above, in the first benefit, resistance bands can allow you to get a deepe… You can progress in this order: yellow, green, blue, black. In order for this exercise to be effective, you need to choose a resistance band with the right strength. Benefits of Resistance Band Tricep Extensions. Bicycle. Squat Jump Up with Band X 1. Types of Resistance Bands. This is "Side-steps with resistance band" by James Ryan Smith on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them. A weak gluteus medius—one of the muscles on the side of the hip—can lead to problems in the knee joint. Your stance should be well outside of shoulder-width. Place a slight bend in the knees while you keep your chest up.