The Full-Body Mini Band Workout

Set a timer for 1 minute intervals of work. Try to complete as many reps in that time as you can without resting. Record how many you get to try to beat it next round and even next workout.

Rest if you need, but remember your goal is as many reps as possible in the 1 minute. Rest 20 seconds between exercises and 1 minute between rounds.

Complete 3-5 rounds of the circuit below!

CIRCUIT:
1 minute Mini Band Squats
20 seconds Rest
1 minute Lateral Push Up Walks
20 seconds Rest
1 minute Mini Band Glute Bridges (can do Single Leg to make it harder*)
20 seconds Rest
1 minute Half-Kneeling Single Arm Rows*
20 seconds Rest
1 minute Bicycles with Rotation
1 minute Rest

*For these do 30 seconds per side or you can switch as needed to keep moving.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Mini Band Squats:

To do the Mini Band Squats, place the band just above your knees and stand with your feet between hip-width and shoulder-width apart. Your feet should be parallel. Press your butt back and sit down until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Your weight should be in your heels and your chest should be up nice and tall. Do not let your knees collapse in as you squat down. Then drive back up through your heels and come back to standing. Your knees shouldn’t cave in as you stand back up. This move is a great way to make sure your glutes are engaged while doing a squat. It also helps teach beginners proper squat form. Beginners may want to perform the squat with band down to a chair or bench to help remind them to sit back as they squat.

Lateral Push Up Walks:

lateral-push-up-walk

To do the Lateral Push Up Walks, place the band around both arms. The closer to your elbows the band is, the easier the move will be. The closer to your wrists the band is, the harder the move will be. Advanced exercisers will do this from the ground. To do the advanced variation, set up in a high plank position from your hands and toes with your hands about shoulder-width apart and right under your shoulders. You want your body in a nice straight line from your head to your heels. Keeping tension on the band, perform a push up, dropping your chest as close to the ground as possible. Push back up to the top and then step your hands and feet to the left so that you are again in a high plank position with your hands about shoulder-width apart. Perform another push up then step again to the side. Keep your body in a nice straight line the entire time you complete the push ups and “walk” laterally. Depending on how much space you have, you can either walk laterally for 5 to 10 steps before coming back or you can step to one side and do a push up and then step back to the starting position and perform another. Make sure to maintain good push up form and keep your core engaged. Do not let your hips drop or your butt go up in the air. You want to make sure you don’t feel this move in your low back. If your push up form breaks down or you can’t do push ups from your toes, try push ups from your knees. You can then “walk” laterally on your knees or lift up onto your toes to perform the walk. Beginners may also want to place their hands up on an incline or remove the push up and just perform a lateral walk. They may even want to do the movement without a band. The most important thing is to do the move correctly and feel the correct muscles working.

Mini Band Glute Bridges (can do Single Leg to make it harder*):

mini-band-glute-bridges

To do the Basic Mini Band Glute Bridge, you will perform a two-leg bridge with the band around your knees. To set up, place the band right above, below or at your knees. Below will be a bit more challenging than above. Make sure though that wherever you place the band, you feel your glutes working. Above the knee can help if you struggle to feel your glutes activating and instead feel your quads taking over. With the band around your knees, lie flat on your back with your feet flat on the ground about hip-width to shoulder-width apart. Make sure your feet are just beyond your fingertips when your arms are down by your sides. You can move your feet slightly further away if your hips are tight. Make sure that your feet are at least about hip-width apart so that you are forced to press your knees out and open against the band to keep them in line with your ankles and hips. Bend your elbows to 90 degrees and press your knees out against the band. Then, driving through your heels and upper back and arms, bridge up. Keep pressing out against the band as you bridge up. Do not let your knees cave in. Fully extend your hips and squeeze your glutes at the top. Do not hyperextend your low back at the top. Keep your abs engaged. Hold for a second or two at the top then lower back down and repeat. Do not let your knees cave in as you lower back down. Keep pressing out against the band the entire time! Adjust the band placement or even use a heavier band to make the move harder. You can also vary the move up by doing a Single Leg Mini Band Glute Bridge.

Half-Kneeling Single Arm Rows*:

half-kneeling-single-arm-row

To do the Half-Kneeling Single-Arm Row, set up in a half-kneeling position on the ground with one end of the mini band around your front foot and the other side in the opposite hand from the leg that is forward. Your arm should be extended down toward the ground holding the mini band. Lean forward over your front leg with your back flat and in a nice straight line from your head to your tailbone. Then row the mini band up to your side, pulling with your back and driving your elbow back and up as you row. Keep your core tight as you row and do not rotate with the band or shrug your shoulders. Make sure to drive your elbow down and back as you row so that you don’t feel the move in your upper traps and neck, but instead feel the row in between your shoulder blades and down the side of your back.
Slowly extend your arm back out after rowing the band up to your side. Keep your back flat and abs engaged the entire time. Complete all reps on one side before switching sides. Also make sure you really concentrate on feeling this move in your back. You do not want to shrug your shoulders and feel it in your upper traps. To make the move harder, use a heavier resistance or slow down the tempo of the move. You can even hold for a few counts at the top of the move to make it more challenging. Do not rush the move or let the band pull you back down.

Bicycles with Rotation:

bicycles

To do the lower body movement, place the band around your feet and lie on your back with your legs out straight in front of you.
Keeping your low back pressed against the ground, raise your legs up off the ground. The closer to the ground you keep your legs as you extend them out, the harder the move will be. If you feel the move in your low back, that means your abs aren’t strong enough to have your legs that low and you should have them up higher off the ground. You can also place your hands behind your low back/butt to help prevent your low back from engaging. Then, keeping one leg extended, pull one knee in toward your chest. Make sure your low back stays firmly pressed against the ground. Pull the knee in as far as you can and then extend the leg back out and pull the other knee in. Keep alternating knee tucks and feel your abs and quads work. You may also really want to focus on squeezing the glute of the extended leg to help protect your low back. To advance this movement, add in the upper body twist when you tuck the knee in. To do the full mini band Bicycle, place your hands behind your head. As you pull one knee in, rotate your chest toward that knee as if trying to bring the opposite elbow to your knee. As you rotate, drop the elbow on the side you are rotating toward to the ground and really try to get your shoulder blades up off the ground. Then extend the leg and pull in the other knee. Rotate your upper body toward that other knee. Keep alternating knees, rotating toward the knee each time. Really lift your shoulder blades up off the ground as you rotate. Don’t just flap your arms in to get your elbow to your knee. Make sure to keep your abs engaged the entire time. If you feel this in your low back, regress the movement and only do the leg portion or keep your legs up higher off the ground.