3 ways to use pull-up bands, A MUST have for your gym bag
3 ways to use pull up bands. Shoulder warm up, travel workouts, or flexibility exercises.
Yes, they are called pull up bands but you can use them for so much more.
It’s a great tool to keep in your gym bag or travel bag to keep you moving while out of town.
I use these bands daily as a physical therapist and especially right before working out for pre-warm up exercises.
Click here for the bands
Amazon bands
As we get older things just need a little more attention to be pain free.
Front Rack Warm up
The Front rack requires flexibility of the triceps, internal rotators and pecs.
For a warm up- I will use the small red band and attach it to a rig. Then to warm up my shoulders to prep for a pain free front rack movement (Front squats, cleans, jerks) I will use the bands to pump blood into my triceps, chest and internal rotators so that when I start the warm up it won’t be so stingy. You should not have pain when working out! You just have to know how to manage it.
Travel workouts
If you plan on traveling these bands can be used for all muscle groups, my favorite though is body weight resisted exercises like lunging, squats, shoulder strengthening, lat pull downs and so many more!
I demonstrate lunges in the video above.
Feel free to ask if you have any questions, I just don’t like seeing myself on camera that much to demonstrate all of them, LOL.
Tool to improve ankle flexibility
Most likely you have seen this one before but it such a valuable tool and it requires these band to perform!
Watch the video above for a demonstration.
If you have difficulty with squat depth most likely it is due to your ankle flexibility, specifically of your soleus. Yes you heard me. No one really thinks about the ankle because we don’t usually have pain in our ankles.
Just think about it, we keep our toes pointed down all night from the sheets while we are sleeping. When we get up everything is naturally stiff then to work out at 5 am we need a little EXTRA care to get moving well.
Especially, if it is a movement that requires full dorsiflexion. Those movements are the squat and especially a squat snatch. To have good overhead position you need full ROM of the ankle. If you don’t your body will compensate by other positions like forward trunk lean which in then is stressful to the shoulder!
How To Use Pull-up Bands for Assisted Pull ups
If you are just starting out and have not mastered a strict pull up this band will help you get there.
Why these bands?
Because it is the exact same movement and allows for full range of motion. If you do jumping pull ups you are leaving out the initial pull action and you will NEVER get the pull up! Stop doing jumping pull ups because it won’t get you anywhere! The rotator cuff, biceps and latissimus play a large roll in getting the pull up. By jumping you start in a shortened position and basically your legs did the work and not your arms!
I also would suggest varying up your pull up with narrow grip, wide grip, reverse grip or mixed grip. By training with variation can also help you meet your goal faster!
To use the bands for the most assistance use the green band first (thickest) to provide the most assistance. Then as you can get 10 full range pull ups for 3 sets it’s time to progress to a smaller band! If you can do more than 15 reps you need to go with a smaller band.
Another tip: go slow on the way down, the eccentric portion of the pull (the negative) is the most effective strengthening portion of the movement.
DON’T CHEAT YOURSELF AND GET AFTER IT!!
CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR BANDS
AMAZON PULL UP BANDS
If your looking for one-on-one guidance please feel free to contact me through email or submitting your information in the contact section. You can also find video’s of these exercises on my You Tube Channel.
