5 Attractive Resistance Band Arm Workout Rather Than Using Weights

Weight machines' allure is strong, they take the guesswork out of every workout, making it easy to choose from.

Weight machines' allure is strong, they take the guesswork out of every workout, making it easy to choose from. Unfortunately, not always better is simpler. Going along the defined path of the machine restrains the number of muscles that you can strike with each rep, reducing your performance.

"Usually, movements done using a resistance band instead of a fixed machine would require more overall endurance and control from other muscle groups to perform well," says Hannah Davis, CSCS, owner of Body By Hannah Studio in Cleveland, Tennessee.

Resistance band workouts much better than their computer counterparts, mimicking normal practical movements. So they test the muscles differently — or also dumbbells — than weight machines.

"The more we stretch the unit, the more energy we introduce to a movement, the greater the stress from start to finish right off the bat," says Mathew Forzaglia, a certified personal trainer and founder of Forzag Fitness on the NEOU App.

By increasing or decreasing the distance between your hands or feet, you can easily change the tension on the band Be sure you feel stress in the band during the whole workout, to maximize the effectiveness of every resistance band exercise. Control the action from beginning to end, and stop making the band take over, Davis says.

And unlike weight machines, bands of resistance are compact, inexpensive and do not require membership in a gym. Instead of machines try these five resistance band exercises to improve your arm workouts and add variety to your routine.

1. Rather than The press machine overhead

Do: Shoulder Presses Resistance Band

1. Sit on a bench or chair under your seat, with a resistance band looping. Grip one end of the band with each hand facing your shoulders, with the palms facing upwards.
2. Gear up your core and press your hands to the ceiling until you completely stretch your arms.
3. Wait, and return your hands to your shoulders slowly.
4. Repeat them 12 to 15 times.

The overhead presser locks you into a fixed motion range, locking out other muscles from the game. Switching the machine out to a band not only attacks your shoulder 's main muscles (deltoids, mainly) but also challenges your core and smaller, stabilizing shoulder muscles at any step of the exercise, but particularly at the top of the rep, Forzaglia says.

2. Rather than The Reverse Fly Machine

Do: The Pull-Aparts Resistance Band

1. Stand apart with feet shoulder-width and keep a resistance band at arm-length in front of your arms, palms facing the ground.
2. Squeeze your shoulder blades together without bending your knees to tear the band apart, until your knees are straight out at your sides. To raise or decrease resistance change your hand location.
3. Return the hands to your chest and do 12 to 15 reps.

Tip

Perform your reps while seated, which focuses more on the training on your upper body, to make the move more difficult.

Unlike the reverse fly unit, the pull-apart resistance band addresses the often-neglected rear (rear) deltoids. But band pull-apart is getting higher marks due to the instability as they activate the heart and upper back muscles that help you sit upright, Forzaglia says.

3. Rather than The Biceps Curl Machine

Do: Steady Band Resistance Rotating Biceps Curls

1. Move both feet into the resistance band core and the feet are isolated from the shoulder-width. Grip one end of the band with your arms down at the sides of each neck, palms facing in.
2. Hold your elbows tight to your arms, curl one hand toward your back. Rotate your wrist when you twist, so that your palm still faces the body. On top of the step, grab your biceps.
3. Reduce your hand back to the starting point and repeat to the opposite. Complete 12 to 15 reps per arm.

Tip

Focus on pulling your pinky up into your chest at the top of the curl to really set your biceps on fire, Forzaglia says.

The seated biceps curl machine forces you into a fixed position which may or may not allow you to push your biceps through a full range of motion. Yet moving to a banded variant, Forzaglia says, provides a freer role. It allows you to reach a broader range of motion, which will recruit more of your biceps in each rep.

4. Rather than The Triceps Extension Machine

Do: Overhead Triceps Resistance Band Extensions

1. Sit on a bench or chair under your seat, with a resistance band looping. Grip the band's ends with both hands behind the back, with the elbows bent to 90 degrees.
2. Brace your core, hold down your ribcage, and press your hands to the ceiling until your arms are completely extended out.
3. Stop and raise your hands slowly behind your back, with the elbows bent 90 degrees.
4. Repeat between 12-15 times.

Using a band for triceps extensions overhead lets you concentrate more on your position, helping you avoid the hunched-over shoulders that are so popular with the system edition. Standing up for this exercise also tests the muscles of the heart and smaller stabilizers, Forzaglia says.

5. Rather than Close-Grip Chest Presses With Machine Smith

Do: Triceps Banded Push-Ups

1. Start in a high plank with a band of resistance looping behind your back, one end under each hand on the floor. You should hold your hands straight under your shoulders.
2. Brace your heart and bring your arms in close proximity to your sides to guide your elbows backward. Little by little lower yourself to the ground.
3. To get back to start, force your hands through.
4. Perform reps 12 to 15.

Tip

If daily push-ups are a struggle, raise or lower your hands to your knees.

Banded triceps push-ups target bigger muscle groups than Smith machine presses, so they set the triceps on fire by applying friction to the toughest part of each rep. "It is the most painful thing ever, because at the bottom you're like, 'Oh, no problem,' but then at the top, it's the toughest push-up in the world," Forzaglia says.