Using Resistance Bands for Mobility and Injury Prevention
Our Micro Bands may be the first thing to come to mind when thinking rehab / prehab products, but our 41” Power Bands are so versatile they can be used for strengthening major motor patterns as well as a warm up or prehab session.
Below I’ve detailed a quick go-to guide for how to use the
bands for conditioning the body against injury. You can use one or all of these
exercises, depending on which of your joints are more susceptible to injury and
how thoroughly you warm up.
Shoulders
Shoulder Circles
Sometimes referred to as shoulder
dislocations (a name I vehemently disagree with, no-one should be trying to
dislocate their shoulder), keep the arms straight and comfortably spread in a
loose V. Keeping your shoulders at the same angle, raise your arms above and over
your head, resting when the band touches your back. The wider your hands, the
easier the mobility demands but more tension placed on the band.
This is particularly handy for overhead athletes, such as Olympic lifters and swimmers.
Pull Aparts
Start with your hands in front of you, and bring your hands out to the sides as far as they can go. Imagine the mirror image of a chest fly. Excellent for activating the upper back muscles, which are frequently neglected in the course of training and day-to-day life. Change up the angle to target different areas.
Hips
Monster Walks
Loop the band around your feet, and cross the top of the band in an X-shape, holding with each hand. Walk forwards,
Horse Kicks
In a quadruped position, loop the band around one foot and your hands. Kick one leg back, focussing on the contraction of gluteus maximus.
Single Leg Romanian Deadlift
Loop the band around one foot. With the second foot extended behind you, hip
Ankles
Seated calf
Sitting on the ground, loop the band around one or both feet. Let the band pull the toes towards the body (dorsiflex) to achieve a stretch, then point the toes to contract the calf muscles. Adjusting the angle of the band can help improve the
Total Body / Core
Low to High Wood Chop
Loop the band around your left foot. Explosively rip the band from your left foot to above your right shoulder. Follow with a set using your other side.