In an ideal world, every person has a flawless posture. However, perfect posture is a hard thing to accomplish. Most people have a side they favour, or they have simply formed a habit of hunching.
However, poor posture is not an impossible thing. You can correct your posture through various resistance band workouts. If you want to strengthen your muscles, stretch your body, and improve your posture, you can do four types of exercises using resistance bands.
1. Lift and Lower
This exercise aims to elongate your torso and strengthen your core. You will need a resistance band and a chair. Here's how you can do it:
- Stand in front of the chair and wrap the band around your feet. Make sure you have enough tension in the band, but it is not too tight.
- Bend your knees, and place your hands on your knees.
- Straighten your back, and then lift your chest and shoulders up.
- Bring your shoulders and upper spine back. Do not release your shoulders quickly or you will lose the strength in your back.
- When your torso is upright, slowly lower it back down. That is one rep.
- Repeat the movements for 10 reps. If you need to modify this exercise for your condition, you can do two to three repetitions.
2. External Rotation
There are various muscles in the back of your torso. Strengthening these muscles will enable you to keep your back straight, which is necessary for good posture.
This exercise also helps you to strengthen your core, particularly your abdominal muscles. Since your core is a vital part of your body, maintaining a strong core is necessary to develop a good posture.
You will need a resistance band and a chair to do this exercise. Here's how you can do it:
- Stand in front of the chair with both feet. Make sure you have the resistance band behind you.
- Bend your knees, and then wrap the band around your feet tightly.
- Grab the band, and hold it at shoulder level. Your feet should be shoulder-length apart.
- Using both hands, move the band up and down about ten times. You will feel your muscles working.
- Repeat the exercise ten times.
3. Side Pulls
Most of us are not aware of the imbalance in our muscles. We often have stronger muscles on one side than on the other. This imbalance can cause pain as well as bad posture.
This exercise will help to improve your posture because it will strengthen your muscles on the side that you favour or where you feel pain.
Here's how you can do it:
- Place the band under your foot. Make sure that the band is tight enough for you to feel the tension in your foot.
- Take a seat on the chair with your back straight and your chin up.
- Hold the band, and extend it toward one side. The band must go over the chair.
- Pull the band away from your body. Your side will feel the tension. Hold the position for five seconds.
- Release the band, and bring the other side to the chair.
4. Chest Expansion
Strengthening your chest muscles will make your posture better. If you have weak chest muscles, they will pull your shoulders down, which increases the strain on your back.
Here's how you can do it:
- Sit on the chair with your back straight.
- Grab the band, and hold it a few inches from your chest.
- Pull the band away from your body. This exercise will target your chest muscles.
- Hold the position for five seconds.
- Release the band, and repeat the exercise ten times.
Final Thoughts
You do not have to spend money on expensive equipment to develop your muscles. The best resistance bands are cheap, easy to store and get the job done. Bands also make exercising convenient because you can bring them anywhere. You can use them at home, at the office or even at the gym.
For the best Australian resistance bands, shop at POWERBANDS®. Select your favourite from fabric and latex options, also available in sets. Buy now and enjoy free shipping for orders above $19.95!
