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Looking for some awesome accessory movements that only use one band? This one's for you! Form videos above, technique breakdowns down below! 👇🏼 1. Lateral Raise - Targets the medial delts, aka the outside of your shoulder cap! This version is a challenging single-arm variation that allows you to push through the middle and end range of motion with some serious tension on the band. Instead of raising your arm directly out to your side, adduct your arm 5-10 so your hand ends up slightly in front of you at the top of the rep. 2. Split Squat - If growing your glutes is your goal, this one's for you! If you only have access to a resistance band and no other type of weight/load, split squats can be a great way to overload your glutes and quads beyond what body weight alone could accompli
If you're short on time, limited on exercise equipment, and not quite sure how to put together a great upper body workout, start with these 4 moves to build a solid foundation! 💪🏼 1. Biceps Curl - Curls are one of the very first exercises that most of us tried when we did our first workout. This familiar exercise is perfect for building up the size and strength of your biceps - there are tooooons of different variations, but this standard version with a band or dumbbells will hit all your bases! You can obviously adjust your sets, reps, and the type of band you use, but you can also change up your lifting speed (tempo) and your range of motion (ROM) for each rep. 2. Lateral Raise - Whether you want to build stronger shoulders and/or rounder shoulders, lateral raises are super valuab
Ready to build stronger shoulders and triceps? Ready to learn how to train them effectively? Let's go! 👇🏼 1. Overhead Extension - If you're not already including overhead work into your triceps exercises, you probably should! This position places the triceps at a more stretched length to start off with, which even further lengthens it throughout the ROM of each rep. Your basic horizontal and vertical pressing exercises won't be able to provide the same stimulus, so an extension like this is a great accessory! 2. Single-Arm Lateral Raise - I love the two-arm version of this, but you may find that it's too easy with a lighter band and too difficult with a heavier band. Doing these one side at a time, you have greater control over adjusting the tension by changing how far apart your fe
Here's another installment of some favorite conditioning-based movements with a kettlebell! These exercises will challenge your strength, coordination, and your stamina all in one go - have fun! 💦 1. Alternating Gorilla Row - This bent over row variation is challenging for many different reasons. First, it should be tough because you're using a heavy enough weight to truly challenge your traps, lats, rear delts, and biceps. Beyond that, though, it will also be a test of your coordination as you "juggle" and pass the kettlebell from one hand to the other. The gorilla row will also get your heart rate and breathing rate up too! 2. Alternating Swing Snatch - Speaking of coordination, few exercises are more technically challenging than the snatch. The goal is to gracefully "catch" the k
Kettlebell training is not just for elite athletes. In fact, there are many different benefits of using kettlebells that make them useful for nearly anyone with any training experience! 🙏🏼 If you're looking for a few ideas for your next full body workout, look no further! Here are 4 total body kettlebell exercises for you to try out! 1. Single-Arm High Pull - This exercise is a fun progression from an upright row, and a fun regression from a single-arm snatch. The goal here is to pull forcefully with smooth, consistent reps by driving your elbow up toward the ceiling as high as it will go. Your ROM may look different than mine, and that's totally good. The real magic is when your music tempo lines up with your rep speed! 2. Split Squat - I placed the kettlebell on the same side as
While your "core" does include your abs, it's also much more! Your core is made up of all the muscles the connect your upper body to your lower body, including your abdominis rectus ("6 pack" abs muscle), internal/external abdominal obliques, glutes, lats, and spinal erectors! All of these muscles contribute to keeping your torso stable when needed, and mobile when needed. Below are some form cues for these 4 core exercises! 1. Band Low-High Rotation - Your internal and external abdominal obliques help create rotational movement, so an exercise like this is a great way to train that pattern. Make sure to switch sides after each set: you'll primarily be working the obliques on the side that you're turning toward! 2. Suitcase Hold - Your obliques have another function as well, which
Save this mini-guide for later, and share it with a workout buddy! 📌📲 If you ever see a workout program without any form of a row exercise, you should probably find a different workout program... 😉 Of course every program needs to be specific to the goals of the person, but I have yet to see a great program without them! Rows help train the lats, trapezius, rhomboids, and there's muscles in ways that can't be replicated otherwise! When I'm writing up custom workout programs for each of my clients, these are 6 of the main row variations that I use most often! 🚣🏻 Chest Supported Row - I use these most often when my clients are already doing heavy lower back work (like deadlifts!) because these take your lower back out of the equation. You can use dumbbells, bands, or my favorite
"Are resistance bands *actually* useful for strength training?" With nearly every fitness influencer dishing out affiliate links and discount codes for cheap workout bands, this is certainly a fair question to ask. I almost hate to break it to you, but resistance bands... can actually be a really helpful tool for both home and gym workouts. 🙃 Let's explore! With resistance bands, you can... ✅ Make an exercise easier - the most common use (and potentially the original use!) of these bands is to help make Pull-Ups easier by reducing the amount of force required to lift up your body weight. This "negative resistance" works by pulling you upward, against the direction of gravity. ✅ Make an exercise harder - whether you're using bands as the sole form of resistance or in combination wi
Why should you "flow," you ask? 🐛 #fbf Maybe you don't even know what "flowing" is? Great questions - let's explore! 🐛 Dead Bug Flow (keep your lumbar spine flaaaattttttt against the floor the whole time!) 🐛 Beast Push-Up Flow (transition according to what feels beat on your spine and shoulders!) 🐛 Side Plank Flow (explore your full ROM reaching both directions!) 📌 Save these moves for when you have a few minutes of downtime today! 📖 This lesson actually came from two different sources of inspiration. First, a huge shoutout to @tfpest for the awesome pest control service (and the shirt!). I knew I wanted to fit in a deadbug exercise for them! 😉 And second, I spent yesterday morning writing up a mobility routine for my client Anzelle. I wrote her a quick morning routine of
Strength, mobility... and fun! 🎪 #fbf I specialize in all 3 of these, so enjoy! 🎪 Reverse Plank Tuck (talk about a strength AND mobility challenge! 🔥) 🎪 Planche to Pike (another favorite, great for your abs!) 🎪 Rollout (keep one unbreakable chain from shoulder to knees!) 📌 Save these moves for your next warm-up, mobility workout, or finisher! 📖 Here's the lesson today: 💡 Strength, mobility, and fun are all staple components of an effective workout program. Regardless of your goals, you should probably include all 3 of these. That's it for today. Enjoy. 😊 PS: Fun fact! Did you know that I have a background in circus arts? I juggle and unicycle, have performed in the circus, and worked at a trapeze school in college. These moves above are fun, but are also super nostalg
Which lunge is best for your goals? 🍑 The answer to this question is based on many many variables such as your anatomy, your experience, your capabilities, your mobility, your equipment, etc. On top of that, the "best" lunge for your goals might change from one training block to the next or even one workout to the next - in fact, a combination of a few variations might really be best! Rather than trying to address a bazillion hypothetical scenarios, check out the videos above, the descriptions below, and ask any questions about your specific situation in the comments! 💬 🍑 Reverse Lunge (often the greatest capacity to lift the most weight!) 🍑 Forward Lunge (great for athletes practicing deceleration!) 🍑 Walking Lunge (about as "functional" as it gets, great for building streng
It's pretty easy to separate upper body exercises into different movement patterns and muscle groups... But it can initially feel a bit more tricky with lower body exercises. Have you ever wondered if squats or deadlifts are better for your glutes? Or why the back of your thighs get so sore after doing certain movements? Let's get into a mini biomechanics lesson on how your lower body muscles/joints work together - stick with me, I'll keep it simple and approachable. 🤓 💡 When it comes to your lower body, you have 2 main joints (hips and knees) and 3 main muscle groups (glutes, quads, and hamstrings) that we're concerned with. (Yes, you also have a number of other muscle groups including your adductors, gracilis, sartorius, gastrocnemius, and soleus, but we're going real basic for
You've probably heard of a Push, Pull, Legs workout split, but maybe you don't have a solid idea of what that means or what that could look like. 🤔 Here's the third of a multiple-post series about this classic workout split! Push, Pull, Legs, or PPL is a way of dividing your workouts by muscle action. This can be a great way of ensuring that you're reaching sufficient training volume per muscle group, as well as ensuring that each muscle group has enough rest time between workouts. PPL can be used if you are working out 3-6 times per week, with each workout being performed 1-2 times per week. I personally have run 4 day PPL training blocks for months on end and loved the challenge! For example... Week 1: Push, Pull, Legs, Push Week 2: Pull, Legs, Push, Pull Week 3: Legs, Push,
The unsung hero of big and strong arms - the triceps! 🔱 Get ready for a serious pump with these moves! 🔱 Kickback (you can't leverage momentum or poor form with a band!) 🔱 Tall Plank Rotation (read more about this one below! 👇🏼) 🔱 Underhand Push-Up (different "grips" help target different muscle heads!) 🔱 Overhead Extension (the tension is heaviest in the mid range of motion!) 📌 Like these exercises? Save them to add to your next upper body or push workout! (And let me know if you'd like a "Biceps at Home" post. 🤗) 📖 Your triceps are probably much stronger than you think, and it's worth training such a dynamic muscle group with dynamic training methods. 💡 This includes different joint angles, ranges of motion, grips, unilateral/bilateral work, rep ranges, and rep spe
The long-awaited sequel! 💪🏼 (Just kidding, I posted "Triceps at Home" like 3 days ago. 😅) You knew it was coming, and here it is! 💪🏼 Lateral Curl (open your chest up and bring your pinky to your ear!) 💪🏼 Cross Hammer Curl (the cross helps encourage external rotation for a better squeeze!) 💪🏼 Drag Curl (this mimics dragging a barbell along your front side to help engage your mid-back muscles too!) 💪🏼 Frontal Curl (potentially my favorite curl position and is great with a band or cable!) 📌 Save these for bigger biceps! Rather, *try* them for bigger biceps! 😉 📖 Training your biceps for growth/strength comes down to a number of factors, most of which are the same as any other muscle group: ✔️ progressive overload ✔️ progressive overload ✔️ progressive overload ✔️ p
I'm not the only Coach out there... 🎓 #repost Some of my best friends are incredible Coaches themselves, and I love bragging about them by stealing their moves haha. 🎓 V-Sit Pull-Apart by @kristafit_ (such a fun balance challenge!) 🎓 BSS/Staggered RDL Combo by @ginavallesfit (this took a few tries to get down haha!) 🎓 Tall Plank to Bear by @danielle.stead (I didn't have any weights like she used, so a heavy band did the trick!) 🎓 Bear Shoulder Circumduction by @steph.derby_fitness (tough not to slip on your weight-bearing hand!) 🎓 Distracted Plank Up-Down by @eatprayrunlift (this may become a staple for me! 🔥) 📌 Save these moves for later, but more importantly go check out the profiles of my #fitfamily for more awesome moves! 📖 You already know that I'm a full-time Onl