Some thoughts and discussions from me.
Full Body Workout Using Only a Resistance Band
Yesterday I was remembering back to the time when I worked at the BIC, and how during the week of Thanksgiving, the office was basically a ghost town. There were years that I worked right up to Thanksgiving, because I used up all of my vacation days already, and there were years when I took the entire week off.
Even though I make my own schedule now, and will be working on Thanksgiving , I still think the week of Thanksgiving feels different. This year, I’ll be training three kick-butt clients on the morning of Thanksgiving, and for my others, I sent them home a workout they could do on their own, if they choose to do so. I always enjoy working out the morning of a holiday. It leaves me feeling invigorated, and ready to take a right turn into feast-induced coach coma with friends and family.
To me, there’s really nothing like an empty squat rack and a row of kettlebells to get my workout on. However, you don’t really need heavy equipment to get in a good workout. If you’re traveling, that squat rack would probably put you over your 50# limit for checking your bags, and who wants to pay extra fees these days? 
All you really need is some space and your own body weight, but this simple, light-weight, travel-friendly tool is a stellar option to get in a good strength workout, too:
The resistance band!
“Functional Training” has been a buzz term that gets thrown around for all sorts of meanings. Basically, all it means is to perform exercises that useful and like those activities performed in everyday life. Bands are such a functional training tool because they are used for three of the main activities of daily life: pushing, pulling, and twisting. In addition to being supremely functional, resistance bands have several upstanding qualities:
- provide variable resistance, with shortening or lengthening the pull on the band
- incredibly affordable
- travel-friendly
- can be used in conjunction with racks, benches, etc. (save this for another post)
Aside from my TRX, my resistance band is my favorite travel-friendly exercise tool! Here’s a workout I did the other day with my resistance band in my own living room, using all compound, multi-joint movements:
And here’s a fun little finisher for it that I made on Magisto:
I just love finishers 
Of course, I also love the band-resisted push ups!
What’s your favorite travel-friendly workout tool?
Do you typically workout on big holidays?
Perfect! I’m going home for 5 days and won’t have access to a gym but I can definitely find a resistance band!
Katie @ Peace Love & Oats recently posted…Tips for New Bloggers–Part 2
This is awesome! I’ve had resistance bands sitting around my house for a while, but I haven’t used them for anything other than Pilates and ballet exercises. Now I’ll definitely be using it for strength training on the go!
Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves recently posted…First Dance Performance of the Year {MIMM #13}
Great workout! Bands are great for traveling since they take almost no space in your suitcase or carry-on. No excuses to not get in a quick workout while traveling. 🙂
Katie @ Talk Less, Say More recently posted…6 Tips to Get Out the Door for an Early Morning Workout
This looks great, I know I have a resistance band hanging around somewhere. And I can go either way on working out on holidays – if I have time and I feel like it, sure, if not, I definitely won’t stress. I did work out on (Canadian) Thanksgiving, but I can assure you that I won’t be on Christmas!
Sam @ Better With Sprinkles recently posted…Love and Learning to Love.
This is great – thanks! I’ll have to try this when I can’t lug around dumbbells or kettlebells!
Julie recently posted…MIMM: Almost too marvelous
you’re welcome! let me know how it goes if you do 🙂
About how many reps do you suggest for this workout and how many rounds?
Julie recently posted…My first Treat Yourself Tuesday
I’ve been loving the resistance band lately. It’s always easy to forget how challenging it is!
This seems kind of an old post but I came across it while looking for some fitness tips and I really love it. Using only a resistance band can actually be a systematic workout and that alone makes it effective. I love it and I think I am going to add it to my functional fitness routine because I feel that it belongs there.
thanks for the share Paige.
Cindy