Progressive Overload Methods To Get Big With Resistance Bands:
When you first start working out, pretty much any exercise you do will be an effective overload because your muscles are simply not used to doing anything beyond your normal daily routine of walking, sitting, standing, etc. As your muscles adapt, you will need to increase the stress you put on them. There are multiple methods to go about progressive overload.
Here are the best methods for progressive overloading with resistance bands.
Increasing time under tension & intensity: This simply means your sets are longer. You can do this by adding reps or changing your tempo. With resistance bands, the best tempo is 2:1:4:1. So, 2 seconds concentric , 1 second hold at the top, 4 seconds eccentric contraction , 1 second hold, repeat. Another way is to do slow eccentric, explosive concentric, and hold at the top for a second or two. Eccentric contraction is a key component to building muscle and strength with bands.
Increase volume of your workouts: You can do this by adding more sets to your workout and/or more exercises to your workout.
Less rest time equals more stress on your muscles!
Increase the frequency of your workouts: For example, if you workout 3 times a week, up it to 4 times! At some point, you can even do two workouts a day, not necessarily both with resistance bands. One could be a cardio workout and the other resistance training. That said, listen to your body so you are not over-training.
Related: In-depth look at Progressive Overload Techniques
You Havent Given It Enough Time
Building muscle takes time and CONSISTENCY.
Everyone wants to know how to grow their glutes fast.
This isnt something that is going to happen over night.
Anyone that tells you differently is trying to sell you lies.
Its going to happen slowly and incrementally, but if you follow these tips, it will happen!
If its only been a week or two and youre thinking your glutes arent growing fast enough, theres a good chance you just need to keep at what youre doing and give it time.
Resistance Band Leg Lifts
Muscles worked: Smaller muscles in the glutes
In the standing position, place the resistance band around your ankles with your feet shoulder-width apart. Maintaining an upright posture and placing your hands on your hips, bring your right leg out to the side as far as you can without shifting the hips. Once you feel the tension, lower your leg to the starting position.
Progression: When descending on the rep, come down with a 3-second negative to make the movement more difficult.
Rep range for each leg: 10-15
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Best Glute Exercises Using Resistance Bands
One of the best exercises to grow glutes using a resistance band is a squat hold. This exercise will have you place the resistance band right above your knees and then lower yourself into a squat. From here, you will open and close your knees. As you do this, the resistance band will provide tension, which will grow your glutes.
Some more great exercises for glutes are squat jumps, crab walks, touch-downs, sidekicks, side to side squats, and donkey kicks. You will position the resistance band above your knees while completing the movements for all of these workouts.
For a guide on these exercises and more, check out this video!
How To Use This Hip & Glute Workout
If you want to get the maximum results possible you have to do this routine at least 3 to 4 times a week.
Remember that you wont be using any heavier weights for this routine.
So you need to hit the gluteal muscles more frequently during the week to activate them for maximum growth.
If you want to increase the challenge for this workout use 2 resistance bands and increase the dumbbell weight to 30 pounds.
This is called progressive overload which is basically challenging the glute muscles with heavier weight or more external resistance.
If youre currently doing glute training add this as a finisher to your routine.
Eating For Your Gains
None of this will work unless you back it up with the right nutrition.
Its simple, for you to grow bigger glutes you need to eat in a calorie surplus. Make sure that most of your daily calorie intake includes protein, carbs and healthy fats.
In regards to protein, try to consume at least 0.6 to 1 gram of protein per your bodyweight.
So for example, if you weigh 120 pounds, try to consume at least 120 grams of protein. This might sound hard to do but its quite easy, by adding protein shakes to your daily diet.
Here are some glute building shakes that you can add to help you achieve that daily calorie surplus.
If youre vegan, check out this plan.
Give This Booty & Hip Wokout A Try!
There you have it, a simple plan you can execute right away and start getting those gains.
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How To Do A Banded And Weighted Single
Resistance Band Leg Curls
Muscles worked: Hamstrings
Lie on the floor, face down, with your legs straight. Loop a resistance band around your ankles. Slowly curl one leg bringing your heel up to your bum by bending your knee. Hold this for several seconds, and then lower the bent leg down to the starting position.
Progression: When descending on the rep, come down with a 3-second negative to make the movement more difficult.
Rep range for each leg: 10-15
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How To Do A Fire Hydrant Leg Lift:
Fire Hydrants Resistance Loop Band Exercises
Exercise Instructions: Using the same position used for the straight leg Kickback, keep both legs at a 90-degree angle. With the resistance band position above the knees, push one leg out to the side while keeping it at the same angle. Return to the original position and repeat. This is another great exercise to target the outer glutes.
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Shapewear For A Curvier Booty
Although targeted exercises can help boost the shape and tone of your butt, you wont see results right away.
If you want a bigger, rounder, firmer bum right away, shapewear works best. Designed to lift and enhance what you already have, shapewear can help bring out your natural curves and make your butt look more defined.
To help lift and fill your derriere, most shapewear undergarments use a combination of removable butt lifting pads and compression material like spandex, which is strong, stretchable, and smooth.
Here are a few popular shapewear options on Amazon:
How To Build Your Glutes
If you want to build and strengthen your glutes you’ll need to do more than just exercise them. Here are a few more additional tips:
1. Be consistent. The best way to strengthen and grow your glutes is by consistently doing exercises that target them a few times a week. Velazquez recommends training your glutes at least twice a week on non-consecutive days.
2. Rest and recover. Muscles need at least 48 hours after a strength workout to recover and repair themselves. Overtraining can compromise results and could lead to injury.
3. Increase your reps. For beginners, Walker recommends using weights that are light enough to perform exercises comfortably for 15 to 20 repetitions over three to four sets. Once you can comfortably perform 12 reps of an exercise with a one-minute break in between three sets, increase weight by one to two pounds. Eventually, you should work towards eight to 12 repetitions at maximum weight over three sets, says Walker.
4. Tweak your diet. Velazquez says a typical daily macronutrient breakdown which are the protein, fats, and carbohydrates you consume per day for those looking to lose fat and gain muscle is to consume:
- 40% protein
- 30% carbs
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Warm Up Before A Workout
Similar to establishing a daily stretching routine, warming up the body pre-workout is vital for having a successful session and one of the most important stretching tips. Just grabbing your foot to stretch your calf for a couple seconds could actually harm your body, so make sure you begin slowly and take your time.
Attempting any exercise with cold muscles or without waking up the body will also hurt your body and cause muscle pulls and tendon tears. Try taking a short walk or elongating your stretches for optimal results.
More Resistance Band Exercises
Stretching is one of the most essential aspects of a healthy fitness routine. Its also one of the most overlooked. Instead of thinking of this activity as a separate entity, consider stretching as a continuation of your exercise routine. By making stretching tips a part of your workout, you wont neglect the attention your muscles and joints require to perform effectively.
Whether using stretching as a way to wake up, get your mind in the game, or recover from strenuous activity, your body will reap its short-term and long-term benefits. In the moment, stretching is a great way to warm up the body and prevent yourself from overextension and injury. In the long run, stretching daily can help loosen your tendons and muscles, and ultimately help you maintain a full range of motion later in life.
Taking these ideas into consideration, follow these 7 simple tips for stretching to add stretches back into your workout vocabulary.
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You Arent Training Frequently Enough
Talk to any fit person out there and ask their secret and I guarantee that consistency will be in their top 5.
If youre upset that your glutes arent growing but youre only working out your legsand glutes once a week, that isnt going to do it.
You need to train your glutes at least 2-3 times a week, every week, to see results.
Its going to take time.
Dont get discouraged after the first week or two. It might take a few months, but if you really want it, just think how worth it it will be!
Mobility Is The Critical Factor
I can guarantee that almost all of the personal training clients I see week in week out at our Manchester city centre personal training gym will struggle with some sort of mobility issue.
More so around the hip complex, due to prolonged periods of sitting and inactivity, which has the tendency of creating super tight musculature.
I want to focus on this specific area as this is where we see most of these so called super exercises with a resistance band are aimed at.
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The X Bands Extra Thick Booty Bands
Runner Up!
Our second best booty bands are The X Bands.
I typically tend to steer clear from the latex rubber bands as they tend to break easily and fold when exercising. However, The X Bands are highly durable and are considered the highest quality rubber latest bands on the market today.
These super-strong booty bands are made of multi-layered resin latex tested by industry professionals. And unlike other bands where the thickness decreases as the resistance drops, all of The X Bands have the same thickness.
The X Bands is uniquely designed to take a beating. And with up to 5 bands will give you the intensity needed to quickly tone, firm, and add size to your glutes.
These hip bands stay in place and will never snap or roll up, so you can enjoy a worry-free exercise routine.
The X Bands do not reduce the thickness of the bands as the resistance drops. Every glute band is .12 thick! One of the most durable loop bands on the market will not snap or roll!
Many Weight Options and Extras
All bands are 12 inches long and .12 inches thick and are available in resistance levels from 15 pounds to 80 pounds. There is a 2 band and a 5 band set to choose from. The 2 band set comes with 30lb and 60lb resistance level bands. Whereas the 5 band set comes with a 15lb, 30lb, 40lb, 60lb, and 80lb resistance level bands.
I chose the X Bands as my second best resistance bands for glutes due to the number of resistance levels and the thickness and durability of these bands.
What’s The Best Type Of Resistance Band
There are multiple types of resistance bands you can choose for glute band exercises short, long, looped and unlooped.
Unlooped resistance bands are best used if you only want to buy one resistance band you can tie them more tightly to make them “heavier” or for cooldown exercises and physiotherapy movements.
If you’re using resistance bands for bum workouts or Pilates workouts, smaller looped bands will be your go-to.
For warm-up exercises or mobility training, plump for a longer, looped band it’ll provide lighter resistance but enough activation to wake up the muscles.
Type is not the only thing to consider when it comes to choosing a band: resistance bands are largely split into five weights meaning how much tension they’ll exert.
If you’re a beginner, choose a lighter band. It’s better to move with correct form than add too much resistance and throw off your technique because of it.
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We Need To Delve Deeper Into The Art Of Movement
There are many exercises that can be of far greater benefit than any sort of band assisted exercise.
For example MFR , functional range conditioning, trigger point therapy, integrated movement mechanics, and not to mention good old fashioned strength training utilising correct movement mechanics.
For example, the following exercises will begin to activate, strengthen and work through vital movement mechanisms, without hindering key components of the hip complex:
- eccentric focus step downs
- TRX over range split squats
- TRX over range split squats
- TRX speed skaters
