How to Lose Weight Using Resistance Bands – 5 Exercises to Burn Stubborn Fat

Mike

5 minutes read

How to Lose Weight Using Resistance Bands – 5 Exercises to Burn Stubborn Fat

Not sure if resistance bands can actually help you lose weight?

You keep seeing people using them in gyms, and most of them focus on the same exercise.

Wrap a band around the thighs and do all sorts of leg workouts – it looks like they were specifically designed for legs.

Wrong!

Pull the band around your back and push forward – there’s a chest exercise. Keep it under your feet and pull up – there’s a back exercise. Unless you are using a specific resistance band like the booty belt workout, then you don't have to be limited to working the legs alone.

Believe it or not, resistance bands can replicate most machines in the gym.

Not sure how to lose weight using resistance bands? That’s possible too.

Here’s everything you need to know to gain as much as possible from your bands.

Can I Use Resistance Bands to Lose Weight?

Resistance bands will help you get toner and better body shape

Unlike classic cardio machines like those incline treadmills, stationary bikes or ellipticals, resistance bands will not give you that kind of sweat. They won’t work on your heart too much either – sure, any workout will target your heart after all, but not like you would even with a budget cardio machine.

If you prefer calisthenics to weight workouts, you can exercise with your body weight only, and there are more than enough essential fitness exercises to choose from, like the planche lean, wall sits and squats...

But resistance bands will definitely speed up the process.

They can increase the intensity of each workout. Now, at the end of the day, the more intense your workout is, the more calories you will burn.

Exercise bands will also allow building muscle, meaning the fat loss process is even more intense.

Make sure you focus on resistance exercises for fat loss. You need at least three workouts on a weekly basis. Even when you do other types of workouts, start with some resistance band training and target the major muscles.

A couple of exercises for each group will do. Vary the repetitions, as well as the intensity – you want to challenge those muscles.

Now, it is essential to realize that resistance bands will burn fat by working on your muscles and tone. Resistance bands cannot provide a proper cardio workout – such as a treadmill or a cross trainer, for example.

But then, strength and resistance training will burn even more fat. The process will extend over a few days, rather than those 45 minutes of a workout.

In other words, you can still stick to your regular cardio workouts. But targeting your body from a different direction with resistance bands will help you achieve lean muscle that burns fat away.

What if you don’t want muscle or a bulky appearance?

There’s nothing to be concerned about. Going bulky will take years of proper workouts – super heavy weights and intensity workouts. You may even need some supplementation too.

Working on your muscles at a normal rate will burn fat and provide a nicely shaped tone for your muscles, without looking bulky.

Top 5 Exercises Using Resistance Bands

Here are 5 classic exercises that you can do using resistance bands

Now that you understand how to lose weight using resistance bands, what kind of exercises are better?

At this point, all exercises will do – just make sure you target all parts of your body. Start with large muscle groups and go from there.

But then, there are certain exercises that can burn even more fat because they get as close as possible to your regular cardio and more so for those who like doing cardio after their workouts. Resistance bands will only make them more difficult and effective.

Burpees

Burpees are classic and give you a good warm-up, not to mention the possibility to implement them into your cardio routine without the need to measure your fitness level or test it.

They are extremely common, and while they do put a bit of pressure on joints, they make a good intensity cardio workout. Now, imagine resistance bands – whether around your thighs or your back as you push yourself up.

Spice things up and surprise your body.

Video: Burpees with Resistance Bands

Here is a video demonstration on how to do burpees with resistance bands

Push ups

Push ups are classic and mostly work on your arms and chest. Push ups are sometimes confused for planks, planks and pushups are different but because you need to maintain your body in a plank position, some people might mistake the two. The good thing with this though is, your abs and most of the core will also be engaged.

Exercise in general helps to increase metabolism and burning calories but this is a serious calorie burner exercise if you do it right. Now, take a resistance band around your back and keep it stuck under each palm.

As you push yourself up, there is even more pressure – even more calories to burn.

Video: Push Ups with Resistance Bands

Here is a video demonstration on how to do push ups with resistance bands and its benefits

Power Squats

If you have been doing squats everyday for some time now, this one will be easy for you.

Get in the squatting position first, then lower yourself to the ground. Throw the band under your soles and hold it with your hands by the sides of your body.

These are not the types of squats where you need to raise your hands as you go down. Instead, keep them around you throughout the whole movement.

The resistance will kick in as you try to stand up.

Video: Power Squats with Resistance Bands

Here is a video of how to do power squats with a heavy band

Good Mornings

This exercise has a self-explanatory name. It will get you up in the morning, stretch you a bit and get you ready for the day. Bring in some resistance bands, and you will take this venture even further.

Bend over from a standing position with your knees slightly bent – your back must be straight and parallel to the floor.

In this position, get the resistance band under the soles and hold it with your hands. Raise your back without moving the lower body.

Video: Good Mornings with Resistance Bands

Here is a video demonstration on how to do good mornings with resistance bands

Cross Body Chops

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Get the band under the right foot and keep your hands towards that side of the body, while holding the band.

Raise arms towards the left side – as high as you can.

Perform the exercise for the other side, too – the band under the left foot and the movement towards the right side.

Video: Cross Body with Resistance Bands

Here is a video demonstration on how to do cross body chops with resistance bands

Wrapping up...

Bottom line, pretty much every cardio exercise can be taken further with resistance bands.

To do everything at home, grab your most common warm up moves and enhance them with resistance bands.

To get a bit of lean muscle too – even better when burning fat, stick to body weight exercises with your resistance bands. Results will show up in no time.

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