Tag: exercises

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This Group Fitness Instructor’s True Love? Resistance Band Workouts

Fitness instructor loves resistance band workouts

This Valentine’s Day, I can’t help but celebrate all of my loves. And let me tell you, I love a lot of things. Sweet potatoes. Margaritas. Hi-rise leggings. Ponytails that don’t pinch. Words that stick. But, at the top of my list of loves this year? Resistance band workouts.

I know I talk about resistance bands all the time, but they are seriously the perfect exercise tool to use in your next fitness class. Resistance bands are great, because everyone in a class full of varying fitness levels can pretty much all use the same resistance band and get a good workout. The bands have so much versatility — they help us get a full body workout, especially when mixed with bodyweight exercises.

When leading your class through resistance band workouts, instruct participants to first inspect their band for rips or tears to prevent the band from breaking during the exercise. Then, grab the band and get started.

Here are my five favorite exercises that you should include as part of your upcoming resistance band workouts.

  1. Lunge with Reverse Fly

Resistance band workouts: lunge with reverse fly
Grab the band in both hands and extend your arms out in front of you so the band is already taunt. Step out with one foot, and bend both knees to lower into your lunge, while also bringing your arms away from each other. Remember to keep your elbow slightly bent, but you don’t move at the elbow joint in this exercise. Instead, you’re moving at the shoulder joint to bring your arms further apart.

  1. Push-ups

Resistance band workouts: push-up
Wrap the band around your back and put your hands over the band securely. If it bothers participants to rub the band against their body, they can either put a towel between their clothes and the band or they can do push-ups without the band. From there, do push-ups as you normally would. The most important part is to make sure that the band is taunt when you’re in the plank position at the top of the push-up.

  1. Squat with Overhead Press

Resistance band workouts: squat with overhead press
Place the band underneath the arch of your shoes for one or both feet. Then grab the handles and bring your arms up so that your palms face away from your body. If this makes the resistance too heavy, then you can leave the band by your sides as you squat. You can also do one arm at a time. If this makes the resistance to weak, you can “choke up” on the band and grab the band itself until it feels more challenging.

Squat with your hands by your shoulders, and as you stand bring your arms overhead in an overhead press.

  1. Side lunge with Bicep Curl

Resistance band workouts: side lunge with bicep curl
Place the band underneath the arches of both shoes with your hands in the handles by your sides. Step out to one side, keeping the band under the arch, and bend into a side lung with one leg bent and the other straight. Then, come back to standing with your feet together and bring your arm into a bicep curl.

  1. Tricep Extensions

Resistance band workouts: tricep extensions
Place the handle in one hand, then swing the band behind your back and grab the band with the other hand. The more you “choke up” on the band, the more challenging it will be and vice versa. Bend your elbow so that it faces the front of the room with your hand behind your head. Then, keep your elbow where it’s at and bring your hand up to the ceiling.

Make sure to switch and do the other side for this exercise and the others that are unbalanced left side to right.

These five exercises will give your class a full body resistance band workout. For more exercise ideas, check out the workout routines page.

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“Across the Floor” Exercises for Packed Group X Classes

Group X plank hold

For the Group X instructor that grew up in dance or gymnastics class, you may be familiar with across the floor. That’s when the entire class lines up on one side of the room and takes turns doing a dance move or activity as they progress towards the other side of the room. Across the floor is great for Group X, as well, since it gives participants more room for their exercises and use their muscles in a slightly different way than they would stationary.

If your class runs on the smaller side, you might be able to cue exercises across the floor with the entire class since there’s room for everyone.

But, I’ve found it difficult to cue exercises across the floor in small studios or larger class sizes. Participants tend to run into each other and they spend a lot more time standing around waiting for others to finish.

Instead of having all participants focused on one move across the floor, I’ve started using a different across the floor technique.

Across the Floor 2.0 — Improved for Large Group X Classes

To improve the across the floor experience in larger classes, divide members into two groups. Either ask the participants to pair up, or draw an imaginary line in the middle of the room and assign a Group A and Group B.

From there, ask the first group to start an across the floor routine, such as lunges across the floor with a shoulder press with each lunge. I like to mix it up and cue a different exercise each time they go across the floor.

Then, you’ll lead the second group in a different exercise against the wall.

One option is the wall sit.

Group X wall sit

Ask that second group to find a spot on the wall, and lower their upper body down so that their hips and knees are both in 90 degree angles. Really encourage participants to get their hips low, since many will start to creep up.

The other option is a plank against the wall.

Group X plank hold

The second group can all push their toes against the wall and then scoot their arms out until they’re in a full plank.

Then, you are able to lead both groups at the same time. You can cue the first group to hold one lunge in an isometric hold at the bottom, then switch. Or, you can switch back to the second group and instruct them to do slow mountain climbers in their plank.

Once the first group goes across the floor (there and back), and arrives back at their starting point, the two groups switch. Group A will then do the plank or wall sit and Group B will do across the floor.

Once participants have done this one or two times, they’ll be more familiar and will be able to quickly get into position to do across the floor. Some classes love to have a different experience each class, and will embrace the across the floor exercises. You may find your class just doesn’t like to move from their stationary position in the middle of the floor, and that’s okay, too. Every class is different.

For more tips, check out the group exercise ideas page.

P.S. don’t mind my phone in the photos above! I believe Group X classes should always be a phone-free zone. 🙂

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3 Simple Tricep Workouts for Group X Classes (Part I)

Three Tricep Workouts Part 1

If you’ve ever been to The Cheesecake Factory, you know that people go there for the options (and the bread basket, of course). Why else would you go to a restaurant that has as many pages as a high school textbook? Having a wide selection to choose from is nice, because you know that everyone will be able to find something they like. The same rings true in group fitness (Group X). People appreciate having options and a base line understanding of how to modify or alter exercises, such as tricep workouts.

As group exercise instructors, it’s important to know a few different ways to work the same muscle, plus how to modify that exercise based on needs. That way, you can provide participants with options so they can make their own decisions when they have restrictions to keep in mind.

Triceps are a great example of an exercise that can be done many different ways, depending on preferences. Some folks may have limited range of motion and feel uncomfortable bending at the elbow with their arm overhead. Others may not want to lay on their backs or don’t have the strength to do dips yet.

Here are three different tricep workouts. And, this isn’t an exhaustive list — there are plenty more tricep exercises out there to try, as well.

Skull Crushers

Lie flat on your back and extend your arms right over your shoulders with a dumbbell in each hand. Bend at the elbow, bringing your hands towards your face. Your shoulder joint stays in the same spot the whole time.

Want to modify? You can lift one weight instead of two, holding one side of the dumbbell in each hand. You can also use a bar instead of dumbbells. To up the challenge, bring your legs into a table top position, with your knees right over your hips and legs in a 90 degree angle.

Tricep workouts: skull crushers

Close Grip Press

Lie flat on your back and extend your arms right over your shoulders with a dumbbell in each hand. Lower your arms towards the floor, bringing the weights right over our belly button and making an L-shape with your arms. Keep your elbows tight to your body.

Want to modify? You can use lighter weights, hold one weight instead of two and use a bar instead of dumbbells. Also, you can incorporate lower abs by positioning your straight legs right over your hips, then keeping your legs straight and lowering your ankles towards the floor.

Tricep Workouts: Close Grip Press

Tricep Dips

Place your hands and feet on the floor, with your chest and hips towards the ceiling, like a crab position. With your hips up slightly, bend at the elbow to lower your body towards the floor. As you bend, elbows go straight back toward the wall behind you.

Pro tip: I’ll often see participants moving at the hip and shoulder joint to move their body lower. Instead, tell them to keep everything still except the elbow — that’s the only thing that should be bending.

Want to modify? You can place your hands on risers or a steps to decrease the load. You can also place your feet on risers or a step to increase the difficulty. Also, you can straighten one leg and switch halfway.

Tricep Workouts: Tricep Dips

Check back next week for Part II of the series that will share three more tricep workouts to try.

And if you’d like more workout ideas, check out the workout routines and playlists page.