The resistance bands course covers a wide variety of exercises which is broken down in to different section. The sections cover... • Beginner Exercises – Core and Abdominals • Push and Pull Variations • Resistance Bands with a piece of Dowel • Functional Exercises • Running Drills • Flexibility and Stretching with the Resistance Band In this workshop the content moves more away from traditional power lifting techniques and more to functional - athletic and mobility based exercises that can be easily included in the exercise prescription of any personal training client. Flat resistance bands come in six different thicknesses and strength levels. Personal Trainers in attendance will have the opportunity to see exercises and practically apply all types of bands during the workshop... Resistance bands act in a very similar nature to how skeletal muscles react and contract. Muscles contract better if they are stretched first and then shortened. This is referred to as the loading to unloading approach. Muscles are like a rubber band the greater the stretch the greater the contraction. Resistance bands operate in exactly the same way - the greater amount of stretch placed on the band the greater amount speed - force and momentum pulls the band back to its resting length. Therefore when training with a resistance band the greater the stretch applied to the band the greater the stretch and contraction applied to the muscular system. Resistance bands work on the premise that muscles are more reactive rather than proactive. Think about professional sports for example. The muscles are constantly reacting to opposition movements - unpredictable balls - boundaries - weather - and a coaches instructions. Even in normal day to day functional movements people are also faced with situations where the body is to respond to an unpredictable stimulus that challenges the body to deal and react to changes in gravity - momentum and ground reaction forces. Even predictable movements cause the muscles to become reactive to that stimulus. Basically the body reads - reacts and responds. Think about the gains that personal training clients could achieve by being exposed to training methods that can bring about these training responses for the body. Resistance bands are fantastic for taking clients through functional full integrated movements. Some of the benefits of training with Resistance Bands are mentioned below... • Can train speed and explosiveness • Ability to decelerate momentum • Change and redirect force • Increase functional range of motion • Can simulate pretty much any type of action or movement • Great for training athletes and also the average personal training client • Can perform anywhere (outside - inside - park & living room) • Cost effective • Functional exercises • Decrease likelihood of causing an injury • Improve reactive strength • Train specifically for a sport or training goal
