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Did you know that two-thirds of all Germans regularly suffer from back pain? We sit too much and move too little. However, TheraBand back exercises can help. With regular TheraBand back training you can strengthen your back muscles and avoid pain. Personal trainer Arne Derricks will show you how to do this.
Contents
This is how the TheraBand helps you with back pain
Which TheraBand is the right one?
TheraBand back training - How to train properly
Exercise 1: One Arm Bandit
Exercise 2: Arm Extension
Exercise 3: Cat & Cow
Exercise 4: The crane
Exercise 5: Standing row
Exercise 6: Seated row with rotation
Exercise 7: Leg Extension Balance
Exercise 8: Lat Pull
Exercise 9: Ski jumper
Exercise 10: Bent over row
Exercise 11: Gulf Swing
How often can I repeat the fitness band exercises?
This is how the TheraBand helps you with back pain
Do you know that, too? After a long day at work, you feel an uncomfortable pulling sensation in your back while trying to lift a heavy bag. You are not alone in this. Back pain continues to be one of the top health problems that almost everyone struggles with on a regular basis.
Strong back muscles are key to preventing such pain. It also helps you maintain a healthy posture and thus increase your general well-being. TheraBand back exercises are a simple and effective method to counteract this everyday problem.
TheraBands are extremely flexible fitness devices that enable exercises suitable for every fitness level and can be seamlessly integrated into your everyday life. In this text you will find out everything you need to know about TheraBand training for your back. Which TheraBand is right for you and how you can integrate the back exercises into your everyday life. Personal trainer and TV coach guides you through every single exercise.
Which TheraBand is the right one?
You can complete all exercises with a fitness band of your choice. As a rule, you have the choice between different strengths, which are coded with different colors. If you've never held a Theraband before, you should start with a light resistance and then switch to higher resistance if necessary.
There is a fixed rule with the original TheraBand: the darker the color, the higher the resistance. Specifically, this means:
- Yellow | Easy: therapy and care as well as in rehabilitation after injuries
- Red | Means: therapy and rehabilitation, in playful children's training, in prevention training
- Green | Heavy: All-rounder for leisure and sports as well as for advanced rehabilitation and prevention training
- Blue | Very heavy: demanding band for leisure and sports
- Black | Extra difficult: strength training for advanced athletes and athletes
If you are not currently undergoing rehabilitation or physiotherapy, you can easily use the red or green ribbon.
Attention: If you suffer from injuries or other pain, please speak to your doctor before you start training. He knows best which exercises you can complete and to what extent.
TheraBand back training - How to train properly
Each exercise is repeated several times. Arne shows you how to perform each exercise and how often it should be repeated. It's not a big deal if you're off by one or two reps on an exercise.
If you can do significantly more or less than the specified number, choose a stronger or weaker band size. You can also vary the band resistance again by placing your TheraBand twice. Arne shows you what the whole thing looks like in practice in the video:
Exercise 1: One Arm Bandit
One hand holds the loop of the doubled band, the other end is wrapped once around the free hand. While standing, bend your knees slightly, one arm stretched upwards, the other arm, slightly bending, pulls the band down to the side towards the middle of the body. What is important here is a stable posture in the upper body with tense abdominal muscles.
Reps: 15 per side
Exercise 2: Arm Extension
![Man performs the arm extension exercise with a TheraBand.](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0713/3413/4037/files/Blog_TheraBand-Uebungen-Arm-Extension_1024x1024.webp?v=1705397219)
Again, you hold the band twice - if it becomes too strenuous, you can simply take the band at any time.
Hold the band in front of you with your arms outstretched and wrap the two ends around your hands once. Keep your arms stretched horizontally in front of your body, palms facing downwards. Now you slowly move your arms outwards, the shoulder blades flow towards each other.
Important: the shoulders stay down, the hands slowly flow outwards and the actual pull comes from the small muscles between the shoulder blades and spine.
Reps: 15
Exercise 3: Cat & Cow
You stand on the band with both feet shoulder-width apart, the ends of the band of equal length in your right and left hands. Wrap the band once around your hand without tension.
Now the classic mobilization of the back with the help of the band becomes a strengthening exercise: You cross your hands in front of your upper body and place your hands on your shoulders. Now gently round and stretch your back alternately, your arms remain stable and your stomach works.
Reps: 10
Exercise 4: The crane
The same starting position as for Cat & Cow, but now you hold the band crosswise. Thumbs point outwards. Now you bring your arms almost straight up.
You can either do this with a straight back and train the shoulder girdle significantly, or with a stable upper body stretched slightly forward, with the lower back working reflexively.
Reps: 15
Exercise 5: Standing row
Same starting position as exercise 3, the band is wrapped twice around each hand. With your back stable and slightly bent forward, pull your arms up on both sides of your body.
Important: Your spine is elongated, to stabilize the cervical spine you look forward and downwards. Your stomach pulls inward. As an alternative, you can also do this exercise while sitting.
Reps: 20
Exercise 6: Seated row with rotation
While sitting, place the band around your feet with your legs slightly bent. For the one-arm pull, wrap the band around your hand and extend the other arm horizontally to the side.
Important: Get out of the sofa position – your back is straight! Now pull your arm backwards towards your body against the pull of the band. You will feel how your shoulder blade slides towards the center of your spine.
From this movement you now rotate your entire upper body further to the side, the outstretched arm “wiping” with the movement as if over an imaginary table. In this exercise, the lateral back cord works properly.
Reps: 20 per side
Exercise 7: Leg Extension Balance
This is about back and bottom. From a kneeling position, place one leg forward in the middle of the band and wrap the ends of the band on the right and left once around your hand. The free leg goes through and you get into a quadruped position. Now use your foot to pull the band backwards and upwards horizontally.
The gluteal muscles work primarily, but the lower back has to provide stability and, like the pulled-in stomach, is subjected to secondary stress. For that certain something extra, the other foot can be lifted slightly off the ground and the weight can be shifted entirely to one hand or the other.
By the way: “Wagging” is allowed, it trains the deep muscles near the transverse and spinous processes
Reps: 20
Exercise 8: Lat Pull
Now we move on to the stronger band including the fixing loop. Wall anchors provide further great training opportunities. To do this, pull the strap through the loop attached to the wall anchor.
Wrap the band twice around your hands on the right and left and, kneeling slightly forward, pull the band downwards.
Reps: 15
Exercise 9: Ski jumper
Same hand position as exercise 8, this time you push your arms backwards on both sides while standing with your knees slightly bent and your back stretched forward.
Reps: 20
Exercise 10: Bent over row
Now the tape is attached to the bottom of the wall using a fixing loop. The band is wrapped twice and the arms are in a stable position - don't forget the basic tension! – Pull slightly upwards and backwards from below with your knees bent.
Reps: 20
Exercise 11: Golf Swing
The last exercise trains the entire back in a stabilizing manner and is part of the rotation chain. You stand to the side of the band, wrap it around your outer hand, and place your other hand over it.
From a slightly crouched position, push the band diagonally upwards in front of your body. Your back remains active throughout the entire exercise.
Reps: 10
How often can I repeat the fitness band exercises?
How often you train per week is basically up to you. If you train with light resistance, you can do your back training several times a week.
Nevertheless, breaks and sufficient regeneration phases are just as important as the training itself. If in doubt, the sore muscles will tell you when you should take a break. Listen to your body. He knows best what is good for you!