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In this special TheraBand workout, TV coach and personal trainer Arne Derricks shows some extraordinary exercises that you can do perfectly with the TheraBand CLX Band.
Contents
What is the TheraBand CLX?
Which TheraBand CLX is the right one?
side walks
Shoulder pushes and side ups
Side walks on the column with upper body stabilization
Frontal and rotating plane in the seat
Finally, three exercises that cannot be missed: Leg Curl, Military Walk and Mountain Climber
What is the TheraBand CLX?
The CLX is a further development of the well-known Theraband. Instead of a flat band, you get eleven loops lined up next to each other.
The highlight: During your exercises you can simply put your hands and feet through them without having to wrap the fitness band. This increases comfort and safety during training.
The standard CLX is made of latex-free synthetic rubber. So it is also suitable for latex allergy sufferers. In addition, care with powder is no longer necessary.
Which TheraBand CLX is the right one?
The CLX features the same color-coded strengths as the classic TheraBand:
- Yellow: 1.3 kg resistance - therapy and care as well as in rehabilitation after injuries
- Red: 1.8 kg resistance - therapy and rehabilitation, playful children's training, prevention training
- Green: 2.3 kg resistance - all-rounder for leisure and sports as well as for advanced rehabilitation and prevention training
- Blue: 3.2 kg resistance - demanding band for leisure and sport
- Black: 4.4 kg resistance - strength training
- Silver: 10 lbs resistance - advanced strength/physical training
- Gold: 6.5 kg resistance - demanding strength training/athletic training
Depending on the exercise, it makes sense to have two to three strengths on hand. Especially with exercises with the legs it can be a bit more, since the leg muscles are naturally stronger than the arm muscles.
Depending on the exercise, you can also increase the strength of your exercise band by doubling it up.
Everything ready? Then let's get started:
side walks
Let's start with the side walks, where the band is placed around the ankle or knee joints. The special thing about exercising with the CLX Band: the training device does not have to be changed.
And this is how it works: The first three loops remain free, you step into the fourth loop and pull the loop up to above the knee joint. Please make sure that the band fits comfortably and, above all, does not crease! Then you step into the fifth loop with the other leg and place it like on the other side.
The rest of the TheraBand CLX initially hangs down the leg. Now step into the last loop with the first leg – in our video it is the right leg – and pull the loop up to just above your right ankle. Step into the penultimate loop with the other foot and pull the loop up over your left ankle. If the "rest" loops hanging down the side bother you, you can easily fix them in the knee loops. And now we can start with the first special TheraBand CLX exercise: Standing shoulder-width apart, we have a slight external stabilization of the slightly bent knees, which already have to press against the resistance of the band. Your upper body is aligned in a stable manner, slightly bent forward, you hold your palms pressed against each other close to your chest (Namaste posture), which stabilizes the shoulder girdle. Now you start with the side walks by taking small steps to the side step by step. Important: During this exercise, the TheraBand CLX is under constant tension on both the knees and the ankles. The deeper you go with the steps, the more you feel the effort in your buttocks, thighs and also in the outside of your legs.
You do the whole thing several times in a row in five or six steps to the right and to the left. In addition, you can of course vary the step size!
Shoulder pushes and side ups
Now get out of the loops and continue with the next exercise in the classic position. First of all, you halve the band. And leaves the middle loop, i.e. the sixth, free. With your feet you step into the loop to the right and left of the middle one and thus get the perfect shoulder-width stance.
Now we have four lops left on each side to work with. Depending on your training level and band strength, you can now grab the last loop with one hand or - if you want it to be a little more intense - the second or third and raise your arm up to shoulder height. Lower arm and upper arm form a right angle, the TheraBand CLX lies behind your arm, your wrist is stable, the fingers of the closed fist point forward. Make sure your pelvis is well aligned and stable and your stomach is firm.
On the other hand, you keep your arm in the same position - but without the band - and shift your weight to the side that is holding the TheraBand CLX under tension. Your balance will be challenged here. But that's not all: Now you stretch your free arm up and pull it down again, lifting your leg on the same side until your elbow and knee touch. Put your foot down and straighten your arm again. You notice how not only your leg has to work against the resistance, but also how your lateral abdominal muscles are strained. As the last part of this special exercise with the TheraBand CLX, there is now a strong shoulder push on the side holding the band in the opposite direction, so that the whole body is involved in this exercise. With 15 repetitions per side, you train your torso, abs, legs, buttocks and arms - on each side, of course!
Side walks on the column with upper body stabilization
For the next exercise, two TheraBand CLX bands are placed around a column or similar, slightly below shoulder height. It is now primarily about stabilization and resistance in the area of the upper body.
You stand at right angles to the column, your arms are stretched out in front of the body with an upright fist at chest height. Of course you hold the TheraBand CLX in your fist. The point now is that your upper body remains stable against the resistance of the band while you continue to move away from the column with small side walks without changing the position of your arms. The torso needs to be active through the stable arms in this exercise. Over time you can increase the stride length and speed and thus achieve an additional training effect.
In the next exercise, locomotion is combined with the pusher chain. Standing with your back to the pillar or wall, you step into a slight lunge, knees bent. Hold the TheraBand CLX under slight tension with your angled arm raised to the side at shoulder height. Place your free hand on your hip. Now push the band forward until your arm is straight and take two small steps forward against the resistance, twice, putting the band under real tension. Back to the starting position, hold the band and take two or four backward steps in a controlled manner. Since several planes of movement and muscle chains are active at the same time in this exercise, it is advisable to practice the exercise step by step or the elements in isolation: first pressing, holding and running forward one at a time without losing the correct position. Then the complex, demanding exercise is combined.
Do the whole thing several times and with increases on both sides.
Frontal and rotating plane in the seat
Next up is a seated exercise. We use a slightly weaker TheraBand CLX, which was cut from the roll and therefore has 13 loops. Important: When cutting the strap, always make sure that the cutting edge is always exactly in the middle of the welding point of the strap.
You put the band close to the ground around the pillar or similar, so that each side is the same length, and sit on the side of the pillar/wall. Now place the last loop around the outer foot and lift it, grip the other loop with your opposite hand and ensure that the TheraBand CLX pulls the foot and hand sufficiently laterally and evenly. Bring your upper body into a "comfortable" deckchair position - one leg is still off the ground! From this position, with your arms stretched out in front of your body, against the resistance of the band, rotate your upper body away from the column. If it gets too strenuous in the back, the raised leg can also be put down. If you like it a bit more demanding, you can perform the exercise dynamically and alternately rotate your upper body and lift and lower your leg, so that two body levels have to work at the same time.
Again, at least 15 repetitions are due on each side!
Finally, three exercises that cannot be missed: Leg Curl, Military Walk and Mountain Climber
In this exercise, the somewhat stronger band lies close to the floor around the column. For the leg curl you put the loops around your feet again, it is important that the band is crossed because you will turn around in a moment. You lie on your stomach and slide forward a little. You lift your feet slightly so that the TheraBand CLX is already slightly stretched. And now let's start with the leg curls: you push your heels against the resistance of the TheraBand CLX in the direction of your buttocks and train the entire rear leg muscles. Very important: The pelvis is stable on the floor the whole time and the navel pulls towards the spine!
After this exercise comes the military walk. On all fours, you move in a diagonal sequence of steps – right arm, left leg/left arm, right leg – away from the column, crawling under an imaginary net. You can also go back without gaining height in diagonal steps! The dynamics can be changed, with the resistance of the band increasing linearly as it moves forward and decreasing again as it recedes.
Finally, we reach the pinnacle of the full body workout, the mountain climber: You go from four-legged stand to the plank position, hands aligned exactly under the shoulders, pelvis and torso in a stable manner. Against the resistance of the TheraBand CLX, alternately pull your knees towards your breastbone. The pull of the band gives a lot of power to the stomach. Important: keep your shoulders away from your ears and look down!
Even if it doesn't seem like it: this exercise sequence has it all and makes even experienced athletes like Arne out of breath. Have fun with it!
