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How do you effectively strengthen your back? For example with a fitness band. This allows you to do a variety of back exercises that can help with back pain and similar complaints.
Contents
Before it begins
Which TheraBand is the right one?
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 jumpers
Exercise 10: Bent-over row
Exercise 11: Gulf Swing
How often can I repeat the fitness band exercises?
Before it begins
You can complete all exercises with a fitness band of your choice. Usually you have the choice between different strengths, which are coded with different colors. If you have never held such a resistance band in your hand, you should start with a light resistance and then change to a higher resistance if necessary.
Which TheraBand is the right one?
A fixed rule applies to both the original Theraband and the bands that you can find here: the darker the color, the higher the resistance. Specifically, this means:
- Yellow | Light: Therapy and care as well as in rehabilitation after injuries
- Red | Means: therapy and rehabilitation, in playful child training, in prevention training
- Green | Heavy: all-rounder for leisure and sport as well as for advanced rehabilitation and prevention training
- Blue | Very heavy: demanding tape for leisure and sport
- Black | Extra difficult: Strength training for advanced athletes and athletes
So if you are not currently in rehabilitation or physiotherapy, you can grab the red or green ribbon.
Attention: If you suffer from injuries or other pain, please talk to your doctor before you start training. He knows best which exercises you can do and to what extent.
Exercise 1: One Arm Bandit
One hand holds the loop of the doubled webbing, the other end is wrapped once around the free hand. While standing, bend your knees slightly, one arm is stretched upwards, the other arm pulls the band sideways downwards towards the middle of the body in a slight bend. A stable posture in the upper body with tense abdominal muscles is important here.
Exercise 2: Arm Extension
Again you hold the band twice - if it gets too strenuous, you can simply take the band at any time.
With your arms stretched out, hold the band in front of you a little over shoulder width and wrap both ends once around your hands. Hold your arms stretched out horizontally in front of your body, palms facing down. 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 the spine. Have a nice back!
Exercise 3: Cat & Cow
You stand shoulder-width apart with both feet on the band, the ends of the band of equal length in the right and left hand. 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 put your hands on your shoulders. Now gently round and stretch your back alternately, your arms remain stable and your stomach works with you.
Exercise 4: The crane
Same starting position as for Cat & Cow, but now you are holding the band crossed. Thumbs point outwards. Now you lead your arms almost stretched upwards.
You can either do this with a straight back and train the shoulder girdle or with a stable upper body stretched slightly forward, with the lower back working as a reflex.
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 stretched out, to stabilize the cervical spine you look down and forward. Your stomach will pull inwards. Alternatively, you can do this exercise while sitting.
Exercise 6: Seated row with rotation
Place the band around your feet while sitting, legs are slightly bent. For the one-arm pull, wrap the band around your hand and stretch out 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 your shoulder blade sliding toward the center of your spine.
From this movement you now rotate your entire upper body further to the side, the outstretched arm “wipes” along with the movement as if it were on an imaginary table. In this exercise, the lateral backbone works properly!
Exercise 7: Leg Extension Balance
It's all about back and bottom. From a kneeling stand, place one leg forward in the middle of the band and wrap the ends of the band around your hand on the right and left. The free leg goes through and you go into the 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 drawn-in stomach – is also used secondarily. For that certain something more, 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: "Wiggle" is allowed, this trains the deep muscles close to the transverse and spinous processes.
Exercise 8: Lat Pull
Now we continue with the stronger strap including the fixation loop. Wall anchors provide further great training opportunities. To do this, pull the tape through the loop attached to the wall anchor.
Wrap the band twice around your hands on the right and left and pull the band down while kneeling slightly forward.
Exercise 9: ski jumpers
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.
Exercise 10: Bent-over row
Now the tape is attached to 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 bent knees.
Exercise 11: Gulf Swing
Stabilizing and belonging to the rotation chain, the last exercise trains the entire back. You stand to the side of the band and wrap it around the outside hand, the other hand covers it.
From a slightly crouched position, push the band diagonally up in front of your body. Your back stays active throughout the exercise.
How often can I repeat the fitness band exercises?
How often you train during the 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!