I love to travel with a resistance band! It doesn’t matter where I am or how busy the holidays are... no excuse on not getting in an amazing workout! 

There are endless excuses for not getting to the gym: working late, traveling too much, feeling intimidated, not knowing what to do once you get there....

One of my favorite low-cost products to utilize for in-house glute, leg and arm workouts are resistance bands. They are also super easy to pack and whip out in a small space (like a hotel room). Resistance bands are a great workout tool not only because they’re super affordable, transportable and versatile, but because they can help target larger muscles as well as smaller stabilizing muscles. Plus, research shows that engaging in elastic band resistance training improves balance, gait function and flexibility, and may induce greater neuromuscular fatigue than exercises with isometric contractions. An elastic resistance band workout is useful for workout newbies and workout buffs alike.

To introduce you to resistance band workouts, I have devised a total-body workout plan that’ll strengthen your core, tighten your glutes and add definition to your arms. This is a workout you can do in a small space in your house or hotel room, whenever you want, and it can be modified for any fitness level! And you only need one thing … a resistance band!

Banded Duck Walk

Step into band with both feet. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Push your hips back, bend your knees, and try to squat until your upper thighs are parallel to the floor, extending your arms out in front of you for balance. Keep your chest up, your weight on your heels, and your eyes straight ahead. Maintain this stance as you walk forward and backward for the prescribed time or reps.

If it’s too hard to maintain a parallel squat—or you aren’t flexible enough to do that—go as low as you comfortably can and try to maintain that depth for the entire exercise.

* I demonstrated the squat of a beginner in the photo. If you are more advanced take a deeper squat! 

Standing band walk 

Step into the band with both feet, and pull the feet as wide as the hips to create tension on the band. Lower down into a half squat position while pulling your naval in towards your spine, and pressing down through the heels of your feet. Then shift your weight from one side to your left side, and step sideways to the right. Bring your left foot slightly in, keeping tension on the band, and continuing to side step to the right like this for 10 steps. Then repeat to the left.

Standing Banded Squat 

Step the feet out as wide as the hips, pull the naval in, and bend at the knees to sit back with your glutes. Act like you’re sitting back into a chair, and then drill down through the heels to stand back up. The band helps activate the glutes with the tension around the legs, and also helps stabilize your body for a more properly formed squat. Repeat this 10 times.

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