How To Use Resistance Bands For Faster Fat Loss

In this article I will show you how to use resistance bands for faster fat loss and tell you why you should add them to your long term plan of fat fighting. During my time spent in the gym and the swimming pool I have conversations with gym members and it is constantly brought to my attention that people desire results faster.

The fact is you have to be patient. Because after your initial water loss and fast weight loss of the early days on a programme, anything more than 1 – 2 pounds per week is more than likely to be not just fat but muscle as well. This is dangerous for the long term as it will lead to a slower metabolic rate and usually means you will regain your lost weight back over time.

So where do resistance bands come into the equation you might ask? Well, once you learn how to use resistance bands as part of a faster fat loss programme then they can easily become a mainstay in your long term plan. I say faster fat loss because I speak to so many people who have either plateaued on their current plan or are on the regain cycle of putting back on their hard earned fat loss.

The key with how to use resistance bands is that you will end up with a win-win situation. Because you are exercising large (and smaller) muscle groups intensely you will burn more calories than your average aerobics class or long boring steady state cardio session.

Plus you will hold onto your muscle tissue whilst you burn fat = faster metabolism while the fat comes off AND a faster metabolism (even while you are sleeping/resting) to maintain your loss.

The end result is that of a shaped and toned body with a healthy body composition that will prevent you from being “skinny fat” like so many others I see in the gyms today.

How does that sound? Forget joining the 95% club of those who put all the fat back on within 5 years and welcome to the 5% club who keep it off for life! Yes, become a maintainer not a regainer!

Let’s take a look at some of the huge benefits of training with your new bands:

- No more expensive gym fees. You can do every exercise with your bands that you can do in the gym.

- Affordable to buy. A good quality set of bands can be bought for $20 - $30. (Your gym fees are probably $600 per year!)

- The convenience factor is huge as the bands and attachments fold up nicely into a little bag and are totally portable. Great for business people in hotel rooms, to take away on holiday, take round to your friends house for a buddy up workout. Superb for use at home, especially if you are a busy Mum on the go.

- You can change the intensity of your exercises as each band package usually has 5 bands with different resistance levels.

- You can work out with them to your favourite tunes /videos or even resistance band work outs on You Tube. There are lots of fitness DVD’s that are made specifically for resistance band training in your home.

- Great for a workout with lots of variety, there are 100’s of different routines for you to choose from, you'll never get bored.

- They make a great addition to doing your regular cardio sessions for a perfect fat loss/maintenance programme.

A Typical Fat Loss Routine

Personally I recommend you do the following routine with your bands. This is known in the fitness industry as a “push-pull routine” and it’s perfect for not falling into the trap of over training and it will keep you injury free because of that.

Perform your sessions on these days: EITHER Mon – Wed – Fri OR Tues - Thurs – Sat. This way you are giving your body parts the minimum of 72 hours rest they need to fully recover from an intense session.

You will have 2 routines that you alternate. As an example:

Monday: (Routine 1) Chest – Shoulders – Triceps

Wednesday: (Routine 2) Legs – Back – Biceps

Friday: Repeat Routine 1

Monday: Repeat Routine 2

Continue to alternate these 2 routines every Mon – Wed – Fri.

Time Factor: After your initial warm up of 5 minutes do a 45 minute session which will mean 15 minutes per body part.

Reps Per Set: 15 -20

Rest Between Sets: 20 – 30 seconds maximum

Exercises Per Body Part: 2 - 3 (ie: for shoulders perform side lateral raises, bent over lateral raises and shoulder press)

Word Of Warning: If you are new to resistance band training then ease yourself gently into your programme. It can be a good idea in your 1^st few weeks to start off with your cardio and follow on with a short band routine and build it up over a few months.

A Note For The Ladies: Resistance band workouts are one of the best ways to melt fat you will find. Do not think you will end up looking muscular like Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1980’s because it is impossible for you to do so. You do not have enough testosterone in your bodies to gain muscle easily. Your end result from using the bands will be a toned, shaped and fat free body if you use them consistently with a healthy eating lifestyle.

How To Use Resistance Bands Conclusion

This form of exercising is extremely underrated and misunderstood, especially for the ladies. For maximum results I recommend you use your bands alongside a high intensity interval training cardio programme. Try it for 120 days and you can totally readjust your body composition and turn your body into a turbo charged fat melting machine.