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Too busy to hit the gym?Do these exercises with the thera-band for a strong and fit body

The thera-band is one of thebest ways to continue yourexercise regimen at home, incase you have to skip yourgym session. As we mentionedlast week, while they're not a substitutefor a gym workout, thera-bandsprovide a full strength and resistanceworkout if you use them with the rightset of exercises.

One of the main advantages of thethera-band is that you are limited onlyby your imagination. Since the band isso light and easy to tie to just about anything,you can change your angles andplanes of movement without sacrificingany resistance or load. The band'sresistance increases the more youstretch it. This means it gets toughertill either the band runs out of stretchor you run out of oomph.

The exercise band has thousands ofloads built into it -- the load is directlyproportional to the amount of stretchyou put into the band. No more lookingfor weights and compromisingbecause you can't find the right dumbbell.Just adjust the tension and you'regood to go.

The downside to the thera-band isthat you need to be careful about howyou use it. It can snap and recoil veryquickly, resulting in a painful welt. It'sa good idea never to stretch the bandmore than 90 per cent of its maximumcapacity and inspect your band fornicks and weaknesses. If theseweaknesses grow, you can besure that at some point theband is going to snap atthat spot.

Here are a set of exercisesyou can do withouthaving to fasten the bandto any fixed point.

A fullbody workout with the Thera-Band
These exercises can be performedwith the T-band placedunder your feet. To set the tensionin the band, wrap themaround your hands. Start withthree sets of 10 repetitions andgradually increase to threesets of 30 reps. Remember tokeep your body posture rightand don't stretch the bandto more than 90 per centof its maximum capacity.

Lunges
Do this exercise only if youdon't have any knee pain.From a kneeling position,bring one foot forward andanchor the band under it. Pullthe band up to your chest.Straighten the leg as far asit goes and don't shiftyour weight backward.Return to thefloor. Avoid involvingthe back legmuscles.

Deltoid Flys
Anchor the band under your feet andraise the band out sideways as high asyou like. This is great for building yourshoulder muscles.

HeelRaises
Anchor theband under yourfeet and pull upto the chest.Now raise yourheels anddescend slowly.This helps toneyour calf musclesusing your bodyweight as naturalresistance.

ShoulderPress
Stand on the bandand stretch it up toyour shoulders.From there straightenyour arms out tostretch the bandabove your head asif the ends were twodumbbells. Returnto shoulder heightto complete onerepetition. Theshoulder press is asimple way to trainyour upper body.

Triceps Extension
You need to have a painfreerange of motion inthe shoulder. Keep yourhands behind your head.Now raise them with theelbows straight. Returnto starting position.

Biceps Curls
Place the band under your feet. Wrapit around your hands to set the tensionwith your arms extended fully.Pull the band upwards bending yourarms at your elbows.

Hip Abduction
Anchor the band under your feet.Keeping one leg fixed, move theother leg sideways to stretch theband out. This helps strengthenthe sides of the gluteus region.

Squats
Keeping the bandunder your feet,get into asquat positionwith the bandin front of yourshoulders. Then,as you straightenyour legs, stretchthe band out tillyour hands are infront of yourshoulders. Squatsare a great way totrain your thigh andglutes.

Heath is a sportsphysiotherapistat the Kokilaben Hospital SportsMedicine Centre

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