Exercises for the Bodylastics Home Gym System

By Health & Medical Last updated Thursday, July/25/2024

Resistance bands like those found in the Bodylastics system can provide a good workout.resistance bands image by sparkia from Fotolia.com

The Bodylastics Home Gym System is a system based around resistance bands, which basically consist of rubber tubing with handles on the end that comes in different widths to provide different levels of resistance. Bodylastics allows you to do strength training exercises at pretty much any location, and the resistance bands themselves tend to be easier on your joints than weight machines, while still giving your muscles a good workout.

Resistance Band Twists

In this exercise, you'll attach the bands to a secure object, such as a door handle or pole, and walk away until you feel the band tighten. Stand straight, slightly bending your knees, and raise your arms towards the anchor spot of the band. Keep your arms straight, and suck in your abs so that your belly button is moving towards your spine, and slowly twist to your left. Hold there for a second, then twist all the way to your right, hold it, then all the way back to the left. That's one repetition.

Attach the band to a low-lying anchor spot, and walk away until it begins to get tight. Facing away from the band, sit on the ground with your knees bent and hold the band behind your head. Slowly lean back until you're flat on the ground, and then do a sit-up. The resistance provided by the band will give your abs a tougher workout. You can modify this exercise by sitting on a stability ball to give yourself a greater range of motion (but make sure you don't lean too far back--flipping over the ball isn't as much fun as it sounds).

To strengthen your back, you can do resistance band rows. Anchor the resistance band to a doorknob or secure object, and walk away until the band becomes tight. Face the anchor position, and bend your knees slightly with your arms out straight. Without shrugging your shoulders, pull the band back toward you by squeezing your shoulder blades together, then slowly releasing them. If this is too easy, take a couple of steps back to tighten the band.

To do the chest press with the resistance bands, anchor the resistance bands to a secure object. Turn away from the anchor point, raise your hands so they're about as high as the middle of your chest, and walk away from the anchor point until the band gets tight. Stagger your stance so the one foot is in front of the other, and push the bands straight forward until your arms are fully extended, then slowly bring them back until they're back at the starting point. If you don't have enough resistance, move away from the anchor point.

Attach the band to a stable anchor point, and facing the anchor point, move away until the band gets tight. Bend your legs slightly and lift your hands straight to your shoulders, keeping your forearms in a straight line with your upper arms. When you reach the top of the curl, slowly extend your arms back to the starting point. That completes one repetition. Move away from the anchor point if you need more resistance.