This 20-Minute Resistance Band Workout Is Perfect for Improving Mobility

By Feb 5, 2023
Adding mobility workouts into your routine can help you make progress with your fitness goals and prevent injury.
Image Credit: mixetto/E+/GettyImages

If you want to feel stronger, run faster, squat lower and perform better overall, mobility is a must-have in your workout routine.

Advertisement

The benefits of mobility training are endless. Adding this type of workout into your routine at least once a week can help you make progress with your fitness goals and prevent injury. Especially if you're largely sedentary in your 9 to 5 job or have poor posture while sitting at your desk, working on your mobility and range of motion can help counteract this.

Video of the Day

Advertisement

The use of a resistance band in a mobility workout like this one adds an element of strength, too. Resistance training can improve your overall range of motion and build muscle in a much safer and lower-impact way than weight training with equipment like kettlebells or dumbbells.

Advertisement

‌​Check out more of our 20-minute workouts here ​— we’ve got something for everyone.‌

How to Do the Workout

This workout consists of 10 exercises that you'll perform for 45 seconds a piece with 15 seconds of rest in between each exercise. Once you've completed one round, rest 15 seconds before performing the sequence of moves one more time. This full-body mobility workout should take about 20 minutes total.

Things You'll Need

  • 1 long resistance band

  • 1 small round mini band

  • An exercise mat is optional, but recommended

1. Banded Pull-Apart

Time 45 Sec
Region Upper Body
  1. Start in a tall kneeling position.
  2. Holding onto a long resistance band with hands shoulder-width apart, extend both arms straight out in front of you to shoulder height.
  3. Relax your neck and shoulders and slowly pull the band apart while retracting your shoulder blades, creating tension on the band.
  4. Return to starting position and repeat.

2. Banded Overhead Back Extension

Time 45 Sec
Region Upper Body
  1. Start in a tall kneeling position.
  2. Hold a long resistance band a little wider than shoulder-width apart. Relax your arms down in front of you.
  3. While finding a slight bit of tension on the band and keeping your arms straight, lift your arms over head.
  4. Retract your shoulder blades and pull the band back behind your head, creating a 90-degree bend in your arms.
  5. Press the band back up over your head and return to starting position. Repeat.

3. Banded Bent-Over Row to High Pull

Time 45 Sec
Region Upper Body
  1. Step on the middle of a long resistance band.
  2. Cross the band in front of your body and grab onto the handles.
  3. Push your hips back and soften your knees to lean your torso forward until it's nearly parallel with the ground and your weight is centered in your heels.
  4. Brace your core and think about keeping your back completely flat.
  5. Leading with your back, squeeze your shoulder blades together and then pull through your arms to raise the handles up toward your ribcage. Pause at the top of the movement. Repeat this step once more.
  6. Release your hands back to the starting position and push your hips forward to a neutral standing position.
  7. Relax your shoulders down. Keeping your elbows wide to the side, pull the bands up underneath your chin and slowly return to the starting position. Repeat this step once more.

4. Banded Downward Dog to Warrior I

Time 45 Sec
Region Full Body
  1. Place a mini band around both forearms and get into a high plank position.
  2. Step your right foot forward between both hands.
  3. Keeping your balance, press your weight through your right leg, reaching your arms overhead and keeping tension on the band and your shoulders pressed down. This is warrior I.
  4. Place your hands back on the floor. As you step your right foot back, press your hips back and high, relaxing your head between the arms. This is downward dog.
  5. Lower your hips to come back into high plank position.
  6. Repeat on the other side with your left leg.

5. Banded Superman

Time 45 Sec
Region Full Body
  1. Lie on your stomach with your arms extended overhead, holding the ends of a long resistance band in each hand.
  2. Engaging your back and glutes, lift your chest, arms and feet off the floor.
  3. Relax your gaze to the floor.
  4. In this lifted position, pull the band back overhead by retracting your back and shoulders.
  5. Then return your arms to the extended position overhead.
  6. Relax back to your starting position and repeat.

6. Squat to Overhead Banded Press

Time 45 Sec
Region Full Body
  1. Place a mini band around both wrists.
  2. Hold your arms at 90-degrees in front of your body, keeping tension on the band.
  3. With your chest up and feet flat on the floor, sit your hips back and bend your knees as if you’re going to sit down into a chair.
  4. Once your thighs are parallel with the floor (or as close as you can comfortably get) pause for a moment.
  5. Press your arms overhead then back to 90 degrees.
  6. Then press through your heels to return to standing position, squeezing your glutes as you stand.
  7. Repeat.

7. Banded Good Morning

Time 45 Sec
Region Core and Lower Body
  1. Place a mini band around your legs right above your knees.
  2. Stand with your feet hip-width apart with a slight bend in your knees and place your hands behind your head with your elbows wide.
  3. Keeping slight tension on the band, engage your core muscles and exhale as you bend at your hips, pressing your hips back rather than simply leaning forward.
  4. Keep your spine and neck in alignment. Your head should stay in a neutral position.
  5. Continue bending with your hips pressing back until your hamstring muscles begin to limit your movement; if you feel like you would need to round your back or bend your knees to go deeper, then that's a good stopping point.
  6. Return to your starting position, squeezing your glutes at the top, and repeat.

Related Reading

Improve Your Mobility and Strengthen Your Back and Legs With the Good Morning Exercise

8. Banded Lateral Walk

Time 45 Sec
Region Core and Lower Body
  1. Place a mini band around your legs right above your knees.
  2. Sit your hips back into a squat position.
  3. Keeping your feet parallel, take two steps to the right and return to a standing position.
  4. Take two steps to the left.
  5. Repeat.

9. Banded Alternating Fire Hydrant

Time 45 Sec
Region Core and Lower Body
  1. Place a mini band around your legs right above your knees.
  2. Get on the floor on all fours, shoulders over your wrists and knees below your hips.
  3. Look back between your legs to make sure you can’t see your feet; if you can, rearrange them so they’re positioned back behind you.
  4. Brace your core to flatten out your back.
  5. Keeping your gaze a few inches in front of your hands so that your head stays in a neutral position and your spine is long, lift your right knee to the right toward your hip. Stop at hip height or as high as you can comfortably.
  6. Lower your knee to the starting position and repeat on opposite leg.
  7. Continue alternating legs.

Related Reading

How to Do the Fire Hydrant Exercise to Tone Your Glutes and Core

10. Banded Bicycle Crunch

Time 45 Sec
Region Core
  1. Place a mini band around your feet.
  2. Lie flat on your back with your hands behind your head. Contract your lower abs to raise your legs a few inches off the ground.
  3. Twist your torso and bend your right knee so that your left elbow crosses your body and reaches toward your right knee.
  4. Now switch and twist to the other side so that your right elbow reaches toward your bent left knee.
  5. Keep alternating sides without tucking your chin toward your chest.