Theraband Exercises

These coloured strips of latex are great for toning the body, for stretching the body, very lightweight. They're called Theraband, or some people call them Dynaband. You can even get latex-free ones.

I'm now going to show you some Theraband exercises.

Place both bands down on the floor. One is for the back of the arm, one is for the chest. Then you place your cushion on the top.

So, you're lying on this purple band, and then you pull it around to the side. Holding with your wrist straight, your other hand, knuckles by the back of your arm, just below your elbow, to steady the arm in place, to keep it quite far back so it doesn't come forward. You straighten your arm, tummy pelvic floor, lengthen and then breathe out, bend, breathe in. Try to keep that wrists straight all the time. The tighter you make the band, the harder it is.

This is a great exercise for toning your chest. Lengthen out through the top of your head, tummy, pelvic floor, and try to breathe. Breathing out, breathing in. Try to keep the elbows rounded throughout, and stop before they pinch together at the back.

And bench press - this is also working the triceps, back of your arms. You can make the exercise more difficult by using a firmer strength with the band or easier using a more flimsy band.

Do have a look at the other films using the band: "How to increase flexibility" and "How to do Pilates with back pain". The Theraband is a very useful tool in Pilates. This short video will show you how to use one correctly and to therefore help strengthen your muscles.