Ready, Set, Banded

READY, SET, BANDED WORKOUT: KATHLEEN APODACA kathleenjanefit.com // @kathleenjanefit HAIR & MAKEUP: LAUREN MITCHELL thehouseoflo.com // @thehouseoflo PHOTOGRAPHER: JAMES PATRICK jamespatrick.com // @jpatrickphoto

Kathleen Apodaca is a certified Trainer, Group Instructor and creator of the ‘Turn Up Tone Up’ workouts that will soon be taking the United States by storm. Thanks to over a decade of industry experience, she also knows a thing or two about creating workouts that you can do anywhere and that hurt like no other. All you need for this bodyweight beauty is a resistant band and a dollop of grit.

Finding yourself short on time as you start putting those January goals into action? Don’t have access to a fully equipped gym thanks to your kid’s nap time, a work trip or a long-awaited holiday? Then this workout is for you. Arms, legs, core, glutes, chest, back – it hits the lot and can be done anywhere. Incorporating primarily compound exercises, this workout is quick and effective, and hits multiple muscle groups simultaneously to keep your heart rate elevated and improve intramuscular coordination.

So why the resistance band? Apart from the fact it can add load to your muscles anywhere, it also increases time under tension, increasing muscle stimulus throughout the entire range of motion for exercise. This constant tension from the band also forces your body to stabilise and brace against the resistance of the band, particularly your core.

The workout Perform each of the exercises as a circuit – complete all of the suggested reps of one exercise before moving to the next, in the order they are prescribed. After completing the entire circuit once (one round), rest for one to two minutes before repeating. Aim to complete three to five rounds total.

This workout can be performed three times per week, with the aim of progressing the number of rounds you can complete, or decreasing the amount of rest between each round, each week.

EXERCISE MUSCLES WORKED REPS

Lunge with tricep push-down Alternating curtsey lunges Push-up to row Plank with leg lift Triceps, quadriceps, glutes, core 15 – 20

Quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes 20

Chest, shoulders, back, core 20

Core, shoulders, glutes 16 – 20

Lunge with tricep push-down

Step 1 Start at the top of a lunge position with your left foot forward and your right foot back. With the band around the palm of your left hand and your thumb facing out, press your left hand onto your right shoulder. Place your right fingertips inside the loop of the band with your elbow bent and touching the side of your body at a 90-degree angle, fingertips facing forward. This is your starting position.

Step 2 Lunge down towards the ground by bending both legs. As you lower your body, press your right hand down on the band so that your arm is straight by the side of your body. Push through the heel of your left foot to return to the upright position. Slowly, bring your right arm back to the starting position.

Step 3 Complete all prescribed reps on one side before repeating on the opposite side.

TIP: Push through the heel of your front foot when you come out of the lunge to activate your glutes.

Step 1 Start in a standing position with the resistance band around both legs, just above the knees, and feet hip distance apart. Step 2 Keeping your weight in your left foot, lunge back diagonally with your right leg. Press through your left heel to lift back up into the starting position.

Step 3 Alternate sides until you have completed all 20 prescribed reps (10 each side). TIP: Keep your knee in line with the ankle of the foot that is forward.

Plank with leg lift

Step 1 With the band placed around your ankles, start in a plank position with your elbows and toes on the ground, back flat, and core pulled in.

Step 1 Start in a push-up position with your knees on the ground, hips forward, and the band across the fingertips of both hands and pressed flat on the floor.

Step 2 Bend your elbows to lower your chest down to the ground and then push back up.

Step 3 At the top of your push-up, bend your left arm and squeeze the left shoulder blade to lift your elbow high, while pulling back on the band. Release and repeat on the other side.

Step 2 With your left leg straight and toes pointed down, squeeze the left glute to create tension on the band and raise the left foot about five centimetres off the ground.

Step 3 Lower your leg back down and repeat on the other side. Alternate leg lifts for the prescribed 16 to 20 reps (eight to 10 per side). TIP: To degress this movement, perform with one knee on the ground. Complete half the number of reps on one side before moving to the other side. To progress this movement, keep one leg lifted throughout the entire exercise, pulsing out the reps under constant tension from the band. Think about squeezing the glute to lift the leg a centimetre higher with each pulse. Complete half of the reps on one leg before moving to the other side.

Step 4 One rep is one push-up and one row. Alternate sides until you have completed the 20 prescribed reps (10 each side).

TIP: Keep your belly button pulled in to protect your lower back and engage your core. For an additional challenge, begin this move from a full push-up position, with your toes on the ground instead of your knees. S