Elastic bands are great workout equipment. They're portable. They're inexpensive. They're flexible. For some, however, they aren't as intuitive as more traditional workout equipment. Use the guidelines below when designing an arm workout using elastic bands.
Muscles of the Arms
There are four major muscle groups in the arm. The biceps (front of the upper arm), triceps (back of the upper arm), front of forearm and back of forearm. Depending on your goals, you may want to focus on one area or another. Rock climbers need exceptional forearm strength, while boxers should focus on the triceps. Traditionally, biceps and triceps are especially important if you want to tone up for appearance.
Resistance
Muscle-building exercises work on the principal of resistance. If you make extending or contracting a muscle more difficult than it's used to--that is, if something resists the motion, then the muscle gets stronger. Lifting weights is the best known example. Other examples include moving in water or pushing against air pressure.
Elastic bands provide resistance as you stretch them. With elastic band exercises, you anchor the band and push or pull against it. You can change the amount of resistance by doubling up the band or by using progressively stronger elastic bands.
Biceps Exercises
The key to biceps exercise is the curl. Hold your arm out straight. Now bend your arm. That's a curl. The simplest exercise is to stand on one end of the elastic band and hold the other end while curling. .
Triceps Exercises
You exercise your triceps in exactly the opposite way as you exercise the biceps. Hold your arm, bent as if at the apex of a curl. Extend your arm. A simple exercise is to do that with the elastic band wrapped around your upper torso, holding both ends in your hand.
Forearm Exercises
Forearm exercises (front and back) are done by bending or rotating the wrist. Moving your hand towards your bicep exercises the lower forearm. Moving it towards your shoulder exercises the upper forearm. For a simple forearm exercise, grip the elastic band in both hands, so the band is taught. Rotate one wrist while holding the other steady to provide tension. Alternate.
Variations
There are countless exercises beyond the simple suggestions above. By changing the angle you can work out different parts of each muscle group, providing focus and sculpting.
Any exercise with an elastic band consists of three factors: the grip, the anchor and the resistance. The grip is simply where and how you grip the band, most importantly how you maintain your hold as resistance increases. The anchor is where you attach the band, so one end is immobile. The best choices are furniture and your own body. Resistance, discussed above, is how much work you want to do. This can be varied by the strength of the band or by doubling up.
