I’M WITH THE BAND
The new way to tone, tighten and feel the burn
HERE’S SOMETHING YOU PROBABLY NEVER THOUGHT YOU’D BE TOLD: “Your glutes are incredibly lazy,” says Matt Best, a trainer at Sydney’s Flow Athletic. “Thanks to modern sedentary habits, we must find a way to connect with them and turn them on.”
Yes, Best is on a mission to activate your glutes – and he has a secret weapon: a resistance band. The unassuming elastic loop is a vital part to his training sessions and, while it looks harmless, it is anything but. “It is devastatingly effective. Its kind on the joints but still gives fantastic toning results,” he says. “I use mini-bands as an essential tool in my lower-body exercises, especially as a way to activate the bum before any squats, lunges or lower-body lifts.” Slipping on the band, he insists, takes any confusion out of what muscle should be working (hint: not the quads), as often the glutes fail to switch on when just doing standard squats. “You are not going to get strong glutes by performing endless bodyweight squats – bands will make a difference.”
And you don’t have to have ambitions of a KK derrière to seek out an effective bum burn. “Strong glutes benefit every and all aspects of your life. They’ll improve your posture, how you stand, walk, run, climb stairs and pick up things. They’ll even improve the way you sit,” he says. “Strong glutes are also key for injury prevention. If you suffer from knee or lower back pain, it’s almost certainly due to weak glutes.”
The best part about resistance bands? They’re both effective and super-efficient (not to mention tiny!). And Best swears you don’t need to devote hours each week to working out. “Trust me, if you do the right exercises, performed at the correct intensity with sequencing that is on point, then you can have a fantastic workout in 30 minutes,” he says. And most importantly, it’s not time wasted. “Leaving a workout feeling truly confident you have actually accomplished your goal is a very empowering and addictive feeling.”