This resistance band workout is a tough sweat session brought to you by Emma Goodman-Horne, who was voted Trainer of the Year in our Fit&Well Awards. With boundless energy and a dedicated clientele, Emma offered free workouts to newcomers during COVID-29 to encourage people to stay fit and active, even those who had never tried it before.
She raised over £8,000 for a local hospice, encouraged people to get active by hosting outdoor bootcamps once restrictions lifted in the UK, and continued to be an upstanding example of positive vibes, beating out 70 other personal trainers who were nominated for the title.
Below, you can see an example of the upbeat energy and positive vibes Emma brings to every workout, originally filmed for our Instagram. Grab a set of comfortable clothes and some of your best resistance bands, and follow along to the workout below. Get outdoors if you can, and make the best of the Spring sunshine:
Follow along to the resistance bands workout below:
Why do this resistance bands workout?
Due to the elastic nature of resistance bands, they offer a challenging workout in lots of ways. For starters, try performing your moves slowly, under control: the elastic bands want to snap back in place immediately, so slowly releasing them forces your muscles to work during the second half or "eccentric phase" of a move.
It's possible to get this sort of workout with free weights too, but it's much more challenging and you're limited by gravity to a single plane of movement. Resistance bands can act on your legs during squats, as Emma demonstrates, on your back to improve a core workout, or you can expand them to workout your chest and arms. They truly are incredibly versatile.
Suffering from lockdown anxiety? Try following this workout outdoors, in the garden or at a local park once you've got it down pat, like Emma's doing. All that vitamin D from the spring sunshine is a guaranteed mood-booster.
Vitamin D's called the "sunshine vitamin" for more reasons than one: not only does it boost the immune system, but a study by researchers at the University of Chicago found inadequate vitamin D levels correlated strongly with incidences of depression. Treating yourself to a little sunshine can compound the natural serotonin-releasing qualities of a strength workout, giving your lockdown mood a lift.
