Full Body Mini Band Strength Training for Runners
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Mini band workouts make a frequent appearance in our weekly workout series. The mini band, also known as the small exercise band, loop resistance band, or resistance loops are a portable, easy to stow home gym equipment option perfect for workouts in apartments, hotels, or space smalls!
We love mini band exercises as a resistance challenge for your entire body, including exercises for the upper body (tone your arms and chest!) as well as the larger muscles of your lower body, especially your legs and glutes.
Why Should Runners Do Cross Training with a Mini Band?
This mini band series is the perfect strength training circuit for runners looking to prevent injury and increase strength at home. Small exercises bands, like the mini band, are an ideal training tool to throw into your gym bag and do anywhere, including immediately following a run! This is one of the best times to add strength into your workout schedule, since the muscles are already warmed up from a run, which helps to prevent over stretching and injuring from straining cold muscles.
Add this 30 minute strength and core workout into your weekly workout routine. If you don’t have 30 minutes, treat this as a no-repeat 15 minute workout routine (complete only one round each) post-run to strengthen the muscles most frequently used while running.
Beginner-Friendly Options
If this is your first time adding a mini band into your workout, consider our recommendation on the best mini bands. Many bands come in a variety pack of differing resistances, which allows you to adjust the difficulty and find the workout tool that best suits your strength needs and skill level.
See our full workout series here.
Equipment Used In This Workout: Mini Band Set
At Home Full Body Mini Band Workout For Runners
Suggested:
5-10 Minute warmup + cool down of your choice.
Tip:
Range of motion and proper form is more important than the strength of the mini band. If you find that you cannot perform each exercise with the proper technique, choose a lighter resistance band until you increase your strength.
Increase the difficulty!
Perform the lower body series either in a side plank position (for the leg raises or the clamshells) or bear plank position for donkey kicks and fire hydrants.
Need a modification?
You can do this entire workout without equipment if you don’t have it at home or use a set of dumbbells!
Mini Band Exercise List:
Perform 25 reps of each exercise. For round 2, complete all exercises on the same side before switching. Complete each round 2 times before moving on. Rest 1 minute between rounds.
Round 1 - Upper Body :
Rear Delt Shoulder Squeeze
How-to: Start in a seated L-position, core squeezed and legs active. Place the mini band around the forearms, elbows at 90 degrees, arms in front of your body. Press the elbows away from each other, pinching the shoulder blades together, keeping the biceps parallel with the ground. Slowly bring back to center, avoiding letting the mini band “snap” your arms together.
Form tip: This movement is focused on strengthening the shoulders and deltoids, so it’s important to keep the arms lifted and slowly press away.
Modification: Remove the mini band.
Lat Pulldown
How-to: In the same position, move the mini band to wrap around the palms. Lift the arms overhead and, pulling the elbows down and back, squeeze the shoulder blades to activate the lats.
Form tip: Make sure to fully engage the lats and shoulders by pinching the should blades behind you.
Modification: Remove the mini band.
Plank Row
How-to: Start in a pushup position, the mini band underneath both hands. In one hand, row the palm to your side by driving the elbow upwards.
Form tip: Don’t let the hips rock! Keeping the glutes squeezed and the core activated will prevent the hips from creating unnecessary movement. Optionally, widen your stance to prevent rocking.
Modification: Drop the opposite knee from your rowing arm, or both knees, for added stability.
Kneeling Bicep Curl
How-to: Start in the kneeling position, one leg in front, knee bent. Place one end of the mini band underneath the foot. Hinging at the waist, curl the palm to the shoulder, pulling against the tension of the band. Slowly lower down.
Form tip: Keep the movement small and the elbow tucked alongside the body. Only let the elbow bend to keep the exercise focused on the bicep.
Modification: Use a weight or a lighter mini band to get the most range of motion during this exercise.
Round 2 - Lower Body:
Complete all exercises on the same side before switching.
Side Lying Leg Raise
How-to: On your side, hips and knees stacked, hand behind the head, place the mini band above your knees. Keeping the legs in line as you lift, lift the leg against the resistance band, keeping the toe parallel to the ground.
Form tip: Place your opposite hand on the ground in front of your chest to prevent your hips from twisting backwards.
Challenge: Press up into a forearm side plank for a balance challenge.
Clamshells
How-to: Keeping the mini band above the knees, bend the knees and bring the feet behind you, keeping the knees in line with the hips. Press against the mini band, keeping the toes and heels together.
Form tip: Place your opposite hand on the ground in front of your chest to prevent your hips from twisting backwards. Height of the knee is not important here. Focus on the gluteus medius by keeping the movement small until you grow stronger.
Challenge: Press up into a forearm side plank for a balance challenge.
Plank Leg Lift
How-to: In a forearm plank, core engaged, place the mini band over your shins. Maintaining the plank position, point the toe of one leg and lift, making sure not to rock through the hips.
Form tip: Keep the movement small as height is not important here. Squeeze the glutes at the top to fully engage the muscles of the glutes and hamstrings.
Modification: Drop the opposite knee from the lifting leg or widen your stance for greater stability.
Donkey Kick
How-to: In a quadruped position, shoulders over wrists, hips over knees, place the mini band above your knees. Flex one foot and, keeping the knee bent, press the bottom of the foot upwards, until the quad is parallel with the mat. Squeeze the glutes and maintain the 90 degree bend as you lower the knee back down in line.
Form tip: Avoid arching through the back by activating the core.
Modification: Drop down to the forearms for sensitive wrists.
Challenge: Hover the knees off the mat in a bear plank position to challenge the core and provide a balance challenge.
Fire Hydrant
How-to: In the same position as the donkey kick, open the knee out to the side, making sure to keep the knees in line.
Form tip: As with other exercises, height is not important. Avoid shifting your weight into the opposite hand as you lift the leg. Keep the hips pointed towards the ground as you engage the gluteus medius.
Modification: Drop down to the forearms for sensitive wrists.
Challenge: Lift the knees up into a bear plank position to challenge the core and provide a balance challenge.
Round 3 - Ab & Core:
Lying Slow Bicycle Crunch
How-to: On your back, place the mini band around the feet, keeping the feet flexed, knees bent at 90 degrees. Place your hands behind your head, with elbows wide, and roll your shoulders off that mat. Press one foot away as you twist the opposite elbow to opposite knee and hold for two seconds before switching.
Form tip: Curl up to bring the elbow to the knee to get the full twist through your obliques.
Modification: Remove the mini band.
Challenge: Sit up into a boat sit as you bring your opposite knee to elbow.
Push Away Crunches
How-to: On your back, knees stacked over hips, mini band placed over feet, feet flexed. Place your hands behind your head and roll your shoulders up off the mat. Press away with both feet, extending the legs out to 45 degrees, simultaneously pressing against the mini band to keep tension. Slowly return to center.
Form tip: Keep your lower back on the mat to engage the abs fully. As you grow stronger, find your lowest point that you can extend the legs without arching through the back.
Challenge: Add a pulse at the farthest point in your push away to add in an outer thigh exercise.
Slow L-Sit Situps
How-to: On your back, legs outstretched in front of you, mini band over the hands, arms long behind your head. Slowly sit up, keeping tension in the mini band, head in between the arms. Slowly lower down, scooping the tailbone and using each one of your abs, as you roll back down on the mat.
Form tip: Make this a core and shoulder exercise by keeping tension in the band as you press away and sit up.
Challenge: Make this sit-up more challenging by lifting the legs at the same time as the chest into a V-sit position, challenging your hip flexors and lower abs.
Boat Sit Wood Choppers
How-to: Start in a seated position and bend the knees to bring the calves parallel with the mat. Scoop the tailbone and extend the arms overhead, mini band around the hands. In a cross body movement, “chop” to one side of your body by bringing the mini band down to one hip. Extend back to center and “chop” to the other side.
Form tip: Balance is crucial here. Keep the chest lifted and tension in the mini band as you twist.
Modification: For added stability, bring the heels to the mat but keep the tailbone scooped to engage the abs.
Challenge: Bring the legs up into a V-sit position to engage more muscles through the core.
