Resistance bands can be a wonderful addition to your workout routine if you have never used them before. There are many practical and effective ways to use them that can work specific muscle groups better than free weights.

1. Probably the most common way people use resistance bands in their workouts is by doing curls with them. Exercise bands come in many different lengths and resistance levels so you will need to find bands that will work for you. To do curls you will need to place one foot in the middle of the band and stand up straight holding one end in each hand. The tubing should be taunt at this point. If it is not, make a circle with the tube under your foot to take up the slack. As you do the curls you will have resistance on the way up and on the way down. This helps work different muscle groups and also assists in keeping you from swaying your body like many people do with dumbbells.

2. Resistance bands can also be used to do pull-ups. You might not see how this will work, but it actually is pretty easy to do. If you have a pull up bar, place the resistance tubing over the bar and hold an end in each hand. If you do not have a bar you can open a door and place the band behind the door resting on the hinge. You will then need to crouch down on one knee with the bands at about a 45 degree angle. Make sure there is no slack. Now you just pull the bands down towards your chest. If you need more resistance you can either scoot back or get bands with a stronger resistance level.

3. Another way resistance bands can be used to work out it by doing squats. The setup for squats is similar to that of curls, but instead of one foot, you will have both feet on the tubing. Your feet should be shoulder width apart. This time you should start in the squat position with your thighs parallel to the ground. There should not be any slack in the exercise band. Keep your back straight and look slightly up as you stand up. The closer you get to fully standing the more resistance you will experience.

These are just three of the many ways that you can add resistance bands into your work out to give you an extra benefit that you may not experience with free weights.

It is important to note that when you use resistance bands, the key is to do the movements slow and pause before changing direction. For example, when doing curls slowly curl and then hold for a couple seconds before slowly descending your arm back to the starting position.