Band Finisher Workouts – 4 Ways to Add Into Workout

Band finisher workouts are thought of as short, high-intensity workouts that are done using lighter free-weight resistance after a planned workout is complete.

The goal of finishers is typically to burn off a few more calories by adding in 5 to 10 minutes of additional interval strength training. A finisher workout can achieve that. However, there are other ways to incorporate a finisher into a workout without using weights. Using resistance bands will achieve several other goals in addition to burning off a few extra calories.

4 Ways to Add Band Finishers into Workouts

1. Pre-Exhaust Finisher

Pre-exhaust band finisher workouts are designed to pre-exhaust the primary muscles that will be asked to work during the upcoming workout. Using a finisher in this way will fatigue the muscles before they are asked to lift weights or heavier resistances.

By pre-exhausting muscles with band resistance, it will allow individuals to use lower free-weight resistance to achieve the goal of increased strength. This, in turn, will make the workout more joint-friendly. It will also decrease the potential for injury or joint trauma. This often occurs when lifting heavier weights on an active aging body.

Assuming the goal is to build strength and muscle size, you will accomplish this since the muscles will still be asked to handle a challenging free-weight load using a relatively high number of exercises. An example of a pre-exhaust band finisher workout could involve performing multiple variations of a band-assisted push-up (5 reps every 15 seconds x 12 sets) before starting a chest press free-weight workout.

2. Warm-Up or Primer Finisher Workout

Even though they may both be placed at the beginning of a workout, a primer finisher has a different goal in mind than a pre-exhaust finisher. A warm-up or primer band finisher prepares the body for a specific upcoming workout. It does this by incorporating a low level of band resistance while performing the movements that will be part of the upcoming workout.

For example, if the plan is to do a total body free-weight workout, a band primer finisher workout may consist of a one band push, squat, and pull circuit where each exercise is performed 4 times for 30 seconds with a 30-second rest between exercises. This increases muscle response time while increasing the muscle’s pliability and temperature.

The key is to use a low band resistance. It should provide enough resistance to warm up muscles while creating minimal fatigue.

3. Muscle Defining Finisher

Muscle defining, band finisher workouts are another way to do supersets or burnout sets. This is a pretty well-understood finisher that is often performed using lighter free weights.

However, implementing resistance bands into this type of finisher will also allow individuals to work in multiple planes of movement. It does this by incorporating a non-gravity dependent resistance. This allows individuals to use multiple force angles and vectors that, in turn, train all muscle fibers.

An example of a muscle defining band finisher workout would be to perform an attached band chest press or band fly exercise after a bench press or heavy body-weight, push-up workout. Attaching the band using a horizontal vector will allow pushing and fly type exercises to be done in multiple directions.

4. Power Finisher

Increasing power with a finisher workout is rarely considered a goal for most active aging adults. However, by incorporating a band’s ascending variable resistance, power band finisher workouts are easy to incorporate. In turn, they provide several added training benefits.

First off, bands can soften ground landing forces. As a result, band jumps during the finisher will not beat up joints and therefore can be easily implemented. An example of a simple power band finisher workout using jumping would be to do 1 band resisted broad jump every 5 seconds for 5 total minutes. It would be best to perform this after you complete a heavy leg strength training session.

Summary

Finishers do not have to be viewed as high-intensity workouts performed at the end of a workout with the only benefit being increased calorie expenditure. Band finisher workouts can accomplish much more.

This is especially true when standard free-weight resistance is substituted with ascending band resistance. Along with additional calorie expenditure, band finisher workouts can achieve several other goals that, in turn, help the body look, feel, and perform better.

RBT Resistance Band Training