INDIANAPOLIS — If you've ever seen TRX bands or similar straps at the gym and wondered what to do with them, you might feel a bit intimidated. But this Friday's Fit Tip shows you how to use them to work and stretch your upper back muscles.
Lydia Horner at LA Fitness demonstrated an arm exercise using "Y's and T's."
"We're going to start at a 45 degree angle," she said as she leaned backward in a standing position while holding onto the straps. "What you're going to do is bring your arms up by your ears to really feel in your upper back and traps and slowly come back down," she said while transitioning from a standing position back into the 45-degree angle with her heels anchored on the floor but her toes in the air.
"Then come out into a 'T' motion arms straight out to the side to not only hit your upper back again, but also your lats," she continued.
Horner recommended this exercise after a long car ride or a long day at the office to stretch out.
"Not only will it sculpt your upper back," she explained, "but also help you with posture."
The slow motions of the exercise can be deceiving but they build back your range of motion after you've been hunched over a computer all day.
"You should feel this in all the little parts of your upper back," Horner said.
Straps are portable, so you can keep your fitness routine while traveling.
Just think "Y and T."
That's your Friday Fit Tip.
Watch Lydia demonstrate the stretches with Anne Marie Tiernon in the video player.