I’ve collected 9 of my favorite resistance band exercises you can do on your mini stepper, as well as my top tips for making the most out of your mini stepper workout at home!
If you have a mini stepper, then you know just how effective mini stepper workouts can be. Mini steppers are a fun, compact way to challenge your heart, lungs, and lower body to increase your fitness level.
Plus, if your mini stepper includes attached resistance bands, you can use them to strengthen your upper body and core for a full body workout experience!
Benefits of Mini Steppers with Resistance Bands
Resistance bands are a great tool to help you increase your total body strength and performance. When attached to a mini stepper, resistance bands are great for helping to target and strengthen your upper body and core in tandem with your lower body and cardiovascular system while stepping.
The versatility of resistance bands allows you to complete a wide variety of exercises focused on different muscle groups. Thanks to the high resistance of the resistance bands included on Sunny mini steppers; they’re great for increasing strength over time as you’re able to increase your range of motion to increase tension.
How to Use Mini Stepper Resistance Bands Safely & Effectively
It’s important to consider your safety first when it comes to resistance bands. Due to the variable resistance that resistance bands provide throughout a given range of motion, it can make controlling each exercise a challenge.
It’s important when we exercise to feel in control, as this control allows us to move safely and effectively. When using the resistance bands on your mini stepper, you can gain control by following a few simple safety tips.
Maintain Proper Positioning on Your Mini Stepper
First, always focus on maintaining a strong core, and a nice upright posture to protect your spine. Any movement you complete with your resistance bands should not sacrifice this position.
Control Your Range of Motion
Second, control your range of motion. Only pull the resistance bands as far as you feel comfortable and in control. If you need to reduce the range of motion of a particular exercise to gain control, that’s not only okay, but it’s also recommended for your safety during your workout.
Pushing yourself to pull the resistance bands harder or further than you feel comfortable will not lead to a better workout or good movement; in fact, it puts you at a higher risk of injuring yourself.
Safety Checklist for Your Mini Stepper with Bands Workout
Now, put it all together; you got this! During your workout, I want to be in your head, coaching you to safely move throughout your workout. Think:
- Good Posture
- Strong Core
- Controlled Range of Motion
As long as you’ve got these three points covered during your workout, you’re ready to have a safe, fun, and effective workout on your mini stepper, putting those resistance bands to good use.
How to Add Resistance Band Exercises to Your Mini Stepper Workouts
Sprinkle these exercises here and there into your regular workouts for an extra challenge, or complete all of the exercises below for a great upper body and core workout.
I recommend 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps of each exercise. Take your time, focusing on controlling each rep. If you can’t do 10 reps to start out, that’s okay - just practice getting the hang of it, and you can work up to a higher range of reps.
If you’d like to increase your heart rate, perform these exercises circuit style, completing each exercise in the list back-to-back. Once you’ve finished, rest 60 seconds, and repeat!
Mini Stepper Resistance Band Exercises
1. Bicep Curls
How to: To perform bicep curls, hold resistance bands with palms facing forward, and arms relaxed. Your elbows should stay tucked in at your sides, as you flex your bicep to bring the resistance band up towards your chest.
Stretch the resistance bands as far as you can while maintaining good posture. Lower resistance bands with control, and repeat!
Tip: Try your best with the range of motion on this exercise; because the resistance is challenging, it may be difficult to get a full range of motion like you might when doing this exercise with a dumbbell. Just curl as far as you can within control; your biceps are still getting great work no matter how far you’re able to pull.
2. Bent Over Rows
How to: To perform bent over rows, hold resistance bands with palms facing your midline, and arms relaxed. Hinge at the hips to rotate your upper body, pushing back slightly with your hips to maintain balance.
Pull resistance bands up and back, keeping them close to your body, and squeezing your shoulder blades at the top of each rep. Lower resistance bands with control, and repeat!
Tip: Posture is everything for this move. Although your upper body is shifting forward, focus on maintaining good posture with chest proud, shoulder blades retracted, and then complete the exercise from here.
3. Front Raises
How to: To perform front raises, hold resistance bands with palms facing your body, and arms relaxed. Keeping your arms straight, pull resistance bands up and straight out in front of your body.
Stretch the resistance bands as far as you can while maintaining good posture. Don’t lift any higher than shoulder height. Lower resistance bands with control, and repeat!
Tip: If this move is too challenging, try bending your arms to help you maintain control and good form, and achieve a bigger range of motion with resistance bands.
4. Lateral Raises
How to: To perform lateral raises, hold resistance bands with palms facing your midline, and arms relaxed. Keeping your arms straight, pull resistance bands up and straight out to your sides.
Stretch the resistance bands as far as you can while maintaining good posture. Don’t lift any higher than shoulder height. Lower resistance bands with control, and repeat!
Tip: Just like front raises, you can bend your arms to make this move a little less challenging, and to decrease stretch on the resistance bands to make this movement a little more controllable.
5. Shoulder Raises
How to: To perform shoulder raises, hold resistance bands with palms facing your body, and arms relaxed. Elbows come out as you bring your fists together and pull resistance bands up until your hands reach chest level. Lower resistance bands with control, and repeat!
Tip: Keep your wrists nuetral. Throughout this move, the tendency is to break at the wrists and let your hands dangle down towards the force of the resistance bands. Keep your wrists locked and nuetral, and focus on bringing your knuckles together.
6. Oblique Dips
How to: To perform oblique dips, hold resistance bands with palms facing your midline, and arms relaxed. While holding core tight and posture upright, dip to the right with your upper body, return to center and dip to the left. Repeat!
Tip: Focus on your posture here. Rather than bending from side to side with the upper spine and putting your back in a risky position, maintain an upright posture and stable hips. From there, activate the obliques (those side abs) to control your motion as you shift your weight from side to side.
7. Punches
How to: To perform punches, hold resistance bands up at chest level, with fists facing out in front of you. Punch your right arm out in front of you, return to center, and punch the left arm out in front of you. Repeat!
Tip: Punches with the resistance bands on a mini stepper are very challenging as the resistance is so strong, and you’re also working against the resistance to simply hold the bands up at chest height.
Work on shoulder raises and front raises to build up your shoulder strength before adding this move into your regular routine.
8. Tricep Kickbacks
How to: To perform tricep kickbacks, hold resistance bands with palms facing your midline, and arms slightly bent. Hinge at the hips to rotate your upper body, pushing back slightly with your hips to maintain balance.
Keeping elbows locked at your sides, push resistance bands back, extending your arms straight behind you. Lower resistance bands with control, and repeat!
Tip: In order to achieve the correct range of motion with your triceps, focus on keeping your elbows planted at your sides during this move. If you move your elbows too much during this move, you probably won’t feel this exercise working, because it won’t be.
9. Woodchops
How to: To perform woodchops, hold resistance bands together on one side of your body. Twist to stretch resistance bands to the opposite side of your body, keeping the core tight to control your movement. Return to the starting position with control. Repeat on the other side!
Tip: Don’t force resistance bands too far during this exercise. The move is challenging to control, but the focus of this move is to fight for control. Move within a range where you feel you’re in control and increase that range of motion as you gain more strength.
Mini Stepper with Resistance Band Workouts
Ready to give the resistance bands on your mini stepper a whirl? Try out this incredible full body workout blending cardio, resistance band strength training, and bodyweight exercises! You’ll be amazed at just how challenging 15 minutes can be when you put your resistance bands to work on your mini stepper. You got this!
Be sure to let us know in the comments how your first mini stepper with resistance band workout goes! What’s next? We want to work out with you! Subscribe to the Sunny YouTube Channel for more amazing mini stepper workouts you can do from home.
