“Resistance bands are super versatile and compact. They travel well, they’re inexpensive, they last forever and they can generate a ton resistance,” says Joshua Honore, NASM, CPT, and coach for Row House and Row House GO. “Not only are they great for at home workouts and challenging muscles, but they are fantastic at strengthening all of the small supporting muscles as well.” If you’re looking to incorporate some resistance bands move into your workout, here are 15 moves that will hit your entire body.
Best resistance band exercises
Upright row
How to do it:
Place one or two feet on the band.Place hands over the top and shoulder width apart. Anchor your shoulder blades and pull the band towards your chin as if you were pulling your pants up to your collar bone.
How many sets/reps: 3 sets of 12-15 Pro tip: Remember to keep the elbows high at the top of each row.
Bicep curls
How to do it:
With one or both feet standing on the band, grab the from the outside. You should be able to give a thumbs up.Begin fully extended and pull the band up performing a bicep curl.
How many sets/reps: 3 sets of 12-15 Pro tip:Add a 2 second pause at the top and descend slowly for an extra burn.
Bent Over row
How to do it:
Standing on the band, hinge at the hip until the spine is nearly parallel to the floor.Grab the band “thumbs down”.Anchoring the shoulder blades, squeeze your back and drive the elbows to the ceiling.
How many sets/reps: 3 sets of 12-15 Pro tip:Focus on squeezing the shoulder blades together without shrugging the shoulders to the ears.
Banded push-ups
How to do it:
Facing the floor in a plank position, send the band over the upper back, anchoring to the floor it beneath your palms.Keeping a tight core, perform a normal push up.
How many sets/reps: 3 sets of 10-12 Pro tip:Think about squeezing the shoulder blades for added stability as you drop into the push up.
Band pull apart
How to do it:
Standing upright, hold the band in front of you at shoulder height with hands just outside of the shoulders.Pull the band apart, squeezing the shoulder blades together behind you.
How many sets/reps: 3 sets of 12-15 Pro tip:Squeeze the band and keep the arms stiff and strong as you pull apart. The six moves below are provided by Naomi Kong, NASM certified personal trainer and IdealFit partner trainer.
Squats
How to do it: This exercise is a compound movement, meaning that it will work your entire body, with afocus on your lower body muscles.
Stand on top of the middle of the resistance band with your feet positioned about right under yourshoulders (they may be closer or farther depending on your body and personal preference).Whether you prefer to keep your toes pointed straight ahead or slightly pointed out, your kneesshould point in the same direction as your toes when you lower yourself down into the squat.Hold the top of the resistance band right outside your shoulders. From here, bend your knees and lower yourself down as if you were going to sit on a chair. Yourupper body would be bent forward slightly, but not completely facing/parallel to the ground. Once you reach the bottom of your squat, contract your glutes to push your hips forward andreturn back to starting position. As you prepare to go down into the squat, inhale, and as you squeeze your glutes to go back up,exhale.
How many reps/sets: 4 sets of 12-15 reps. Pro tip: Don’t worry too muchabout squatting low as you familiarize yourself with this movement. Simply squat as low as you canwithout rounding your lower back. As you get more comfortable with this movement and improve yourflexibility and mobility, you’ll be able to squat deeper.
Shoulder Press
How to do it: This exercise will target your overall shoulder muscles.
(Depending on the length and strength of your resistance band, you will want to either performthis exercise standing or kneeling.) Kneel on top of your resistance band holding the other end in front of you right outside yourshoulders. Push your hands straight up towards the ceiling and then lower them back down.Exhale as you extend your arms up and inhale as you return back to starting position.
How many sets/reps: 4 sets of 12-15 reps Pro tip: If you find that yourshoulders are inching up towards your ears (as if you were shrugging) while performing this exercise, youmay want to consider using a resistance band with a lower amount of resistance until you get morecomfortable with the exercise and are able to lift heavier.
Overhead tricep extensions
How to do it: This exercise will target your tricep muscles (the muscles on the back of your arms).
Stand on one end of the resistance band and hold the other end with both hands right next to eachother behind your head with elbows bent.Contract your tricep muscles extend your arms up towards the ceiling. Bend your elbows to lower the band back down and repeat.Exhale as you lift the resistance band up and inhale as you return back to starting position.
How many sets/reps: 4 sets of 12-15 reps Pro tip: This exercise can definitelybe a little tricky to do at first! Try your best to keep your elbows stable throughout the movement andrestrain from shrugging your shoulders up to your ears.
Romanian Deadlifts (RDL)
How to do it: This exercise will target your overall lower body muscles with an emphasis on your glutesand hamstrings.
Stand on top of the middle of the resistance band with hands holding the opposite end.Bend forward at the hips until you can feel the stretch in your hamstrings, keeping your kneesslightly bent. Contract your glutes to return back to starting position. Inhale as you prepare to go down into the RDL and exhale as you squeeze your glutes to go backup.
How many sets/reps: 4 sets of 12-15 reps Pro tip: RDLs are such a great,foundational exercise, but can also require a bit of time and practice to get down. Here are a few things tokeep in mind when performing RDLs:
Although your knees should be slightly bent as you bend forward, you want to avoid having yourRDL look like a squat. Prevent this by not fueling the movement solely by bending your knees togo down. From a side view, imagine that you are drawing a straight line with the resistance band so that asyou pull the resistance band up and down throughout the exercise, it essentially is perpendicular tothe ground. Bend forward at the hips as much as you can, but don’t sweat it if you’re not able to go down toofar. Your back should remain in almost a straight line throughout the entire movement andespecially as you lower yourself down into the deadlift. Refrain from rounding your back as youbend forward as this can place unnecessary strain on your lower back. The more comfortable youbecome with this exercise, and as your flexibility and mobility improve as well, the lower you’llbe able to go. For now, bend forward as much as you can without straining your back.
Floor Press
How to do it: This exercise will target your overall chest muscles.
Lay with back and feet on the ground and your resistance band behind your shoulders.● Hold the sides of your resistance band starting with the back of your arms on the ground andhands right outside your shoulders. Push your hands straight up towards the ceiling and then lower them back down to startingposition. Exhale as you push up and inhale as you go back down.
How many sets/reps: 4 sets of 12-15 reps Pro tip: Make sure to keep the backof your head on the ground at all times as well as your feet flat on the floor at all times. If you find thatyour head migrates forward off the ground and your heels or toes start to lift off the ground as you performthis exercise, consider using a lighter resistance band.
Glute Bridges
How to do it: This exercise targets your overall glute muscles and is a great introductory exercise for thosewanting to grow their glutes. As you advance, it can also be a great glute activation exercise to include inyour routine before you do a lower body workout to help better engage and target your glutes throughoutthe rest of your workout.
Lay with your back and feet on the ground. Position your feet on the ground so that your knees come to about a 90 degree angle when you goup into the hip thrust (this will help make it as glute-focused as possible without your hamstringsor quads taking over). Starting with your back flat on the ground and resistance band positioned right above your knees,contract your glutes to initiate and power the movement. As you contract your glutes, your hips will automatically move straight up towards the ceiling.Once you can’t squeeze your glutes anymore, lower yourself back down to the ground and repeat.Exhale as you squeeze your glutes to bring your hips up and inhale as you lower them back down.
How many sets/reps: 4 sets of 12-15 eps Pro tip: Keep your pelvis tucked uptowards your belly button like a dog tucking its tail between its legs at all times throughout the movement.This is called using a “Posterior Pelvic Tilt” and is optimal for this movement as it allows you to have agreater range of motion and also alleviates unnecessary lower back pain that can occur when performingthis exercise. Keri Anderson, Personal Trainer & Nutrition Program Coordinator at Life Time Fitness, recommends these moves:
Good mornings
How to do it:
Place the circle resistance band 1” above knee caps. Your feet should be shoulder width apart.Place your hands behind your head to keep your chest up and out.Hinge over your thighs by sticking your butt back and up towards the ceiling.Bend down as far as you can—focus on the hamstring stretch and make sure the weight of your body stays in your heels. Keep your abs braced as you stand back up. Squeeze your butt at the top and repeat!
How many sets/reps: Aim for two to three sets of 15-20 reps. Pro tip: You want to feel a deep stretch in your hamstrings, so remember, it doesn’t matter how low you go, as long as you are feeling the stretch in the right spot!
Band pull-aparts
How to do it:
Place your hands on the band about shoulder-width apart.Bring your arms up to shoulder heightWith palms facing down and arms straight, pull the band apart across the bodySlowly return to the center and repeat
How many sets/reps: Aim for two to three sets of 15-20 reps Pro tip: Make sure to tighten your butt and abs so that you don’t arch your lower back and keep your neck long to prevent any tension. This is a great move to strengthen the backside of your shoulders and prevent rotator cuff injuries!
Bicep curls
How to do it:
Place resistance band under both feet (the wider you go, the harder it gets!)With palms facing up, curl the handles towards your shoulders, and repeat
How many sets/reps: Aim for two to three sets of 15-20 reps. Pro tip: Keep your shoulders down and elbows near your waist to prevent using your neck. Also, engage you butt and core to prevent using your lower back while lifting. As you lower the resistance band, make sure to use control and don’t let the band take control over you!
Monster walk
How to do it:
Place circle band above your knees (or long handled band under your feet) and start with your feet in a narrow stanceStep right foot out to the right side and then step the left foot out to the left so you end in a wide stance.With control, bring the right foot back to center, followed by the left foot to center, and repeat.
How many sets/reps: Aim for two to three sets of 15-20 reps. Pro tip: Try your best to keep your hips and upper body as stable as possible and let your legs do all the moving! Make sure to hinge over your thighs, sticking your butt back and weight in your heels! Next up, if you’ve always wanted six pack abs, here’s how to make it happen.
Sources
Joshua Honore, NASM, CPT, and coach for Row House and Row House GOKeri Anderson, Personal Trainer & Nutrition Program Coordinator at Life Time FitnessNaomi Kong, NASM certified personal trainer and IdealFit
