Best Resistance Band Exercises For Building Strength

If you follow Sweat on social media, you may have seen our trainers working out with resistance bands. If you’ve been wondering what this does, why so many people seem to be including resistance bands in their workouts, or what resistance band exercises you can do yourself, then this is the blog for you!

Jump to: 

• Types of resistance bands
• Benefits of resistance band exercises
• Best resistance band exercises
• Resistance band exercises for legs
• Resistance band exercise for arms

Incorporating resistance band exercises into your workout schedule can have a positive impact on performance. Resistance bands are a great tool for home workouts — they can add extra load to exercises, making them more challenging, and can also aid muscle activation, including glute activation.

Keep reading to find out what resistance band exercises you can do, as well as learn why including a resistance band in your workouts can benefit your performance!

Types of resistance bands

The term “resistance band” is used frequently but you may not have realised there are variations between different types of bands. It’s important to find the right one to suit your needs and the type of resistance band exercises that you want to do. 

There are many types of resistance bands which often have interchangeable names. 

Resistance bands

Resistance bands are looped elastic bands. You will usually see people doing resistance band exercises with these by looping them around their lower thighs or ankles. This can assist with muscle activation and add to exercise intensity.

Use resistance bands for:

• Crab walk
• Hip abduction
• Glute kickback

Long resistance bands

Long resistance bands are also looped elastic bands. They are commonly used for increasing or reducing the intensity of exercise. They can be attached to gym equipment to modify exercises, such as making it easier to do pull-ups.

Alternatively, they can add to the intensity of the exercises. For example, when doing push-ups, they can be wrapped around your back with the ends of the band held in each hand. When done correctly, this can help increase the difficulty of the push-up as there is more resistance.

Long looped resistance bands are ideal for lower body resistance band exercises.

Use long resistance bands for:

• Shoulder press
• Upright row
• Good morning

Recovery bands vs resistance bands

The difference between recovery bands and resistance bands is that recovery bands are are non-looped elastic bands and tend to be longer than resistance band.

Recovery bands include different resistance levels to suit your workout and desired intensity. You can use recovery bands with lighter resistance to warm up, and a heavier resistance band to increase the intensity as you build strength during your workout.

Use recovery bands for:

• Face pull
• Band pull-aparts
• External rotation

Resistance tubes 

Resistance tubes are long pieces of elastic that have handles at either end. They are similar to looped resistance bands but are commonly used to add resistance to upper body exercises, such as rows, side raises, and bicep curls.

Use resistance tubes for:

• Rows
• Side Raises
• Bicep Curls

Benefits of resistance band exercises

Performing resistance band exercises can have a range of benefits, including:

• They can add extra load to your exercises, making it more challenging. Doing resistance band exercises can help intensify the exercise and can lead to improved muscular strength. 

• Resistance bands are great for stretching if you struggle with flexibility and mobility, as the bands can help you to hold difficult positions. Over time, this can help you to gain greater flexibility and mobility.

• They’re suitable for all fitness levels — it’s just a matter of choosing the right resistance band, and resistance band exercises, to suit your goals.

• Resistance band exercises can be incorporated into any kind of workout, so it doesn’t matter if you already follow a specific training program.

• They are extremely lightweight and small, making them easy to store at home, or take with you to the gym or outdoors.

Resistance band workout for full body strength

These are some of the best resistance band exercises that you can do to help build full body strength. It’s up to you how you incorporate them into your training routine.

You can complete all of these resistance band exercises for a total of two rounds if you want to do a full-body resistance band workout.

Alternatively, you can choose a few of your favourite resistance band exercises from below and include them in your structured workout plan (for example, if you’re doing the PWR program in the Sweat app).

Resistance band exercises for legs

For these resistance band exercises, you will need to use a looped band. Incorporate these exercises into your usual workout routine to feel the benefits.

Donkey Kick  (30 reps - 15 each leg)

1. With a resistance band looped around your upper thighs, start on all fours on a yoga mat. Ensure that your knees are below your hips and your hands are below your shoulders. Set your spine in a neutral position and draw your shoulder blades down and back.
2. Inhale. 
   Exhale. Keeping your knee bent, release and elevate your right leg until your thigh is in line with your spine, ensuring that your foot remains flexed.
3. Inhale. Lower your right leg to return to the starting position, but without resting your knee on the mat.
   Complete 15 on the same side, before repeating 15 repetitions on the other side.

Double-Pulse Sumo Squat (15 reps)

1. With a resistance band looped around your upper thighs, plant both feet on the floor further than hip-width apart. Point both feet slightly outward. This is your starting position.
2. Inhale. Looking straight ahead, bend at both the hips and knees, ensuring that your knees remain in line with your toes. Continue bending your knees until your upper legs are parallel with the floor. Ensure that your back remains within a 45- to 90-degree angle to your hips. This is called full sumo squat position.
3. Push through your heels and extend your legs slightly. Bend your knees to return to full sumo squat position.
4. Exhale. Push through your heels and extend your legs to return to the starting position.
   Repeat for 15 repetitions.

Clam (30 reps - 15 each leg)

1. With a resistance band looped around your lower thighs, lay on your left side with your arm extended along the mat and your head relaxed on your arm. Bend both knees and draw them forward slightly to bring your feet in line with your glutes, ensuring that your hips are stacked and that you maintain a small gap between your waist and the floor. This is your starting position.
2. Inhale. Exhale. Keeping your feet together, activate your right glute to elevate your right knee towards the ceiling, ensuring that you maintain the gap between your waist and the floor.
3. Inhale. Lower your right knee to return to the starting position.
   Complete 15 on the same side before completing the remaining 15 repetitions on the other side.

Glute bridge and opening (12 reps)

1. With a resistance band looped around your lower thighs, lie flat on your back on a yoga mat. Bend your knees and position your feet firmly on the mat, ensuring that they are hip-width apart and your spine is in a neutral position. Allow your arms to rest by your sides on the mat. This is your starting position.
2. Inhale. 
   Exhale. Press your heels into the mat, activate your glutes and raise your pelvis off the floor until your body forms one straight line from chin to knee, resting on your shoulders.
3. Inhale. While keeping your hips raised and your glutes activated, open your knees outwards.
4. Draw your knees inwards until they are hip-width apart.
5. Exhale. Lower your spine onto the mat one vertebrae at a time, followed by your pelvis.
   Repeat for 12 repetitions.

Crab walk (15 reps each side)

1. With a resistance band looped around your lower thighs, plant both feet on the floor hip-width apart ensuring that your knees remain in line with your toes. Looking straight ahead, bend at both the hips and knees, ensuring that your knees remain in line with your toes. Continue bending your knees until your upper legs are parallel with the floor. Ensure that your back remains between a 45- to 90-degree angle to your hips. This is your starting position.
2. Inhale. 
   Exhale. While maintaining a squat position and keeping your right foot on the floor, step your left foot outwards so that your feet are slightly further than shoulder-width apart.
3. Inhale. While maintaining a squat position and keeping your left foot on the floor, step your right foot inwards to return to the starting position.
   Complete 10 on the same side before completing the remaining 10 repetitions on the other side.

Resistance band exercises for arms

For these resistance band exercises, you will need to use a non-looped band. 

Lateral arm walk (16 reps - 8 each side)

1. Inhale. While maintaining a squat position and keeping your left foot on the floor, step your right foot inwards to return to the starting position.
   Complete half of the specified repetitions on the same side before completing the remaining repetitions on the other side.
2. Inhale. Step your right hand and foot outwards so that your hands and feet are slightly wider than your shoulders. This is called wide push-up position.
3. Exhale.
   Inhale. Step your left hand and foot inwards to return to the starting position.
   Complete 8 in the same direction before completing the remaining 8 repetitions in the other direction.

Band pull aparts (20 reps)

1. Plant both feet on the floor slightly further than shoulder-width apart. Hold one hand on each end of the recovery band with an overhand grip (palms facing down) and extend your arms directly in front of your chest, ensuring that your elbows are completely locked. This is your starting position.
2. Inhale.
   Exhale. Using the muscles in your shoulders and back, pull the recovery band ends outwards and backwards until your arms are in line with your shoulders. You should feel a small squeeze between your shoulder blades.
3. Inhale. Hold this position briefly before gently drawing the ends of the recovery band together to return to the starting position.
   Repeat for 20 repetitions.

Seated row with resistance tube (15 reps)

For this exercise, it is recommended that you use a resistance tube, as pictured in the image above.

1. While seated on a yoga mat, extend both legs out in front of you. Wrap the resistance tube around the bottom of your feet so that you are holding one end of the tube in each hand with a neutral grip (palms facing inwards).
   Sit up tall and draw your shoulder blades down and back to push your chest out. Extend your arms in front of you. This is your starting position.
2. Using the muscles in both your arms and back, bend your elbows backwards to increase the tension in the tube, ensuring that your elbows remain in close contact with the sides of your body. You should feel a small squeeze between your shoulder blades.
3. Extend your elbows to return to the starting position.
   Repeat for 15 repetitions.

Include these resistance band exercises in your next workout!

These resistance band exercises can be incorporated into any of your workouts and are a great way to mix up your usual routine and challenge yourself in a different way. Ready to do your own resistance band exercises? Give these a go!

If you use a resistance band during your recovery sessions, be sure to do some foam rolling too! Incorporating both of these activities into a rehabilitation session can help to reduce muscle soreness and tension, as well as help prevent injury.

What are your favourite resistance band exercises to do? Let us know in the comments below!