A Guide To Resistance Band Exercises - Legs, Abs, Arms, Shoulders & More

An elastic band that provides resistance, can be used to improve muscle strength, flexibility, and range of motion. Yes, they are resistance bands. 

Resistance band exercises can be used to target specific muscle groups, and incorporated into a wide range of exercises, such as squats, rows, and bicep curls. In fact, they can be used to do over 100 exercises. 

Let’s dive deeper into what these bands can be used for, their types and most importantly, resistance band exercises for beginners & pros.

 

Chapter 1: What are Resistance Bands?

Resistance bands are elastic bands that provide resistance when stretched, making them a popular tool for strength training and rehabilitation exercises. They are portable and can be used in a variety of settings, making them a convenient option for workouts. 

Resistance bands come in different sizes and resistance levels, making them suitable for people of all fitness levels. It’s safe to say, they are a safe and effective alternative to free weights and can be used by people of all ages.

Chapter 2: Types of Resistance Bands

If you’re looking to add resistance bands to your workout arsenal, then you need to know all about the different types of resistance bands, and their uses and benefits, so that you can make the right choice. 

There are around 8 types of resistance bands. The most popular ones are:

• Resistance Tubes/Tube Bands 

Resistance tubes are tube-shaped, cord-like bands made of dense rubber with two plastic handles on each end. They come in varying colors and resistance levels and usually come with accessories such as ankle or wrist cuffs and a door anchor.

These resistance bands with handles are as good as a dumbbell and cable pulley machine rolled into one. They are excellent for strengthening your upper body, legs, abs, back, and arms. 

• Loop Bands/Pull Up Bands/Power Bands

Loop bands or power resistance bands form a complete loop and are specifically designed to assist you in pull-ups and chin-ups. 

Say you weigh 90 kg. When you use a pull-up band of 30 kg resistance, you only have to pull up 60 kg instead of your full body weight. This means you can now not only perform a pull-up without straining your arms too much but can also do a lot more reps without sacrificing your form.

• Hip Bands/Booty Bands

Hip bands a.k.a. Hip circle bands, glute bands, or booty bands are specially designed to wrap around your thighs or below your knees. They fire up the muscles in your lower body, particularly your legs, glutes, quads, and hips. 

• Mini Loop Bands

Similar to hip bands, mini loop bands are also short looped bands. Slide them around your thighs, ankles, or knees, and give your lower body a serious workout!

• Lateral Resistance Bands

Lateral resistance bands look a bit like long handcuffs except they are for your ankles. These bands are great for strengthening your glutes, especially the gluteus medius which keeps your hips and knees stable and thus prevents injury. 

 

Chapter 3: Benefits of Resistance Bands

Resistance bands have been gaining popularity, especially in the post-pandemic days. And there’s data to validate that!

The global resistance bands market size is expected to reach USD 393.4 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 8.7% from 2022 to 2028!

So why are these bands all the rage? Find out here.

1. Builds your muscles and gives you a pump effect
2. Aids in weight loss
3. Can be used to add resistance to your workout, or to provide assistance 
4. Great for warmups and mobility work
5. The perfect cool-down and stretching tools
6. Improves Athletic Performance
7. Extremely versatile
8. Affordable and Portable
9. Ideal for Rehabilitation

 

Chapter 4: Full Body Resistance Band Workouts For Beginners

Don’t want to try strength training cause the thought of weightlifting is too damn intimidating? What if we told you that you could get all the benefits of strength training with just a set of resistance bands?

As a beginner, you could choose 5 upper-body exercises and 5 lower-body exercises from the below set of exercises to create a full-body resistance band workout routine. You could aim for 1 set of 8-15 reps of every move.

Upper Body Resistance Band Exercises:

1. Banded Hammer Curls
2. Seated Resistance Band Bicep Curl
3. Banded Pull Aparts
4. Banded Woodchoppers
5. Banded Russian Twists
6. Standing Decline Chest Press
7. Standing Chest Fly
8. Tricep Kickbacks

Lower Body Resistance Band Exercises 

1. Lateral Band Walks
2. Banded Squats
3. Banded Fire Hydrants
4. Banded Clamshells
5. Banded Good Mornings
6. Standing Hip Adduction
7. Resistance Band Lunges
8. Banded Front Squats

 

Chapter 5: Resistance Band Exercises For Legs

Sweating it out at the leg press machine or a squat rack will surely help you work your legs. But what if we told you that resistance bands were all you needed to get those super-sculpted legs and glutes?

Yes, that’s true. So let’s dive deeper into the exercises which give these results.

1. Banded Squat Jacks
2. Banded Monster Walks
3. Glute Bridge With Alternating Leg Extensions
4. Resistance Band Standing Leg Lifts
5. Banded Glute Bridge Abduction
6. Banded Squat Side Steps
7. Banded Lying (Prone) Leg Curl
8. Resistance Band Leg Press
9. Resistance Band Tabletop Glute Kickbacks
10. Standing Hamstring Curl Anchored

 

Chapter 6. Resistance Band Bicep Exercises

Are you looking to build bigger and stronger biceps or tone them? Research shows that resistance bands can be as effective as free weights when it comes to building biceps strength. 

Here are a few super effective resistance band bicep exercises:

1. Seated Biceps Preacher Curl
2. Wide Grip Biceps Curl
3. Band-Assisted Chin-Ups
4. Resistance Band Biceps Drag Curl
5. Resistance Band Kneeling Concentration Biceps Curl
6. Banded Waiter Curls
7. Cross Body Hammer Curl With Resistance Band
8. Reverse Biceps Curls With Resistance Band

 

Chapter 7: Resistance Band Tricep Workout For Bigger Arms

Your triceps are mainly responsible for all pushing actions including shoulder stabilization and extension, and elbow extension. They also help in improving shoulder and elbow flexibility and increasing their range of motion. 

A recent study published in the Sports Biomechanics journal says that targeted triceps training can even help take your bench strength to the next level!

So here are a few resistance band tricep workout:

1. Overhead Triceps Extension With Resistance Band
2. Banded Supine Reverse Close Grip Press
3. Resistance Band Triceps Pushdown / Pressdown
4. Crossbody Pressdown With Resistance Band
5. Single-Arm Triceps Kickback With Resistance Band
6. Crossbow Extension With Resistance Band
7. Lying Triceps Extension With Resistance Band
8. Banded Diamond Push-Up
9. Standing Skull Crusher With Resistance Band
10. Forward Triceps Extension With Resistance Bands

 

Chapter 8: Resistance Band Shoulder Workout

As per a 2022 study published in the Sports (Basel) journal, it was seen that resistance band training improved upper limb strength and performance measures for the shoulder.

Here are 8 awesome resistance bands shoulder workouts that’ll strengthen and tone those shoulders.

1. Single Arm Shoulder Press With Resistance Band
2. Single-Arm Lateral Raise With Resistance Band
3. Resistance Band Front Raises
4. Seated Band Face Pull
5. Banded Reverse Fly
6. Banded Behind The Neck Press
7. Banded Shrugs
8. Straight Arm Frontal Raise

 

Chapter 9: Abs Workout With Resistance Bands

A strong core translates to a better quality of life. According to a study from Harvard Medical School,  a weak core can even negatively impact the way your arms and legs function.

So how do you build a strong core? Resistance bands!!

Here are a few exercises to give you a rock-solid core:

1. Standing Ab Twist With Resistance Band
2. Oblique Side Bend With Resistance Band
3. Banded Mountain Climbers
4. Banded Bicycle Crunches
5. Resistance Band Reverse Crunch
6. Horizontal Scissors With Resistance Band
7. Banded Bird Dog
8. Heel Touch / Oblique Heel Tap With Resistance Band
9. Side Plank Leg Raise With Resistance Band
10. Kneeling Ab Crunch With Resistance Band

 

Chapter 10: Resistance Band Chest Workouts

Resistance bands have been proven to increase performance and strength faster when compared to using weights alone, thanks to their linear variable resistance.

Here are a few resistance band chest workouts that’ll give you those pecs of steel:

1. Banded Floor Press
2. Resistance Band Lying Pullover
3. One Arm Chest Fly With Resistance Band 
4. Single Arm Low Crossover With Resistance Band
5. Prone Punch Out With Resistance Band
6. Svend Press With Resistance Band
7. Half-Kneeling Low Crossover With Resistance Band
8. Decline Push-Up With Resistance Band
9. Crossover Push-Up With Resistance Band
10. Explosive Negative Push-Up With Resistance Band

 

Chapter 11: Powerful Resistance Band Back Exercises

Resistance bands are the bomb when it comes to strengthening your often-ignored back muscles. Here are powerful resistance band back exercises that’ll work those back muscles to level pro max.

1. Reverse Grip Pull-Up With Resistance Band
2. Straight Arm Pushdowns
3. High To Low Kneeling Banded Row
4. Lat Pulldown
5. Superman Lat Pulldown
6. Single Arm Low Row
7. Lawnmower Row
8. Zeus Rows
9. Archer Pull
10. Wrap-Around Row

 

Chapter 12: Safety Tips For Resistance Band Exercises

• Start with a band of low resistance and then progress gradually in resistance, intensity, and quantity of workouts.
• Check your band for nicks, tears, scratches, or discoloration, and dispose of them if they have any. Do not try repairing a damaged band.
• While anchoring your resistance band /tube, ensure that you secure it firmly to a stationary object. Failure to do so could result in the band snapping back and hitting you on the face or elsewhere.
• Never release a resistance band under tension. This could result in injury.
• Avoid jerking your resistance bands.
• Never stretch a resistance band beyond 2.5 times its length.
• Do not exercise with resistance bands on uneven or rough surfaces.
• Ensure that the soles of your shoes are smooth and flat before you step onto your bands. Abrasive soles can damage the bands over time.
• Do not expose your bands to heat, direct sunlight, extreme cold, or chemicals.
• Avoid pulling the bands directly towards your face during your exercises such as bicep curls.
• Use proper form, during all phases of your exercises. Not doing so could result in muscle and connective tissue damage.

Chapter 13. Buy The Best Resistance Bands

It’s very important to choose the right resistance band for you (based on your body type, goal & resistance). But above all, choosing a high-quality resistance band is what will help you do the resistance band exercises correctly (and lead to results).

One such high-quality and brilliant resistance band is from Burnlab. Burnlab provides premium, reliable, best-in-category fitness gear that is curated for performance, the right function, and body support at affordable prices.

To know about them, visit Burnlab’s Resistance Bands page.

Click here to buy Burnlab’s Resistance Bands.

Chapter 14: Frequently Asked Questions

Are Resistance Bands Really Effective?

Yes, they are!

Resistance bands are one of the most versatile fitness tools to build muscle, burn fat, and increase flexibility, mobility, and stability.

They can be easily incorporated into your workout routine and are perfect if you don’t have access to dumbbells, barbells, or other heavy gym equipment.

For more insights, refer here.

 

Can Resistance Bands Build Muscle?

Yes. Resistance bands are one of the best tools to build muscle.

A 2019 study even shows that resistance band training provides similar strength gains to using conventional gym equipment!

For more insights, refer here.

How to choose a resistance band?

You can’t settle with just one resistance band for all your needs, as different muscle groups will require different levels of resistance. Plus without progressive overload, you aren’t going to build your muscles.

That’s why we recommend investing in a set of at least 3 resistance bands - light, medium, and heavy, as these will take care of most of your fitness requirements.

Related: To dive deeper into how to choose resistance bands, click here.

Can You Put Handles On Resistance Bands?

Yes, you most certainly can!

There are different types of resistance bands available including loop bands (pull-up bands), resistance tubes with handles, mini bands, hip bands, and so on.

Loop-style bands form a closed loop and usually don’t come with handles. Resistance tube sets on the other hand come with accessories including handles, door anchors, and ankle & wrist cuffs.

Related: To know more about how to put handles on resistance bands, click here.

Conclusion

Whether you want to build muscle, lose weight, up your functional fitness game, or improve your sports skills, resistance bands are the one-stop solution.

So, what are you waiting for?  Browse through Burnlab’s collection of the best resistance bands and grab a set today!