Resistance bands are changing the game, no longer do we need to go to a gym, sign a year-long contract that is difficult to get out of.
No more getting stuck in traffic on your way to exercise at a place you don’t really feel comfortable.
With resistance bands, it’s so easy to take back control of your routine and start working out when and where you want.
So many gyms have gone to a class format now which is great, but, their schedules don’t always work well for you right.
And it can get frustrating trying to make your health and fitness fit into someone else’s timetable.
That is why I wrote my ebook train wherever the f*ck you want, you can get your free copy at the end of this article.
It comes with everything you need to get started with your new fitness journey.
All you need is a set of resistance bands which you can get from my friends over at Dmoose and get a full set of 6 bands for just $49.99.
Resistance bands have made it so easy to do a full-body workout anywhere.
And with my printable program, you can find in my ebook at the bottom of this article, you can do just that.
Resistance bands are perfect for building muscle and burning fat making them the perfect one-two combo!
So let’s go into more detail on the best resistance band exercises for each body part.
Training with fitness bands its easy to break it down into a lower body or upper body workout.
You can train your abdominal muscles easily enough as well. You can replicate movements like a bench press and even add to exercises like bodyweight squats.
You can stand in the bands or you can tie the end of your bands to an anchor point and replicate most cable machines you find at the gym.
You can do your whole workout, warm-up, and cool down with a set of bands.
They come in all sorts of sizes, from loop bands to mini bands even straight bands with handles.
29 Best Exercises With Resistance Bands For A Full Body Workout
These 29 movements are all easy to do anywhere.
And if you read through to the end I’ll break down how you can build muscle and burn fat with resistance bands.
I even have a free Ebook waiting for you at the bottom with a sample program you can print out and use anywhere!
7 Best Arm Exercises With Resistance Bands
Close Hand Push-Ups
Bicep Curls
Drag Curls
Kneeling Bicep Curl
Tricep Extension
Single Arm Tricep Extension
Tricep Kick Back
4 Best Back Exercises With Resistance Bands
Bent Row
Mower Row
Reverse Fly
Seated Row
5 Best Chest Exercises With Resistance Bands
Banded Push-Up
Chest Fly
Hex Press
Lying Chest Press
Upper Press
3 Best Core Exercises With Resistance Bands
Kneeling Crunch
Pallof Press
Reverse Crunch
5 Best Leg Exercises With Resistance Bands
Banded Squat
Cossack Squat
Deadlift
Donkey Kick
Overhead Squat
5 Best Shoulder Exercises With Resistance Bands
Face Pull
Front Raise
High Pull
Lateral Raise
Shoulder Press
Do Resistance Band Workouts Really Work?
Resistance bands are changing the game with home workout routines, they come in a range of sizes and resistance levels making it so easy to hit your entire body.
Resistance bands target your muscles in different ways than traditional weight training.
When you go through the full range of motion on a movement the difficulty of the exercise increases the further you go through.
So not only do they increase in tension but they keep tension on your muscles the entire time.
When you start the exercises with the band already tight you are going to feel the burn for much longer than you will with free weights.
Sure weights always have the advantage with progressive overload but resistance bands are a much cheaper option.
And you can still apply progressive overload with bands.
You can double them up or slow down your repetitions, spending even more time under tension.
If we take an overhead press for example.
In the start position, you want to stand in the center of the band.
You then bring the other end up onto your chest.
You going to find before you even start to press the band up that there is already pressure on the band.
As you press the top of the band up that pressure increases.
You want to set up the same when doing a resistance band squat, only now the tension comes off as you lower down into your squats, but it increases as you start back up again.
So the use of resistance bands is just as effective as free weights, and you can use them anywhere!
How Do Beginners Use Resistance Bands?
Resistance bands are great for any fitness level, and my ebook and program were both written with beginners in mind.
Getting in shape can be an intimidating experience for a beginner.
I remember the first time I walked into a gym, even though no one would have paid me any attention.
It was scary, all these big guys that looked like they knew what they were doing.
And then there was me trying to figure how the cable machines worked and what muscle I was training.
Resistance bands have changed that.
You can order a pack online, get onto youtube and follow along with a workout just like the one below.
You can also get yourself a copy of my Ebook.
It’s a complete guide to all things resistance bands and you can get yourself a free copy at the bottom of this article.
Can You Get Ripped With Just Resistance Bands?
The thing with getting ripped is it’s more about what you eat than what you workout with.
If you eat more calories than you burn you won’t get ripped no matter what equipment you use.
It doesn’t matter if it’s expensive equipment or a $50 packet of resistance bands, if you eat rubbish you’ll look rubbish.
That being said, high-intensity home workouts with resistance bands are a great way to get ripped.
I posted a workout on youtube recently that is designed to get your heart rate up and burn some calories, all you need is one band to do these 2 exercises.
When it comes to getting ripped though, it’s not just about minimizing calories and burning fat, you need to build muscle as well.
If you don’t have any muscle on you when you burn all the fat, you are just going to look skinny, gaunt, and gross.
Resistance bands are a proven way to build muscle.
The way you use bands replicates cable machine exercises.
Bodybuilders love cable machines for the very reason they keep tension on the muscles for even longer.
More time under tension fatigues the muscle leading to more growth. And resistance bands do the exact same thing, and it doesn’t stop at just that.
You can use resistance bands to make bodyweight exercises more difficult.
When you use a resistance band while doing push-ups you give your chest muscles a much better workout.
At the very finish point of a push-up, the resistance band is going to work its magic and give you that extra bit of squeeze to finish off the exercise.
You can also use a resistance band to help you get your first pull-up. Another great compound exercise for building muscle and burning fat.
In other words, getting ripped.
By tying the band to the pull-up bar and placing your feet in the other end the band is going to assist you through the movement.
Giving your back muscles a workout they might not have got otherwise.
Are Bands Better Than Weights?
To say either is better or worse would not be fair.
Both are great for both building muscle and burning fat.
But where you have to give resistance bands is the edge is price and practicality. Sure free weights are a great muscle-building tool.
But you need a lot of them to keep progressing.
And that is going to take up a lot of space.
I can tie my 4 bands together and put them in my suitcase and train anywhere I want.
Going on vacation is no longer an excuse to back off your training.
Even just taking one band you can get a total body workout anywhere.
And by anywhere you could even get a workout in on the plan if you wanted!
On more than one occasion I’ve worked out with my bands in a hotel room.
So while I’m not going to outright say bands a better than weights, I will say they are an excellent alternative.
Can You Build Muscle With Resistance Bands Only?
Yes, you can.
But you can also build muscle with no equipment at all.
Calisthenics is an amazing way of exercising.
The only piece of equipment you need is a pull-up bar.
And even that you can make do without.
Just like getting ripped is done in the kitchen, you can almost say the same for building muscle.
If you aren’t eating enough of the right stuff you won’t build muscle.
I’m a personal trainer and I’ve been getting great results training my clients with resistance bands.
I quite often go down to the pull-up bars near the beach with just a pack of resistance bands and put my clients through their paces.
And I have clients with all sorts of goals.
Some want to lose weight, some want to gain weight, and some want to improve their fitness.
And we do it all with bands.
If you want to see more proof of their muscle build potential, check out this video I posted recently where I did 100 bicep curls every day for 30 days.
I did it all with resistance bands, and my arms grew!
In just 30 days, and honestly, I did them every 2nd day.
So it was only really 15 days of actual work and I saw growth in such a short time with bands.
What Weight Resistance Band Should I Get?
Rather than worry about the pounds of resistance in each band, buy yourself a set of 4 or 5 different bands.
That way progressive overload will never be an issue.
You can keep working up through the levels, and even when you get too strong for your biggest band you can start doubling the bands up or slow down your repetitions.
Slowing down the reps is one of my favorite ways to get more out of an exercise.
And not only with bands, but you can also do that with any exercises.
If you can’t do push-ups or pull-ups, that’s cool, slow down the negative.
If you resist gravity on the way back down you are still working your muscles.
If you stay consistent it’s only a matter of time before you can get yourself back up again.
I’ve used this approach time and time again with my clients to get their first push-ups.
But here is the moment you’ve all been waiting for.
My FREE Ebook. Train wherever the f*ck you want.
In this book, you will find everything you need to know about training with bands.
I give you a list of exercises you should be doing.
You’ll get a sample program to follow along with.
I even teach you the best way to split up your body parts so you can get more out of your workouts each week.