RIRLift app icon RIRLift

Exercises

Full body exercises with resistance bands: legs, hinge, push and pull

Published October 19, 2026

The best full body exercises with resistance bands are the band squat, Spanish split squat and reverse lunge for your legs, the deadlift, good morning and hip thrust for your hips and hamstrings, the one-arm chest fly and overhead press for pushing, and the bent-over row, face pull and pull-apart for your back. One exercise from each group gives you a full body session in about 25 minutes. Without a door anchor, stick to the moves you stand on: deadlift, lunge, row, press and curl.

  1. Band Squat Quads
  2. Band Deadlift Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower Back
  3. Band Bent-Over Row Lats, Upper Back
  4. Band Good Morning Hamstrings, Lower Back
  5. Band Overhead Press Shoulders
  6. Band Spanish Split Squat Quads
  7. Band Pull-Apart Shoulders, Upper Back
  8. Single-Arm Band Chest Fly Chest

Legs: squats, split squats and lunges

Bands are lightest at the bottom of a squat, where you are weakest, and heaviest at the top. A mini loop at the knees, an anchor behind the knee, or the band under your front foot each put the resistance in a different place. Pick one per session and add the lateral walk for your side glutes.

Legs, squat with a mini loop

Band Squat

Quads

A short loop band just above your knees doesn't add much weight, but it tries to pull your knees inward on every rep, so your glutes work to keep them out. Use it as the squat in a quick session, and add reps or a slower descent to keep it hard.

How to do it

  1. Step into a mini loop band and slide it to just above your knees.
  2. Stand a little wider than hip-width with your hands together at your chest.
  3. Sit down between your heels, pressing your knees out against the band, as low as you can keep your heels down.
  4. Stand up, still pushing out on the band, and finish with a hard glute squeeze.

Cues

  • Knees push into the band
  • Sit between your heels
  • Tension never drops at the top

Common mistakes

  • Letting the band pull your knees together: use a lighter loop until you can hold them out.
  • Short reps: hit the same depth on every rep, then slow down to add difficulty.

Swap for: Band Spanish Split Squat, Bodyweight Squat, Goblet Squat

Build a session with Band Squat

Quads, anchored split squat

Band Spanish Split Squat

Quads

The band loops behind your front knee from an anchor in front of you, so you can sit back into it and keep your shin vertical while your quads take the load. It suits anyone whose knees don't like regular lunges.

How to do it

  1. Anchor a long loop band at knee height to a post or a closed door, and step your front leg into it so it sits just under the knee.
  2. Step back until the band pulls firmly, then take a split stance the other leg back.
  3. Lower straight down, letting the band hold your front knee back, until the front thigh is about level with the floor.
  4. Press through the front foot to rise. Finish the set, then switch legs.

Cues

  • Lean into the band
  • Front shin stays upright
  • Straight down, straight up

Common mistakes

  • Standing too close, so the band goes slack: step back until it pulls hard at the bottom.
  • Pushing off the back foot: keep most of your weight on the front leg.

Swap for: Band Reverse Lunge, Band Squat, Dumbbell Split Squat

Build a session with Band Spanish Split Squat

Legs and glutes, lunge

Band Reverse Lunge

Quads, Glutes

Standing on the band with your front foot and holding the handles at your shoulders loads the lunge most at the top, where it is otherwise easy. Stepping back instead of forward is gentler on your knees and easier to balance.

How to do it

  1. Step onto the center of a handled band with your left foot and bring the handles up to your shoulders.
  2. Step your right foot back and lower your back knee toward the floor.
  3. Stop just before the knee touches, with your front knee over your ankle.
  4. Drive through the left foot to bring the right foot back up beside it. Do all reps, then switch.

Cues

  • Step back long enough
  • Front foot does the work
  • Handles stay at the shoulders

Common mistakes

  • Short steps that push the front knee far over your toes: take a longer step back.
  • Letting the handles drop as you tire: keep your elbows up so the tension stays.

Swap for: Band Spanish Split Squat, Band Curtsy Lunge, Dumbbell Reverse Lunge

Build a session with Band Reverse Lunge

Glutes, side steps

Lateral Band Walk

Abductors

Walking sideways with a mini loop around your legs trains the side glutes that steady your hips in every squat and lunge. It takes no anchor and makes a good warm-up or last exercise for the legs.

How to do it

  1. Put a mini loop band around your legs just above your knees or around your ankles.
  2. Push your hips back into a quarter squat feet hip-width.
  3. Step sideways with one foot, then follow with the other, keeping tension in the band the whole time.
  4. Take the set number of steps one way, then come back the other way.

Cues

  • Stay low
  • Toes point forward
  • Never let the band go slack

Common mistakes

  • Standing up tall between steps: stay in the quarter squat for the whole set.
  • Swinging your torso to move your leg: keep your shoulders level and your steps controlled.

Swap for: Band Standing Hip Abduction, Band Seated Hip Abduction, Clamshell

Build a session with Lateral Band Walk

Hips and hamstrings: deadlift, hinge and bridge

This is where bands work best: the hinge gets hardest as you stand up, right where your glutes are strongest. The deadlift and good morning need only the band under your feet; the pull-through needs a low anchor; the hip thrust and leg curl need a loop.

Hips and back, deadlift

Band Deadlift

Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower Back

Standing on a band and standing up with the handles trains the hinge that ties your legs and back together. The band is lightest at the bottom where a deadlift is hardest, so it is a safe way to learn the pattern and get your posterior chain working hard at the top.

How to do it

  1. Step onto the center of a handled band feet hip-width, a handle in each hand.
  2. Push your hips back and bend your knees until the handles are near your shins, with your back flat.
  3. Drive your hips forward and stand up tall, keeping the handles close to your legs.
  4. Lock out with a glute squeeze, then lower back down the same way.

Cues

  • Hips back, chest forward
  • Flat back
  • Lock out with your glutes

Common mistakes

  • Rounding your back to reach the bottom: bend your knees more and stop higher.
  • Leaning back at the top: stand tall and stop.

Swap for: Band Good Morning, Band Pull-Through, Kettlebell Deadlift

Build a session with Band Deadlift

Hamstrings and lower back, hinge

Band Good Morning

Hamstrings, Lower Back

With the band under your feet and the handles at your shoulders, every inch you lean forward stretches your hamstrings under load. It trains the same muscles as a Romanian deadlift with nothing in your hands but the band.

How to do it

  1. Stand on the band with feet hip-width, loop or handles held at the fronts of your shoulders.
  2. Soften your knees and keep that bend.
  3. Push your hips back and tip your chest forward with a flat back, until you feel your hamstrings stretch.
  4. Drive your hips forward to come back to standing.

Cues

  • Hips go back first
  • Spine stays long
  • Stop at the hamstring stretch

Common mistakes

  • Rounding your upper back: keep your chest open and the handles pinned to your shoulders.
  • Bending your knees more and more: the hips move, the knees stay where they started.

Swap for: Band Deadlift, Band Pull-Through, Dumbbell Good Morning

Build a session with Band Good Morning

Glutes, anchored hip hinge

Band Pull-Through

Glutes

The band pulls your hands back between your legs from a low anchor behind you, so the glutes have to snap your hips forward to stand. Your back stays light, which makes it easy on days your lower back is tired.

How to do it

  1. Anchor a long band low behind you, face away from it, and hold the band with both hands between your legs.
  2. Walk forward until the band is tight and stand with a wider than hip-width stance.
  3. Push your hips back, letting your hands pass between your legs, knees softly bent.
  4. Squeeze your glutes to drive your hips forward and stand tall. Pause for a second.

Cues

  • Hips back, hands follow
  • Arms are just hooks
  • Squeeze at the top

Common mistakes

  • Pulling with your arms: keep them straight; the hips do the work.
  • Squatting down instead of hinging: keep your shins nearly vertical.

Swap for: Band Deadlift, Band Hip Thrust, Cable Pull-Through

Build a session with Band Pull-Through

Glutes, floor bridge

Band Hip Thrust

Glutes

Lying on your back with a loop band pinned over your hips, you get resistance right where your glutes are strongest, at full hip extension. It needs only the floor and a loop.

How to do it

  1. Lie on your back, knees bent, and pass a long loop band over your hips, pinning both ends under your hands or feet.
  2. Plant your feet about hip-width, heels close to your glutes.
  3. Drive through your heels to lift your hips until your body is straight from shoulders to knees.
  4. Hold the top for a second, then lower slowly.

Cues

  • Ribs down at the top
  • Push through the heels
  • Pause at full lockout

Common mistakes

  • Arching your lower back at the top: tuck your pelvis so the glutes finish the rep.
  • Pushing through your toes: move your feet closer so your heels drive.

Swap for: Band Pull-Through, Glute Bridge, Single-Leg Glute Bridge

Build a session with Band Hip Thrust

Hamstrings, standing curl

Band Leg Curl

Hamstrings

With a mini loop around your ankles, you curl one heel toward your glutes at a time, training the hamstring job hinges miss. It's a light exercise, so it works best for higher reps at the end of a session.

How to do it

  1. Put a mini loop around both ankles and stand tall, holding a wall or chair for balance.
  2. Keep your thighs side by side.
  3. Bend one knee and lift that heel toward your glutes as high as you can.
  4. Lower it slowly. Finish the set, then switch legs.

Cues

  • Knees side by side
  • Heel to glutes
  • Slow return

Common mistakes

  • Swinging the thigh back to finish the curl: keep both knees level.
  • Leaning forward: stand tall and hold onto support.

Swap for: Band Good Morning, Nordic Hamstring Curl, Stability Ball Leg Curl

Build a session with Band Leg Curl

Push: chest and shoulders

Bands can't match a heavy bench press, so the chest exercise is a one-arm fly from an anchor behind you and the shoulder exercise is a one-arm press with the band under your foot. Working one side at a time lets the band stretch further, which keeps the sets hard.

Chest, one-arm fly

Single-Arm Band Chest Fly

Chest

With the band anchored at chest height behind you, you sweep one arm across your body in an arc. Bands don't offer a good bench-press substitute, so this is the chest exercise for a band-only setup.

How to do it

  1. Anchor a handled band at chest height and face away from it.
  2. Hold the handle with your arm out to the side and your elbow softly bent, standing in a split stance.
  3. Sweep your hand forward and across until it reaches the middle of your chest.
  4. Let the arm open back out slowly until you feel your chest stretch. Finish the set, then switch arms.

Cues

  • Slight bend, fixed elbow
  • Hug a barrel
  • Slow opening

Common mistakes

  • Bending and straightening the elbow so it turns into a press: hold the same elbow angle all the way.
  • Rotating your torso with the arm: brace your stomach and keep your hips square.

Swap for: Band-Assisted Push-Up, Push-Up, Dumbbell Chest Fly

Build a session with Single-Arm Band Chest Fly

Shoulders, one-arm press

Band Overhead Press

Shoulders

Standing on one end of the band and pressing the handle up with one arm trains your shoulders and triceps, while your trunk stops you from leaning away. Pressing one side at a time lets you put more stretch on the band.

How to do it

  1. Stand on one end of a handled band with your right foot and hold the handle at your right shoulder.
  2. Brace your stomach and squeeze your glutes.
  3. Press the handle straight up until your arm is nearly straight.
  4. Lower it slowly to your shoulder. Do all reps, then switch.

Cues

  • Ribs down
  • Press straight up
  • Shoulder finishes by your ear

Common mistakes

  • Leaning away from the working arm: brace harder or use a lighter band.
  • Pressing out in front: end with your arm over your shoulder, not your toes.

Swap for: Band Lateral Raise, Band Upright Row, Pike Push-Up

Build a session with Band Overhead Press

Pull: back and biceps

Pulling is where bands match weights most closely. Row with the band under your feet, face pull from a high anchor, pull apart when you have neither, and add a hammer curl at the end. With a pull-up bar, the assisted pull-up gives your lats the vertical pull band rows can't.

Back, bent-over row

Band Bent-Over Row

Lats, Upper Back

Hinging forward with the band under your feet and pulling the handles to your waist trains your lats and upper back. It's the main back exercise for a band set with no anchor.

How to do it

  1. Step onto the center of a handled band, feet about hip-width, a handle in each hand.
  2. Push your hips back until your chest leans forward at about 45 degrees, back flat.
  3. Row both handles to your waist, elbows close to your sides.
  4. Straighten your arms slowly, keeping the hinge.

Cues

  • Hold the hinge
  • Elbows to your hips
  • Pause with the band stretched

Common mistakes

  • Standing more upright as you tire: if your chest rises, the set is over.
  • Shrugging toward your ears: keep your shoulders down as you pull.

Swap for: Band Face Pull, Band Pull-Apart, Band-Assisted Pull-Up

Build a session with Band Bent-Over Row

Upper back and rear shoulders

Band Face Pull

Shoulders, Upper Back

Pulling the band from a high anchor toward your face, with elbows wide, trains the rear shoulders and upper back that presses ignore. It balances the pressing in your week and is easy on your shoulders.

How to do it

  1. Anchor a band at head height and hold both ends with your palms down.
  2. Step back until the band is tight, arms straight.
  3. Pull the band toward your face, elbows high and wide, until your hands are by your ears.
  4. Hold for a second, then let your arms straighten slowly.

Cues

  • Elbows high and wide
  • Hands by your ears
  • Pause and squeeze

Common mistakes

  • Pulling down to your chest: keep the elbows at shoulder height.
  • Leaning back to move the band: stand tall and step in.

Swap for: Band Pull-Apart, Band Bent-Over Row, Dumbbell Face Pull

Build a session with Band Face Pull

Upper back, no anchor

Band Pull-Apart

Shoulders, Upper Back

Holding a band in front of you and pulling it apart to your chest is the simplest upper-back exercise there is. It needs no anchor, so it fills the face-pull slot in a set with only light bands.

How to do it

  1. Hold a light band with both hands, palms down, arms long at chest height.
  2. Keep your arms straight and pull the band apart, moving your hands out to the sides.
  3. Stop when the band touches your chest.
  4. Return slowly to the start.

Cues

  • Arms straight
  • Band to the chest
  • Slow on the way back

Common mistakes

  • Bending your elbows to make it easier: use a lighter band or a wider grip.
  • Lifting your shoulders: keep them down and back.

Swap for: Band Face Pull, Band Rear Delt Fly, Band Scapular Retraction

Build a session with Band Pull-Apart

Biceps and forearms

Band Hammer Curl

Biceps

Curling the handles with palms facing each other trains your biceps and the forearm muscles that help them. Most band full-body sessions end with it because it takes a minute and needs nothing but the band under your feet.

How to do it

  1. Step onto the center of a handled band, holding the handles at your sides with palms facing in.
  2. Pin your elbows to your sides.
  3. Curl one handle up to your shoulder without turning your palm.
  4. Lower slowly and curl the other side. Alternate for the set.

Cues

  • Elbows pinned
  • Thumbs up
  • Slow lowering

Common mistakes

  • Swinging your body to start the curl: keep your torso still and use a lighter band.
  • Letting the elbow drift forward: keep it beside your ribs.

Swap for: Dumbbell Curl, Hammer Curl, Bodyweight Bicep Curl

Build a session with Band Hammer Curl

Back, assisted pull-up

Band-Assisted Pull-Up

Lats

If you have a pull-up bar, a band looped around it and under your feet takes part of your weight, so you can do full pull-ups before you can do them unassisted. It trains your lats far harder than band rows.

How to do it

  1. Wrap a long loop over the bar and pull one end through so it hangs below.
  2. Grip the bar a little wider than your shoulders and put one foot or knee in the loop.
  3. Pull your chest toward the bar until your chin clears it.
  4. Lower until your arms are straight. Use a thinner band as you get stronger.

Cues

  • Full hang every rep
  • Chest up to the bar
  • Thinner band over time

Common mistakes

  • Bouncing out of the bottom: pause in the hang so the band doesn't do the work.
  • Using a band so strong that 20 reps are easy: switch to a thinner band so sets end at 6 to 12.

Swap for: Pull-Up, Lat Pulldown, Chin-Up

Build a session with Band-Assisted Pull-Up

Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in. Open one in the session builder to change a pick, price it from a recent set, and add it to RIRLift.

Session 1

Bands under your feet only, no anchor

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets51 a week
  • Per workout~35 min
  • EquipmentResistance Bands

You have handled tube bands or long loops and a floor, but nowhere to anchor them: a hotel room, a small apartment, or a park.

Every exercise here is done standing on the band or pinning it with your body, so no door or post is needed. The hinge, lunge and row cover legs and back, the one-arm press covers shoulders, and the hip thrust and pull-apart fill in glutes and upper back. Bands are light compared with what your legs can handle, so legs run 12 to 25 reps and every set stops 1 rep short of failure. Seventeen working sets in about 30 minutes.

Band Full Body
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Band DeadliftPause 1 s at the top. 3 × 12–20 1 90 s
Band Reverse LungePer leg. 2 × 10–20 1 1 min
Band Bent-Over Row 3 × 12–20 1 1 min
Band Overhead PressPer arm. 2 × 10–20 1 1 min
Band Hip ThrustHold the top 2 s. 3 × 15–25 1 1 min
Band Pull-Apart 2 × 15–25 1 45 s
Band Hammer CurlAlternate arms. 2 × 10–20 1 45 s
How to run it
Do the session three times a week with a day between. Double up the band or step wider on it when a set gets easy.
How to progress
When you reach the top of the rep range at 1 rep in reserve, make the band tighter: stand wider, choke up on the band, or add a second band. Then drop back to the bottom of the range.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Door anchor, two alternating sessions

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts4× a week
  • Working sets52 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentResistance Bands

You train at home with a door anchor and a mix of long bands and mini loops, and can train three or four times a week.

An anchor opens up the moves bands do best: the Spanish split squat, pull-through, chest fly and face pull. Two sessions let each day focus on one leg pattern (split squat and pull-through on A, squat and good morning on B) while pushing and pulling every time. Three sets on the first leg and hinge move, two on the rest, at 1 rep in reserve; each session is 13 working sets, short enough to finish in 25 minutes.

Bands A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Band Spanish Split SquatPer leg. Shin vertical. 3 × 10–20 1 1 min
Band Pull-Through 3 × 12–20 1 1 min
Single-Arm Band Chest FlyPer arm. 2 × 12–20 1 45 s
Band Face Pull 3 × 15–25 1 45 s
Band Leg CurlPer leg. 2 × 12–20 1 45 s

Open Bands A in the session builder

Bands B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Band SquatKnees out into the loop. 3 × 15–25 1 1 min
Band Good Morning 3 × 12–20 1 1 min
Single-Arm Band Chest FlyPer arm. 2 × 12–20 1 45 s
Band Bent-Over Row 3 × 12–20 1 1 min
Lateral Band WalkSteps each way. 2 × 10–20 1 45 s

Open Bands B in the session builder

How to run it
Alternate A and B, three or four days a week. Anchor at knee height for the split squat, low for the pull-through, chest height for the fly and head height for the face pull.
How to progress
Step further from the anchor before reaching for a heavier band. When a set hits the top of the range at 1 rep in reserve from the furthest spot, go up a band and restart at the bottom of the range.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Bands plus a pull-up bar

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets38 a week
  • Per workout~40 min
  • EquipmentPull-Up Bar, Resistance Bands

You have a band set and a pull-up bar, and want two longer full-body sessions a week rather than several short ones.

The bar changes the back work: the assisted pull-up trains your lats vertically, which band rows can't, so it comes first. The deadlift and split squat cover the legs heavily, and the one-arm press and fly cover pushing. With only two sessions a week, each exercise gets three sets so every muscle still lands around six hard sets a week. Pull-ups stop at 2 in reserve so every rep is a clean full hang; the rest at 1.

Bands + Bar
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Band-Assisted Pull-UpThinner band over time. 3 × 6–12 2 2 min
Band Deadlift 3 × 12–20 1 90 s
Band Spanish Split SquatPer leg. 3 × 10–20 1 1 min
A1 Band Overhead PressPer arm. 3 × 10–20 1 1 min
A2 Single-Arm Band Chest FlyPer arm. 3 × 12–20 1 1 min
Band Face Pull 2 × 15–25 1 45 s
Band Hip Thrust 2 × 15–25 1 1 min
How to run it
Train twice a week with two or three days between sessions, for example Tuesday and Saturday. Superset the press with the fly to save time.
How to progress
Move to a thinner band on the pull-up when you reach 12 reps at 2 in reserve. For the rest, use the stand-wider-then-heavier-band rule from the other plans.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

Can you build a lot of muscle with resistance bands?

You can build real muscle as long as your sets end close to failure, about 1 to 3 reps short. The limit is your legs and hips, which outgrow most bands; stack bands, slow the reps down, or work one leg at a time to keep those sets hard.

Can you get a full body workout with only resistance bands?

Yes. A squat or lunge, a hinge, a push, and a pull covers every major muscle, and bands do all four. Chest is the weakest link because there's no good band bench press, so pair the fly with push-ups if you can.

How do you use stretch bands for a workout?

Stand on the band, anchor it to a door or post, or loop it around your legs, then move against the stretch. The further you stretch it, the harder it gets, so where you stand matters as much as which band you pick.

What is working out with resistance bands called?

Resistance band training or band training. It's a form of strength training, the same as lifting weights; the band just supplies the resistance instead of a dumbbell.

How many times a week should you do a full body band workout?

Two to four. Three full-body sessions with a day between is a good default; two longer ones work if your week is busy.

How many reps should you do with resistance bands?

Usually 10 to 25, more than with weights, because bands are light at the start of each rep. Pick a band and stance where you finish the set with 1 to 2 reps left.