RIRLift

Exercises

Resistance band exercises for every muscle, with the bands you own

Published October 15, 2026

The best resistance band exercises cover the same six patterns as a gym session: a squat or lunge standing on the band, a hinge, a row, an overhead press, a chest fly or push-up, and side-step or bridge work for the hips. Bands get harder the further you stretch them, so pick the band and the foot position that make each set end 0 to 3 reps short of failure somewhere between 6 and 30 reps. A door anchor adds the chest fly, face pull, pull-through and Spanish split squat; a pull-up bar adds the band-assisted pull-up.

  1. Band Bent-Over Row Lats, Upper Back
  2. Band Overhead Press Shoulders
  3. Band Deadlift Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower Back
  4. Band Reverse Lunge Quads, Glutes
  5. Single-Arm Band Chest Fly Chest
  6. Band Face Pull Shoulders, Upper Back
  7. Band Hip Thrust Glutes
  8. Lateral Band Walk Abductors

Resistance band exercises for chest and shoulders

Pressing with bands works best when the band is anchored behind you or under your feet, so the hardest part of the rep is the lockout. Use the chest fly and overhead press as your main pushes; add the lateral raise for side delts and the assisted push-up when strict push-ups are still out of reach.

Chest, anchored fly

Single-Arm Band Chest Fly

Chest

Anchored at chest height behind you, the band pulls your arm back into a full stretch and loads the squeeze across your chest at the end, which a dumbbell fly cannot do standing up. One arm at a time lets you turn slightly into the rep for a longer range.

How to do it

  1. Clip the band into a door anchor at chest height and stand facing away from the door, handle in one hand, arm out to the side with a soft elbow.
  2. Step forward until the band is tight with your arm still behind your body, feet staggered.
  3. Sweep your hand in a wide arc across your body until it is in front of your chest.
  4. Let the band pull your arm back to the start over two seconds. Finish all reps, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Elbow stays slightly bent the whole rep
  • Arc, not a punch
  • Chest leads, shoulder stays down

Common mistakes

  • Standing too close to the door: if the band goes slack behind you, take another step forward.
  • Turning the fly into a press by bending the elbow a lot: keep the same elbow angle from start to finish.

Swap for: Band-Assisted Push-Up, Push-Up, Dumbbell Floor Press

Build a session with Single-Arm Band Chest Fly

Shoulders, overhead press

Band Overhead Press

Shoulders

Standing on the band and pressing one arm at a time gives your shoulders a press you can make heavier by widening your stance or choking up on the band, and the lockout is the hardest part, which keeps your delts working at the top.

How to do it

  1. Stand on one end of the band with the foot on your pressing side and hold the other end at your shoulder, palm facing in.
  2. Brace your stomach and squeeze your glutes so your ribs stay down.
  3. Press the band straight up until your arm is beside your ear.
  4. Lower it back to your shoulder under control. Finish all reps, then switch arms.

Cues

  • Ribs down, no lean back
  • Press beside your ear, not in front
  • Choke up on the band to add load

Common mistakes

  • Arching your lower back to finish the rep: that is the sign to use a lighter band or shorten the stretch.
  • Stopping short of a straight arm: the top is the hardest part, so make the lockout.

Swap for: Dumbbell Shoulder Press, Pike Push-Up, Band Front Raise

Build a session with Band Overhead Press

Side delts, isolation

Band Lateral Raise

Shoulders

A band under your feet is lightest at the bottom and tightest at the top, which matches a lateral raise: easy where your delts are weak and hard where they are strong. It is the simplest way to add side-delt work anywhere.

How to do it

  1. Stand on the middle of the band with both feet and hold an end in each hand by your thighs, palms facing your legs.
  2. Raise both arms out to the sides, leading with your elbows, until your hands reach shoulder height.
  3. Pause for a beat at the top.
  4. Lower over two seconds and keep a little tension at the bottom.

Cues

  • Lead with the elbows
  • Pinkies level with thumbs
  • Slow on the way down

Common mistakes

  • Shrugging the band up with your traps: keep your shoulders down and stop at shoulder height.
  • Letting the band go slack at the bottom: widen your stance so there is tension on every rep.

Swap for: Dumbbell Lateral Raise, Cable Lateral Raise, Band Upright Row

Build a session with Band Lateral Raise

Chest, push-up builder

Band-Assisted Push-Up

Chest

Two bands looped over a bar and running under your shoulders take weight off at the bottom of the push-up, where most people fail, so you train the full range with your body in a straight line instead of dropping to your knees.

How to do it

  1. Loop two bands over a bar set a little above head height in a rack and pull one over each shoulder, so they run under your armpits.
  2. Get into a push-up position below the bar, hands just wider than your shoulders, body in one straight line.
  3. Lower until your chest is a fist from the floor; the bands take some of your weight at the bottom.
  4. Push the floor away until your arms are straight.

Cues

  • Hips in line with shoulders and heels
  • Elbows angled back
  • Chest to the floor, every rep

Common mistakes

  • Staying on the same bands for months: when you reach the top of the rep range on every set, switch to a thinner band.
  • Sagging at the hips because the bands hold your chest up: squeeze your glutes before each rep.

Swap for: Push-Up, Pike Push-Up, Single-Arm Band Chest Fly

Build a session with Band-Assisted Push-Up

Resistance band exercises for back, rear delts and arms

Pulling is where bands shine, because a stretched band at the end of a row or face pull gives your upper back a squeeze that weights cannot match. Build around the bent-over row, then add the face pull and pull-apart for rear delts, the assisted pull-up if you have a bar, and the hammer curl for your arms.

Lats and upper back, horizontal pull

Band Bent-Over Row

Lats, Upper Back

The bent-over row is the one band exercise that covers your whole back: lats on the pull, upper back on the squeeze. Standing on the band with both feet and rowing from a hinge works with any band and no anchor.

How to do it

  1. Stand on the middle of the band with both feet, hold an end in each hand, and hinge until your torso is about 45 degrees to the floor with your knees soft.
  2. Let your arms hang straight under your shoulders, palms facing each other.
  3. Row your hands to your lower ribs, driving your elbows back past your body.
  4. Lower until your arms are straight and your shoulder blades slide forward.

Cues

  • Elbows past your ribs
  • Hold the hinge, torso still
  • Let the shoulder blades move at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Standing up as the set gets hard: the row gets easier as your torso rises, so lock the hinge and shorten the band instead.
  • Short, fast reps: a band row only works if you reach a full stretch at the bottom and a full squeeze at the top.

Swap for: Dumbbell Bent-Over Row, Inverted Row, Seated Cable Row

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Rear delts and upper back

Band Face Pull

Shoulders, Upper Back

Anchored at face height, the face pull trains the rear delts, mid-traps and rotator cuff together, the muscles that pull your shoulders back. It is the best band exercise to pair with any pressing you do.

How to do it

  1. Clip the band into a door anchor at face height and hold an end in each hand, palms down.
  2. Step back until your arms are straight and the band is tight.
  3. Pull your hands toward your ears, spreading your elbows wide and high so your upper arms stay level with the floor.
  4. Pause with your hands beside your head, then let the band pull your arms straight again.

Cues

  • Elbows high and wide
  • Hands to your ears, not your chin
  • Squeeze the shoulder blades at the end

Common mistakes

  • Rowing it to your chest with elbows down: that turns it into a row. Keep the elbows level with your shoulders.
  • Leaning back to get the last reps: lighten the band or step closer to the door.

Swap for: Face Pull, Band Pull-Apart, Band Rear Delt Fly

Build a session with Band Face Pull

Rear delts, warm-up and finisher

Band Pull-Apart

Shoulders, Upper Back

The pull-apart needs nothing but a light band, which is why it is the one exercise on this page that fits before every upper-body session: two sets wake up the rear delts and upper back that every press and row depends on.

How to do it

  1. Hold the band at chest height with straight arms out in front, hands about shoulder width apart and the band already a little stretched.
  2. Pull your hands apart until the band touches your chest and your arms are out to the sides.
  3. Squeeze your shoulder blades together for a beat.
  4. Bring your hands back together slowly and stop before the band goes slack.

Cues

  • Arms straight, band to the chest
  • Shoulders down, not shrugged
  • Slow on the way back in

Common mistakes

  • Using a band so thick that your arms bend: a light band for 15 to 30 reps is the point of this exercise.
  • Pulling to your stomach: keep the band at chest height so the rear delts, not the lats, do the work.

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

Build a session with Band Pull-Apart

Lats, pull-up builder

Band-Assisted Pull-Up

Lats

A band over the bar helps most at the bottom, where a pull-up is hardest, and least at the top, so you build the real movement through its full range. Each thinner band is a measurable step toward your first strict rep.

How to do it

  1. Loop the band over the pull-up bar and pull it through itself so it locks in place.
  2. Hold the bar with palms facing away, hands a little wider than your shoulders, and put one foot or both knees in the band.
  3. From a full hang, pull your elbows down to your sides until your chin clears the bar.
  4. Lower over two seconds to straight arms without letting the band bounce you up.

Cues

  • Full hang every rep
  • Elbows to your back pockets
  • No bounce out of the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Choosing a band that makes 15 reps easy: pick the one that makes the bottom of the rep range hard, and go thinner once every set reaches the top of the range.
  • Kicking the band to finish a rep: stop the set there and log the rep count.

Swap for: Assisted Pull-Up, Lat Pulldown, Inverted Row

Build a session with Band-Assisted Pull-Up

Biceps and forearms

Band Hammer Curl

Biceps

Standing on the band and curling with a neutral grip loads your biceps and the brachialis under them, and the band is tightest at the top, where a dumbbell curl goes light. Alternate arms so each gets a full rep while the other rests.

How to do it

  1. Stand on the middle of the band and hold an end in each hand by your sides, palms facing your thighs.
  2. Pin your elbows to your ribs and curl one hand up toward your shoulder.
  3. Squeeze at the top for a beat, then lower it over two seconds.
  4. Curl the other arm as the first one comes down, and keep alternating.

Cues

  • Elbows glued to your sides
  • Thumbs up the whole rep
  • Lower slower than you lift

Common mistakes

  • Swinging your elbows forward to finish the curl: step wider on the band for more load instead of cheating it up.
  • Dropping the band on the way down: the lowering half is where a band curl earns its reps.

Swap for: Hammer Curl, Band Bent-Over Row, Band-Assisted Pull-Up

Build a session with Band Hammer Curl

Resistance band exercises for legs

Standing on a long band and holding it at your shoulders turns lunges and deadlifts into real leg work; a loop band around your knees or ankles handles squats and leg curls. Keep reps high, 12 to 30, since the band is lightest in the bottom of a squat where your legs are strongest.

Quads and glutes, single-leg squat

Band Reverse Lunge

Quads, Glutes

One leg at a time doubles the load a band puts on each leg, and stepping back keeps your front shin vertical so the knee stays comfortable. Standing on the band with your front foot and holding it at your shoulders makes this the heaviest leg exercise you can do with one band.

How to do it

  1. Stand on the middle of the band with your left foot and hold the ends at your shoulders, elbows pointing down.
  2. Step your right foot back and lower until your back knee is just above the floor and your front shin is vertical.
  3. Push through your front heel to stand back up and bring your right foot forward.
  4. Finish all reps on this leg, then move the band under the other foot and repeat.

Cues

  • Front shin stays vertical
  • Chest up, band at the shoulders
  • Push through the whole front foot

Common mistakes

  • Lunging too short so the band never stretches: step back far enough that your front thigh reaches parallel.
  • Leaning your torso forward to dodge the band: hold the band at your shoulders, not your waist, and stay tall.

Swap for: Reverse Lunge, Bulgarian Split Squat, Band Curtsy Lunge

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Quads and glutes, knees-out squat

Band Squat

Quads

A loop band above your knees makes the side glutes work on every rep of a bodyweight squat and teaches you to push your knees out, so it is the right first squat for a band-only setup and the right warm-up before loaded squats.

How to do it

  1. Loop a mini band around both thighs an inch above the knees, set your feet shoulder width apart and hold your hands at your chest.
  2. Push your knees out against the band and sit your hips back and down.
  3. Go as deep as you can with your heels flat and your knees pushed out the whole way.
  4. Stand up by driving your heels into the floor, and keep the band stretched at the top.

Cues

  • Knees out against the band
  • Heels flat, chest up
  • Stretch the band at the top too

Common mistakes

  • Knees caving in on the way up: that is what the band is there to show you. Push them out before you drive.
  • Treating it as a 10-rep exercise: with your bodyweight only, take it to 20 to 30 reps or add a long band under your feet and over your shoulders.

Swap for: Goblet Squat, Band Reverse Lunge, Bodyweight Squat

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Quads, anchored split squat

Band Spanish Split Squat

Quads

A band anchored in front of you and looped behind your front knee pulls your shin forward, so you can sit straight down into a deep split squat with your torso upright. It puts more of the work on your quads than any other band exercise.

How to do it

  1. Anchor the band low, at about knee height, and loop it behind your front knee, just under the kneecap.
  2. Step back until the band is tight, take a split stance, and hold your hands together at your chest.
  3. Lower straight down until your front thigh is parallel to the floor, letting the band hold your shin.
  4. Push through your front heel to stand. Finish all reps, then switch legs.

Cues

  • Torso tall, sit straight down
  • Let the band pull your shin forward
  • Front heel stays down

Common mistakes

  • Standing too close to the anchor: without tension in the band you lose the point of the exercise, so step back another foot.
  • Leaning forward as you tire: the upright torso is what keeps the load on your quads.

Swap for: Bulgarian Split Squat, Band Reverse Lunge, Goblet Squat

Build a session with Band Spanish Split Squat

Hamstrings, glutes and back, hinge

Band Deadlift

Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower Back

Standing on the band and hinging gives you a deadlift that is light in the bottom and heaviest at lockout, where your glutes and back finish the rep. Doubling the band or stepping wider adds load without any new equipment.

How to do it

  1. Stand on the middle of the band, feet under your hips, and hold an end in each hand with your palms toward your legs.
  2. Push your hips back and bend your knees a little until your hands are at mid-shin and your back is flat.
  3. Drive your hips forward and stand tall, keeping the band close to your legs.
  4. Squeeze your glutes at the top, then hinge back down over two seconds.

Cues

  • Hips back, then hips through
  • Flat back, long neck
  • Band stays against your shins

Common mistakes

  • Rounding your back at the bottom because the band is too tight: shorten the hinge or loosen your grip until you can keep it flat.
  • Squatting the band up: push your hips back first so your hamstrings, not your quads, do the work.

Swap for: Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift, Kettlebell Deadlift, Band Good Morning

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Hamstrings, isolation

Band Leg Curl

Hamstrings

A loop band around your ankles lets you curl one heel toward your glutes standing up, which is the only way to train the hamstring curl pattern without a machine. It pairs with the deadlift so your hamstrings get both a stretch and a squeeze.

How to do it

  1. Put a loop band around both ankles and stand tall with a hand on a wall or chair for balance.
  2. Keep your working thigh still and curl that heel up toward your glutes.
  3. Squeeze your hamstring at the top for a beat.
  4. Lower your foot slowly until it is next to the other one. Finish all reps, then switch legs.

Cues

  • Thigh stays still, only the knee bends
  • Pause at the top
  • Stand tall, hips square

Common mistakes

  • Swinging the leg back from the hip: if your thigh moves, your glutes are doing it. Keep the knees side by side.
  • Doing it for 10 reps: a band curl needs 15 to 30 reps per leg to get near failure.

Swap for: Lying Leg Curl, Band Deadlift, Band Good Morning

Build a session with Band Leg Curl

Resistance band exercises for glutes and hips

Bands match the glutes well because the glutes are strongest with the hips fully extended, which is exactly where a band is tightest. Use the hip thrust as the main lift, the pull-through if you have an anchor, and lateral band walks for the side glutes. For a full glute program, see the best workout for glutes.

Glutes, bridge with knees out

Band Hip Thrust

Glutes

Lying on the floor with a loop band under your heels and over your hips, every rep loads the top of the bridge, where your glutes are strongest and a dumbbell bridge goes light. Pushing your knees out against the band adds the side glutes.

How to do it

  1. On your back, knees bent and feet flat under them, hook a loop band under both heels and pull it up so it sits across the tops of your thighs near the hip crease.
  2. Press your arms into the floor and squeeze your glutes to lift your hips until your body is straight from shoulders to knees.
  3. Hold the top for a beat, pushing your knees out against the band.
  4. Lower your hips slowly and stop just above the floor.

Cues

  • Chin tucked, ribs down
  • Squeeze at the top, no arch
  • Knees pushed out

Common mistakes

  • Arching your lower back to lift higher: a straight line from shoulders to knees is the top, and the squeeze matters more than the height.
  • Rushing the reps: hold the top for a full second, which is where the band does its job.

Swap for: Hip Thrust, Glute Bridge, Single-Leg Hip Thrust

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Glutes, anchored hinge

Band Pull-Through

Glutes

With the band anchored low behind you and running between your legs, the pull-through loads your glutes hardest as you stand up, and it is almost impossible to do with your back. It is the band version of the cable pull-through.

How to do it

  1. Anchor the band low behind you, face away from it, and hold the band between your legs with both hands, arms straight.
  2. Walk forward until the band is tight with your hips still over your feet.
  3. Push your hips back and let your hands travel back between your legs, back flat and knees soft.
  4. Drive your hips forward and stand tall, squeezing your glutes at the top.

Cues

  • Hips back, arms stay straight
  • Finish with the glutes, not the back
  • Walk out further for more load

Common mistakes

  • Squatting down instead of hinging: your shins should stay close to vertical and your hips should travel back, not down.
  • Pulling with your arms: your hands only hold the band. The hips do the moving.

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

Build a session with Band Pull-Through

Side glutes, abduction

Lateral Band Walk

Abductors

Side steps against a loop band train the glute muscles that keep your knees out in a squat and your hips level when you run. Two sets before leg day or at the end of a band session is enough.

How to do it

  1. Put a loop band around your legs just above your knees, or around your ankles for more load, and bend your knees into a quarter squat.
  2. Step sideways with one foot, then follow with the other without letting your feet touch.
  3. Take 10 to 15 steps one way, staying low and keeping the band tight.
  4. Come back the other way, leading with the other foot.

Cues

  • Stay low the whole set
  • Feet never touch
  • Toes forward, knees out

Common mistakes

  • Standing up between steps: the band only loads your hips while your knees are bent.
  • Dragging the trailing foot so the band goes slack: step with it just as far as you stepped with the lead foot.

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

Build a session with Lateral Band Walk

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

One loop band set, no anchor

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets51 a week
  • Per workout~40 min
  • EquipmentResistance Bands

You have a long loop band and a mini loop band, no door anchor, no bar, and you train at home or in a hotel room.

Everything here is done standing on the long band or with the mini band around your knees or ankles, so it packs into a bag. Each session hits every pattern: a lunge or squat, a hinge, a row, a press and a hip or shoulder finisher. Sets run to 1 or 2 reps in reserve and rep ranges go high, because the way to make a band heavier is more stretch and more reps, not a bigger number.

Band Full Body A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Band Reverse LungePer leg. Front foot on the band, ends at shoulders 3 × 10–20 2 90 s
Band Bent-Over RowHold the hinge. Widen stance for load 3 × 10–20 1 90 s
Band Overhead PressPer arm. Ribs down at lockout 3 × 8–15 1 90 s
Band Leg CurlPer leg. Mini band at the ankles 3 × 15–30 1 1 min
Band Pull-ApartBand to the chest, arms straight 3 × 15–30 1 1 min
Band Hammer CurlAlternate arms. Slow lowering 2 × 10–20 1 1 min

Open Band Full Body A in the session builder

Band Full Body B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Band DeadliftHips back first. Double the band when easy 3 × 10–20 2 90 s
Band SquatMini band above knees. Push knees out 3 × 15–30 1 90 s
Band Overhead PressPer arm. Choke up for load 3 × 8–15 1 90 s
Band Bent-Over RowFull stretch at the bottom 3 × 10–20 1 90 s
Band Hip ThrustMini band under heels, over hips. 1 s hold 3 × 12–25 1 1 min
Band Lateral RaiseLead with the elbows 2 × 12–25 1 1 min

Open Band Full Body B in the session builder

How to run it
Alternate A and B three days a week with a day between (A-B-A, then B-A-B). To make any set harder, widen your stance, choke up on the band, or double it; to make it easier, bring your feet together. For a fuller home program around these moves, see the best home workout.
How to progress
Add reps each session until every set reaches the top of its range at the target RIR, then make the exercise harder: widen your stance on the band, add a one-second pause at the tightest point, slow the lowering to three seconds, or move to the next band up.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Handled bands with a door anchor

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts4× a week
  • Working sets62 a week
  • Per workout~40 min
  • EquipmentResistance Bands

You have a set of tube bands with handles and a door anchor, and you want bands to be your main training, not a stopgap.

The anchor opens the four exercises a loop band cannot do well: the chest fly, the face pull, the pull-through and the Spanish split squat. That is enough to split training into an upper day and a lower day, so each session is short and every muscle gets a full-stretch exercise and a squeeze exercise. Stacking two bands on the handles is how you add weight.

Band Upper
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Band Bent-Over Row1 warm-up set firstStack bands for load. Elbows past ribs 3 × 8–15 1 90 s
Single-Arm Band Chest FlyPer arm. Anchor at chest height 3 × 10–20 1 90 s
Band Overhead PressPer arm. Stand on the band 3 × 8–15 1 90 s
Band Face PullAnchor at face height. Elbows high 3 × 12–20 1 1 min
Band Lateral RaiseLast set: half reps at the top 3 × 12–25 0 1 min
Band Hammer CurlAlternate arms 3 × 10–20 1 1 min

Open Band Upper in the session builder

Band Lower
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Band Spanish Split Squat1 warm-up set firstPer leg. Anchor low, band behind the knee 4 × 10–20 1 90 s
Band Pull-ThroughAnchor low behind you. Squeeze at the top 3 × 12–20 1 90 s
Band DeadliftStand on two bands when one is easy 3 × 10–20 2 90 s
Band Reverse LungePer leg. Handles at the shoulders 3 × 10–20 1 90 s

Open Band Lower in the session builder

How to run it
Run Upper and Lower on alternating training days, four days a week (Upper, Lower, rest, Upper, Lower, rest, rest). Set the anchor at chest height for the fly, face height for the face pull, and low, about knee height, for the pull-through and the split squat.
How to progress
Double progression: when every set of an exercise reaches the top of the rep range at the target RIR, step further from the anchor or stack the next band next session. When stepping back no longer adds enough, move the whole exercise up one band and drop back to the bottom of the rep range.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Bands as a gym add-on

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets18 a week
  • Per workout~15 min
  • EquipmentResistance Bands, Pull-Up Bar

You lift in a gym with barbells, dumbbells and a pull-up bar, and you want bands for the jobs they do better: warming up the shoulders and hips, and building your first strict pull-ups.

Two light sets of pull-aparts and lateral walks prepare the exact muscles that presses and squats lean on. The band-assisted pull-up gives you a loadable path to a strict pull-up that the assisted machine does not, because the help fades as you rise. Face pulls at the end of a session add rear-delt volume that most gym programs lack.

Pull Day Add-On
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Band Pull-ApartBefore your first heavy set. Light band 2 × 15–25 3 45 s
Band-Assisted Pull-UpThinner band after 4x10. Full hang 4 × 6–10 1 2 min
Band Face PullAfter your main lifts. Elbows high 3 × 12–20 1 1 min

Open Pull Day Add-On in the session builder

Push or Leg Day Add-On
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Band Pull-ApartBefore pressing. Light band 2 × 15–25 3 45 s
Lateral Band WalkSteps per direction. Before squats 2 × 10–15 3 45 s
Band Lateral RaiseAfter pressing. Lead with the elbows 3 × 12–25 1 1 min
Band Face PullEnd of session 2 × 12–20 1 1 min

Open Push or Leg Day Add-On in the session builder

How to run it
Add the pull-day routine to the start and end of your back or pull day, and the push or leg-day routine to your other sessions, running each once a week. Do the pull-aparts and lateral walks before your first heavy set and the rest after your main lifts.
How to progress
On the assisted pull-up, go to a thinner band once you hit 4 sets of 10 and drop back to 6 reps. Warm-up sets stay light: add reps, not band thickness. On face pulls and lateral raises, add reps to the top of the range, then step further from the anchor or stand wider on the band.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

How do you use loop resistance bands?

A long loop band goes under your feet for rows, presses, deadlifts, lunges and curls, or over a bar for assisted pull-ups. A mini loop band goes above your knees for squats, lateral walks and hip thrusts, or around your ankles for leg curls. In both cases, the band should have some tension at the start of the rep, so stand wider or step further from the anchor until it does.

Can you build muscle with resistance band workouts?

Yes. Muscle grows from hard sets, not from the tool, and a band set taken to 0 to 3 reps in reserve builds muscle about as well as a dumbbell set in the same rep range. The catch is load: as you get stronger, you need more stretch, more reps, doubled bands or anchored exercises to keep each set hard.

How many times a week should you do resistance band training?

Two to four sessions a week. Three full-body sessions on alternating days is what most people run with bands. Weekly sets matter more than the number of days, so two sessions that each hit every muscle work at least as well as four short ones with the same total.

Are resistance band workouts good for weight loss?

Bands do what any strength training does during fat loss: keep your muscle while you eat in a calorie deficit, which is what makes the weight you lose come from fat. No exercise burns fat from one spot, so band work for your abs will not shrink your waist on its own; the deficit does that, and band training keeps you firm under it.

Which resistance band should I buy first?

One long loop band in a medium tension and one mini loop band cover every exercise on this page except the anchored ones. If you want bands as your main training, buy a set of tube bands with handles and a door anchor, which adds the chest fly, face pull, pull-through and Spanish split squat and lets you stack bands as you get stronger.

Can you mix resistance bands with weights?

Yes, and the gym add-on plan on this page is built for it. Bands are best used for warm-ups (pull-aparts, lateral walks), for assistance on pull-ups, and for rear delts and side delts at the end of a session. Keep your heavy squats, presses and rows on the bar and use bands for the jobs that benefit from tension at the top.

What are the best resistance band exercises for legs and glutes?

Reverse lunges standing on a long band for quads, the band deadlift for hamstrings and glutes, the hip thrust with a mini band for glutes, and lateral walks for the side glutes. With a door anchor, add the Spanish split squat for quads and the pull-through for glutes.