19 Best Resistance Band Exercises
Men's Fitness UK|October 2022
Build full-body muscle and strength from home with our guide to training with resistance bands
19 Best Resistance Band Exercises

Resistance bands are often dismissed as little more than warm-up or rehab tools, but when you know how to use them, they can also be valuable additions to your strength training arsenal.

"Resistance bands offer a flexible and affordable introduction into resistance training," says David Birtwistle. "They can be excellent tools for developing strength if you don't have a wealth of weights at your disposal."

In the gym, you can add bands to weighted lifts like the bench press or deadlift, to apply greater resistance throughout the movement. But if you're working out from home, one decent set of bands is enough to get an effective full-body workout in.

There are two principal ways in which the body builds muscle: mechanical tension and metabolic stress. The first, which sees muscles contract strongly when loaded with heavy weight, is less applicable for band training. The focus with bands, therefore, is on metabolic stress: the burning you feel when a muscle is working hard for a long time. Resistance bands work particularly well for higher reps.

Although rather than y assigning a specific rep range, with bands it can sometimes be better to keep going with perfect form until you feel like your technique is about to break down or you're a couple of reps shy of failure. Slowing your reps is also a good idea, increasing time under tension and maximising muscle activation.

In terms of structuring band workouts, the same principles apply as regular weights training. Jack Hanrahan is a renowned strength coach and long-time band fan. "If you're going to do two to three strength sessions per week, do full body," he says. "If you're going to do four or more, you could do an upper/lower split."

This story is from the October 2022 edition of Men's Fitness UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the October 2022 edition of Men's Fitness UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM MEN'S FITNESS UKView All
FULL STRETCH
Men's Fitness UK

FULL STRETCH

Limber up for improved lifting performance with these targeted stretches

time-read
3 mins  |
April 2024
FIGHT FAT WITH CLEVER CARDIO
Men's Fitness UK

FIGHT FAT WITH CLEVER CARDIO

Cardiovascular exercise is in some ways the simplest form of fitness there is just jump ona bike, lace up your shoes or dive in and away you go. But if you want to use cardio as an effective fat loss tool, there’s a little more you need to know. Let us show you how to make the most of your sessions to maximise the burn

time-read
10+ mins  |
April 2024
COOK UP A STORM
Men's Fitness UK

COOK UP A STORM

Unlock your inner chef with advice from some of the world's foremost food experts

time-read
8 mins  |
April 2024
Under the INFLUENCE
Men's Fitness UK

Under the INFLUENCE

New research suggests social media has a negative impact on body image. So how can you navigate your feeds without comparing yourself to an unrealistic ideal?

time-read
7 mins  |
April 2024
SEE THE LIGHT
Men's Fitness UK

SEE THE LIGHT

Red light therapy promises accelerated recovery and has become a key tool for | professional athletes looking to get back into action as soon as possible. But is it too good to be true?

time-read
7 mins  |
April 2024
TOP DRAWER
Men's Fitness UK

TOP DRAWER

Whether you’re looking for long-sleeve warmth for colder winter runs or a lightweight tee that keeps you cool and dry during hot summer sessions, a few high-quality running tops are essential items in your kit bag

time-read
5 mins  |
April 2024
OFF-ROAD Runners
Men's Fitness UK

OFF-ROAD Runners

If you’re tackling a lot of off-road running, your regular roadies aren’t going to cut it. We recruited pro run-tester Kieran Alger to put the latest selection of trail shoes through their paces here are his favourites

time-read
10+ mins  |
April 2024
ON CHARGE
Men's Fitness UK

ON CHARGE

The Fitbit Charge 6 steps into the fitness arena with new features and a sleek design, but does it meet the high expectations set by its predecessors?

time-read
4 mins  |
April 2024
FEET FIRST
Men's Fitness UK

FEET FIRST

Build an injury-proof body with advice from biomechanics consultant Travis Allan, who’s yorked with Olympians and elite sportsmen

time-read
2 mins  |
April 2024
"Don't be ashamed of your emotions.They are all part of being human"
Men's Fitness UK

"Don't be ashamed of your emotions.They are all part of being human"

Special Forces operative turned SAS: Who Dares Wins mainstay Jason Fox's guide to building mental and physical resilience

time-read
8 mins  |
March 2024