Resistance Bands Workouts

Love a good workout but have no room for equipment? Travel a lot and want to keep fit without having to find a hotel with a gym? Wanna get your fit on but can't afford a gym membership?

Resistance band exercises may be the answer you're looking for.

Resistance bands are a great way to intensify your body weight training. A good band workout can be the equivalent to a heavy weights session at the gym but comes at a fraction of the price and can be done in the comfort of your own home. They're also great for stabilising weak or injured muscles as part of a rehabilitation program or just to activate those smaller muscles that may not typically be awake and firing in your regular workout.

There are many resistance band exercises you can try, from entire body workouts to just focusing on one specific area at a time in a split program. We've outlined a few of the best moves to try below. In most exercises, you're required to stand with your feet shoulder-width apart unless stated otherwise. Always ensure there's enough tension in the band to mimic the resistance of actual weights and to fully extend the band as far as you can to get the most out of each exercise.

Wake up those glutes

Resistance bands are especially useful for activating those butt muscles that constantly let your quads override them. Here are some of the best glute exercises we borrowed from Self.com:

Lateral Band Walks

• Place the band around your ankles

• Stand in a squat position, hands at your chest in a prayer position

• Start side-stepping, keeping tension in the band.

• Do 10 - 15 reps, then switch sides. Repeat these three times.

Standing kickbacks

• Place the band around your ankles

• Standing upright, hands at your chest in a prayer position, shift all your weight onto your left foot

• Kick your right leg back without twisting your torso until the band reaches its limit, then return your foot to the starting position without losing tension in the band

• Do 20 reps, alternating sides

Upper body burners

Now, here are some great upper body strengthening exercises, also from our friends at Self.com:

Bicep Curl

• Stand on the band with your feet, making sure there's an even amount of band on both sides

• Have your arms straight down, palms facing outward to start

• Holding the band with your feet tightly, bend your elbows upwards and pull the band up like a regular bicep curl. The motion stops at shoulder height.

• Slowly lower your hands back down to the starting position, keeping tension in the band

• Try ten reps to start and work your way up to more

Bent-over Row

• Stand on the band with your feet, making sure there's an even amount of band on both sides

• Bend your knees slightly & hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back flat, arms extended, and elbows bent slightly.

• Have your palms facing each other

• Pull the band towards your chest keeping your elbows close to your body, like you would with a regular row

• Slowly straighten your arms back down to the starting position, always keeping tension in the band

• Try ten reps to start and work your way up to more

For more fantastic resistance band exercises (and full workouts), check out this article.