Best Resistance Band Exercises For Full-Body Strength

As much as we love a zero-equipment workout, having a few key pieces of equipment on hand (or the freedom of an entire gym) has the power to take your workouts, strength and fitness to another level.

And when it comes to equipment that’s compact, portable, affordable and perfect for any fitness level, you can’t go past resistance bands, and you’ll find them in a number of YogaFokus programs, including PWR Bands with Kelsey Wells.

Resistance bands are an easy and effective way to add extra resistance to your workouts, practice easier variations of advanced exercises (such as assisted pull-ups), or enhance muscle activation before you start your session. There is plenty you can do with a short, looped resistance band (aka a booty band), but you can also expand your options if you’ve got access to a long looped resistance band and a non-looped recovery band.

Whether you’re incorporating banded exercises into your warm-up or feeling the burn with a full-length resistance band workout, here are some of our favourite resistance band exercises.

Best resistance band exercises for legs

For these movements, you will need to use a short, looped band.

Donkey kick 

1. With a resistance band looped around your thighs, start on all fours on a yoga mat with your knees below your hips, your hands below your shoulders and your spine in a neutral tabletop position. Draw your shoulder blades down and back.

2. Keeping both knees bent, release and kick your right foot back and up towards the sky, keeping your foot flexed and stopping when your thigh forms a straight line with your spine.

3. Lower your right leg back towards the mat, letting it hover just above the ground rather than touching down.

4. Repeat, completing all reps on one side before switching sides.

Double-pulse sumo squat

1. With a resistance band looped around your thighs, stand with your feet slightly further than hip-width apart and your toes pointing slightly outward. This is your starting position.

2. Looking straight ahead with your shoulders back, bend at both the hips and knees, ensuring your knees remain in line with your toes. Continue bending your knees, aiming for a deep sumo squat position with your upper legs parallel to the floor.

3. Push through your heels and extend your legs slightly, before lowering back into your full sumo squat in a pulsing motion.

4. Push through your heels, extend your legs and stand up straight to return to the starting position.

5. Repeat.

Clam

1. With a resistance band looped around your lower thighs (just above your knees), lie on your left side with your arm extended along the mat and your head relaxed on your arm. Bend both knees and draw them forward towards your chest, with your feet in line with your glutes. Think about keeping your hips stacked on top of each other, rather than letting your top hip roll forward or back. This is your starting position.

2. Keeping your feet together, squeeze your glutes as you lift your right knee towards the ceiling like a clam shell opening.

3. Lower your right knee with control to return to the starting position.

4. Repeat, completing all reps on one side before switching sides.

Glute bridge and opening

1. With a resistance band looped around your thighs, lie on your back on a yoga mat. Bend your knees and position your feet hip-width apart firmly on the mat, with your spine in a neutral position. Allow your arms to rest by your sides on the mat. This is your starting position.

2. Press your heels into the mat, and squeeze your glutes to raise your hips off the floor until your body forms one straight line from chin to knee, resting on your shoulders.

3. While keeping your hips raised and your glutes squeezed, open your knees outwards, pushing against the resistance of the band.

4. Draw your knees inwards until they are hip-width apart again.

5. Lower your spine onto the mat one vertebrae at a time, followed by your hips.

6. Repeat.

Crab walk

1. With a resistance band looped around your lower thighs, stand with your feet hip-width apart. Looking straight ahead, bend at both the hips and knees into a half squat position, keeping your knees in line with your toes. This is your starting position.

2. While maintaining a squat position, take a step to the left with your left foot, pushing against the resistance of the band so your feet are further than shoulder-width apart. Staying in your squat position, step your right foot inwards towards your left to return to the starting position. With each step, don’t let the band go slack at any point – keep your feet wide enough that there is always some tension in it.

3. Repeat, completing all reps on one side before switching sides.

Best upper body resistance band exercises

These exercises for your arms, chest and back use a range of different bands, so try them all for variety or choose what works with the equipment you have on hand.

Lateral plank walk

1. Loop a short resistance band around your forearms, then set yourself up in a high plank position. Your shoulders should be over your hands, with your body in a straight line from feet to shoulder, and your belly button drawn towards your spine to engage your core. You should feel a bit of resistance in the band already.

2. Step your right hand and foot outwards so that your hands and feet are slightly wider than your shoulders. You should feel the tension increase in the band, challenging your upper body.

3. Step your left hand and foot inwards to return to the starting position, keeping some resistance in the band the whole time.

4. Repeat, completing equal reps on both sides.

Banded pull-aparts

1. Stand with your feet slightly further than shoulder-width apart. Hold one hand on each end of the recovery band with an overhand grip (palms facing down) and extend your arms directly in front of your chest, ensuring your elbows are completely locked. This is your starting position.

2. Using the muscles in your shoulders and back, pull both ends of the recovery band outwards and backwards until your arms are in line with your shoulders, forming a T shape with your body. You should feel a squeeze between your shoulder blades and the resistance band should be tight.

3. Hold this position briefly before gently drawing the ends of the recovery band together to return to the starting position.

4. Repea, trying to keep some resistance in the band the entire time – don’t let it go slack if you want to keep your muscles challenged.

Seated row

For this exercise you could use a resistance tube with handles or a long recovery band.

1. Sit on a yoga mat with your feet in front of you, and wrap the resistance tube around the bottom of your feet before holding the handles and extending your legs out straight in front of you.

2. Sit up tall and draw your shoulder blades down and back to push your chest out, and think about drawing your belly button towards your spine to engage your core. Extend your arms in front of you. This is your starting position.

3. Using the muscles in both your arms and back, bend your elbows and pull the handles backwards towards your ribs, keeping your elbows close to the sides of your body. You should feel a squeeze between your shoulder blades.

4. Straighten your arms to return to the starting position.

5. Repeat.

Bent-over row

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart on the middle of a recovery band, then hold onto each end of the band and hinge forward from your hips until your chest is facing the floor with a slight bend in your knees. Extend your arms directly below your chest towards the floor.

2. Bend your elbows and pull both ends of the recovery band towards your ribs, keeping your elbows close to the sides of your body. You should feel a squeeze between your shoulder blades.

3. Extend your elbows to return to the starting position. Repeat.

Alternating lat pull-down

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, and loop a resistance band around your thumbs and reach your arms straight overhead with palms facing forward, making sure there’s some tension in the band. Gently draw your belly button towards your spine to engage your core.

2. Draw your left elbow down towards your ribcage, bringing the arm inward towards the left side of your body, keeping your palm facing forward while your right arm remains straight overhead.

3. Extend your left arm back to the starting position. Repeat on the other side and continue to alternate for the specified number of reps. You should feel tension in your shoulders, back and core.

Include these resistance band exercises in your next workout!

These resistance band exercises can be incorporated into any of your warmups, workouts or active recovery sessions, and are a great way to mix up your usual routine and challenge yourself. Ready to start including resistance band exercises in your routine? Give these a go!

For a full-length resistance band workout, we love this upper body session from PWR Bands with Kelsey Wells.