Who needs the gym for a workout when you have resistance bands?
Resistance bands are lightweight powerhouses that can make the difference for your workout. They are a fabulous alternative to machines, they are perfect for compound exercises, and they engage not only the main muscle groups but also your stabilizing muscles.
Resistance bands are also a good choice if you are recovering from an injury or are older and need to work slowly. They are also useful if you are someone who needs to slow down and benefit from a bit of mindfulness in your workouts.
Let’s look at some exercises to get a full-body workout with resistance bands.
The Best Full-Body Exercises with Resistance Bands
For these exercises, all you’ll need is some booty bands. And if you haven’t got yours yet, you can find booty bands here.
Squats
Squats are really good for your lower body, and they work the muscles that we use when we get in or out of bed or sit down. In other words, they target your calves, hip flexors, glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and adductors, as well as your core muscles and your lower back.
Squats are great all-round exercises because they work several muscles at once.
Put the booty band around your thighs, just above your knees. Stand with your feet hip-distance apart. Move your right foot out to go down into a squat.
Keep your back straight. The resistance band should be quite taut.
Bring your right foot back to start. Then do the same with the left foot. Repeat as many reps as needed.
Note: For your arms, you can either keep your hands on your hips or stretch your arms out in front of you each time you dip into a squat.
Variation: You can follow this exercise with squat leg lifts by lifting one leg up and out to the side while you come up out of the squat.
Bridge
Bridge exercises help you strengthen your hamstrings and core muscles and the muscles in your butt and lower back. Bridge exercises are also a great way to improve your core stability as they target your hips, too, especially if you’re using resistance bands at the same time.
With your feet flat on the floor, lie down on a mat on your back. Your knees should be bent. Have the booty band around your thighs as before, above your knee joints.
Raise the hips into a bridge position while pushing your thighs out to the side to tighten the band. Hold in the top spot, squeeze your buttocks as you bring your knees back together. Lower your hips back down onto the mat. That’s one rep. Repeat as needed.
Abductor Pulses
Abductor pulses are perfect for working your hip muscles, giving you strength and balance and flexibility. Your hip muscles are what help you stand or balance on one leg.
Still lying down on your mat, move the booty band down around your calves. Bring your legs up to have your feet pointing straight up towards the ceiling. Now pulse gently out towards the sides. You should feel your abductors working!
Jumping Jacks
Jumping jacks stimulate your heart, lungs, and muscles, all at the same time! The muscles that jumping jacks target specifically are your glutes, hip flexors, and quadriceps. Your abdominals and shoulders are working too. An excellent full-body exercise!
Still keeping the booty band around your calves, do some jumping jacks. You should feel the burn!
Standing Rowing
These standing rowing exercises work your deltoids, rhomboids, trapezius, and even your biceps.
Stand and have your feet hip-width apart and the booty band around your hands. Lean slightly forward with your arms straight out in front of you, hands pointing down towards the ground. Your palms should be facing each other.
Now keep your arms the same distance apart as you row towards your body. Think of bringing your elbows to meet your sides. Imagine a robot rowing a boat, and you’ll be in perfect form!
Pulldowns (lateral)
Lateral pulldowns work the most massive muscle in your back, the latissimus dorsi, which helps keep your spine stable and therefore assists you with good posture.
In the same standing position, hold one end of the booty band in each hand with your arms straight up above your head. Pull down with your right arm, bending your elbow. You want to aim for your right hand to come to shoulder height.
Make sure to keep the left arm straight while you do this. You’ll feel the resistance! Bring your right arm back up above your head. Repeat as needed.
Now repeat the same thing with the left arm.
Arm Pulses
These arm pulses will work your arm muscles and your chest muscles, specifically your shoulders, back, triceps, and biceps.
Put your arms out straight from your body. With the booty band wrapped around the outside of your hands, have your palms facing each other. Your arms should be shoulder height and shoulder-width apart.
Pulse your arms away from each other while raising them above your head. Pulse again on the way down until you return at the starting position. Repeat as needed.
Back Pulls
Back pulls work your back as well as your arms.
Stand in the same position as the arm pulses exercise. Holding one end of the booty band in each hand, put your arms straight out in front of you, palms facing down.
Bend your arms while keeping your elbows level with your shoulders to pull the band back towards your chest. You want your hands to come back far enough to touch your chest.
Mountain Climbers
Mountain climbers work every area of your body from your head to your toes! They are also excellent for building strength, stability, endurance, and agility. A total body workout!
If you want the full list of muscles, here it is your butt, abs, back, hip flexors, quads, triceps, deltoids, and hamstrings.
With the booty band around your wrists, get into the plank position. Do mountain climbers, keeping your hands far enough apart so that the band is taut.
Sit-Ups
Sit-ups work not only your abdominal muscles, but also your hip flexors, neck, chest, and obliques. They help you gain core stability, and they also help improve your posture since you are also working your glutes and lower back.
Sitting on your mat, have your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent.
Have the booty band around your wrists as in the mountain climbers exercise. This time though, you’ll be moving back slowly to lie down on the mat and then sit up again while retaining the band taut between your arms. Repeat these sit-ups as needed.
Resistance band conclusion
Start with a low amount of reps and work your way up. Best to increase gradually and stay consistent with a workout routine than to go full-out and quit.
Just remember that while you’re building strength, you’re improving your flexibility, endurance, posture, balance, and stability.
Get in a full-body workout without ever stepping foot into the gym with these simple exercises! Enjoy this full-body workout with resistance bands!
