The Full-Body Resistance Band Workout To Tone Up

Resistance bands are up there with the most versatile pieces of fitness equipment you can find, and to make the most of them, it never hurts to have a solid workout. If you can get a full-body resistance band workout, that can be even better. Whether it’s for a quick and quiet workout at home that doesn’t take up much space or you’re spicing things up in the gym, they’re an awesome way to hit muscles in an unusual and effective way. Just because they aren’t heavy definitely doesn’t mean they aren’t an awesome workout.

Getting the best full-body workout out of any piece of equipment isn’t an easy feat, though. You’re massively spoilt for choice after all, and it can be a bit of a minefield. To help you on your way, we’ve put together this awesome resistance band workout designed to hit every major muscle group you should need, all in just six exercises. You can do it pretty much anywhere, any time, and it’s an excellent way to stay in shape.

Get ready!

Want to move fast? Jump to the right section below.

• The Exercises
  • Push-Ups
  • Overhead Tricep Extensions
  • Squat – Shoulder Press
  • Leg Pull Apart
  • Rows
  • Bicep Curls
• The Full-Body Resistance Band Workout

The Exercises

Before we jump straight into the resistance band workout and start telling you what to do and how many times, it’s always a smart idea to start by taking a step back. Looking at each individual exercise, you’re going to be doing is one of the best ways to make sure that you’re going to be doing the best that you can with the time and effort. On top of that, it keeps you safe too. Injuries are way too easy when it comes to any kind of resistance training.

We’ve divided our full-body resistance band workout plan to need a total of 6 exercises to maximise time, but how you do them is where all of the magic happens. Resistance bands aren’t without their benefits, but unless you use them perfectly, you may be missing out on what they have to offer. They’re easy to cheat with.

As a side note, make sure you have the right size resistance bands too. The motion ranges for these exercises are very different, to either make sure you can fold a larger resistance band (but remember that doubles resistance) or get more than one. That’s just a good tip to have.

Push-Ups

The first exercise in the workout is designed to hit the front of your body. That’s your chest, shoulders and triceps. Push-ups always have and always will be an incredible exercise. Adding a resistance band into the mix just makes things even harder. Your progress will slingshot, but so will the difficulty. Your chest is capable of more than you probably think, after all.

To use a resistance band push-up, in particular, you need to get set up correctly. Put the whole resistance band behind your back and hold it in both hands — kind of like a reverse belt around your mid-upper back. From them, use your hands to pin either side to the floor, and push up. The resistance behind you will try and force you back down, and that’s where the effort comes from. It’s hard.

Overhead Tricep Extensions

To make sure that your chest isn’t getting all of the fun (and to truly make it a full-body resistance band workout), you need to hit your triceps equally hard too. Your triceps are the biggest muscles in your arms, so you need to make sure you’re giving them enough attention. They’re easily forgotten about even though they’re vital to chest and shoulder training in most cases.

For this one,  the best way to do it is to stand inside of your resistance band, holding it down with your feet. Grab the top of the band in one hand, extend your arm from your elbow straight upwards, and then back down to a right angle. Make sure you fully extend for the best results and remember to train each arm equally. Imbalances are never a good thing to have.

Squat – Shoulder Press

Moving things to a new league altogether, this is more of a hybrid exercise, but either way, it’s a tough one to master. The strength comes from your whole body. The squat is one of the best lower body exercises out there. The shoulder press is one of the best upper body exercises. Both at the same time means it’s incredible for everything in between. It’s hard work.

Because of how much moving your whole body is doing for this resistance band workout, this is where the size of the band needs to be really thought about. You need your whole body inside the band so that you can go from the low point of a squat all the way through to your arms being fully extended up in the air. That’s a lot of height, so keep it in mind. Always remember how to squat properly too.

Leg Pull Apart

Hitting the rest of your legs that the squat didn’t quite hit hard enough is vital too. Your legs are huge blocks of muscle after all, and you need to work everything. Leg pull parts are one of the best ways to hit your hips, glutes, adductors and abductors, so leg pull aparts are essential. They’re a classic resistance band exercise too.

With a reasonably small band around both legs, simply push your leg out sideways one leg at a time, hold and repeat. The height of the band on your leg is changeable, but try a high and a low position to get the most from the exercise.

Rows

Moving onto the back muscles of the full-body resistance band workout, these aren’t easy ones to work on without any weight. Back exercises are never easy as it is. Resistance bands still have you covered here though, and with one of the best back exercises out there too. That comes from a row.

Stand with the band underneath your feet again, and bend at the hips, so you are looking at the floor (without being off-balance). From there, grab the band with both hands (or one at a time), and pull the band up to your torso. Keep your elbows close to your body to make sure you hit the right muscles, and this will really fire up your upper and mid-back muscles. Remember not to bend your back either though.

Bicep Curls

Finally, we’ll finish up with one of the most iconic exercises ever to exist—the bicep curl. The last exercise should have got your biceps fired up already, but just in case, this one is here to make sure you really did the best you could. It’s an awesome finisher.

Just like before, stand with a band under your feet and hold the band in each hand. This time, keep your whole body upright and totally straight. Keeping your elbows glued to you, bend your arm and lift the band as good as you can. Hold it for a second and slowly bring it back down. Don’t let the resistance do any of the work. Fight it every step of the way.

That’s all six exercises, and they will definitely put you through your paces.

The Full-Body Resistance Band Workout

Now for the fun part. We can’t just tell you some exercises and expect you to build the best full-body resistance band workout ever. You some guidance on what to do with them too for the best results, and that’s what you’re here for.

The table below has everything you need, but remember that you can make changes where you need to.

It also goes without saying that you warm up as much as possible before any workout, and this isn’t an excuse. Warm-up. It’s worth it for a mix of reasons.

Watch the full workout here:

Download the plan here:

Good luck!

Before beginning any exercise or nutrition program, consult your physician, doctor or other professional. This is especially important for individuals over the age of 35 or persons with pre-existing health problems. Exercise.co.uk assumes no responsibility for personal injury or property damage sustained using our advice.

If you experience dizziness, nausea, chest pain, or any other abnormal symptoms, stop the workout at once and consult a physician or doctor immediately.