Our Favorite 15 Band Exercises to Shred Fat and Build Strength!

There is one piece of fitness equipment that is drastically underutilized.

It's fantastic for helping you improve your fitness, increase your strength and mobility, and shred fat!

That piece of equipment is the band.

The greatest aspect of the band is its accessibility. 

Unlike a medicine ball, kettlebell, or dumbbell, the band is incredibly lightweight and takes up just about no space, making it the perfect equipment to take with you on trips or use at home.

All you need is a little space and you can turn any workout into a great one with a band!

Another great part of working out with bands is the resistance they provide.

With most equipment like strength machines, dumbbells, and kettlebells, the weight or resistance does not change as you go through your range-of-motion.

When you come up from a squat or push-up, the movement actually gets easier because it takes less strength or energy during the top portion of your exercises than the bottom. 

For example: when you do a push-up, the hardest part of the movement is the bottom. 

As you come up, the movement gets easier and easier -- requiring less energy from you.

Enter the band.

Now as you come up from your movement, the band tension increases, and the movement actually gets harder.

This forces you to work hard throughout the entire motion, not just at the bottom. 

This is a great way to improve your strength through a full range of motion!

Finally, the band is a FANTASTIC joint-friendly piece of equipment. 

Because the exercises tend to be higher rep in nature and do not overload your joints with too much tension, they make for a great way to increase joint mobility but also to increase blood flow to and around your joints to improve their healing and act as a natural lubricant.

Use bands in your warm-ups, use bands in your workouts, use bands in your cool-downs, the possibilities are endless!

Today, we're going to cover the 15 BEST band exercises and provide you with a sample workout you can do from anywhere.

Enjoy!

1| Band Deadlift

The band deadlift is a fantastic exercise to improve the strength of your legs, especially your glutes and hamstrings.

Focus on: Keeping your hands by your side and keeping your chest tall throughout the movement. Push through your feet to stand up during each rep. 

2| Band Squat to Row

The squat to row is a total body movement geared towards getting your heart-rate up, burning calories, and improving the strength of your legs and upper back.

Focus on: Keeping chest tall throughout the movement. Squat and reach, push through your feet, exhale and row. As your technique improves, focus on speeding the movement up.

3| Band Resisted Push-Up

Ready to take your push-up to the next level? Add a band around your back to make the top portion of your push-up much more challenging.

Focus on: If you're new to the push-up, start with the kneeling version. Keep band around your back and over your hands. 

4| Band Side-Plank Row

The side plank is one of the best exercise for those trouble spot lateral obliques (love handles). Make them more challenging with a band row!

Focus on: Keeping a straight line from head to heel. If you're new to the side-plank, start with the knees-bent version. Keep chest tall and hips high as you row.

5| X-Band Walks

The x-band walk is a glute favorite! It is specifically designed to strengthen the lateral hips, which is crucial for improving your overall strength, but also keeping your knees strong and healthy!

Focus on: Step into the band, cross it up and actively pull it into your ribs. Keep your chest tall, and knees bent. As you move, keep your feet shoulder width, toes straight ahead, and feet flat. Take 2" steps at a time.

6| Band Resisted Floor Press

The band resisted floor press is a great option to improve the strength of your arms, shoulders and chest.

Focus on: Loop the band around your upper-back and your hands (like handles) and lay down. Keeping knees bent, start hands straight over your shoulders. Lower the back of your arms to the floor. Keep your wrists right over your elbows. Exhale and press.

7| Band Resisted Back Squat

The band resisted back squat is a fantastic way to take your body-weight squats to the next level. The tension of the band makes coming up from your squat much more challenging. 

Focus on: Stepping on the band and looping it around your shoulders. Have your feet shoulder width with your toes turned out slightly. Keeping chest tall, sit hips back as you bend knees into squat. Keep your weight back as you squat as low as possible with good posture and no pain. Push through feet to stand.

8| Band Bent-Over Row

The band bent-over row is our favorite exercise to strengthen your upper-back and improve your posture. 

Focus on: Step on band like you're setting up for a deadlift. Grab band handles and stand tall. Push your hips back, tip forward, and keep chest tall. Start movement by pulling your elbows back and squeezing shoulder blades together. Do not lose your posture.

9| Band Jackhammer

The band jackhammer is a very challenging exercise that is great for strengthening your abs. Get ready to be sore!

Focus on: Start with band over your shoulders with legs up, and low back pressed flat into the floor. Slowly reach hands back over head as your legs extend forward. Exhale as you extend out. Focus on keeping low back flat and abs braced. The further your arms go back and legs go forward the more challenging these become. 

10| Band Reverse Lunge to 1-Leg Deadlift

The band reverse lunge to 1-leg deadlift is one long title but is one of our favorite lower body exercises! It challenges your core, balance, single-leg strength, and really targets your butt and hamstrings.

Focus on: Start tall with band set-up on post at waist height. Take a big step back into reverse lunge and push through front foot to come back up. Staying on the same side, soften the down knee and reach back leg and arm long as you keep your posture tall. You should feel the back of your leg and glute working. 

11| Band Anti-Rotation Press

One of our favorite exercises for that tough to hit, lateral abdominal is the anti-rotation press. By pressing the band out in front, your obliques have to work hard to resist any side-bend or rotation.

Key Points: Start with band on one side with hands around band at chest level. Keep knees bent and chest proud. Press band out so arms go straight and hold position for a 3 second exhale. Think of your body as a statue.

12| Band Curls

Time for the gun show! Here's one of our favorite exercises to shape those arms!

Key Points: Step into band and grab on each side of band with palms facing towards each other. Keep knees soft and abs braced. Keeping elbows by your side, curl band to shoulder height and exhale. Slowly lower to starting position. 

13| Band Pull-Aparts

The pull-apart is a great strength and warm-up drill for your shoulders. It helps to strengthen the very important stabilizers of your shoulder which work to keep your shoulders healthy and your posture tall. 

Key Points: Grab band with an overhand grip. The closer your hands are together, the more tension you will have on your band. Start arms straight out front at chest level. Keeping abs braced and posture tall, pull band to chest, and squeeze shoulder blades together.

14| Band Good Mornings

The good morning is another great way to shape and strengthen your butt and hamstrings

Key Points: Set-up into band the same way you did for your back squat. This time have your stance narrow, right under your hips. Keeping chest tall, soften knees, and push hips back, feeling a big stretch on your hamstrings. Keep posture strong and tall and do not let back round. 

15| Band Tricep Press-Down

Here's your exercise for that trouble spot, behind your arms!

Key Points: Set-up band overhead on a sturdy post. Grab band on both sides with palms facing in, posture tall, and shoulders back. Keeping elbows by your side, extend elbows so arms go straight. Think about flexing or making a tricep muscle at the bottom of the movement. Bend elbow slowly to return to starting position. 

Here's your workout! 

Set a timer for 10-15 minutes.

Complete as many rounds as possible. Rest as needed.

1) Band Back Squat x15

2) Band Bent-Over Row x15

3) Band Resisted Push-Up x10

4) Band Reverse Lunge to 1-Leg Deadlift x5/side

5) Band Jackhammer or Side Plank Row x10 or 10/side

Enjoy!