There aren’t many times I would choose a resistance band over a barbell — or any free weights, for that matter — but there are three occasions that I would, and I’m going to reveal them below.
As a personal trainer, I continually seek creative ways to keep clients engaged and progressing, while avoiding the plateaus that often occur with non-progressive workouts. It’s a balance trying to stick to what works when building strength and muscle — primarily progressive overload and compound exercises — while ensuring they don’t get bored.
I’m asked from time to time: “Do resistance bands really work?” and my answer is always the same. Yes, but only if you know how to use them and if you stick with the best resistance bands for your workout. Here’s what I would use resistance bands for, and when.
1. Warm-ups
During warm-ups, this is the perfect time to focus on mobility exercises while warming the relevant muscles for your workout and moving your joints through a full range of motion.
Resistance bands and PVC bars are my go-tos for mobility work, creating tension without overloading your muscles and joints. For example, before a shoulder workout, I program banded shoulder dislocations and pull-aparts; dislocations involve holding the band shoulder-width apart, then bringing the band up, overhead, and behind the body towards your butt, then back again to warm up your shoulders (pictured above).
Pull-aparts focus on scapula retraction and protraction as you hold the band in front of you and pull it apart until the band touches your chest. You can pulse here and maintain tension or focus on releasing the band and repeating the full range of motion for 8 to 10 reps. This activates the rotator cuff muscles that sit around your scapula and support the shoulder joints.
Of course, these are just examples, and you can use a band for your full body. The thicker the band, the harder these exercises become, and the thinner the band, the easier.
It’s the perfect way to focus on muscle activation and creating tension while warming up. The result? Better mind-muscle connection and less chance of injuries while lifting weights.
2. Rehabilitation
Resistance bands can help you rebuild stability after an injury without overloading your muscles or joints. Most resistance band exercises are low-impact, which helps you focus on activating your muscles without the need for dumbbells or barbells (or whatever gym equipment doesn't feel accessible yet).
I’m not a physical therapist, so I don’t work with clients on injury rehabilitation. That said, I have spoken with many physical therapists during my time as a journalist and trainer and have been given my fair share of resistance band exercises to help manage my own rotator cuff injury.
Using a band puts muscles under tension through both phases of an isotonic exercise (a dynamic, moving exercise), including the eccentric phase (when the muscle lengthens under tension, like lowering into a squat) and concentric contraction (when the muscle meets the most tension as it shortens, like standing from a squat).
Bands also keep the muscles under tension during static exercises, such as a plank hold with the band wrapped around your shoulders. Using a band could help you regain range of motion slowly and more safely if you’re building up to using weights again.
If you need ideas, a physical therapist shares the lower body exercises you need to unlock tight hips and boost flexibility.
3. Supported exercise variations
When learning an exercise, sometimes a little support goes a long way. For me, I love nothing more than seeing clients go from supported exercise variations to unsupported, and a band can help you build the range of motion, technique, and foundational strength needed to progress.
Another benefit of using a resistance band to support exercises is that you can gradually decrease the resistance by selecting thinner bands, which will make an exercise more challenging; when you can perform all your reps using the thinnest band and with good form, you could be ready to go unsupported.
A perfect example is the pull-up. Simply wrap a resistance band around your bar and step either one or both knees or feet onto the band and position yourself under the bar, ready to set up for your pull-ups. For beginners who don’t have a pull-up yet, select a thicker band and aim for 6 to 8 reps, then assess.
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