8 Exercises with Resistance Bands

How To Do Banded Squats

1. Place the resistance band on your thighs, approximately 6 inches above the knees. Stand with your feet slightly wider than your hips to create tension across the band to activate your glutes.
2. Sit back into a squat, lowering your hips until they are parallel to the knees, striving for a 90-degree angle. Drop your hips down, weight in your heels, chest up.
3. Then, drive through your heels to return to a standing position. Squeeze the glutes at the top.

How To Do Banded Lateral Shuffles

1. Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. The resistance band is wrapped around your calf/shin area. Stand with your feet slightly wider than your hips to create tension across the band, activating your glutes.
2. Bend your knees to lower down into a loaded athletic position.
3. Hold this loaded squat position as you take a wide step to your right, stretching the band as you step out wide. Bring your left toes in to tap near your right heel, similar to a lateral band walk.
4. Reverse the movement, stepping out wide to the left, leading with your left knee, before bringing your right toes to tap the floor near your left foot.

How To Do Lat Pulldowns

1. Stand with feet hip-width apart. Loop the resistance band between your thumbs and hold both hands overhead, arms fully extended, palms facing away from you.
2. Keeping your left hand steady, pull your right elbow down and out, engaging your back muscles and pulling your shoulder blade down. Pull the band to shoulder level.
3. Slowly, release the tension, bringing your right hand back to the starting position with control.
4. Repeat, this time pulling the band down to shoulder height with your left hand.

How To Do Tricep Kickbacks

1. Start with feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, or slightly stagger your feet (pictured above).
2. Hold the top of the band at your left shoulder with your right hand. Then loop your left hand/palm through the bottom of the resistance band.
3. Slightly hinge forward at the hips and perform a triceps extension with your left arm, extending your left arm straight behind you as you pull the band toward your left hip.
4. With control, slowly return your left hand to the starting position.

How To Do Single Leg Deadlifts and Bent Over Rows

1. Loop the exercise band around the arch of your right foot. Hold on to the band with your right hand. Shift your weight to your right leg, then float your left leg off the floor, balancing on the right.
2. Hinge, pushing your hips towards the wall behind you until your body is in a straight line, head to tailbone. The left leg extends behind you as you hinge, performing a single-leg deadlift on the right side.
3. Hold this hinged position as you perform a single-arm back row on the right side. Pull the band back towards your right hip. (Think of pulling from your elbow versus your wrist.) Stop once your right elbow is in line with your rib cage, making a straight line from right shoulder to elbow. Hold at the top for a moment.
4. Control the resistance band back down, then drive through your right heel, squeezing your butt and hamstring to return to a balanced standing position. 

Modification(s): Perform staggered deadlifts with a back row rather than floating your opposite leg.

How To Do Push Ups and Knee Drives

1. Start in a high plank position, shoulders over wrists, core engaged. Loop a resistance band around the arches of both your feet.
2. Lower your chest down into the bottom of a push-up, letting your elbows fall back towards your body and leading with your chest.
3. Then, press back into a high plank position.
4. Hold a high plank as you pull your right knee towards your right elbow, then your left knee towards your left elbow.
5. Repeat, alternating 1 push-up with a wide knee drive on each side of the body.

Modification(s): Perform standing banded marches, driving first your right knee, then your left knee up towards your chest. For a lower-impact push-up option, see my push-up progression guide.

How To Do Banded Dead Bugs

1. Lie flat on the floor. Loop a resistance band around both feet.
2. Perform a slight pelvic tilt to press your lower back into the mat, drawing your belly button towards your spine. Think about wrapping your abdominal wall around your torso.
3. Bring your legs up, knees bent at 90 degrees, shins parallel to the floor. Extend your arms straight overhead, wrists stacked over shoulders.
4. Contract your ab muscles to engage your core as you extend your right arm overhead while simultaneously straightening your left leg. Return to the starting position.
5. Extend your left arm overhead while simultaneously straightening your right leg. Return to the starting position and repeat.

Modification(s): Reduce your range of motion by extending your arm and leg only as far as you can while keeping your lower back pressed into the mat. For more dead bug variations and modifications, see my dead bug exercise guide.

How To Do Bear Crawl Kick Backs

1. Start in a tabletop position on all fours, shoulders stacked over wrists and hips stacked over knees. Place the band around the bottom of your feet or the soles of your shoes.
2. Tuck your toes under and lift your knees off the mat, core tight, finding a bear crawl position. Try to keep your knees close to the mat, maintaining a neutral, flat back and spine.
3. Alternate extending your legs straight behind you. Begin by extending your right leg, keeping your left knee bent in a bear crawl hold. Then, return your right leg to bear crawl position.
4. Extend your left leg straight behind you, keeping your right knee bent.

Modification(s): Perform standing glute kickbacks, a simpler, standing version of the same movement pattern.