If you don’t own your own set of weights or attend a local gym, you needn’t feel like you have less chance of developing strength in your legs and glutes. Equipment as small as resistance bands can help you to grow and strengthen muscle and this 10-move routine is a great place to start.
Most of the best resistance bands are extremely affordable pieces of strength-building equipment that can also benefit your flexibility and balance when used regularly in your exercise regime. They are also often referred to as ‘booty bands’ as they can be used to enhance various glute activation exercises.
If you already use some of the best glute exercises and best leg workouts using just your body weight then adding in some bands to this will help to stir on muscle and strength gains across your lower body.
Barre instructor and fitness trainer for the SWEAT app, Brittany Williams, has designed this lower body routine and it shows just how easy it is to train your legs and butt without any weight. There are ten exercises in total, all of which she provides demonstrations for, but she recommends choosing between five and seven exercises. Once you have selected these, you will perform each move for 15 repetitions and repeat this circuit for two or three rounds.
Watch Britany Williams’ 10-Move Lower-Body Resistance Band Workout
It’s a good idea to watch Williams’ demonstration of each exercise to ensure you are practicing the correct form, this will help you feel and notice results sooner. They are all beginner-friendly and low-impact moves but feel free to hold onto a chair or the wall for support as you familiarize yourself with the routine.
We have listed all the exercises you will need below to complete this resistance band lower body workout:
- Single Leg Hamstring Curl
- Single Leg Bridge Hold with Extension
- Seated Abductions
- Single Leg Deadlift
- Alternating Step Out Squat
- Negative Sumo Squat
- Standing Kickback with External Rotation
- Standing Donkey Kickback
- Hip Flexor March
- Side to Back Taps
The bands will stretch as you complete the exercises and this applied force from the band works your muscles like they would be during a weight-bearing exercise. The main limitation with resistance bands is that it’s easier to continually grow bigger muscles using weights instead because you can progress more by moving up a weight. However, you can graduate on to bands with a heavier resistance after your muscles start to get used to the lighter ones.
This 2019 study published in the Sage Open Medicine journal concluded that exercising with resistance bands can result in similar strength gains as conventional gym equipment can. The bands are effective at placing tension on the muscles and can work them for longer periods of time.
However, if you do find your muscles are not feeling challenged enough just using resistance bands in a workout then a set of the best adjustable dumbbells is a good way to step up your training. This style of dumbbell is modifiable so you can adjust the weight as and when you wish during a session and they are great space-savers for home workout use.
