Who these routines are for

A band weighs almost nothing, fits in a bag and needs no rack, no bench and no plates. The three routines here, all in Trenno’s Explore, train the whole body with one kind of band: “Resistance Band Full-Body” on its own, or “Resistance Band Upper Body” and “Resistance Band Lower Body” as a pair. They suit a beginner at home, a lifter on the road and anyone whose gym is the living room floor.

Bands are not a lesser tool. A meta-analysis of 8 studies found no difference in strength gains between training with elastic devices and training with machines and dumbbells, for the upper body or the lower (Lopes and colleagues, 2019). In a 5-week study of 30 students with advanced lifting experience, push-ups against an elastic band and the bench press, both at a six-repetition maximum, raised strength by similar amounts (Calatayud and colleagues, 2015). And a meta-analysis of muscle activity found that elastic and free-weight or machine resistance work the muscles to similar levels during similar exercises (Aboodarda and colleagues, 2016).

Pick another plan if:

  • Your goal is the heaviest squat or deadlift you can build. A band cannot match a loaded barbell, and heavy loads build more maximal strength (Schoenfeld and colleagues, 2017). The beginner strength program is built for that.
  • You own a set of dumbbells. The dumbbell workout plan progresses in kilograms you can write down.

Which band you need

All three routines use one kind of band: a long loop, the closed kind you can stand on and pull over your shoulders.

Band What it is In these routines
Long loop A long closed loop you stand on, hold or wrap around your back Every exercise
Mini loop A short loop worn around the thighs Not needed: the walk uses the long loop doubled above the knees

Bands come in several stiffnesses, marked by color, and a color means different things from brand to brand. Two or three long loops of different stiffness cover the whole body: a light one for the raises and the curls, a heavier one for the squats, the rows and the presses. Only the pulldown needs the band anchored above you, on a bar, a door anchor or anything solid overhead. Everything else you stand on or hold.

The three routines

The rows are the app’s own, as they stand in Explore.

Resistance Band Full-Body

Exercise Sets Rest
Band Squat 3 × 12 to 20 1:30
Glute Bridge 3 × 12 to 20 1:00
Band Chest Press 3 × 12 to 15 1:30
Band Bent-Over Row 3 × 12 to 15 1:30
Band Lateral Raise 3 × 12 to 20 1:00
Band Hammer Curl 3 × 12 to 15 1:00
Lateral Band Walk 3 × 30 sec 1:00

In the bridge the band lies across the hips, both ends held to the floor.

Resistance Band Upper Body

Exercise Sets Rest
Band Chest Press 3 × 12 to 15 1:30
Band Bent-Over Row 3 × 12 to 15 1:30
Band Lat Pulldown 3 × 12 to 15 1:30
Band Lateral Raise 3 × 12 to 20 1:00
Band Hammer Curl 3 × 12 to 15 1:00
Band Pull-Apart 3 × 15 to 20 1:30

Resistance Band Lower Body

Exercise Sets Rest
Band Squat 3 × 12 to 20 1:30
Band Deadlift 3 × 12 to 20 1:30
Band Lunge 3 × 8 to 12 a leg 1:30
Glute Bridge 3 × 12 to 20 1:00
Lateral Band Walk 3 × 30 sec 1:00

How the week works

Day Three days Four days
Monday Full-Body Upper Body
Tuesday Rest Lower Body
Wednesday Full-Body Rest
Thursday Rest Upper Body
Friday Full-Body Lower Body
Weekend Rest Rest

Counted from the rows, by the body part each exercise is filed under in our exercise library, the two weeks give:

Body part Three days Four days
Quadriceps 9 12
Glutes 18 18
Chest 9 6
Back 9 12
Shoulders 9 12
Forearms 9 6

That is 63 sets a week on three days and 66 on four, and every body part gets at least six. The four-day week gives the back and the shoulders more, the chest and the curls less; pick by the days you have. On the road, two full-body sessions a week keep what you built, as the hotel gym workout explains.

Sets, reps, rest and effort

  • Sets: 3 of every exercise.
  • Reps: 12 to 20 for the squat, the deadlift, the bridge and the raise; 12 to 15 for the presses, the rows and the curl; 15 to 20 for the pull-apart; 8 to 12 on each leg for the lunge.
  • Rest: 1:30 after the big exercises, 1:00 after the bridge, the raise, the curl and the walk.
  • Effort: stop each set with one or two clean reps left.

The reps run high because a band gives less resistance than a loaded bar can. That costs nothing for muscle: in the meta-analysis of 21 studies, growth was similar with light and heavy loads when every set was taken to failure (Schoenfeld and colleagues, 2017). A band also pulls harder the further it stretches; the muscle activity meta-analysis above describes the rise as linear. The top of a squat or a press is the hardest point. Lower slowly: a band that snaps back does the lowering for you.

How to progress with a band

A band has no number, so it progresses in steps:

Step How When
1. Reps Add reps up to the top of the range Every session
2. Less slack Stand wider on the band, or hold it shorter Every set is at the top
3. A stiffer band The next band of the same brand The short grip is at the top too
4. Two bands The band you use plus a light one There is no stiffer band

An example on the Band Chest Press, 3 sets of 12 to 15, with a medium band:

Week Band and grip Reps per set Next session
1 Medium, normal grip 12, 12, 11 same
2 Medium, normal grip 14, 13, 12 same
3 Medium, normal grip 15, 15, 14 same
4 Medium, normal grip 15, 15, 15 shorter grip
5 Medium, shorter grip 13, 12, 12 same
6 Medium, shorter grip 15, 14, 13 same

It is the double progression of our progressive overload guide, with the grip and the band standing in for the plates.

Substitutions

If Instead of Do
There is nothing solid overhead Band Lat Pulldown Inverted Row, under a sturdy table
The squat is too easy even with a short grip Band Squat Band Split Squat
The chest press is too easy Band Chest Press Band Push-Up

Keep the sets, the reps and the rest of the row you replace. The Band Push-Up, a push-up with the band across your upper back and its ends under your hands, is the kind of exercise the 5-week study above compared with the bench press.

How long a session takes

Counted at about 40 seconds a set, each leg of the lunge, the walks as written and the rest the routine prescribes after every set: Full-Body takes about 39 minutes, Upper Body about 36 and Lower Body about 31. Add two or three minutes to fix the anchor for the pulldown.

Common mistakes

  • Buying mini loops. They are for the hips and the thighs; the routines need long loops.
  • Letting the band snap back. Control the return, as you would lower a weight.
  • Logging nothing because there is no weight. Log the reps and the band. Without them, step 2 of the progression never comes.
  • Anchoring to anything that can move. Use a bar, a closed door with a door anchor or a fixed post, and look the band over for nicks before a session: a torn band snaps.

FAQ

Can you build muscle with resistance bands?

Yes. Strength gains matched those from machines and dumbbells in the meta-analysis above, and muscle grows with light loads as with heavy ones when the sets are hard.

Which resistance band should I buy?

Long loops, in two or three stiffnesses. With one band only, pick a medium one and use the grip to adjust.

How many days a week should I train with bands?

Three full-body days, or four days as upper and lower. On a busy week, two full-body days.

How do I know how heavy my band is?

You do not, and you do not need to. What matters is that you use the same band the same way next time, and add a rep.

Sources

All three routines are in Trenno’s Explore, and the exercise library lists every band exercise under its equipment filter. Log the reps and write the band in the exercise’s note: next session, the previous sets show beside the empty ones, and the note tells you which band to pick up.