From holidays to hotel rooms and office workouts, a set of resistance bands is one of the most versatile pieces of exercise kit you can own. Here’s how to use resistance bands for full-body workouts
Words: Cyan Koay | Images: Shutterstock & Strong Band
Whether you’re travelling, working from home or squeezing in a lunchtime workout at the office, resistance bands make it easy to fit exercise into your day. They take up less room than your socks stash and make you more likely to move wherever you are.
A set of resistance bands is particularly useful for holidays and weekends away. A short, consistent movement routine doesn’t take away from the fun or relaxation on your break – it gives you more. More energy for evening dinners. More ease on long walking days. Better sleep. And the quiet satisfaction of knowing you can slip straight back into your normal routine when you get home.
‘Exercising on holiday used to be seen as something you only do if you’re slightly obsessive,’ says PT Cyan Koay, co-founder of Strong Band (thestrongband.com). ‘I completely disagree. When my clients keep up a decent movement routine while away, they enjoy their holidays much more. They have more energy, they’re in a better mood and sleep much better. It doesn’t have to be a long routine, either. It just has to happen.’
The following five exercises work your whole body, covering all the major movement patterns while placing a focus on your hips and hamstrings – the areas that suffer most after long flights or drives. All you need is a long-loop resistance band. You can split the exercises into short ‘movement snacks’ over a couple days (pick one or two exercises to complete at a time), or complete the full 20-minute workout before breakfast and reap the benefits throughout the day.
How to do it
You’ll complete two supersets (two exercises back to back with no rest), followed by a short core finisher. Perform 10-15 reps of each exercise at a resistance level that’s challenging. After each superset, take a 30-second rest before repeating it once more, then take another 30 seconds before moving on to the next superset. Finish with one set of 100 quick reps for the core finisher. Before you begin, head to Strong Band’s YouTube channel (youtube.com/@the_strong_band) and complete the 5 Minute Quick Standing Warm-Up.
Why it works
The workout takes your body through every major movement pattern, so you’ll feel you’ve trained from head to toe. Each superset pairs different muscle groups, meaning you work one muscle group while you rest the other. This allows you to maintain your effort throughout each superset. The resistance band keeps each exercise challenging without putting excessive load on your joints after travel.
The aim isn’t to exhaust yourself; it’s to move well, get your blood pumping and finish feeling better than when you started. That’s the kind of workout that gives you more energy for the rest of your day.
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Getting started
Before you begin, get to know your band. Long-loop resistance bands are one of the most versatile tools you can own. With the right setup, one band can replace a rack of weights – you just need to know how to adjust it.
Aim for a resistance level that feels like 8 out of 10: hard enough to be a real challenge, but not so hard your form breaks down. You should feel as though you could do two more good-quality reps.
Find that sweet spot by choosing the right band, then fine-tuning your grip. For shoulder raises, lunges and bent over rows, hold the band a little lower to shorten it and increase the resistance. You can also use a single strand of the band instead of two for a lighter challenge.
1a. Front raises
Primary muscles worked: Shoulders (anterior and medial deltoid)
- Stand with your front foot on the band, and your back foot on the ball of your foot. Hold the top of the band in each hand around shoulder-width apart, arms straight hanging around hip height, palms facing down (A).
- Keeping a soft bend in your elbows, raise your arms up until they reach shoulder height. Pause for a moment at the top (B).
- Slowly lower back to the start. Control the movement on the way down.
- Keep your back straight and still, and avoid shrugging your shoulders up toward your ears.
1b. Good mornings
Primary muscles worked: Hamstrings, glutes, lower back
- Stand with both feet on the band, hip-width apart. Carefully place the top of the band over your head so it rests on the base of your neck. You can hold your bands around chest height to help keep it in place (A).
- With a soft bend in your knees and your back flat, hinge forward, pushing your hips back behind you. Remember to keep your hips high as your torso lowers toward horizontal (B).
- Feel the stretch in the back of your legs, then perform a controlled drive of your hips forward to stand back up tall.
- Think of this exercise as a slow, controlled stretch with resistance. Don’t rush these reps.
Rest for 30 seconds. Repeat 1a and 1b for a second time before moving on to the next superset.
2a. Reverse lunge
Primary muscles worked: Glutes and quads
- Stand with one foot on the band. Hold the band with both hands from around knee-height then pull as you stand (A). Keep your arms straight throughout.
- Step your opposite foot back and lower your back knee toward the floor, keeping your front knee tracking in line with your toes (B).
- Push through your front foot to return to standing. Keep your back straight and avoid lurching forward to come back up. If you are, this is a sign that you need to go a bit lighter for now.
- Complete all reps on one side before switching to the other.
2b. Bent over row
Primary muscles worked: Upper back, lats, rear deltoids, lower back and biceps
- Stand with both feet on the band, hip-width apart. Hold your band in each hand from around knee height, then hinge forward at the hips until your torso is roughly at a 45-degree angle to the floor. Keep your back flat and core engaged.
- Let your arms hang straight down from your shoulders – you should feel a little bit of resistance from your band at the bottom (A).
- Pull the band up toward your hips, leading the pull with your elbows. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top keeping your elbows tucked into your sides and not flaring out (B).
- Slowly lower the band back to the start. Adjust how far down you grip the band to make it harder or easier.
Rest for 30 seconds. Repeat 2a and 2b for a second time before moving on to the final exercise (3).
3. Banded hundred
Primary muscles worked: Deep core (transverse abdominis), hip flexors, shoulders
- Lie on your back with your knees directly above your hips, at 90 degrees.
- Hold your band in both hands, looped over around halfway down your shins.
- Lift your head and shoulders off the floor, with your arms fully extended by your sides and slight tension already in the band (A).
- Holding this position, pulse your arms up and down (B) in small, controlled movements — 10 pulses per breath cycle (inhale for five, exhale for five).
- Keep your lower back pressed gently into the floor throughout. If your neck tires, rest your head down and pick it back up when you’re ready.
- As the name suggests, complete 100 reps in total.
Once you completed exercise 3, you’re done!
Cyan Koay is a personal trainer specialising in longevity and injury prevention and co-founder of Strong Band. Strong Band makes resistance bands with Progress Lines – markings that let you set up consistently and track your progress over time on every band. Find more workouts and tutorials on @the_strong_band and thestrongband.com
