Best Resistance Bands for Perfect Workouts

Resistance bands are those stretchy latex strips that help with muscle building and increase your flexibility and are one of my favorite, simpler squat exercises.

Resistance bands can not only be used for general fitness and exercise, but also for rehabilitation and physical therapy.

Above all, they are extremely affordable and highly effective.

Once you start using resistance bands training, you will notice that over time you will have to increase the resistance of the bands you use, increasing your strength.

Quick Picks: Top 5 Resistance Bands Choices

Belt	Effectiveness	Price
OPTP Stretch Out Strap	A	$$$
Black Mountain Resistance Band	A	$$
AmazonBasics Resistance Band	B+	$$
Serious Steel Resistance Band	B+	$$
Fit Simply Resistance Band	B+	$$

Scroll down to read our review of each product.

How to Choose the Best Resistance Bands

One great thing about working out with resistance bands is that they’re not complicated products.

There really are just a handful of features that go into making a really good resistance band, which makes choosing and using the best resistance bands a pretty easy task.

Weight

When it comes to exercising, dumbbells are the only kind of “weights” that you can use. With resistance bands, you can get the opportunity to sport some muscle without ever using a dumbbell. The weight you need depends on what exactly you need. You will have to factor in what you are looking to do. If you want to build bulk you will need more bulk. Sometimes you will find this expressed in pounds of resistance with resistance bands ranging from light to heavy resistance.

Target Areas

There are different types of resistance bands for different areas of the body. If you’re trying to tone your legs or arms you wouldn’t want to use tube resistance bands exercises for legs. You would go for flat resistance bands for legs instead. Most bands or band sets will indicate what their best uses are so you can choose appropriately. You can even find websites that help you to choose your bands based on which body part you want to work.

Length

Most bands run between four and five feet you must take how far you will stretch into consideration. If you will be working your upper body you will need bands that are longer than if you are using them for working your lower body. So before you choose lengths you need to bear in mind what type of resistance band workouts you’ll be doing. You can do your research to see what length band is right for you.

Durability

Quality is very important when it comes to purchasing resistance bands. Instead of opting for the most affordable band or bands you want to make a choice for a brand or model that has proven durability. There are different brands of resistance bands available and the quality can differ quite significantly from one to another.

Advantages of Using Resistance Bands

I’ve been working out with resistance bands for as long as I can remember, and for good reason. Here are just a few of the positive advantages.

Affordability

Top-quality resistance bands come in at around $50 and you can get even a set of good quality bands at such a price and sets of feature booklets. If you are looking for bands only you can find good quality ones for under $30. Yes, resistance bands are some of the most affordable equipment you can use in your quest to challenge your muscles and increase muscle tone.

Great for All Fitness Levels

It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or an expert at fitness. Resistance bands are for everyone. With resistance levels ranging from light to medium to heavy you can find the right bands for your expertise. Giving your band more or less slack can even help to adjust your workout’s intensity and increase and decrease the challenge as necessary.

Space Savers

Resistance bands are the only exercise-related items you can keep almost anywhere. These are very kind when it comes to space, and you can easily carry them around so you never have to miss a workout ever. If you purchase a set of bands most often they come with a storage pouch that is easily taken around. It can be easily stored in your car, in a gym bag, a backpack or under a sink, even in a small cupboard or cabinet, or even a drawer.

Versatility

Resistance bands really are quite versatile. They can be used by themselves or along with a number of other gym equipment. This provides you with the means to benefit from different types of resistance band exercises at the same time. There are many fitness aids you can find to help you see how you can use your resistance bands with your other exercise equipment.

Reviews of the Best Resistance Bands

Belt	Effectiveness	Price
OPTP Stretch Out Strap	A	$$$
Black Mountain Resistance Band	A	$$
AmazonBasics Resistance Band	B+	$$
Serious Steel Resistance Band	B+	$$
Fit Simply Resistance Band	B+	$$

OPTP Stretch Out Strap

I purchased this resistance band for therapeutic purposes. And I have had the OPTP Stretch Out Strap for approximately two years and the most commendable thing about the band is that there are numerous videos on YouTube with professional physical therapists using them to demonstrate their techniques.

I use the band to help release pressure off my sciatic nerve as a part of my muscle strengthening routine. And I was taught a number of stretches at therapy but not as much as I have found in the included booklet.

I found these bands easy to use when stretching my hips and quads as well as my hamstrings. I only use it while lying on my back but the exercise booklet shows you a number of different positions in which you can use it.

The manufacturer notes that the strap is designed for assisted stretching without the assistance of a partner and I can definitely say it does provide this.

The strap allows me to gradually stretch muscle groups and helps me to reach deep stretches with a lot of control and safety which is key for me.

I can safely say these resistance bands work and if you need bands for therapy I recommend them wholeheartedly.

It includes a 40-page booklet, which is a great resource for more than you will learn in therapy and even find some type of stretch that provides more relief.

I’ve owned this for over two years and if I had the chance to do it over I would still choose the OPTP Stretch Out Strap for my therapy.

Black Mountain Resistance Band

As a fitness fanatic, I can definitely recommend the resistance band from Black Mountain.

With resistance bands, your muscle is being placed under constant tension, which is not the case when using free weights such as dumbbells. This is one of the major advantages of resistance bands.

With this particular set of resistance bands, you get a whole set up including an ankle strap, a door anchor, and an exercise chart. So I think this is designed perfectly for intermediate users who would like to increase the intensity of their stretching.

The Black Mountain resistance bands in this set offer the option for stacking bands. So whenever you reach a point where resistance is not enough to adequately work your muscle, you can add another band to get your resistance where you want it to be.

Adding bands and changing positions is super easy thanks to the quick-release clip.

As someone who works out regularly, I can definitely say that these bands feel just the way the cable machine at the gym feels and so you know they are a good quality product.

They are more ideal for fitness than for therapy and you will notice their design features handles whereas the one’s physical therapists use, usually do not.

I would definitely recommend the purchase of this Black Mountain resistance set. Resistance band exercises are ideal for beginners up to experts and provide all you need in a very affordable package.

AmazonBasics Resistance Band

This set from AmazonBasics was my first resistance band purchase and I thought it would be a fun little expedition to try out and review such a product.

I chose this because included in the package are 5 resistance bands of different weights or resistance with handles along with a door anchor, ankle straps, and a carrying case.

All the additional stuff uses Velcro to secure them. The entire set in the pouch weighs just 2 lbs. 4 ounces.

I’m 5’5” and so the bands are a bit long for me but I found them to be very versatile. Standing with my feet about a foot apart I was able to comfortably do bicep curls and could get the strap over my head while standing on it with one foot.

When using the door strap I have to stand about 11 feet from the door to get adequate resistance. This is when I attached a band to the doorstop with the use of the carabineer.

After sliding the band through the strap I was able to half that distance and was able to use two handles at the same time.

I’ve found the components of the AmazonBasics Resistance Band Set to be well made. The rubber seems to be of a very high quality and the foam handles provide adequate cushioning so that I stayed comfortable during my resistance bands’ legs workouts.

With many ways to configure the bands, I think I will never be out of routines and stretches with this set.

I think the AmazonBasics set is a great deal and if you purchase them you won’t be disappointed.

Serious Steel Resistance Band

I was searching for resistance bands on the recommendation of the “Glute Guy” who had recommended Sorinex bands. In my search, I came across these Serious Steel Assisted Pull-Up Resistance Bands.

It was the first I was hearing about Serious Steel fitness but the reviews were great with all pointing to the quality of the product. So I decided to go ahead and make the purchase.

When the package arrived and I removed the band I felt like I had made the best purchase choice. The band was solid and thick and the seams were properly glued together.

I purchased the band exclusively for doing hip thrusts. As I had graduated from bodyweight hip thrusts to hip thrusts with barbells and then was having trouble engaging my glutes with the use of barbells hence why I went looking for resistance bands.

I found that when I started using the bands I was able to notice a difference right away. And I also started doing deadlifts with these bands and found them to be a good solution for my fitness level.

I especially love the fact that I can combine different bands to vary my weighted resistance and I do so with some lighter bands from another manufacturer and they worked great at offering varied resistance.

Once I have progressed further with using this band, I am definitely going to come back and purchase the Serious Steel band and would recommend this brand to anyone looking for good quality resistance bands for purchase.

Fit Simply Resistance Band

I have several sets of weights and I also have some resistance bands. But I prefer to use resistance bands over weights but I didn’t like the resistance bands that I already owned.

I did a little searching and found these. I saw that they had a number of good reviews and came at an affordable price. So, I decided to try them and return them if they didn’t work better than my previous bands.

After placing my order for the Fit Simply Resistance Loop Bands I was happy to see them arrive quickly. This is a set of 4 exercise bands that can also be used for physical therapy. I was happy to try the different resistance levels of the different bands.

I was able to use different bands for targeting different areas based on my strength in each area. And I can imagine as I use them more and require more resistance I can combine the use of multiple bands at the same time.

Very quickly after starting to use these, I could see that I really prefer the Fit Simply Resistance Loop bands over my previous bands. Since I received this set they are all that I have been using – no weights and not my previous resistance bands.

I would recommend the Fit Simply Resistance Loop bands for beginners that are looking for an affordable set of multiple bands to start their resistance bands training.

They are affordable but are not cheaply made so you don’t have to worry about purchasing an inferior set of bands.

Product Images Sourced From Amazon.com