There are hundreds if not thousands of exercises we can do at the gym - some are good, some are okay, some are bad, and some are utterly ineffective.
But, we all know that specific exercises rise above all others and are used by the majority of gym-goers.
The good news is, we don’t need a fully-stocked gym to perform most of these exercises. In fact, we can do most of them with resistance bands. Today, we’ll go over seven examples.
- Chest Flyes
Flyes are a great accessory movement for the chest and are most commonly done one a specialized machine, a cable machine, or with dumbbells.
But, you can also do them with exercise bands with handles in the comfort of your own home. For greater convenience, you can also get yourself a resistance band door anchor, attach a band to it, and resemble a cable machine.
- Front Squats
Front squats are an excellent exercise that develops our legs, butt, core, and upper back. In a typical gym setting, most people do them with a barbell, but we can also perform them with bands.
All it takes is to grab a long resistance band, step on it, and loop it over your shoulders.
- Seated Back Rows
Seated back rows are an excellent accessory exercise for the back and are usually done on a special gym machine.
But, with bands, you can do these rows in the comfort of your own home. All it takes is to attach the band to something sturdy, step back, and row.
- Lat Pulldowns
Similar to the seated row, lat pulldowns are generally done on a particular cable machine. But, you can also do the exercise with a resistance band.
For example, loop a resistance band with cables on a pull-up bar and row with both arms at the same time. For added resistance, you can get on your knees, which will lengthen the band and increase the tension.
- Lateral Shoulder Raises
Most people do shoulder raises with a dumbbell, kettlebell, or cable machine.
But, you can also do them with a resistance band. For example, you can loop the band on your left foot, step on it with your right foot, grab the handle with your right hand, and do raises. Then, loop the band around your right foot and do raises with your left arm.
Alternatively, you can use a resistance band door anchor and attach it at the bottom for your lateral raises.
- Face Pulls
Face pulls are an excellent exercise for rear delt development and overall shoulder health. They are most commonly done on a cable machine, but you can also use resistance bands for them.
For example, attach a resistance band anchor on top of a door and use an exercise band with handles for your lateral raises.
- Standing Bicep Curls
Your typical gym will offer many ways to perform bicep curls - with a barbell, a cable machine, dumbbells, kettlebells, and more.
But, you can do standing bicep curls with nothing more than a resistance band
For example, grab a long resistance band, step in the middle of it, grab both ends, stand tall and slowly curl both ends up. To increase the resistance, you can increase your foot width and increase the tension on the band.