How to Choose Resistance Exercise Bands: 5 Types Explained

How to Choose the Right Resistance Exercise Bands: 5 Types Explained

Using resistance exercise bands have becoming extremely popular in the last few years. Considering resistance bands exercises have so many benefits, such as build muscle, lose weight, strength training, grow glutes, and tone your body, you must want to grab one for your full body workout.

When you open Amazon or other shopping platform, the problem comes. You find so many brands and types of training bands out there and have no idea how to choose the best resistance bands for your workout. We got you!

KEEPUFITNESS , manufacturer of resistance exercise bands for over 15 years, will share knowledge of everything you want to know about resistance exercise bands, loops, and tubes, and after reading this article you’ll know the difference between them, which is the best training bands for legs or arms, how to choose the correct workout bands to meet your fitness goal.

No matter you want to add resistance exercise bands to your exercise equipment for home fitness, or want to do retail / wholesale business of strength training tool, you will find useful guide in following content.

The Benefits of Resistance Exercise Bands VS Free Weights

Resistance bands are widely used for exercise routine as they are more effective when it comes to strength training.
Resistance exercise bands are much cheaper, most bands are lower than 10 USD. Furthermore, strength bands are light weighted and take less space, you don’t have to buy so many accessories like a heavy bench or other big steel staff that costs money.
Elastic exercise bands works differently than free weights or dumbbells. Weights provides continuous load, but the bands provide external resistance only when you stretch them, and the further you stretch, heavier the resistance is.
Another difference is you can only lift weights with a vertical plane,the resistance is always going down. On the contrary, you can pull the resistance exercise bands from vertical, horizontal or many other different angles.

5 Types of Resistance bands Introduction

The most common mistake is people are suggested to choose a light level band as they are a beginner or a heavy one as a senior.

From the perspective of the manufacturer, KEEPUFITNESS advise that you SHOULD NOT just consider if you are a beginner or advanced fitness enthusiast. Each kind of stretch band has benefits as well as cons, it’s hard to define which is good and which is bad. What really matters is the body part you want to train.

In principle, as long as you understand how resistance exercise bands work and follow KEEPUFITNESS Buying Guide below, you’ll find the best types of resistance bands good for your fitness routine.

1. Pull up Band: best for whole body

This long loop resistance band, also known as pull up assist bands or power band, is the most recommended one as you can do so many exercises with it. There are 2 materials popular in the market, rubber power bands and fabric elastic bands.

Rubber Power Bands : have totally 8 levels of resistance, see below the color chart. The resistance increases with elastic loop width.

Fabric Elastic Bands: have 5 levels of resistance. Differently, all the fabric loops are same length and width, the elasticity changes according to the radio of woven fabric and latex strips. But it’s impossible to tell the radio of raw materials from appearance, you’d better check the exact resistance from introduction or ask advise from the producer.

Although named pull up bands, they are not limited to do Pull-ups. The enough loop length provides more exercise options not only for upper chest or back, but also for whole body. A good thing is you can use pull up resistance exercise bands with other fitness accessories like door anchor, wall anchor, ankle cuffs or a gym bar. Overall, loop bands are tops to fit any workouts.

Conclude:

2 kinds of materials with plenty resistance levels

The most versatile exercise bands for all workouts

Suggest to buy a pack with 3-4 levels to do more possible exercises

2. Fabric Resistance Bands: best for legs

Fabric bands, also known as hip circles, booty bands, glute loops, are the best resistance bands for leg workout. When it comes to lower body strength training, this kind of workout band are your fist choice. They are stretchy fabric loop bands which are wide and thick, provide higher levels of resistance than latex bands. Glute bands are available in pack of 3 with resistance levels from 20lb to 55lb, are ideal home fitness equipment to increase mobility of hips, glutes and legs.

Conclude:

Ideal for hip and butt training

Thick and sturdy, non-slip, won’t roll up

Provide higher resistance than latex bands

Suitable for leg workouts like Squat, Kickback, Glute Bridge, Fire Hydrant.

3. Exercise Tube with Handles : ideal for upper body

Tube bands have the most variety of resistances, as they are made by certain mold which you can determine the size. People rarely know how to define a tube resistance, all they know are the numbers indicated on the tube, but where do these numbers come from?

If you’ve ever used a tube band, you can feel the more you stretch it, the greater the resistance is. So there’s no exact weight number unless you define a stretch length.

As a supplier and manufacturer of resistance tube bands, KEEPUFITNESS define a tube band from a more scientific position. We use inner diameter and outer diameter to understand its resistance.

Speak of how to use resistance tubes, we always suggest exercise resistance bands with handles or door anchor. Grab the handles to stretch resistance bands for arm workouts, company with door anchor for chest workouts and back exercises, are all common strength training routine you can do at home or gym. Currently most of tube set supply 5 levels of band with accessories like hand grips, ankle straps and door anchor.

Conclude:

Suitable for biceps curls, shoulder presses and chest presses

Need to choose proper one from multiple resistance levels

Select comfortable hand grips really matters

4. Latex Flat Exercise Bands : great for physical therapy and yoga

$KEEPUFITNESS Latex Flat Exercise Bands great for physical therapy and yoga$

This elastic band is designed specially for physical therapy, rehabilitation, muscle relaxation, as well as Yoga stretching.

Considering their usage, latex resistance bands are thinner and lighter than others for training purpose. A elastic flat band can be 1.5 meters, 1.8 meters or 2.0 meters, but shouldn’t be longer than 2.5 meters. The color coded thickness ranges from 0.2mm up to 1.0mm. Usage of flat bands are quite simple. Wrap both ends of the elastic band around your hands, anchor it on a door or just step in the middle. While stretching it helps increase mobility of injured muscle. Training and therapy from the lightest band (normally the yellow one) and increase the thickness gradually , in this way to rehab injury and recover muscle function.

Another usage of flat band is improve stability and flexibility while doing Yoga or Pilates.

Conclude:

Very light resistance for physical therapy

Suggest to buy pack of 3 for multiple usage

Color code varies much between different brands

5. Mini Loop Bands : great for small movement

When it comes to booty workout, mini loop bands are the one you cannot ignore. A full pack of 5, also with exercise charts, makes them to be the best resistance exercise bands for women. Meanwhile, we have to admit that they have cons you may heard such as roll up or break out during exercises for legs. However, mini elastic bands perform particularly well for small muscle groups which are not being trained much with free weights. In another words, this kind of elastic bands are more suitable to small movements and stretches, help increase the participation of small group of muscle.

Conclude:

The most portable pack for home exercises

Ideal for small exercises of arms and legs

Stretch them within reasonable length limits

How to Choose Resistance Bands?

Choosing the right resistance bands is crucial for optimizing your workout, as different types of bands are best suited for specific training goals.

Firstly, Pull-Up Bands are ideal for full-body workouts. They are typically made of rubber or fabric and offer various resistance levels, making them versatile for exercises targeting both upper and lower body muscles. These bands can also be used with other fitness accessories.

Fabric Resistance Bands are best for lower body workouts, particularly for exercises targeting the hips and legs. These bands provide higher resistance, are sturdy, and are less likely to slip during use, making them perfect for exercises like squats and glute bridges.

Exercise Tubes with Handles are great for upper body training. The resistance level of these tubes is determined by their diameter, and they often come with accessories like handles and door anchors, allowing for a wide range of upper body exercises.

Latex Flat Exercise Bands are primarily used for rehabilitation, physical therapy, and flexibility exercises. They offer lighter resistance, making them suitable for gentle stretching, recovery exercises, and improving muscle mobility.

Finally, Mini Loop Bands are designed for small movements and targeting smaller muscle groups. These bands are portable and effective for exercises that focus on muscle activation and stabilization, though they may roll up or break during intense use.

Summary: Resistance Exercise Bands are the most effective tool for home strength training. And you are suggest to choose the best resistance exercise bands according to personal training goal and your body condition. choosing the right resistance band depends on your workout goals and the type of exercises you plan to do. Consider the material, resistance level, and intended use of each band type to make an informed decision that will enhance your workout experience.