If you need to work out on the go or just want to start your resistance training journey, then you’ll want to invest in a good set of resistance bands. Resistance bands come in the form of looped elastic or rubber bands or as cylindrical rubber bands that can attach to a handle. These provide a wide range of weights to perform resistance exercises.
Finding the best workout bands for you can be difficult since it depends on how long you’ve been training, what your goals are, and, of course, your budget. We’ve looked over some of the best resistance bands for building muscle and some of the best sets so you can find the ones that fit you and your goals.
Our Top Picks for 2024
- Best Overall: WHATAFIT Resistance Bands
- Best For Pilates: Fit Simplify 10 Inch Resistance Loop Bands
- Best Creative Choice: Original Gorilla Bow Home Gym
- Best for Beginners: Professional Light Exercise Mini XL Band
- Best Hip Workout Band: Sling Shot Mark Bell Hip Circle Resistance Bands
- Best for Light Workouts: Black Mountain Products Resistance Band Set
- Best Quality: LEEKEY Resistance Band Set
- Best With Handles: DYNAPRO Exercise Resistance Bands
- Best Industrial Strength Bands: Tribe Resistance Bands Set
- Best Simple Set: Pro-Tec Athletics Resistance Bands
- Best for Pull-Up Assistance: Serious Steel 41” Assisted Pull-up Band
- Best For Physical Therapy: THERABAND Resistance Band Set
- Best for Women: Gritin Resistance Bands
Product Reviews
Best Overall: WHATAFIT Resistance Bands
Key Specs
- Natural rubber
- Five bands (10lb, 20lb, 30lb, 40lb, and 50lb)
- Carry case included
What We Love About It
Everything you need comes with this set of the overall best resistance bands for building muscle. These rubber bands are colored and labeled to correspond with a specific weight so it makes them easy to distinguish. The best aspect of this set is that it comes with two easily attachable handles, two ankle wraps, and a door anchor.
We love that you can use the door anchor to anchor your bands, allowing you to do effective resistance training wherever there is a door. Since you can combine these bands you can get a workout that uses up to 150 lbs. of resistance. The carrying case allows you to keep everything in a compact place while you travel, and we love these for traveling since you can exercise with them almost anywhere.
Best For Pilates: Fit Simplify 10 Inch Resistance Loop Bands
Key Specs
- Rubber
- Five bands
- Carry bag included
What We Love About It
This looped rubber workout band set comes with 5 bands that range from Extra Light to Extra Heavy and are designed for stability as well as adduction and abduction exercises, making them great for Pilates where you have to recruit the core. These bands are made of a durable natural rubber with substantial stretch so you can use them for deep stretching as well.
We love these bands because they are small so you can travel with them without taking up much space or weighing much, and they come with a convenient carrying bag. Even though they’re small you can still get up to 74 lbs. of resistance from them so you will get the full benefits of resistance training.
Best Creative Choice: Original Gorilla Bow Home Gym
Key Specs
- Aluminum and rubber
- Green
- Carrying case included
What We Love About It
For a creative and functional workout, we recommend this Gorilla Bow Home Gym. It’s designed like a bow for a bow and arrow, with the resistance bands as the bowstring, which allows for creative and interesting workouts. You can perform full-body workouts with this set and there are different sizes and weight ranges you can choose from.
What we love about the design of this bow is that it provides something rigid for bicep curls or front raises and can mimic a typical barbell in those particular workouts, which you can’t get from free-form resistance bands. It helps to have a solid structure to push and pull, added benefits to an exercise item that is also light and travel-friendly.
Best for Beginners: Professional Light Exercise Mini XL Band
Key Specs
- Elastic
- Four bands
- No case
What We Love About It
Just starting to get into resistance training or looking to go light? These resistance bands are a great introduction to weight training since they are light and will provide enough resistance to activate the muscles, but not too much to compromise a beginner’s form. It also makes them great for physical therapy, providing resistance but in a forgiving way.
We love this for beginners because it also includes an exercise manual so you can get the best exercises out of these bands. Since they can easily be rolled up, they are a great travel companion and can be taken out for stretching or light workouts wherever you go.
Best Hip Workout Band: Sling Shot Mark Bell Hip Circle Resistance Bands
Key Specs
- Natural rubber
- One band
- Five color options
What We Love About It
This specialty workout band is designed specifically for hip-focused exercises. This means if you are planning on hip thrusts or even squats and deadlifts, this is the band for you. It stabilizes and therefore activates the muscles in the quads, hamstrings, and glutes during those particular exercises.
This comfortable and durable band will also be great for booty workouts and anything lower body. We love how using this band takes the pressure off of the knees and forces you to recruit the necessary muscles, making sure you maintain form to get the best muscle-building results. We would recommend this as one of the best workout bands if you love working out the lower body.
Best for Light Workouts: Black Mountain Products Resistance Band Set
Key Specs
- Five bands
- Natural rubber
- Carrying case included
What We Love About It
If you are looking for a lighter range of workout bands, we recommend the Black Mountain Band Set. Much like our overall favorite resistance band set, this comes with two padded handles, an ankle strap, and a door anchor so you can workout on-the-go. However, this has lighter divisions with the lightest band ranging 2-4 lbs. and the heaviest band ranging 25-30 lbs.
Since these bands are lighter, this makes this set great for those who are just starting or just want to get a light workout in. It allows you to build up incrementally, but if you completely stack the bands you can still get up to 75 lbs. of resistance.
Best Quality: LEEKEY Resistance Band Set
Key Specs
- Natural latex
- Five bands
- Carrying case included
- Thick bands
What We Love About It
These bands provide a great range of exercise options since the lighter bands are great to aid in your stretching, pilates, or yoga regimen and the heavier bands make great muscle-building equipment. We find them to be the best workout bands in terms of quality because they are made of non-toxic natural latex and they are designed to be thick.
The band thickness makes these durable and easier to grip, providing better form during resistance workouts. The heavier bands are some of the best resistance bands for building muscle because their range provides substantial resistance for all muscle groups, upper or lower body. These look great and are built to last.
Best With Handles: DYNAPRO Exercise Resistance Bands
Key Specs
- Natural rubber
- One band
- Attached handles
What We Love About It
The resistance bands from DYNAPRO are especially durable and of high quality, which is reflected in their price. But don’t let the cost deter you since these bands will last you forever. The handles are well made so they will remain intact and the foam will keep your hands comfortable without falling apart over time.
We love that these can be purchased as individual bands in the case that you just need one range of weight and don’t require anything else. Since the bands are adjustable, you can set them to the perfect length for your body type. If you are interested in buying more than one, then we also recommend getting the DYNAPRO rack so you have a convenient place to put them in your home.
Best Industrial Strength Bands: Tribe Resistance Bands Set
Key Specs
- Malaysian latex
- Five bands
- Carrying case included
What We Love About It
This resistance band set from Tribe seems like any other set of bands; it comes with foam handles, ankle straps, and a door anchor, but these bands have double latex tubing within to deliver more resistance and durability. These will be able to last a long time and with the range of weight, you’ll be able to train light or stack up the bands for more heavy lifting.
The maximum weight for these bands goes up to 105 lbs., but you’ll be able to pack all of that weight in a small bag and travel wherever you like with them.
Best Simple Set: Pro-Tec Athletics Resistance Bands
Key Specs
- Natural rubber
- Carry bag included
- Three bands
What We Love About It
Working out can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to all of the equipment out there. If you are looking for something to help you stretch, get moving, and build a little bit of muscle here and there, we recommend this set of resistance bands since it is only 3 bands that have different resistance levels.
These bands are great for various uses such as yoga, pilates, or physical therapy. They are made of high-quality latex so they will last, and it comes with a carrying case and exercise guide so you will know which exercises are best for these bands.
Best for Pull-Up Assistance: Serious Steel 41” Assisted Pull-up Band
Key Specs
- Natural rubber
- 4 bands
What We Love About It
These bands are thick and durable making them the perfect bands for pull-up assistance. These will keep you stable while you are working on your pull-ups but can also be used as regular resistance bands. We like these for pull-up assistance because of their length.
We also love that you can mix and match these bands, the lowest weighted band you get is 5-35 lbs. and the heaviest is 50-120 lbs. The thickness of these will give you confidence that they will not break and will give you a good weight-lifting experience. Although these are on the pricier side, we believe that they are well worth it since they have a myriad of uses and they will last long.
Best For Physical Therapy: THERABAND Resistance Band Set
Key Specs
- Natural rubber
- Three bands
- 3 lbs. – 6.7 lbs.
What We Love About It
Resistance bands are a great go-to for physical therapy since they provide persistent resistance for isometric exercises and they provide low impact activity for the muscles. These are especially good for the start of physical therapy since the weight range is low so they won’t be demanding on the muscles.
Since they are light and still provide a substantial stretch, they will be great for general stretching after injuries. These bands are latex-free so those with allergies won’t have to worry and use of these will provide better mobility and balance.
Best for Women: Gritin Resistance Bands
Key Specs
- Natural rubber
- Five bands
- Carrying case included
What We Love About It
Light, flexible, and functional, these workout bands make the perfect companion for the woman who enjoys going to yoga or pilates or wants a medium-intensity workout at home. These bands are great for women since they have a range of resistance to help progress workouts but also are low impact on bones and joints.
We love that these bands have some thickness to them to allow for easy gripping and a more substantial stretch. These bands are difficult to break and can take repeated use for years. These would work just as well for men, but the material, weight range, and style are perfect for women who are beginning their workout journey and want to train with proper form.
How We Chose The Best Workout Bands for 2024
Finding the best workout bands depends on your goals and current fitness level. Some can be geared more towards recovery and physical therapy and in those cases we looked for looped bands that provided lighter resistance and allowed you to focus on form. Thicker looped resistance bands were also a good choice, and those are geared more toward heavier resistance or pull-up assistance.
In all cases, we looked for bands that were made of good quality material that would last with excessive extension and repeated use. We also looked for bands that had a good weight range so that you could build up your progress. These workout bands all serve their purpose and we hope that out of the best workout bands we found there is a set that works best for you.
