Get stronger with this beginner-friendly resistance band workout for full-body fitness

Resistance bands are an underrated piece of fitness equipment in my opinion. They can build strength just as well as free weights, but are easier to store and less expensive.

But one downside of bands, compared with free weights, is that you don’t know precisely how much more resistance you’re working against when you change your hand position.

At least that was the case until I discovered Strong Band from Cyan Koay and Matt Van Mol, two personal trainers who have added numbered markers to their bands to help track progress.

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“Most resistance bands leave people guessing,” Van Mol tells Fit&Well. “How to set them up, how much resistance they’re using, and whether they’re actually progressing. We found this limits people from actually building strength with bands. We started Strong Band to remove that guesswork so people can get effective results.

“Strong Band turns resistance bands from a general tool you gauge with feeling into something more clear and structured—much closer to how you’d approach strength training with weights and machines.

“The Progress Lines we’ve created along each band allow you to set up consistently every time and adjust the resistance in small, measurable increments on every band.”

This is essential for progressive overload—the principle that you build strength by gradually increasing the challenge of an exercise over repeated workouts.

You can do this by adding more repetitions, increasing how often you exercise and the duration of sessions or adding more load through heavier weights or resistance.

“In simple terms, it means doing a little bit more than you did before – it’s the foundation of getting stronger,” Van Mol says.

“Your body adapts to what you repeatedly ask of it. If you keep doing the same thing, your body has no reason to change. But when you gradually increase the challenge, your muscles respond by becoming stronger to meet that demand.”

The pair has created this beginner-friendly workout using resistance bands and low-impact exercises. The six exercises in this workout “translate well to everyday strength” Van Mol says.

“They help with posture, stability and overall function. That makes them a great option for beginners who want to build confidence, learn the fundamentals of strength training and feel the benefits in daily life.”

How to do the workout

You will need one long-loop resistance band for this workout.

Perform the exercises in order, resting 30 to 45 seconds in between. Once you have completed every exercise, you will have completed a round. Rest for 60-90 seconds, then begin another round. Complete two to three rounds in total.

“For most exercises, aim for a band tension that feels like around a 7-8/10 effort by the final few reps,” Van Mol says. “You should feel challenged, but still able to move with good control.

“If it is your first time strength training and/or using resistance bands, you can stick to a 6-7/10 effort as you get used to the exercises and how bands work.

“From there, after you have built a really solid foundation and understanding of the movements, you can increase the intensity, thereby increasing your effort,” he says.

1. Banded squat

Reps: 10-12

Muscles targeted: Quads, glutes, core, upper back

How to do it:

• Stand on the band with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointing slightly out.
• Cross your arms and place your right hand on your left shoulder and your left hand on your right shoulder, with your elbows held at shoulder height and the band wrapped around your upper arms.
• Extend your spine and engage your core.
• Push your hips back, shifting your weight into your heels as you bend your knees and lower as far as it feels comfortable.
• Keep your heels on the floor and your knees tracking over your toes.
• Push through your heels to stand back up, squeezing your glutes as you return to an upright position.

Why it works: This is a beginner-friendly squat variation that strengthens your lower body while encouraging a more upright torso. Holding the band in the front rack position also helps switch on your core for an added stability challenge throughout the squat.

2. Banded shoulder press

Reps: 8-12

Muscles targeted: Shoulders, triceps, upper chest, core

How to do it:

• Stand on the band with your feet hip-width apart.
• Hold the ends of the band by your shoulders with your palms facing forward.
• Inhale and engage your core.
• Exhale as you extend your arms overhead, pausing just before you lock out your elbows.
• Pause briefly, then inhale as you lower the band to your shoulders with control.

Why it works: “This move builds upper-body pushing strength and teaches you to stabilize through your trunk while pressing overhead. Your body is working as a whole system with stable legs as your foundation, a braced core, and your arms and shoulders pushing off this strong base,” Van Mol says.

3. Banded Romanian deadlift

Reps: 10-12

Muscles targeted: Hamstrings, glutes, lower back, core

How to do it:

• Fold the band in two and stand on it with your feet hip-width apart and knees bent.
• Take hold of either end of the band and hold them by your sides, palms facing.
• Engage your core, then push your hips forward and extend your legs to stand—this is your starting position.
• Keeping a slight bend in your knees, hinge forward from your hips, pushing your butt back, and lowering your hands down your legs—keep your back flat, shoulders engaged and hips high.
• Exhale as you squeeze your buttocks, push through your heels and stand up straight.
• Inhale at the top then hinge forward from your hips, feeling a stretch in your hamstrings as you push your hips back, lowering your torso to repeat.

Why it works: “The banded Romanian deadlift is one of the best beginner moves for learning how to hinge from your hips,” says Van Mol. “This hip hinge movement strengthens your glutes and hamstrings and teaches you how to lift with control. Strong glutes and hamstrings play a crucial role in maintaining a healthy lower back, hips, knees and ankles.”

4. Seated one-arm row with rotation

Reps: 8-10 each side

Muscles targeted: Lats, upper back, rear shoulders, biceps, obliques

How to do it:

• Sit on the floor with your legs extended.
• Loop the band around your right foot and hold the other end with your left hand so your left arm is extended and there is light tension in the band.
• Pull your left elbow toward your ribs as you rotate your chest to face left.
• Pause briefly, then return to the starting position with control.
• Do all your reps on one side, then switch sides.

Form tip: Focus on driving the movement from your elbow rather than your hand. To make the exercise more challenging, hold further down the band.

Why it works: “This pulling exercise strengthens the upper back and lats while adding a small amount of controlled torso rotation. Done seated, it feels stable while also great for teaching good pulling mechanics and pushing these muscles to their full potential,” says Van Mol.

5. Banded standing march

Reps: 8-10 each side

Muscles targeted: Hip flexors, core, glutes, standing leg stabilisers

How to do it:

• Stand with the band looped under your left foot.
• Hold the band in your left hand at knee height with tension in the band.
• Engage your core, and keeping your chest facing forward and shoulders square throughout, raise your right knee to hip height, without leaning back or sideways.
• Pause briefly, then lower your foot with control.
• Do all your reps on one side, then switch sides.

Form tip: “Ensure you are pushing through your big toe, little toe and heel of your standing leg,” Van Mol says. “This will help you to remain stable as you lift and lower your opposite leg, avoiding shifting your weight side-to-side. Move slowly to keep your balance and posture while also feeling a challenge through your standing leg, into your hips and your core.”

Why it works: “This is a simple, but effective standing core and hip-flexor exercise. It also challenges balance and posture, making it a useful real-life strength builder for beginners.”

6. Banded hammer curl

Reps: 10-15

Muscles targeted: Biceps, forearms

How to do it:

• Stand on the band with your feet hip-width apart.
• Hold the band in both hands by your sides with your palms facing and light tension in the band.
• Keeping your upper arms connected to your torso, bend your elbows to lift the ends of the band to your shoulders.
• Pause briefly, then lower to the start with control.

Why it works: “This straightforward arm exercise is beginner-friendly and a nice confidence-building finisher,” says Van Mol. “The hammer grip also targets your forearms as well as your biceps—both important muscles to keep strong for carrying, pulling, gripping or holding.”

How to progress this workout

“We make the most progress when we repeat the same workouts for multiple weeks rather than constantly changing exercises,” says Van Mol. “Stick with this routine for four to eight weeks, aiming to do it twice a week.”

When you feel ready, you can progress the workout by:

• Increasing your band tension, or;
• adding a few repetitions to each set, or;
• adding a third round if you’ve been doing two rounds, or;
• slowing down the lowering phase of each rep—for example, taking three seconds to squat down, or;
• improving your exercise form and the range of motion—for example, sitting slightly lower into your squat

“Let’s cut through the noise with training: the goal isn’t to make the workout more and more complicated over time,” says Van Mol.

“It’s to make the same movements feel stronger, smoother and more controlled. This is the type of training that really translates over into your real life.”