Resistance band programme
A full-body plan built on two or three bands and a door anchor. Fits in a bag; costs less than a month of gym fees.
The prescription, in one line
3SESSIONS / WEEK
Bands are the cheapest genuinely useful training tool available, which matters when a gym membership is not on the table. Their weakness is real: resistance is lowest where the muscle is stretched and highest where it is short, which is the opposite of a free weight. The fix is to pause and squeeze at the top of every rep, where the band is hardest, and to use higher rep ranges than you would with iron.
Who it is for: Anyone with no space, no equipment budget, or a job that keeps them travelling.
ਸਰੋਤ·Published exercise references·EVERY MOVEMENT LINKS TO ITS OWN CARD·ਸਮੀਖਿਆ ਜੁਲਾਈ 2026
How this template was assembled
- Start from the joint action, not the sensation. A muscle is credited when the action it produces is the one being resisted.
- Credit exactly one role per exercise: prime mover, or synergist and stabiliser. Nothing is listed twice.
- Rank by technical demand on a 1–5 scale — how much practice the movement needs to be done safely, not how hard the set feels.
- Order each session heavy-to-light: the movement with the most technical demand goes first, while you are fresh enough to hold the position.
- Attach the published MET category so the energy figure on every card traces back to the same table.
ਸਰੋਤ·Published exercise references·ATTRIBUTION BY JOINT ACTION·ਸਮੀਖਿਆ ਜੁਲਾਈ 2026
Day A — push
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Muscle | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resistance Band Chest Press | 4 | 12–20 | Chest | Anchor the band behind you at chest height and step forward until there is tension befor… |
| Resistance Band Overhead Press | 3 | 12–15 | Front deltoid | Stand on the middle of the band with both feet and press the ends from shoulder height t… |
| Push-Up | 3 | 8–15 | Chest | Set the hands so that at the bottom your forearms are vertical from every angle — that i… |
| Resistance Band Lateral Raise | 3 | 15–20 | ਸਾਈਡ ਡੈਲਟੌਇਡ | Stand on the middle of the band and raise the ends out to the sides with soft elbows. |
| Resistance Band Triceps Pushdown | 3 | 15–20 | Triceps | Anchor the band above head height and push the ends down with the elbows tight to the ri… |
| Plank | 3 | 30–45 sec | Abs | Tuck the pelvis under and squeeze the glutes — a plank held with an arched back trains a… |
Day B — pull
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Muscle | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resistance Band Row | 4 | 12–20 | Upper back | Anchor the band at waist height or loop it around your feet while seated, and row the en… |
| Band Lat Pulldown | 4 | 12–15 | Lats | Anchor the band above head height, kneel or sit, and pull the ends down to shoulder level. |
| Band Face Pull | 3 | 15–20 | Rear deltoid | Anchor a band at head height, hold both ends and pull towards the face with the elbows f… |
| Band Pull-Apart | 3 | 20–25 | Rear deltoid | Hold a light band at shoulder height with straight arms and pull it apart until it touch… |
| Resistance Band Curl | 3 | 15–20 | Biceps | Stand on the band with both feet and curl the ends up, keeping the elbows locked at your… |
| Band Pallof Press | 3 | 10 per side | Obliques | Anchor a band at chest height in a door and press out from side-on. |
Day C — legs
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Muscle | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resistance Band Romanian Deadlift | 4 | 15–20 | Hamstrings | Stand on the middle of the band, hold the ends at thigh height and hinge against the ten… |
| Bodyweight Squat | 4 | 15–25 | Quadriceps | Reach the arms forward as a counterweight and sit down between the hips until the thighs… |
| Resistance Band Glute Bridge | 3 | 15–20 | Glutes | Loop a band above the knees and push outward against it while bridging the hips up. |
| Banded Lateral Walk | 3 | 12 steps each way | Glutes | Band above the knees or around the ankles, half-squat position, and step sideways withou… |
| Resistance Band Leg Curl | 3 | 15–20 | Hamstrings | Anchor the band at floor level in front of you, loop it around one ankle and curl the he… |
| Resistance Band Calf Raise | 3 | 20–25 | ਪਿੰਜਣੀਆਂ | Sit with the legs straight, loop the band around the ball of the foot and press against … |
How to progress
Move to a thicker band, or shorten the band by standing further from the anchor, when the top of the rep range becomes comfortable.
Two rules sit above any template. First, technique does not change as the weight climbs — if the range shortens or the tempo runs away, the load has gone past useful. Second, a plan you follow for twelve weeks beats a better plan you abandon in three. Rest days are part of the programme, not a failure of it.
This plan covers 14 muscle groups as prime movers. If something is missing that you care about, add one exercise for it rather than rebuilding the whole thing.
Other workout templates
The questions that come up on the floor
Who is the resistance band workout for?
Anyone with no space, no equipment budget, or a job that keeps them travelling. It runs 3 days a week, or as a fourth session alongside gym training. and needs: resistance bands and a door anchor.
How do I progress on this plan?
Move to a thicker band, or shorten the band by standing further from the anchor, when the top of the rep range becomes comfortable.
Will this plan build muscle?
It covers 14 muscle groups as prime movers across 18 exercises. Muscle growth needs progressive overload, enough weekly volume — roughly ten to twenty hard sets per muscle — and enough protein and total food to support it. This template supplies the structure; the effort and the diet decide the outcome.
Can I swap an exercise I cannot do?
Yes. Every exercise page on this site lists computed substitutes that train the same prime mover through the same movement pattern, plus a no-equipment alternative. Swap like for like and the plan still works.
Muscle roles follow standard kinesiology references and are described by joint action rather than by gym convention — see how this site is built. Energy figures are derived from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. Every reference is named and dated on the sources page. General information only — not medical or coaching advice. Load, form and progression should be adjusted to your own experience and any injury history. When in doubt, get coached in person.
ਸਰੋਤ·Published exercise references·MUSCLE ROLES ASSIGNED BY JOINT ACTION·ਸਮੀਖਿਆ ਜੁਲਾਈ 2026
The people behind these sites
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This site and nine others like it are built and photographed by two people: Amit Sharma — behind the build; Geeta Patel — the poses, demonstrated. New work goes up on Instagram and Facebook before it reaches a page here.
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