Before moving on to an advanced workout system like P90X, it’s best to start with the basics. Nothing beats YouTube for getting your feet wet and wrapping your head around new exercises.
You want to get your exercises right before they become second nature.
The exercise print foldouts that come with resistance bands just show you the rudimentary body positions. You’re left in the dark in terms of how the motions look.
Free workout apps show you the basic movements, but they typically don’t give you those little pointers that help you improve. And they can’t demonstrate the subtleties involved in executing it effectively.
YouTube Rules
It’s so helpful to see experts use resistance bands in videos to get a feel for using proper form. The best fitness YouTubers have the know-how to help you level up, and they do it with personality.
According to YouTube’s own research, there are over 8,000 fitness channels on YouTube. As incredible as that is, it takes some dedication to find the hidden gems.
I’ve compiled a list of routines containing essential resistance band exercises for beginners. These are culled from YouTube fitness channels you’ll want to go back to again and again.
Fit by Mik
Mikala aka @fitbymik is a fitness coach, yoga teacher, barre instructor, aerialist, and dancer from Toronto, Canada. Her 15-minute workout is designed to sculpt and strengthen your entire body. This is a routine with no repeats, so if you’re looking for plenty of variety it’s worth trying. The instructor has a warm personality which makes following it a pleasure.
San Diego Personal Trainer
Moses of San Diego’s down-to-earth, conversational approach is excellent for people just getting started with resistance bands. He demonstrates easy to pull off upper and lower body exercises. You’ll be making heavy use of the door attachment with this one.
Zeus Fitness
Zeus X, a dude with a terrific accent, and biceps, walks you through a workout you can do anywhere. He wraps his band around a highly mounted metal bar to do a portion of the routine so be sure to have something similar around. You won’t be able to accurately replicate it with just the door attachment.
POPSUGAR Fitness
Celeb trainer Lacey Stone’s 10-minute workout will get your heart pumping and tone your entire body. She’s got an engaging personality making this a fun one to follow. Be sure to get out a yoga mat!
Max Wettstein
Max Wettstein shows you how to use some basic exercises in his half-pipe outdoors. This is a good one for inspiration if you want to utilize objects in your environment to wrap your band around.
FitnessBlender
This includes a great collection of bicep and tricep exercises. FitnessBlender has a much-appreciated no-nonsense approach. There is no cheesy background music and the voiceover commentary is very specific and insightful.
Jessica Smith
Instructor Jessica Smith has put together a unique routine that incorporates cardio and stretches to add some spice to your resistance band workout. You’ll need plenty of space and a yoga mat. The pace is quick and some of the exercises are geared at an intermediate audience so work up to this.
GymRa
This is a simple, slower-paced workout without any distracting chatter. Each new exercise is identified with a slide and captioned tips are peppered throughout (as are irritating GymRa plugs, unfortunately). A 10-15 pound band is recommended for women and a band with double that resistance is best for men.
