Stretch Stronger: Best Exercise Bands for At-Home Workouts

While at-home workouts don’t need anything more than motivation (ahh...where did that go again?), additional tools can provide more challenges and opportunities for exercise modifications. Relatively inexpensive and taking up minimal space, here’s how resistance bands can help you bring your home workout to the next level.

Exercise bands generally come in a range of resistance levels that can be used to enhance bodyweight exercises using your arms and legs or for stretches in a physical therapy session. While many resistance band packages come with exercise suggestions, if you’ve never used them in your workouts before, it may be smart to book a session or two with a trainer to make sure you’re doing things correctly and avoiding injury.

Resistance bands with handles can help isolate key muscles and maximize traditional bodyweight moves like squats and lunges. Exercise bands can also add extra oomph to an away-from-home workout. Small and compact, adding one or two in your overnight bag can help motivate you to break a sweat.

Resistance bands can become a semi-permanent part of a home gym. Some bands may have a wall anchor option, allowing you to attach to a wall or door for certain exercises. Considering how you’ll use your resistance bands—every day in the same place, or multiple places depending on your schedule—can help you decide which ones are most useful to you. Because, just like any other piece of exercise equipment, the best option is the one you’ll use on the regular.