You only need one resistance band for this fitness coach’s full-body workout plan

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Resistance bands are the best solution for beginners to strengthen their entire body

Bodyweight exercises are great for building muscle and mobility, particularly among newcomers to strength training. They are free to do, accessible and effective. As a fitness coach, one major hurdle I often encounter is that it’s hard to hit the muscles in your back, which play a key part in overall strength, posture and stability.

Pressing exercises such as press-ups are excellent for strengthening the chest, shoulder and triceps muscles, while squat variations, lunges and glute bridges work the major players in your legs. Even your core is well catered for through planks and sit-ups. But what about the muscles in your back and biceps, responsible for everyday actions such as pulling a heavy door toward you?

A pull-up or bodyweight row is the obvious solution, but these exercises require a decent existing level of strength to perform, as well as a pull-up bar to pull yourself towards. That’s why, for beginners who don’t fancy a trip to the gym, I think resistance bands represent a better option.

These tools are cheap, portable and provide the resistance needed for a full-body beginner training plan. And there is a good deal available on my favourite set in Amazon’s Black Friday sale.

Read on for my recommendation, as well as a two times per week full-body resistance band workout plan to help you get started.

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FitBeast pull-up bands set of five: Was £31.99, now £19.99, Amazon.co.uk

This FitBeast set of resistance bands has everything you need to start strength training, all for just £20 in the Black Friday sale.

There are five bands of varying resistance levels, so you can change the one you use to suit different exercises – you will likely be able to move heavier bands with larger muscle groups, such as those in your legs, and lighter ones with smaller muscle groups, such as those in your arms.

This selection enables you to apply the pivotal progressive overload principle. This simply means gradually increasing the difficulty of your workouts (by upping the number of sets, reps or resistance) over time in line with your increasing strength and fitness levels, ensuring continued progress.

The set also comes with a door anchor so you can secure the bands in place in a doorframe and then pull them towards you. This allows for back-strengthening moves such as pull-downs and rows. Velcro handles that wrap around the bands for added comfort and a neat carry bag complete this comprehensive and versatile package.

If you don’t fancy buying this set, there are other affordable options available, and you can always buy one light-moderate band to start with, such as this £6.99 option from Myprotein – I picked up a decent set for £8 from Lidl, of all places, the other day. The advantages of this Fitbeast kit are that I can personally vouch for it and you don’t have to buy new bands every time you outgrow your existing ones. The long-looped bands are also handy for hitching around a pull-up bar for assisted pull-ups, if you’re interested in learning this boast-worthy bodyweight move.

A full-body resistance band strength training plan with two workouts per week

Day one:

Exercise

Sets

Reps

Rest

1A) Squat

2

10-15

-

1B) Banded overhead press

2

10-15

60 seconds

2A) Single-leg hip thrust

2

10-15 (on each leg)

-

2B) Banded bent-over row

2

10-15

60 seconds

3A) Alternating V-up

2

10-15

-

3B) Side plank

2

10-30 seconds each side

60 seconds

Day two:

Exercise

Sets

Reps

Rest

1A) Alternating reverse lunge

2

10-15 (on each leg)

-

1B) Press-up (elevate hands to make it easier, add bands to make it harder)

2

10-15

60 seconds

2A) Banded deadlift or good morning

2

10-15

-

2B) Banded pull apart

2

10-15

60 seconds

3A) Dead bug

2

10-15 (each side)

-

3B) Slow tempo Russian twist

2

6-12 (each side, with each twist taking two seconds)

60 seconds

The resistance band workout plan above contains two weekly sessions. These are to be performed on different days of the week, ideally leaving at least 24 hours between the two workouts.

Each workout is split into three supersets – two exercises performed back to back with no rest in between to save time. These pairs are signposted with the letters A and B. To work through the workouts, you should perform all prescribed repetitions of exercise 1A and 1B before taking a 60-second rest. Once you have done this two times, move on to the second pair of exercises and repeat the sequence.

For each exercise, pick a band or variation that feels challenging, particularly for the final few repetitions in each set, but not so challenging that it forces you to compromise on your technique.

After a few weeks, the prescribed number of sets and repetitions will likely start to feel far easier as your strength and fitness levels improve. When this happens, try using a thicker resistance band, performing two extra repetitions per set, or adding an extra set per exercise for an added challenge. These progressions will provide the stimulus needed for continued improvements.

If you are new to strength training, these workouts will strengthen every major muscle group: your legs, chest, shoulders, back and core. They can also help increase your joint strength and health, leaving you less susceptible to injury, and also improve your mobility, body composition and physical capacity.

However, as with most strength training programmes, it is recommended to also complete a foundational level of lifestyle movement (for example, 7,000 steps per day or more) and one or two more intense cardio-focussed sessions each week, such as running, swimming, cycling or HIIT, to form a more comprehensive health and fitness-boosting plan.

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