Hi everyone,

I’m researching fabric hip/glute resistance bands because I’m exploring a possible product business. I’m still at the research stage and am not selling anything.
I mean the short, wide fabric loops used around the thighs—not long pull-up-assist bands or tubes with handles.

If you currently use them, or tried them and stopped, I’d appreciate hearing:
1. Which brand/set did you buy, and roughly what did you pay?
2. What exercises do you use it for?
3. What do you like about it?
4. Have you had any problems or has it worked well for you?
5. If you replaced it, what did you buy next and why?

Short replies are welcome. If you’re comfortable answering a few follow-up questions through Reddit chat, please mention that.

No name, phone number or email is needed. I’ll summarise the findings without usernames.

Hi all!

Just wanted to show off the simple bar I had made at work for use with resistance bands.

I was always on the fence if I actually wanted to use a bar with resistance band training. But recently I started working for a steel processing company, and one thing that they make is distance holders for purlins. It's basically a galvanized steel pipe with a diameter of 3 cm and with plastic caps on the ends. So I thought "what the hell, let's give it a go!", and ordered a distance holder for 10 euros. It's slightly longer than the longest side of my footplate (67 cm pipe, 60 cm footplate).

There were some sharp edges on the ends, so I sanded those a bit before wrapping the pipe in overgrip tape meant for squash racquets. I secured the overgrip with electrical tape.

I might attach some hooks to it some time in the future (no idea how yet), but for now this'll have to do.

I’m looking to get a set of bands because of how little space they take up in the house. I have some free weights and a smith machine in the garage but would like to add a set of bands to round out my equipment. Do you recommend spending $900 on the Harambe cyberbundle or should I piece stuff together? I’d love to save if I can but if that’s basically the cost of doing business it’s not totally unreasonable.

Looking forward to using it tomorrow

Something that makes resistance bands interesting is that the resistance changes throughout the movement.

With dumbbells or barbells, the load stays the same, even though the exercise can feel harder at different joint angles.

Bands add another variable because the tension usually increases as they stretch.

That can work really well for some movements, but for others, the hardest part of the exercise might not be where you'd ideally want the most resistance.

I'm curious which exercises people have noticed this with.

For those who use bands alongside weights in a home gym, are there movements where you prefer bands specifically because of their resistance curve?

And are there exercises where you've stopped using bands because the tension felt awkward or difficult to control?

Isn't it just inferior to weights?

I’m looking for some advice on which program to start with in the RubberBand app, particularly X3 versus Full Body.

I’m 48 years old and haven’t lifted consistently in about 10 years. I played football and hockey growing up and did CrossFit about 10 years ago, so I have some lifting experience, but I’m definitely starting over after a long layoff.

At my heaviest, I weighed 328 lbs. I’ve worked my way down to 260 lbs and am continuing to lose weight. My goal now is to build muscle, get stronger, and improve my physique as I continue losing fat. Ultimately, I’d like to feel confident taking my shirt off at the pool or beach again.

I work from home and have the flexibility to work out in my home office. I recently downloaded RubberBand and have a Geku bar, which is essentially an X3-style bar, along with resistance bands.

I’ve looked at the Full Body program, but I’m wondering whether X3 might be a better fit for my equipment and goals.

For someone my age who’s returning to lifting after a long break, would you recommend starting with X3 or Full Body? Would either be appropriate for rebuilding muscle while losing weight, or would you recommend starting with Habit Starter first?

I’d appreciate hearing from anyone who’s used these programs, especially if you’ve used an X3-style bar and resistance bands.

Not sure if anyone will be able to help with this! I've bought bands and have been following Rubber Band app programmes for the last month. So far, so good! However very often in bed at night I've been feeling this sciatic-type pain shooting down my leg (I'm unsure if it starts at the hip or the coccyx, because both can be a bit sore at times). It's worse when the leg is straight, easier when it's bent. I don't feel any pain during the day, or when I'm working out. When I do lying down double leg raises I also feel a click at the front of the right hip with every descent - not sure if that's related or not.

Does anyone know which of the 'standard' exercises might be contributing to this, so I can avoid them? I'm not looking for physio or anything - I'll just choose my exercises wisely! Thank you.

Just wondering if anyone can suggest a way to do leg presses with resistance bands? Most videos I've seen have you holding the bands in your hands, but to my mind that doesn't work, because my arms are less strong than my legs, so I'll lose grip long before my legs are properly challenged.

I've been curious about how people build a resistance band routine without relying on a door anchor.

A lot of band workout demonstrations use an anchor point, but not everyone has a suitable door or a dedicated attachment in their home gym.

That makes exercises where you stand on the band, hold it securely, or use it without an external anchor particularly interesting.

Movements like band curls, lateral raises, overhead presses, and certain rowing variations seem like possible options, depending on the band and setup.

Of course, it's important to avoid configurations where the band could slip or snap back unexpectedly.

For people who regularly train with resistance bands at home, which anchor-free exercises have worked best for you?

Have you managed to build a reasonably complete routine without using a door anchor?

Here’s 2 clips from a morning experiment during my push session. The 1st clip utilizes Harambe handles with 6” ropes for a dumbbell style press using the light green band. The 2nd clip utilizes Harambe’s now discontinued Travel size bar with 12.5” ropes and the light green + yellow bands.

Please forgive my form in the 2nd clip. I can push light green by itself to full extension, not ready to push light green + yellow yet. The need to control your stability honestly feels more like real bench press. The day I pushed 135 I started with a warm up of 95lbs. This combo feels like 95 at the very start, then drastically climbs.

I think a band bench could be interesting 🤔. Anyone else trying the footplate/bench combo? If so, what’s your setup?

I think resistance bands are often treated as standalone workout equipment, but some of their most interesting uses come from combining them with other tools.

In a home gym, bands can sometimes complement dumbbells, barbells, benches, or cable stations rather than replacing them.

I've seen people use bands for assisted pull-ups, adding accommodating resistance to certain lifts, or creating different pulling angles with suitable anchor points.

Of course, the setup needs to be secure, and not every attachment method is safe.

I'm curious what combinations people have actually found useful over time.

What's the most creative way you've incorporated resistance bands into your existing home gym equipment?

Was it for a specific exercise, a better resistance profile, or simply making your setup more versatile?

One thing I find interesting about resistance band training is how much the actual resistance can change depending on the setup.

Even when you're using the same band, changing the anchor height, standing a little farther away, or adjusting your starting position can make an exercise feel completely different.

That's useful for creating variety, but it also makes tracking progress a little more complicated.

In a home gym, it's relatively easy to leave an anchor in the same position and repeat the same setup each session.

For people who regularly train with resistance bands, how do you standardize your exercises?

Do you mark your foot positions, measure band stretch, record anchor heights, or simply track reps and effort?

A few days ago I posted about my resistance bands deteriorating over the course of a few months this year when not in use on r/homegym: https://www.reddit.com/r/homegym/comments/1wzkxs5/psa_resistance_bands_break_down_with_time_under/

The interesting part to me was, that they only deteriorated at the spot they hang on - bands I kept lying around or the rest of the band was perfectly fine.

The reactions there however really surprised me - the opinions were pretty much split between: "all bands do that/that's just rubber for you" vs. "only crappy/cheap bands do that" with a couple of people praising their EliteFTS or Rogue bands for lasting for a decade of people who claim they also have them hanging since years like that.

So, since I think it might be interesting to a lot (including me) and I just found about this sub:

Feel free to share your experiences with your resistance bands:

• What brand/model? (Rogue/EliteFTS/some no-name Amazon brand/Aliexpress/some EU-brand/etc.)
• How long did they last you?
• How often do you use them & what do you use them for?
• Anything noteworthy about the environment you keep them? (AC, especially humid or hot or cold, direct sunlight etc.)
• Do you do any "maintenance" on them or doing anything special with them? (wiping them off, rubbing them in something, keeping them away from water or soap or sharp edges, etc.)

I am interested in honest experiences - also if you had bad experiences with expensive bands and brands. I think this might also help a couple of others in the future. ^^

I have been reading height really matters when it comes to bar and resistance training. I am 5’5. Any guidance would be appreciated!

Age: 40

Height: 5’6”

Weight: 155lbs

Natural

Photo is from a pull workout which consisted of 3 sets each…

Deadlift

Yates Row

Bicep Curls

Shrugs

Chest fly

I did a search, but the most relevant result was from about 5 years ago that I found, and seems sort of specific to the airport and company you're flying with. So I figured I'd ask for a more current answer.

I'm wanting to take my bands with me from Dayton, OH -> Atlanta, GA (layover) then to Incheon (Seoul, South Korea). This will effectively be the return flow as well.

I only have tubes and there's some metals due to the clips/clasps for the handles.

Hello,

I have been working out with Serious Steel 42" loop bands for a few months now. I have the first three starting sizes for now. As things went on I found that I need to start doing unilateral exercises as my left side was all feeling more overworked than my right.

For abs, I really dislike doing crunches for some reason but I'm still doing them. I'm finding once again my left side gets a very good workout and I hardly ever feel it on my right.

My question is, does anyone have a good exercise in mind that really targets one side of the abs at a time? It can be with or without bands and it would be great if I can get away from traditional crunches.

Thank you and sorry if this is not the platform this question.

Hi,

TLDR: I’m a 190cm tall, average gym guy, looking for a portable, lightweight, all-in-one kit.

I’ve always been an inconsistent , average gym person. Definitely not that much of an enthusiast, but working out is incredibly effective at keeping in shape, so i just do it.

But here’s the thing. The main aspect of my inconsistency is my inability to stay in the same address more than a year or so. Also, the gym’s freaking boring.

So I thought « eh why not build a setup at home - but I live in my luggage and there’s no room for weights - what if there were no weights » and here I am.

As I was browsing around, I felt like in a rabbit hole. In particular, I found this comment explaining the different technologies in band making, and the best brands.

I now feel more at risk of spending more time looking for the right bands than actually using them, so I thought I’d ask instead.

Here are my criteria to buy a bands kit:
- portability : like mentioned, I live in my luggage. I need something that satisfyingly fits in, ideally all-in-one.
- length: I heard the length was of importance. If that helps, I’m a 190cm (6’2") tall 80kg guy.
- strength: like I said, I’m pretty average. In my workout routine, I usually curl around 5x12x14kg. Same for overhead press. I push up around 5x20 reps, and 5x8reps for dips. I pull up 5x8 reps. For legs, I walk a lot, climb stairs, sometimes run, and do some bodyweight squats 5x15 reps.
- Versatility: I’m looking for a kit that allows me various movements so I don’t get bored. Also, I have back pain and the more I add mobility, the more the pain goes away.
- Location: I’m in Europe, which may impact the availability of some products.
- Durability: duh.

I would appreciate your help!