Best Resistance Band Leg Workout for Mass & Strength

January 08, 2021

If you can't get to the gym, or you simply prefer working out with bands at home, this Resistance Band Leg Workout will keep your legs up to par.

In fact, with the right intensity, this leg workout with resistance bands can build strength and mass in your quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves. All you have to do is use a good band size that will challenge you effectively for each exercise, fully engage your muscles with good form, and minimize your rest time to really hammer your legs.

Resistance Band Leg Workout For Mass & Strength

Resistance Band Leg Workout Details:

Purpose: Hypertrophy, Strength, Fat Loss
Primary Muscle Target: Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Calves
Secondary Muscle Target: Core, Shoulders
Equipment: Resistance Bands

Warm up:

Complete this Dynamic Warm Up before starting the workout.

Workout:

Complete each exercise for the recommended sets before moving on to the next exercise. This is not a circuit workout.

Rest Time: 30-60 seconds between sets and exercises.

Exercise 1: Squats - 4 x 20 reps
Exercise 2: Stiff-Legged Deadlifts - 4 x 20 reps
Exercise 3: Thrusters - 3 x 20 reps
Exercise 4: Bear Crawls - 3 x 20 meters
Exercise 5: Sprints - 3 x 40 meters

If you don't have a partner to help you with Exercises 4 and 5, replace with the following...

For Exercise 4, anchor the band and do bear crawls forward and backward slowly. You will move about two reps forward and two reps backwards, do this for a total of 20 reps.

For Exercise 5, do sprints without the band. Increase sprint distance to 100 meters. First sprint do 70% of max speed, second 80%, third 90%.

Want to add exercises to this leg workout using resistance bands?

Exercise 6: Banded Box Jumps

Exercise 7-9: Hammer your glutes like a pro athlete with these three resistance band glute exercises below:

How do resistance bands work on legs?

Unlike free weights, which work your legs using gravity, resistance bands work your muscles through elastic force...

That said, resistance bands work your lower body through external force all the same. When doing resistance band leg exercises, your muscles must engage to fight and push through the tension.

Moreover, with resistance bands, you can perform movements with a full range of motion.

For example, with resistance band squats, you are moving through the same range of motion as you are with free weight squats. The only difference is that elastic force is creating the tension rather than gravity.

All in all, with resistance bands, you can engage every muscle in your lower body, thus enabling a kickass workout. However, you will need to consider (as you do with free weights too) the right size [resistance band] to use to challenge yourself accordingly while maintaining proper form. Thankfully, resistance bands are very affordable, so you can buy a full set to test out which size resistance band is best, and when you are ready, you can move up in size.

Are resistance bands good for legs?

Yes, resistance bands are great for legs, and that goes beyond the ability to simply mimick traditional leg exercises that you do in the gym.

With resistance bands, you can add resistance to explosive exercise too. For example, you can do banded sprints, banded box jumps, banded bear crawls, and so on. All you need is a partner (or anchor) to hold the band behind you as you explode through the movements. These types of exercises are great for the legs, as they will hit them in new ways and it will improve your overall athleticism.

On a side note, you can add resistance to calisthenic exercises, such as banded pull ups and banded dips (tie a weight to the band or anchor it for extra resistance). Vice versa, you can use bands to assist you with exercises like pull ups and dips if you are struggling with these types of bodyweight exercises...

Bands can also be used to add resistance to free weight exercises.

What kind of resistance bands for leg exercises?

The best resistance bands for leg exercises that will actually put on mass and help you develop strength are heavy duty loop resistance bands, as seen in this post. This type of resistance band provides the most resistance, and they can do anything the other types of resistance bands can do too. They are the most versatile and the most effective, so getting heavy duty power loop resistance bands is a no-brainer, especially for leg exercises.

Can resistance bands build the glutes?

You can grow your glutes (aka your booty) with bodyweight only exercises if you do the right amount of volume and intensity, so you can definitely grow your glutes with bands.

In fact, bands are one of the best training tools for targeting the booty. This is one of the reasons for their rise in popularity. Even people who go to the gym to use free weights will bring resistance bands so they can do resistance band exercises for their glutes too.

There are tons of resistance band exercises for the booty, and you can hit your glutes from all angles, not just in a vertical motion.

Check out these 3 new glute exercises by our friend Michael Drach Training

What lower body muscles can resistance bands target?

Resistance bands can target all of your major muscle groups, such as your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.

Think squats, lunges, kicks, horizontal slides, calf raises, and more.

What’s more, resistance bands can also target your joint complexes!

Are resistance bands good for mobility exercises?

Resistance bands can be used for joint mobilization, from your ankles to your hips and all the way up.

Joint mobilization is a form of passive movement that is beneficial for improving range of motion, mitigating capsular restrictions and breaking adhesions, among other benefits. All in all, joint mobilization is a great form of manual therapy. It is great for providing therapeutic effects for those who train often, such as bodybuilders, powerlifters, and athletes.

7 Resistance Band Leg Stretches to do before this Leg Workout

How many reps should I do for resistance band leg exercises?

For lower body exercises, you will want a band that at least challenges you for sets of 12-15 reps (with good form).

If you can easily complete 12-15 reps, move up in band size...

Now, for the exercises featured in this video, we’ve noticed the best results with slightly higher reps. Sets of 20-25 reps have shown to be very effective for these resistance band leg exercises. Higher volume in general is more effective with bands. Also, you should have a slow eccentric motion (downward) and fast, explosive concentric motion (upward).

Benefits of Resistance Band Leg Exercises

Resistance bands are lightweight, so you can take them anywhere. This means you can get a leg workout in at home, outside, or while traveling - take them on a plane or on a road trip and never miss a leg day again!

They are versatile, which means you can do tons of different leg exercises with resistance bands. Of course, some exercises are more effective than others. The ones in the workout above are a good example of effective leg exercises with resistance bands.

You can combine resistance bands with free weights for banded barbell squats, deadlifts, kettlebell swings, and more too!

What's more, resistance band leg exercises are great for supersetting with free weight exercises.

On the whole, resistance bands are one of the most versatile training tools in the game. They can be used for warm up, workout, and recovery. This makes resistance bands a must have for every athlete, every gym, and every home gym. Put simply, EVERYONE.