Written by Sam Coleman | Co-founder
Fact checked by Kirsten Yovino, CPT Brookbush Institute
FACT CHECKED
Are you looking to buy resistance bands but you aren’t sure what size you should get? We are about to discuss everything you need to know about resistance bands. That way, you know how to choose both the right kind of resistance band and the right size for you. This is without a doubt the most complete guide to buying resistance bands.
In this resistance band buyer's guide, we cover the following:
- What type of resistance band is best
- Benefits and advantages of using resistance bands
- Resistance Band Sizes (with the approximate resistance levels in pounds)
- What size resistance band is best for stretching, mobility, pull up assistance (and other calisthenics), strength training & building muscle (i.e. best bands for glutes, legs, arms, shoulders), combining with free weights, seniors, and physical therapy.
- Final Summary
- Where to buy bands
What kind of resistance band should I buy?
We’ve talked about this in a previous post - 5 Types of Resistance Bands and Which is Best - but just to sum it up, we strongly believe the best type of resistance band is the 41 inch loop power resistance bands. Without a doubt. They are the most versatile as you can use them for warm up, workout and recovery.
What length resistance band do I need?
Just to be clear, the heavy duty loop resistance bands that are great for warming up, mobility, stretching, working out, and pull up assistance are 41 inches in length. No matter what size band it is (i.e. what resistance level), they will all be 41 inches in length. The size/resistance level is determined by the width of the band.
Besides the name "resistance bands", there are a few terms for them - pull up assist bands, 41 inch loop bands, heavy duty bands, and power resistance bands.
Related: The 10 Best Ways To Use 41" Loop Resistance Bands
Benefits of 41" Heavy Duty Loop Power Resistance Bands
We will use bullet points to express the main benefits of resistance bands:
- Warm up & Mobility
- Static Stretching
- Rehabilitation & Prehabilitation
- Alternative to Weight Training (Full Body Workouts with Bands Only)
- Not only are they good for resistance training, but they can also assist you in training. For example assisted pull ups, dips, muscle ups, other calisthenics-based exercises, and even assistance for exercises like barbell squats and bench press (if you are using a squat rack)
- Bands can be combined with free weights to change the dynamics of the exercise. For example, Banded Squats, Banded Deadlifts, Banded Bench Press and Banded Leg Press. When using bands this way, you add more resistance to the eccentric phase and you will have greater resistance at all phases of the lift (usually you have less resistance at the top of the lift, but not with bands). It also helps build explosive power. They can also be used to train stability during these same lifts, by using bands tied with plates or kettlebells hanging off the ends of the barbell, which makes stability much more challenging during the lift.
- Explosiveness. With bands, you can build explosive strength by performing exercises such as resisted sprints, resisted box jumps, resisted push ups, resisted bear crawls, and so on and so forth.
- Last but definitely not least, bands are a fantastic tool for training the transverse plane as bands offer resistance from any angle. You only need elasticity not gravity to create tension. This allows you to perform resistance training in the transverse plane with much more versatility in terms of the exercises that you can do. We will get into this more below.
This is also something that we’ve gone over in-depth in a previous post. So if you want to learn more about resistance band benefits, check this post out: Top 7 Benefits of Power Resistance Bands.
Elastic Tension vs Gravitational Force
To give you a better understanding of how resistance bands work, let's quickly discuss elastic tension (the kind of resistance cause by resistance band exercises) vs gravitational force (the kind of resistance caused by free weight exercises)...
When training with free weights like a dumbbell, the resistance is created by the force of gravitation. With resistance bands, the resistance is generated by elastic force. The more we stretch the band, the great the tension is. Thus, our muscles must generate force to overcome this elastic tension.
When using free weights the direction is always downward, yet with bands, we can create force in any direction by pushing or pulling the band in the opposite direction. This is why bands are especially great for the transverse plane. When using dumbbells, the weight will be pulling you down as you are rotating or resisting rotation. With bands, the force will be towards where the band is anchored. So, if it is anchored to the left or right of you, the force will be in that direction, which makes for perfect rotational or anti-rotational exercises.
Another example of how the elastic force can be useful over gravitational force is that you can position yourself however you want. With dumbbells, you will only be able to train your chest if you are laying on the bench (flat or inclined), as the force of gravity is downward. And to hit your back, you'd need to hinge and bend forward.
With bands, you can train your chest standing up straight by wrapping the band around your back and pressing forward horizontally (you can also tie the band to an anchor directly behind you to create more elastic force, which means more resistance).
Other Advantages of Resistance Bands over Free Weights
There are more advantages of resistance bands when comparing them to free weights, such as:
- Low Impact on Joints, thus they are safer to use.
- Portable so you can workout anywhere
- Easier to learn strength training exercises/movements
Related: Resistance Bands vs Free Weights
THAT BEING SAID…
We don’t think of bands necessarily as an alternative, with the exception of the use of bands by beginners, children, seniors, or anyone with joint issues.
We think of bands as a supplemental training tool for your fitness arsenal. A good fitness program is one that is well-rounded, and we feel that bands are an essential tool, just like a barbell, dumbbell or kettlebell is.
Nevertheless, if you only wanted to train with bands, as maybe your joints are painful, you travel all the time, or you like to workout outside and don’t want to deal with a bunch of equipment, you absolutely can achieve great fitness results from using bands only.
Bands are such a versatile tool that you can literally target every aspect of fitness and get into great shape with them. We just think that if you have the opportunity to use more kinds of equipment, that's ideal, as there are some fitness tools that are better for certain things. For example, there is no better way to build muscle mass than with free weights, even though resistance bands can build muscle if used correctly. Similarly, there are no better exercises for HIIT than explosive movements like burpees and sprints.
BUT again, working out with just resistance bands and your bodyweight is enough to get into great shape, and there are many people out there who do so.
Related: How To Get Ripped With Resistance Bands
What are your fitness GOALS?
Ask yourself what your goals are and what other kinds of equipment you will be using, as that will help you determine the best resistance bands to get.
For example, if you want to do calisthenics, a full set of resistance bands is best, but if you only want to use resistance bands for pull assistance or for squats, deadlifts, and so on, then you can get a resistance band size that matches your specific need.
Resistance Band Sizes
Below are the typical sizes of heavy duty 41" loop resistance bands.
Note: the color of the resistance band is often different depending on the brand that sells the resistance bands. So, the colors below are for SET FOR SET's resistance bands. The actual sizes/dimensions and pounds of resistance work for any band of the same size and of the same high-quality layering. Thus, you should pay attention to the dimensions (more specifically the width as they will all be the same length and thickness).
RESISTANCE BAND SIZES & DIMENSIONS with Free Weight Conversion (Resistance Levels in LBS):
#1 Yellow- 5 to 30 pounds of resistance (1/2” - 41" x 0.5" x 0.18")
#2 Black - 20 to 55 pounds of resistance (7/8" - 41" x 0.85" x 0.18")
#3 Blue- 35 to 70 pounds of resistance (1 1/4" - 41" x 1.25" x 0.18")
#4 Green - 45 to 115 pounds of resistance (1 3/4" - 41" x 1.75" x 0.18")
#5 Gray - 60 to 170 pounds of resistance (2 1/2" - 41" x 2.5" x 0.18")
Note: the resistance band dimensions in parenthesis are length x width x height/thickness in inches.
Pay attention to the resistance bands quality!
Our bands are made from all natural Malaysian latex and we use a continuous layering process that helps to prevent any type of breakage or tearing. Our bands have a long life thanks to this technique. Moreover, because of the high quality latex and manufacturing process that we use, our resistance bands can stretch up to 2 ½ times their original length.
Common uses for each size of Resistance Bands
Yellow Band (Lowest resistance) - 1/2 inch wide
- Good for stretching
- Mobility
- Jumping exercises
- Rehab & prehab
- Small muscle group strength training (i.e. shoulders)
- Extremely light assistance for pull-ups
- Adding light resistance to barbell exercises like a bench press, overhead press, squats, deadlifts.
Black Band - 0.85 inches wide
- Stretching
- Mobility
- Jumping exercises
- Small/medium muscle group strength training (i.e. bicep exercises, shoulder press).
- Light assistance for pull-ups.
- Adding light-to-medium resistance to traditional gym equipment like squats, leg press machine, etc.
Blue Band - 1.25 inches wide
- Full body strength exercises (i.e. shoulder press, deadlifts, calve exercises)
- Lower body strength training
- Mobility and stretching exercises
- Best resistance bands for assisted pull-ups, strict or kipping.
- Adding medium-heavy resistance to barbell exercises like bench press, deadlift or squat.
Green Band - 1.75 inches wide
- Large muscle groups (deadlifts, squats)
- Lower body exercises - Lower Body Stretches
- Perfect for assisted pull ups, strict or kipping
- Adding heavy resistance to traditional gym exercises like deadlift or squat if you are an advanced lifter.
Gray Band - 2.5 inches wide
- Large muscle group strength training.
- Big compound exercises like deadlifts.
- Great for people who need a lot of assistance with their pull ups and bar muscle ups.
- Adding very heavy resistance to traditional strength training exercises like deadlift or squat.
- This band is best for heavier body types and advanced lifters.
What Size Resistance Band Should I Buy?
Well, the answer can be simple. Ideally, you want a full set of 5 resistance bands, as every band is useful in different ways, so you can put them all to work. Some people even get two bands of the same size for exercises like banded barbell squats. If money is not a concern, this is great as there are so many ways you can pair bands of the same size together, both with free weights and bodyweight exercises.
That said, if you don’t want to buy a full set of 5 bands, then you get a set of 3 bands, which is also good.
So...
Best Option: Full Set of 5 Bands
Buying Tip: By combining 2 smaller bands together, you can get the same resistance as a larger band (i.e. the yellow band paired with the blue band equals the same resistance as a green band).
But, I only want to buy one band!
How to choose the right size resistance bands?
If you only want to buy one band, or certain bands based on your specific fitness goal, your choice will depend on what you want to use the resistance band for and your current conditioning level and how strong you are.
We will do our best to help you determine which size resistance band is right for you by answering the following...
What size band for:
- Stretching
- Mobility
- Strength Training & Building Muscle
- Legs, Glutes, Arms, Shoulders
- Pull Ups (Assistance)
- Combining with Free Weights
- Seniors
- Physical Therapy
Best Resistance Bands For Stretching
When it comes to stretching with resistance bands, the best resistance band sizes are the two smaller ones (yellow and black - 1/2” and 7/8”). The blue band could be useful for certain stretches that require more tension. That being said, you can work with the smaller sizes by wrapping them or grabbing them differently to get adequate tension for essentially every stretch.
Stretching with bands is great because it allows you to get a deeper stretch, and get into positions that you would otherwise have troubles with.
Related: 6 resistance band stretching and mobility exercises
Best Resistance Band for Mobility.
The best resistance band for banded mobility exercises are the black and blue band, and event the green band. For some mobility exercises, the yellow will be best.
You want a band that has enough tension so you can pull at your joint to create normalcy. This is called mobilization. So for the hips, as it is a bigger joint, the blue band will be best. For shoulders, some mobility exercises will be best with the black or blue band, but some mobility exercises that require movement - more of a dynamic mobility exercise - the yellow band is the safest and best option.
Best Resistance Bands for Building Muscle & Strength Training - Full Body Workout (Bands ONLY)
If you want an alternative to free weights for full body muscle building and strength training, or losing weight and getting lean, a set of bands will do the job. It would be best to get a Set of 5 bands for this.
This will allow you to target each muscle group effectively.
Related: 7 resistance band exercises for a full body workout
What size resistance band is best for arms?
For arms, the yellow and/or black resistance band will be the best. This includes shoulders, biceps, triceps and forearms.
What size resistance band is best for chest?
For chest, all three sizes will be useful. The yellow will allow you to be more explosive when doing resisted push ups. The black and blue will be great as an alternative to DB chest press, and you can do this by anchoring the band or simply wrapping the band around your back. If you want to just get one, you will need to determine your strength level.
What size resistance band is best for back?
For your back, you can do all the variations of rows and the best size of the three would be the blue band for an average person. To make it harder, all you need to do is create more tension by wrapping the band differently, providing more tension from the starting position.
What size resistance band is best for glutes and legs?
This really depends on the type of exercise you do. If you are doing a compound movement like a Thruster, a smaller band will be challenging enough at high reps. If you want to do a form of squats, where you wrap the band around the back of your neck, just above your traps, and stand on the bottom of the band, then the blue band is good. If you have a set of 5, you can work up to the green and gray band as well for this type of exercise. The same applies to deadlifts with bands.
Related: Resistance Band Exercises for Glutes
All in all, a Set of 5 resistance bands is best, as you can technically get up to 170 pounds of resistance, and with this, you can grow muscles and stronger. But a Set of 3 would be more than enough if you are a beginner to intermediate lifter.
All that being said, if you are an advanced lifter, or close to it, you really can’t replace free weights in terms of building muscle without doing tons of reps. But, bands will challenge your muscles differently, and bands are said to grow tighter, denser muscles. In any case, if you are an advanced lifter looking to take a break from free weights and get toned, then the set of 3 or 5 would be perfect for you too, plus you can use them for so many other things as well.
Related: 21-minute full body resistance band and bodyweight workout
Best Resistance Bands For Pull Ups - Pull Up Assist Bands and other assistance-based band exercises (i.e. assisted dips)
When it comes to pull up assistance, if you haven’t used bands yet, then it might be confusing for you to determine which size is best to start with, as the pounds of resistance ranges we listed are for free weight conversion (tension) so its hard to apply it to pull up assistance.
Nonetheless, we will try our best to help you decide which size is best for you. It shouldn’t be too difficult.
- Yellow band - the yellow band is going to be for someone who can do a decent amount of pull ups without any assistance, but they want to get more reps in and work on getting a longer range of motion in their pull ups. The same applies to dip assistance. Moreover, if you are doing an intense workout and ending your workout with some pull ups or dips, this size band will be helpful even if you are in good condition. The yellow band is also helpful for someone who almost has the muscle up down but you’re not quite there yet. It will give the extra boost needed to perform the muscle up.
- Black band - the black band will be good for someone who can do a few pull ups and wants to be able to get around 10-12 reps in. The black band is also good for someone who is working on their muscle up.
- Blue band - the blue band is probably the best band for someone who can do about one good pull up. This is the band we usually start people with who are new to fitness and just learning how to do a pull up. It will give you enough assistance to teach you proper form, and it will also be challenging.
- Green band - The green band is similar to the blue band, but with a little more assistance. It will be better for someone who is a little heavier but of the same strength as someone who uses the blue band.
- Gray band - The gray band is the ideal band for someone who is overweight. It will offer A LOT of assistance. That being said, it is quite difficult to set up as you need the strength to pull the band into place so can set your foot (or feet) in the loop. Likely you will need someone to help you by having them pull the band down to feet level, so you can place your foot in it.
Based on the above, you can choose a band that suits you. That being said, we have an important tip for you to consider.
TIP FOR BUYING PULL UP ASSIST BANDS
If you get a set of 3 bands - yellow, black and blue bands - you can combine them to get the resistance of all three added up. So combining these 3 bands will give you the same resistance as a band of the same width as the total of the three - 1/2” + 7/8” + 1 1/4” = 2 3/5”. Therefore you would have even more assistance than one gray band.
Plus, you can combine them in any fashion to meet your assistance needs. The best part is, as you get stronger, you can change the bands you use, remove bands, until you can do high reps without any bands. So, if you are thinking of getting a green or gray, then get the set of 3 resistance bands. if you are thinking to get the blue band, you can get the yellow and black instead.
Best Resistance Band For Combining With Free Weight Lifts
Are you looking to combine bands during lifts like bench, squat, deadlift, leg press, and military barbell press?
For combining resistance bands with free weights, like banded barbell squats, even if you are an advanced lifter, you should start light. It’s a completely different dynamic and even the yellow and black will challenge you. You can eventually move up when ready.
Note: You will have to use less free weights for this as you need to calculate the extra force from the band, on top of the weight on the bar or press machine.
FOR this, it’s best to have a pair of bands of each size you plan to use. As the set up is better when you have two bands.
So, if you are just starting out with combining resistance bands with free weights, a pair of yellow bands or black bands is best. Furthermore, you can increase the tension by wrapping the band more when setting up so there will be more tension from the start. With more tension, you will calculate the added resistance at the high end of the range - so for the yellow it would be around 30LB each side and the black band around 55LB.
For more advanced lifters, you can use a blue band and you will likely quickly work up to a green band, and for those who are very strong and understand how to properly set up the bands for these kinds of lifts, the gray band.
Read about the benefits, purpose and how to use bands during strength training and bodybuilding with free weights and leg press machine - Strength Training 101 - How to use resistance bands for quick gains.
Stability Training using Bands During Barbell Lifts.
Also, you can use them for stability purposes if you have two by tying two bands around each end of the barbell with kettlebells or plates attached to the bands. This will challenge your stability. You will have to go much lighter when starting out with this as the stability completely changes the game.
A yellow band or black band is all you need for this. A black is best as the weight attached to the band will not pull the band all the way to the ground. Although a yellow will work as long as you wrap it around the bar enough.
Check out this article for how we do stability exercises using bands on Chest Day - 4 chest exercises with bands
Best Resistance Band For Explosive Exercises
If you want to do explosive exercises like banded sprints and bear crawls, the blue and green band is best.
For explosive exercises like banded box jumps, the yellow or black band will be better.
4 Explosive Resistance Band Exercises For Athletes
Best Resistance Band For Seniors
For seniors, the yellow band will be best. You’d be able to get a full body workout in with the yellow band and it will be challenging even for larger muscle groups so long as you keep your muscles engaged throughout the movement.
If you are a senior, definitely start with a yellow band, if you are feeling advantageous, you can get a yellow and black band.
Best Resistance Band For Physical Therapy
For physical therapy, the yellow band is also the best option. It will give you the right resistance to strengthen your muscles, joints and tendons.
In fact, you don’t want any more tension for many physical therapy exercises, as they are not intended to build big muscle, but more so create normalcy in your joints and muscles.
Check out these two articles to see how we use the yellow band to strengthen our rotator cuffs and knees.
Related: 7 rotator cuff exercises for shoulder rehab and prehab
WHERE TO BUY EXERCISE RESISTANCE BANDS?
So when it comes down to what size resistance band is best to buy, It’s always best to buy multiple sizes as they offer you a wider range of uses. Plus, most bands are sold in sets and come at a cheaper price this way. If you want to buy bands, you can get them from SET FOR SET. We have the highest quality bands at a very good price. Shop by following the link below.
Our heavy duty resistance bands can be a great supplement to your normal training program. The high quality power bands can easily transport...
7 Responses
Brenton wolfe
I want to be able to do bench squat and deadlift what length and how many bands do I need
Marianne
I am a senior – 64 yrs. and only 5’2" tall. All the bands seem too long for me to use except in an under the foot position. Is there a band that I can use both under the foot and up at chest level?
Bookmuncher
I am a 60-year old female with frozen shoulder. Doctor told me to exercise with resistance band. I am 5’5" tall. Can you please suggest me which band to buy and where to buy it? Otherwise I do walking and yoga for fitness.thanks for the help.
Antonio Smith
I have been training for years and I mostly do bodyweight exercise and I am a small-mid size guy. I would like to know which bands would you recommend me for the following exercises:
!. Assisted pushups. Without assistance, I am able to do 15-20 consecutive pushups. I can do 10 consecutive clapping pushups.
II. Squats
III. Bulgarian squats
IV. Lunges
V. Other stretching leg exercises such as donkey kicks, or extending one leg behind me
Thanks
Antoniok McGhee
Hey! This is a very informative post. Thank you so much for posting this valuable content.
Luca
hiya, whats best length? as I have to 2 sets on the way,
1 being 81 inches in length, the others being the same as the ones youve listed – 41 inches.
will both be ok?
Ravindra Wankhede
I want to prchase band for ankle recovery
Leave a comment
Comments will be approved before showing up.
Sam Coleman
Author