Written By Daniel D'Alessio
Are you looking for a workout to make gains at home? Search no further than this workout with resistance bands. Not everyone may want to spend a fortune on weights and other equipment. So resistance bands are a cheap and effective alternative. Not to mention, very useful for increasing the intensity of your workout. There is a large variety of exercises you can do. Plus, you will discover how you can use bands to make specific movements more challenging. If you want to develop a muscular and athletic body, this is the session for you. Here is the ultimate upper-body workout with resistance bands.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
| Banded Push-Ups | 4 | 8-10 | 60 -75 sec |
| Banded Upright Rows | 4 | 10-12 reps | 60-75 sec |
| Banded Shoulder Press | 4 | 12-15 reps | 45-60 sec |
| Banded Curls | 4 | 12-15 reps | 45-60 sec |
| Banded Dips | 4 | 12-15 reps | 45-60 sec |
Banded Push-Ups
Push-ups are a phenomenal exercise for building your chest, shoulders, and triceps. Adding resistance bands increases the difficulty and allows you to make more gains.
Start: Wrap the resistance band around the upper part of your back. Then place your hands in the loopholes on either side. Get into a regular press-up position by going on your hands and knees. Making your arms and legs straight, and place your hands at shoulder-width. Don’t forget to keep your spine neutral.
Execution: Lower your chest to the ground and then push back up. Extend at the elbow to explode back up into the starting position. You will notice the resistance band makes this more difficult. So your triceps and chest need to work harder to control the movement. For greater chest activation, you can widen your hands a bit, or to target your triceps, narrow your hand-width.
Pro Tip: To work your upper body more, slow the rate at which you lower your chest to the ground. So your muscles will experience greater time under-tension and lead to gains.
Banded Upright Rows
Upright Rows are an amazing exercise for targeting your traps and shoulders. While improving the thickness and muscularity of your upper back.
Start: Stand on one side of the resistance band with both feet and grip the other side with both hands. Start with the band at waist-height and your feet at shoulder-width. Make sure your shoulders retract, and your chest is up.
Execution: Pull the band up towards your shoulders in a vertical motion. Squeeze when you reach the top and then lower it down before performing the next rep. Think of this exercise as pulling your trousers up. The band should only move upwards and downwards.
Pro Tip: Pause with the band for a couple of seconds when you reach your shoulders. More tension will be on your traps, and you will feel more of a burn.
Banded Shoulder Press
Shoulder Press is fantastic for developing the size and muscularity of your shoulders. At the same time, it is a compound exercise that targets other muscles such as your triceps and biceps.
Start: Stand on one side of the resistance band with both feet at shoulder-width. Grip the other side with both hands, with your palms underneath the band. Tuck your elbows in and point them forward. Hold the band at chest-height.
Execution: Press the band above your head while simultaneously tucking in your chin. You should finish with your arms straight. Then lower the band back down to your chest before performing the next rep.
Pro Tip: Keep your back completely straight throughout the movement. Arching your back can lead to injury and take the contraction off your upper body.
Banded Curls
Curls are the most effective exercise for growing your biceps. When performed, it can lead to developing muscular and defined arms.Start: Stand with both feet on the resistance band at shoulder-width. Grab the other side of the band with arms also at shoulder width. Stand nice and tall by keeping your chest up. Your elbows tucked in and hands underneath the band with your palms facing up.
Execution: Curl the band towards your body by bending at the elbow. The band should reach your shoulder, and you should feel the contraction in your biceps. Lower the band back down to your chest before completing the next rep. Do not swing your arms; your elbow is the only part of your body that moves.
Pro Tip: Try not to use any momentum at all. Allow your arms to do the work, so you maximize gains. Rocking back and forth will take tension off your biceps.
Banded Dips
Dips are a brilliant exercise to build your triceps and shoulders. Doing this movement with a resistance band increases the intensity. You can do this at home on a chair or sofa.Start: Wrap the band around your neck and place your hands in the loophole on either side. Get into a dip position by sitting on an obstacle and putting your hands behind you at shoulder-width. Lift your bottom off the obstacle and make your legs straight. The band should feel tight around your neck, and there should be tension in your arms.
Execution: Lower your body down by bending at your elbows. Stop with your bottom a few inches above the ground. Then extend at the elbows and push yourself back up to perform the next rep. You should feel the contraction in your triceps as you go up and down.
Pro Tip: Elevate your feet on an obstacle to make the exercise even more challenging. So this will remove any help from your lower body and force your triceps to work harder.
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