I’ll be honest, there aren’t many lower-body exercises for which I would choose even the best resistance bands. Your legs house some seriously powerful muscle groups, including the glutes — the largest muscle group in the whole body — and quads, so overloading them properly can be tricky with just a band on hand.
However, resistance bands work, especially for rehabilitation, strengthening, mobilization and stabilization. You just need to be willing to get creative and play around with your variables to boost intensity.
If you choose bands to assist with your next leg day, think about your sets, reps and tempo, and consider thicker bands or doubling them up where you can. It’s about building volume into your regimen.
In the meantime, these are four of my favorite resistance band lower-body exercises, the benefits of using bands and how to do each move step-by-step.
Watch the video for the 4-move lower-body mobility routine:
It’s worth noting these exercises won’t sculpt the quad and glute muscles worthy of a fitness influencer filming themselves at the gym. Instead, the short routine is perfect for glute and hip engagement, which are crucial muscles for lower back protection and injury prevention.
Each move hits the gluteal muscles, especially the outer glutes, known as the gluteus medius and fires up the legs as a whole. I would use this routine as pre-activation before a leg day workout or as a fiery finisher. I have pretty lazy glutes, so I find moves like these help get them pinging in time for heavy squats, lunges and deadlifts.
This four-move routine was posted to Band Workout Pros and features Stretchfit, a functional and sports performance training page. The team writes, “You wouldn’t drive your car without warming it up — so why skip your warm-up before training?”
You’ll just need one mini band — think about the thickness and how many bands you’d like to use without compromising your range of motion. Be prepared to activate the muscles in your lower body, increase mobility and prepare the joints for training in four moves.
The short routine is formed of:
- Lateral walks
- Monster walks
- Knee drives
- Clamshells.
The guys don’t provide sets, reps, or timing, so I recommend 30 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest. Alternatively, aim for 16-20 reps and several sets of the lateral and monster walks, then 8-12 reps and several sets of the knee drives and clamshells.
Lateral walks
Lateral walks are brilliant at targeting the outer glutes and adductors, teaching the body to move laterally, which is one of the three planes of motion.
- Stand with your feet roughly hip-width apart, with your band looped just above your ankles
- Take a step to the right with your right foot, pause, then follow with your left foot, stepping hip-width apart
- Keep facing forward as you step and ensure your toes are pointing forward
- Complete reps in one direction, then begin moving to the left.
Monster walks
This is a similar exercise performed moving forward, and you’ll feel this move more in your hip flexors and quads. Keep your core engaged and chest proud throughout.
- Start standing with your feet hip-width apart, with your band looped just above your ankles
- Take a step forward and out to the right with your right foot, then repeat with your left foot forward and over to the left
- Continue moving forward for reps, then reverse and move backward with control.
Knee drives
Think marching on the spot, and you’ve got knee drives. Keep your core engaged and chest proud, standing as upright as possible, as you drive your knee upward, one at a time.
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart or slightly wider, with your band looped over the widest parts of your feet. Ensure you're standing on the band
- With power, drive your right knee upward to hip height, then return to standing
- Continue marching on the spot for reps, then move to the left leg and repeat.
Clamshells
Get ready to power up your glutes. This time, loop the band above your knees and lie on your side.
- Start on your right side with knees bent and lean on your right elbow
- Your hip should be supported on the ground, with knees and ankles stacked
- Engage your core
- Drive your left hip upward toward the ceiling as you open your left knee and push against the band
- Lower your left hip and return your left knee to the top of your right knee
- Repeat for reps, then switch sides.
