Maximize Your Workout with Push-Ups using Resistance Bands

Resistance band push-ups are a great alternative to traditional push-ups, offering an added challenge for your muscles and a chance to mix up your fitness routine. Whether a beginner or an advanced exerciser, these full-body moves will give you a great workout.

Resistance band push-ups: a great full-body exercise option

If you're looking for a well-balanced fitness program, push-ups should be one of the primary choices for upper-body workouts. This classic, highly effective compound exercise not only works your chest, shoulders, and triceps, but also works almost every upper body muscle. Pushups may get more manageable if you start correctly. So, to increase your range of motion, you can perform pushups with a resistance band for added resistance, making the hardest part of the exercise significantly easier but still challenging.

What Muscles Does the Resistance Band Push-Up Work?

A standard pushup targets the pecs, deltoids, triceps, and serratus anterior.


While the muscles, as mentioned above, are the primary target, your abs, erector spine, glutes, and legs will contract isometrically to help you maintain a perfect plank position (a pushup is a moving plank). Additionally, your biceps, lats, trapezius, and rhomboids will be activated to stabilize your pushing muscles.


As you can see, pushups are full-body exercises. While the bench press is enjoyed by many (and a great workout), the push-up should always be noticed, even among experienced and long-term trainers.


Note: There are many push-up variations, and they work your muscles in different ways. For example, a decline push-up will hit your upper chest more, a clench push-up will hit your triceps to a greater extent, and just doing a regular push-up with a fully extended shoulder blade will activate the serratus anterior better.

Resistance band pushups work the same muscles as regular bodyweight pushups. You add resistance through the resistance band, which creates more tension and stimulation to the targeted muscles.

How to properly perform resistance band push-ups?

Step 1：

Decide how the  resistance band will wrap around your hand. You can wrap it around your thumb or palm. My preference is palm. If you're using a size medium or more significant, it can be painful to wrap it around your thumb.

Wrapping it around your thumb is fine if you're using a small band, but it pays to get used to wearing it on the palm of your hand.


Step 2：

Cross the resistance band in an X. This pro-tip keeps the band from flying up the back of your neck when performing resistance-band push-ups.


Step 3：

Wrap the resistance band around your back, so it wraps around your palms.


Step 4：

Kneel and get into a push-up position. You should feel the band stay in place when you start the push-up. If not, sit on your lap and adjust it until you are comfortable.


Step 5：

Perform resistance-band pushups, with your thumbs directly under or slightly beyond shoulder width. The elbows should form a 45° angle with the body. Flaring your elbows to the side breaks your shoulders and is a weaker position to push.

Variations of resistance band push ups

Resistance band pushups are very versatile because you won't be stuck doing pushups on the floor. Depending on your goals, you can make the exercises harder or more accessible.

  • Decline Resistance Band Push-Ups

As mentioned earlier, elevating the feet allows more power to be generated by the upper body's muscles. More strength means greater mechanical tension and potentially more remarkable muscle growth.
With the band's added resistance, you can increase your force even further, making it an excellent exercise for adding mass.
When performing a descending band pushup, the band will fly up your neck, which can be painful. You don't have this problem if you attach the elastic band behind the elbow.

  • Stretch Resistance Band Push-Ups

Mechanical tension is not only maximized by the load. More significant stretching and a more excellent range of motion also increase muscle tone. Additionally, you are increasing the time under tension which affects muscle growth.
This will place more emphasis on your pecs than resistance band pushups on the floor. You don't need to hold your hands up very high. Even the weight-bearing position is enough to increase the range of motion significantly.

  • Band-assisted Push-Ups

Band-assisted push-ups can be a way for beginners to build strength for performing regular push-ups. But it also makes for perfect upper-body ballistics. If you don't have room to throw an exercise ball, you can attach a strap to the top of the weight rack and use it to lower your weight.

Are Resistance Band Push-Ups Good?

Resistance band pushups are great, as the study says: Elastic band push-up as effective as bench press exercise. The resistance band allows you to safely do weighted push-ups without needing a training partner. When using weight plates, you need someone to place them on your back. With resistance bands, you can challenge push-ups on your own. Everything is difficult at the beginning, but it will be a good thing if you start trying. Let's practice together.

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Resistance Band Push Ups: The Ultimate Full-Body Exercise