These Resistance Band Exercises Will Fire Up Your Glutes and Thighs Like No Other (2024)

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If you want to build muscle and improve power and endurance, resistance bands are some of the best strength training equipment items you can use. Unlike dumbbells and kettlebells, resistance bands put less pressure on the joints and can target small and large muscle groups at once. So when it comes to leg day, let’s dive into the resistance band leg workouts that will fire up those glutes in a flash.

“Resistance bands are great because you can bring them with you anywhere, and there are varying degrees to make it more challenging, or scale it back,” says Betina Gozo, Nike master trainer and creator of STRONG With Betina Gozo: Total-Body Fitness in Under 20 Minutes.

Meet the Experts: Marisa Golan, a certified personal trainer, Base Ops Fitness Coach at Fort Athletic Club, and owner of e(M)powered personal training; Betina Gozo, Nike master trainer and creator of STRONG With Betina Gozo: Total-Body Fitness in Under 20 Minutes; Jonathan Tylicki, NASM certified personal trainer and director of education for AKT.

So, if you want to find the best resistance band workout for leg day, look no further. Here, our experts explain why resistance bands should have a place in your regular fitness routine and how to use them to tone up your legs and fire up those glutes!

What are resistance bands good for?

Resistance bands are particularly useful for lower body workouts, including the legs and glutes, because they force you to move with better form and produce power from the right muscles, Gozo says. If you suffer from knee pain, resistance bands are especially handy for strengthening the muscles around the joint so they can stand up to a heavier load.

Using resistance bands can elicit the same strength benefits as using machines or free weights, says Jonathan Tylicki, NASM certified personal trainer and director of education for AKT. “Where resistance bands stand out is that they require additional muscle recruitment to stabilize during an exercise, so instead of being focused on one main muscle, you get the benefit of working more of the muscles that surround and stabilize the joint,” he explains.

Different from weights which can exert a lot of force on the end points of a muscle, a resistance band distributes tension equally throughout the muscle contraction, limiting potential for strain or injury, Tylicki continues. “You get constant tension in all phases of the exercise—the concentric contraction, the eccentric lengthening and isometric isolation,” he explains. A lot of the momentum that people use to lift weights is eliminated when you use a resistance band, so you have consistent control over the movement and improved efficiency, he adds.

Plus, resistance bands are a great option for anyone, from beginners to those who are more advanced. Beginners can benefit from the extra support with their form and more advanced athletes can quickly and efficiently increase the difficulty of their movement by adding more resistance, says Marisa Golan, a certified personal trainer, Base Ops Fitness Coach at Fort Athletic Club, and owner of e(M)powered personal training.

“The external feedback of the resistance can help you adjust your stance or think about activating certain muscles to get the most out of the exercise,” Gozo agrees. “For example, if you’re someone that tends to let their knees cave in when you squat, placing a resistance band above your knees is a good reminder to drive your knees out,” she says.

Types of resistance bands to have in your routine

A resistance band is an elastic band that applies force and resistance to muscles as it is elongated, says Tylicki. “There are different varieties including those that are flat as well as those that are a tube.” They can be one piece or be looped in a circle, and may or may not have handles—and each of these work a little differently.

Loop bands, both large and small, can work all muscle groups, says Tylicki. “Large loop bands are a bit more versatile because they are easier to use for big muscle group exercises, like squats where you stand on the band and loop it over your shoulders,” he says. If you have a large loop band, you can also double it up or tie it at a point to make it smaller and use more like a mini band. “Mini bands are great for smaller range of motion exercises because they have a close loop of tension,” Tylicki adds.

Resistance bands with handles are ideal for pushing and pulling exercises, typically focusing more on the upper body, says Tylicki. “The band can be anchored to a fixed point, like a wall or door, or you can stand on the band or loop it under your foot to create tension,” he explains. Having a handle gives more control when holding the band, and you also get the benefit of engaging additional muscles within the hand and forearm, he adds.

Here are some bands that our experts recommend adding to your collection:

The X Bands. For lower body movements, Golan likes to use a grippy looped resistance band so they don’t ride up. She likes X Bands for their quality, and they come in packs of multiple bands, so you can choose how much resistance you want to use.
Women’s Best Resistance Band. Choose from light, medium, or heavy resistance with Golan’s go-to looped cloth band. This option stays in place and is a great option for those who don’t love rubber material when performing lower-body movements.
Black Mountain Products Resistance Bands. Golan suggests investing in a set of bands with handles to complete different exercises–especially upper body stretch training or rehabilitation exercises. You’ll get a variety of options to choose from and feel like you have a full set of weights at your fingertips.
A mini loop band is most widely used for lower body exercises, hence the nickname “booty band,” says Tylicki. “Theraband is one of the most reputable and durable brands of resistance band, boasting a large array of resistance levels.” There are also more modern and chic options like the Bala Band, he adds.

Not sure how to get started? Gozo designed this resistance band leg workout below.

Reps: 15 to 20 reps for two to three rounds

Equipment: One medium to heavy resistance band and a yoga mat.

Fire Hydrant

The gluteus maximus—the largest muscle in your glutes—gets the most love when it comes to butt exercises, but doing more exercises that involve abduction—moving your legs away from the midline—can help you target the smaller muscles. This fire hydrant exercise activates the gluteus medius and minimus by moving against the resistance of the band.

How to do fire hydrants: Place a resistance band just above your knee and get into tabletop position with your hips directly over your knees and your shoulders over your wrists. Engaging your glutes and outer thighs, lift your left knee out to the side without shifting your hips. Be sure to tighten your core so your upper body stays stable. Bring your left knee back to the starting position. Continue for 10 reps before switching sides.

Tabletop Glute Kickbacks

This variation of kickbacks fires up your glutes while tightening your core. The challenge here will be to keep your upper body and hips square and stable. A good visualization is to imagine pushing the wall behind you with your heel. You can really feel your glutes working. While this exercise primarily works your lower body, it's important to press your hands down on the ground to keep your shoulders in place.

How to do tabletop glute kickbacks: Place a resistance band around the arches of your feet and get into tabletop position with your hips directly over your knees and shoulders over your wrists. Squeezing your glutes and core, kick your left foot directly behind you, forming a straight line from your heel to the top of your head. Continue for 10 reps before switching sides.

Glute Bridge Pulses

Glute bridges are an excellent way to strengthen the pelvic floor and open up the hips. When you place a resistance band just above your knees, as shown here, you're also engaging your outer thigh muscles to drive your knees out. Just be careful not to lift your hips too high to prevent overarching the low back.

How to do glute bridge pulses: Place a resistance band on your thighs, just above your knees. Lie face up on a yoga mat with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor, and arms by your sides. Tightening your glutes and pelvic muscles, press your hips up toward the ceiling and pulse your hips up and down, never letting your butt touch the ground. Continue for 15 to 20 reps. For a more challenging variation, make it a single-leg glute bridge by lifting one leg off the ground.

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Glute Bridge With Alternating Leg Raise

Your lower abs and stability get tested with this glute bridge exercise. Lifting one leg at a time with a resistance band around your thighs offsets your balance and makes your glutes work harder to keep them lifted off the ground.

How to do a glute bridge with alternating leg raises: Place a resistance band around your thighs, just above your knees. Lie face up on a yoga mat with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Tightening your glutes and pelvic muscles, press your hips up toward the ceiling. While keeping your hips lifted and driving your knees out against the resistance of the band, kick your left foot out in front of you and place it back down to the ground. Press your right foot firmly on the ground to help keep your body stable. Then kick your right foot out and place it back down to the ground, pressing your left foot firmly on the ground. Continue alternating sides for 15 to 20 reps.

Clamshell

Working your inner and outer thigh muscles, the clamshell exercise forces you to move with control and focus on proper form. Widen your thighs so the band stretches as high as you can before lowering your knee back down.

How to do clamshells: Place a resistance band around your thighs, just above your knees. Lie on your right side on a yoga mat and bend your knees. Rest your head on your right hand or on your right forearm, and place your left hand on your left hip. Working against the band, squeeze your glutes and thigh muscles to press your left thigh out as wide as you can. Pause for a moment at the top and then slowly bring your left thigh back to the starting position. This is one rep. Continue for 10 reps before alternating sides.

Resistance Band Squats

Now that you've mastered a bodyweight squat, you can bring up the intensity of this exercise by incorporating a resistance band. As Gozo previously said, think about driving your knees out to avoid them caving in. Remember to engage your core to keep your chest lifted as well.

How to do resistance band squats: Place a resistance band around your thighs, just above your knees. Stand with your feet hip-distance apart and extend your arms out in front of you. Tightening your glutes and core, sit into a squat, pushing your butt back and down. Work against the resistance of the band to drive your knees out. Keeping your weight in your heels, firmly press them down on the ground to stand back up. This is one rep.

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Resistance Band Leg Lifts

As we mentioned earlier, hip abduction is a great way to target the smaller muscles in your glutes. With these resistance band leg lifts, you're also actively squeezing your thighs out to the sides. Want to make sure you're using the right muscles? Put your hands on your hips to feel the muscles working, Gozo says.

How to do resistance band leg lifts: Place a resistance band around your ankles and stand with your feet hip-distance apart. Tightening your glutes and thighs and balancing your weight on the right leg, lift your left leg out to the side, tightening the band as much as you can without shifting your hips. Moving with control, bring your left foot back to the starting position without letting your foot hit the ground. Continue for 10 reps before switching sides.

Glute Kickbacks

If you're sick of doing squats, these standing glute kickbacks are a great way to fire up your posterior. Even before you kick your foot behind you, be sure to tighten your glutes and press the opposite foot firmly on the ground to help you balance.

How to do glute kickbacks: Place a resistance band around your ankles and stand with your feet hip-distance apart. Tightening your glutes and tucking your pelvis in, kick your left leg out behind you until the band is tight. Pause at the top before bringing your left foot back to the starting position. Continue for 10 reps before switching sides.

Lateral Band Walk

While it might look simple, your inner and outer thighs will feel the burn with this resistance band exercise. Here, you want to step your feet out and in wide enough so that the band stays taut throughout the entire time.

How to do a lateral band walk: Place a resistance band around your ankles and stand with your feet hip-distance apart with a slight bend in the knees. Engaging your outer thighs and slightly hinging at the hips, step your left foot to the side so your feet are now shoulder-distance apart. Then step your right foot to the left, bringing your feet hip-distance apart and keeping the band tight. Alternate stepping your feet out and in for about 10 reps on each side.

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Diagonal Band Walk

Improve your hip mobility by mixing up the directions in your band walks. Just like the exercise above, the key here is to keep the band taut the entire time.

How to do a diagonal band walk: Place a resistance band around your ankles and stand with your feet hip-distance apart with a slight bend in the knees. With a slight hinge at the hips, take a wide step up to the right side with your right foot while keeping the band tight around your ankles, then take a wide step up to the left side with your left foot. Continue for a few reps before reversing your steps to walk yourself back to where you started.

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Tiffany Ayuda

Tiffany Ayuda, a senior editor at Prevention and certified personal trainer through the American Council on Exercise, has specialized in fitness, health, and general wellness topics in her previously editorial roles at Life by Daily Burn, Everyday Health, and South Beach Diet. Tiffany’s work has also appeared in the Huffington Post, The Daily Beast, Women’s Health, Mind Body Green, PopSugar Beauty, Yahoo! Health, Health, and NBC News Better. When she’s not running or breaking a sweat with HIIT, Tiffany is cooking up healthy meals in her Brooklyn kitchen.

Arielle Weg

Arielle Weg is the associate editor at Prevention and loves to share her favorite wellness and nutrition obsessions. She previously managed content at The Vitamin Shoppe, and her work has also appeared in Women’s Health, Men’s Health, Cooking Light, MyRecipes, and more. You can usually find her taking an online workout class or making a mess in the kitchen, creating something delicious she found in her cookbook collection or saved on Instagram.

Madeleine Haase

Madeleine, Prevention’s assistant editor, has a history with health writing from her experience as an editorial assistant at WebMD, and from her personal research at university. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in biopsychology, cognition, and neuroscience—and she helps strategize for success across Prevention’s social media platforms.