How to Build Ripped Muscle with Resistance Bands

You’re going on holiday, and you don’t wanna break the progress you’ve been making in the gym. You reach into the cupboard and pull out a dusty container with the number “2020” written on it — and probably covered in masks.

Upon opening the old relic, you discover resistance bands, the savior from lockdown we all loved to hate and hated to love. Now, let me teach you how to use them properly…

What Counts As Resistance?

Resistance. What does it even mean, and how does a band provide resistance that’s different from that provided by weights? Is it better, is it worse, is it even worth it?

Simply put, resistance can be defined as “a force, such as friction, that operates opposite the direction of motion of a body and tends to prevent or slow down the motion.”

So, if we were to think about this in terms of training, resistance is simply something that’ll prevent you from moving a part of your body to another area. Imagine, if you will, that gravity is resistance when doing a pull-up, acting on your body.

Gravity is still the resistance when doing bench presses, but now, it’s acting upon weight plates on the bar. Gravity is linear, meaning the “force” at the bottom is equal to the “force” at the top of the rep. While your muscles stretching and contracting can change how a load is perceived, technically, the force is the same.

Not so much when it comes to using tricks, such as resistance bands.

How can the “force” of a band be the same as the “force” on a loaded bar if the band only weighs a couple of grams? And since the band stretches, surely the load differs at different points, right?

You’re absolutely right! There are vast differences between the resistance provided by a band compared to the resistance provided by a weight:

1. The actual force of resistance you feel when using a band is the potential energy of the band converted into tension. The further the band stretches, the harder it is to stretch it. This means that while a barbell has the same resistance, a band does get heavier.
2. Another difference is that it’s harder to overload a band compared to a barbell. With weights, you can add specifically 0.25 lbs, whereas a band might get microtears you don’t even know about! This makes the band harder to use sometimes.

So, now that we’ve got this under the belt, let’s answer the main question…

Can You Build Muscle With Resistance Bands?

Sure, you can, just like you can get ripped from swimming, CrossFit, and calisthenics. However, you’re limited in just how much you can build. Muscles require resistance overload through mechanical tension. More load equals more muscle.

Now, with weights, you can increase the load or the reps. With bands, you’re kinda limited to only adding reps or sets. While it can work, it surely isn’t as effective. Workouts are longer, they can be tedious, and they just aren’t as effective.

Does this mean all hope is lost (shoutout to Slipknot)? Of course not!

It simply means that at some point, you might want to use weights to continue gaining muscle mass. Otherwise, you might get stuck really quickly. Depending on how new you are to training, that might only be months down the line.

So, to show you how to build ripped muscle with resistance bands, I’ve created 3 easy steps for you to follow.

Step 1 – Resistance Band Workout to Get Ripped

We’re not off to the best start, seeing as we only have bands. However, we can still make the best of a not-so-great situation.

First, I’d like you to get your hands on the following:

• A broom (preferably with its head removed)
• A chair that has a reclined back support
• A beam that runs upwards so you can wrap the bands around it

We’ll also be using some “odd” training techniques, like:

• Drop sets are when you use a load for a set number of reps, remove some load, and go again.
• Rest pause sets are when you reach failure, rest 10 seconds, and reach failure again.
• Tempo sets are when you do normal reps. However, the eccentric part of the lift lasts 3 seconds.

With these simple additions, we can create a somewhat effective training plan. So, without further ado, let’s get into the thick of it:

Monday

Cardio: If you have access to it, do 20 – 30 minutes of incline walking on a treadmill. If not, try to get around 10,000 steps during the day.

Resistance Training: Push

Tuesday

Cardio: Head outside to do 20 sets of 20m sprints with 60 seconds rest between each sprint.

Resistance Training: Pull

Wednesday

Cardio: None.

Resistance Training: Legs

Friday

Cardio: If you can, do 20 – 30 minutes of incline walking on a treadmill. If not, aim for 10 000 steps during the day.

Resistance Training: Upper

Saturday

Cardio: None.

Resistance Training: Lower

And that’s the plan!

Ideally, you’d want to try to get stronger over the course of training. Stronger? What exactly does stronger mean?

1. Stronger could mean that you physically move more mass or deal with more resistance. This means you might wanna buy several bands to ensure you can overload as time goes on.
2. Adding reps and/or sets can technically also be seen as a way to get stronger. While not the most conventional of methods, it certainly is still one used, especially by more experienced lifters. Just keep in mind that while adding load is kind of “push as hard as you can,” adding volume is better kept on the lower end.
3. Another unorthodox manner in which to increase mechanical tension is through the use of “intensifiers.” Basically, how hard can you make a set? This includes drop sets, tempo sets, rest-pause sets, etc.

Step 2 – Get Ya Diet In Check

Big surprise. You have to actually eat a certain way! Bummer, right? It doesn’t have to be. Well, it doesn’t have to be hard.

Follow this list of tips, and you’ll be on your way to having ripped in no time:

1. In order to lose weight, you need to be eating 10% less than your maintenance calories. If you want to gain weight, you need to be eating 10% more than your maintenance calories (calculate your maintenance calories here).
2. When weight loss or gain stops, simply decrease or increase your calories by another 10%. (Note: you should be losing/gaining 0.5 – 1.0% of weight per week.)
3. Your protein intake should be 1g per pound of body weight, while the rest of your calories can be split between carbs and fats as you wish.
4. You should stop trying to lose weight when your hormones start getting iffy or when you start losing strength in the gym (or with the bands).
5. You should stop trying to gain weight when your body fat levels get above 14 – 18%, depending on how lean you are naturally.
6. Regardless of the goal, it wouldn’t be wise to try to gain or lose for longer than 16 weeks on end.

And that’s it! Dieting doesn’t have to be incredibly complex, so make your diet rich in healthy foods that you still enjoy eating. Follow these 6 guidelines, and you should be well on your way to reaching your goal.

But Wait… Let’s Answer a Few Basic Questions

Which foods are better? Does meal timing matter? Are supplements worth it?

These are technically not “basic” questions, but I’ll be happy to answer them regardless:

1. Meal timing only matters around your workout, as some studies have shown that more carbs in the pre – and post-workout window can lead to decreased cortisol, which can lead to more muscle gains.
2. Certain supplements like creatine and protein could help in the process, but they definitely are not “needed.”
3. You should always aim for whole foods, as they tend to contain more micronutrients compared to more refined foods. That said, the process doesn’t necessarily mean “bad.” A bag of green beans has been processed from the plant to the packaged goods, but it certainly isn’t bad.
4. Sticking strictly to healthy foods is great but often not realistic. One cheat meal a week won’t destroy your gains. That said, maybe start with one every two weeks for the first two months.

Here’s a list of healthier foods that’ll make dieting a lot easier:

Again, sticking to a diet you can follow without too much difficulty is the real key to success. Being able to do something sustainably for weeks on end is going to yield the best results.

This is even more true, seeing as we’re already slightly limited in the training aspect of the plan. For that reason, the “harder” you can diet, the better your results should be.

That said, you know yourself best. If you struggle to diet strictly, it’s maybe not the best idea to rush diet.

Ripped with Resistance Bands Conclusion

Boy! What a journey this article has been. From education to jokes to giving you a full diet guide!

To make things easy to digest, let’s go through a quick recap, shall we?

• You can build muscle with bands, even though it might be a little harder compared to weights.
• In order to lose fat while building muscle, you have to train close to failure, do some cardio, and eat in a calorie deficit while also eating a lot of protein.
• If you’re truly limited to only using bands, you can use different training techniques to create more stimulus (drop sets, etc.).
• Because you’re limited in lifting equipment, your diet better is on point to see optimal results.

One thing I didn’t really talk a lot about is recovery. While unlikely, it’s possible that you may run into recovery issues while training like this. That said, you have to make sure you sleep plenty, reduce stress where you can, and generally just live a healthier lifestyle.

We know that increased levels of stress can really impact your ability to grow muscle and lose fat, so reducing it is a no-brainer!

It might seem like an oversimplification, but you really only need to focus on 5 things:

1. Control stress by removing yourself from stressful situations.
2. Control your diet and hydration by using an app.
3. Control your volume by listening to your body and tracking how strong you are/feel.
4. Control your sleep by… sleeping more.
5. If you so choose, use quality supplementation.

By controlling those 5 little things as best you can, you should be fine. If you find yourself stuck, the problem is usually within these 5 steps, so don’t skip ‘em.

Lastly, focus on being consistent. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will a body that pops on IG. Focus on the basics and give every rep and meal the respect they deserve.

FAQs

How Big Can You Get with Resistance Bands?

It really depends on how much resistance they provide, your diet, and your genetic makeup. There is no “one size fits all” answer here, unfortunately.

Should You Train to Failure with Resistance Bands?

You don’t have to, but for optimal results, you might want to train within 2 – 3 reps of failure. This seems to be the sweet spot for muscle growth.