Travel Workout: 6 Band Exercises That Will Get You STRONG!

Do you ever find yourself traveling for work or pleasure and you want to get in an effective workout, but the hotel, AirBnb, or wherever you are staying lacks a quality gym? This is a complaint many people voice. I have you covered!

Here are 6 resistance band exercises that are challenging, and will deliver top results! All these exercises use are bands, and your bodyweight. Bands are easy to bring on the road!

While this might come as a surprise to some, you don’t always need to use a lot of equipment or weight to make exercises challenging and effective. While these exercises are great for travel and home workouts, they can also be done at the gym. I bet you haven’t seen many of these exercises before!

Do 2-4 rounds of this circuit. Or you can do the exercises as supersets (pair two exercises), or do the exercises individually. Do what works and feels best for you.

Here is another article where I share 5 awesome lower body band exercises.

#1) Staggered Stance Band Resisted Deadlifts

This exercise strengthens the posterior chain muscles.

Coaching Tips:

Adopt a staggered stance. Figure out what stride length works and feels best for you. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position.

Hold a long band in either hand, and place the band under the mid to back portion of your front foot. There should be resistance in the band for 100% of the exercise, and the resistance should be even on both sides.

On the foot of the front/working leg, form a tripod base by placing your weight on the back portion of your foot, and the base of your big and baby toes. These parts of your foot should remain in contact with the floor for the duration of the exercise. Pretend you are suctioning or screwing your foot to the floor.

Be on the forefoot of your back foot. Your front leg should be performing most of the work, and the back leg should serve as a kickstand of support.

Keep your arms rigid, lats engaged, and pretend you are crushing oranges in your armpits.

Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), and brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine).

Now hinge/push your hips backwards. Pretend a rope is pulling your hips backwards or that you are trying to press your hips back against a wall.

When you are hinging, pretend you are “pulling” your body back/down with your posterior chain muscles. Don’t just mindlessly drop down.

Do not relax or lose tension when you are in the bottom position.

When you reach your full range, engage your posterior chain muscles and press your body away from the floor and back to the top/starting position. Use a range where you can maintain proper form.

Perform the lockout by squeezing your glutes and hamstrings and extend your hips, and extend your knee.

For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your knees to fall inside or outside of your feet.

For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine, or hips to rotate.

In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.

#2) Band Resisted Push-Ups

As I talk about all the time, a properly executed push-up is a moving plank! Push-ups strengthen the shoulders, chest, and triceps, improve lumbo-pelvic stability, and shoulder and scapular controlled mobility.

In this variation, the ante has been upped as you will also use band resistance! If you cannot yet do push-ups from the floor, opt for the hands elevated variation, and with no band resistance.

Coaching Tips:

Get into a plank position from your hands and feet.

Place a band so it is under your hands, and is sitting just below your shoulder blades. Aim to have resistance in the band for 100% of the exercise, but you’ll notice most of the resistance towards the top of the push-up when you are completing the rep, and at the beginning of the lowering component.

While maintaining the same body positioning, gaze directly down to a spot on the floor. For the duration of the exercise, your eyes should remain fixed on this spot.

Position your hands so they are shoulder width apart or slightly wider. Figure out what hand width and positioning works and feels best for you.

At the top of the push-up, your shoulders, elbows and wrists should be in a relatively stacked position.

Your weight should be evenly distributed throughout your full hands and fingers, not just at the base of your hands/wrists. Pretend you are trying to spread your full hands and fingers to the floor.

Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection/think about wrinkling the front of your shirt), and squeeze your glutes.

Descend into the push-up and retract your shoulder blades. Think about lightly drawing your shoulder blades together and towards your spine as you are performing the eccentric component, but do not overdo this movement. Imagine you are pulling or “rowing” your body down to the floor. Do not just drop down.

In the bottom position, your elbows should be positioned over your wrists, and forearms in a vertical position.

Do not allow your elbows to flare out. In the bottom position, your body and arms should resemble an “arrow,” not a “T”.

Once your upper arms are approximately parallel (or slightly closer) to the floor, press up and return to the top/starting position.

When you are pressing your body away from the floor and are returning to the top position, protract your shoulder blades. Think about spreading your shoulder blades apart and moving them away from your spine, and around your ribcage. Do not keep them pinned.

For the duration of the exercise, your body should remain in a straight line from the top/back of your head to heels. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine, or hips to rotate, hips to collapse or pike, or neck to collapse.

For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles braced (360 degree brace around your spine), and squeeze your glutes.⁣⁣

In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.

#3) Band Resisted Step-Downs

This exercise strengthens the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and the muscles in the lower leg and foot. Make sure you can do these proficiently using bodyweight before you add any band resistance.

Coaching Tips:

Stand on a box, step, bench, or other stable elevated surface.

Place a band so it is sitting on your upper traps (not your neck), and is under the mid to back portion of your foot. There should be resistance in the band for 100% of the exercise.

Stand on one foot, and have a slight bend in your knee. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position.

As for the non-working leg, keep it straight and close to the midline of your body. Contract your quadriceps and glutes on this side.

Form a tripod base by placing your weight on the back portion of your foot, and the base of your big and baby toes. These parts of your foot should remain in contact with the surface for the duration of the exercise. Pretend you are suctioning or screwing your foot to the surface.

Extend both of your arms so they are chest height, make fists, and generate tension in your upper body. If you are holding weights, keep your arms rigid, by your sides (or at chest height as a counterbalance) and pretend you are crushing oranges in your armpits.

Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), and brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine).

Now perform a step-down and slowly lower to a range that allows you to maintain proper form.

Once you hit your end range, press away from the surface and return to the top/starting position.

When you are performing the step-downs, pretend you are “pulling” your body down with your leg. Don’t just mindlessly drop down.

Do not relax or lose tension when you are in the bottom position.

For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your knee to fall inside or outside of your foot.

For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine, or hips to rotate, or hip to drop on one side.

In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.

#4) Band Resisted Mountain Climbers

This exercise strengthens the hip flexors, improves lumbo-pelvic stability, and shoulder and scapular stability. If you don’t have access to a surface where you can slide, you can perform the movements by stepping. The same key points in form apply.

To note, the goal here is not making oneself exhausted. Many people perform mountain climbers incorrectly and just go through the motions in an attempt to chase exhaustion. If you try this here you will be humbled very quickly.

Coaching Tips:

Place a resistance band around your feet, and place your feet on sliders/towels. You might also be able to do this using socks.

Get into a plank position from your hands and feet. Your body should be in a straight(ish) line from your head to heels.

Place your hands so they are underneath your shoulders. Spread your fingers, and pretend you are suctioning or screwing your hands and fingers to the floor.

Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection/think about wrinkling the front of your shirt), and squeeze your glutes (on the planted side).

While remaining in the plank position, perform 3 quick but controlled ‘’jogs/strides.’’ On the third stride, pause in the top position for a count (when your knee is underneath your body). This sequence is one rep.

For the duration of the exercise, press your body away from the floor/towards the ceiling and protract your shoulder blades (spread them apart and move them away from your spine and around your ribcage). Do not mindlessly hang out.

For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your shoulder blades or shoulders to elevate towards your ears. Keep your shoulder blades down/depressed. Imagine you are sliding your shoulder blades down towards your heels.

For the duration of the exercise, your body should remain in a straight(ish) line from your head to heels. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine, or hips to rotate, or hips to pike or collapse.

For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles braced (360 degree brace around your spine), and squeeze your glutes on the planted side.

In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.

Are you looking to do your first pistol squat ever and have been really frustrated with your lack of progress? Or can you already do pistol squats but want to improve your form, increase your reps, and learn more advanced variations? If so, The Ultimate Pistol Squat Program is for YOU! Great for home AND gym workouts!

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#5) Banded Psoas Marches From Iso Single Leg Glute Bridge + Banded Scapular Protraction

This exercise strengthens the glutes AND hip flexors. Most people don’t do glute bridge/hip thrust variations correctly as they compensate by hinging via their lumbar spine versus maintaining a canister torso position, and performing the movements with their glutes. ⁣⁣

⁣A few years ago, I got this awesome glute hamstring raise variation from coach Eric Cressey, but for glute hamstring raises. The ‘’hack’’ Eric uses addresses this common compensation/form breakdown people have. He added in a banded reach component. The banded reach component trains scapular upward rotation, which is something that many people lack the ability to do. As per Cressey’s description, ‘’the serratus works like an anti-lat’’ so during the concentric portion of the movement you can’t cheat by extending through the lumbar spine instead of extending through the hips.

Coaching Tips:

Place a resistance band around your feet. Lie on the floor. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position.

Rest a long band so it is at the bottom of your shoulder blades, and hold the band in each hand. For the duration of the exercise, your arms should remain at a 90 degree angle with your torso.

Keep your shoulder blades protracted for the duration of the exercises (spread apart from your spine, and around your ribcage).

Extend your hips by pressing through the back of your foot and squeezing your glutes, and get into the top position of a single leg glute bridge.

In the top position, your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to knee. Maintain this position for the duration of the exercise.

Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection/think about wrinkling the front of your shirt), and squeeze your glutes (on the planted side).

Now perform a “march” and bring your knee and thigh in towards your body.

Gain a moment of control, then return to the starting position with complete control.

For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your knee to fall inside or outside of your foot.

For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine, or hips to rotate.

For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles braced (360 degree brace around your spine), and squeeze your glutes on the planted side.

In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.

#6) Band Resisted Leg Extensions From Bear Crawl

This exercise strengthens the quadriceps, improves shoulder and scapular stability, and lumbo-pelvic stability.⁣⁣⁣

Coaching Tips:

Hold a resistance band under your hands, and loop the band behind your knees. There should be resistance in the band for 100% of the exercise.

Get into a bear crawl position. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position.

Start so your thighs are relatively vertical, knees are bent, and are several inches above the floor. Your hands should be roughly below your shoulders, or slightly ahead. Figure out what works and feels best for you.

Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection/think about wrinkling the front of your shirt), and squeeze your glutes.

Now use your quadriceps and extend your knees.

Pause for a count when your knees are fully extended and really contract your quadriceps. Do not let your knees hyperextend, and make sure the movement is smooth and controlled.

Return to the starting position with complete control. Stop when your knees are just above the floor, and thighs are in a relatively vertical position.

For the duration of the exercise, press your body away from the floor and protract your shoulder blades (spread them apart and move them away from your spine and around your ribcage). Do not mindlessly hang out.

For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine, or hips to rotate.

For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles braced (360 degree brace around your spine).

In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.

Get STRONG hip flexors, improve your mobility and athleticism! Getting your hip flexors STRONGER might be the missing link to helping you function, perform, and feel better in the gym, with your running, your sport, and even in your daily life. For “experienced beginners” to advanced trainees, and also coaches. Great for home AND gym workouts!

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