The best resistance bands are impressively versatile, capable of everything from enhancing warm-ups and injury rehab to providing a killer workout, all while being cheap and easy to stash away. They’re essential for anyone serious about their training, whether at home or in the gym.
But for a deceptively simple piece of kit, the market is sprawling with different kinds of resistance bands. You’ve got the long looped bands (my personal favourite for pull-up assistance), the short ‘booty’ bands for glute work, tube bands with handles that mimic cable exercises and lighter therapy bands.
Each has its purpose, so choosing the best resistance band can depend on your specific needs. To help you find the perfect match, I’ve spent weeks stretching, pulling and putting a wide range of bands through their paces in my own workouts. Here’s my definitive guide to the ones that are worth adding to your gym bag.
How I tested
I tested each resistance band in this guide (and a few besides that didn’t make the cut) by incorporating them into my warm-ups and workouts. The way they were used varied depending on the type of band.
- Tube bands with handles: mainly used for strength and muscle-building work
- Long looped bands: as with tube bands, these were tested for strength and muscle-building work, as well as assisted pull-ups
- Therapy bands: a good fit for yoga and Pilates
- Short looped bands: helped me hit my glutes and hip flexors sans gym
Some sets contain multiple types of bands to hit different workouts. Each entry in this list was judged on the same strengths: versatility, quality and comfort. This left me with a list of resistance bands capable of improving your training. Read on for the best for every need and workout style.
Why you can trust IndyBesy reviews
Harry Bullmore is The Independent’s resident fitness writer. He’s spent the past decade working out in gyms, garages, parks and more across the UK. He enjoys nothing more than experimenting with different training styles, and he now fills his weeks with everything from strength training to running, calisthenics to Olympic weightlifting. This gives him plenty of chances to test the best fitness kit, and he recommends all of his favourite products in IndyBest guides like this one.
The best resistance bands for 2025 are:
- Best overall – TRX bandit kit: £69.95, Trxtraining.co.uk
- Best for a full body workout – P.volve p.3 trainer: £122.49, Healf.com
- Best budget option – Fitbeast pull-up bands set: £18.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for comfort – La Pochette resistance band, medium: £15, Lapochette.co
- Best for travelling – Les Mills sculpt bands: 49.99, Lesmills.com
TRX bandit kit
Best: Resistance band overall
Type: Long looped
Resistance options: Two
Why we love it
- Ergonomic handles for superior comfort
- High-quality, stackable resistance
Take note
- Limited to two resistance levels
These resistance bands from TRX, which is known for its suspension trainers, are high quality and come in a variety of resistances. Included in this versatile kit are four long looped bands – two each of the blue (2-7kg) and green (7-14kg) – along with two ergonomic handles that you can slide the bands into.
The handles make the bands easier and more comfortable to use for certain moves as they stop them digging into your hands, and the rubber handle covers provide good grip, even when you’re sweaty. The handles and bands are light, making them ideal for travelling, and you can pop two bands into the handles to up the resistance.
Buy now £55.95, Trxtraining.co.uk
P.volve p.3 trainer
Best: Resistance band for a full-body workout
Type: Tube bands
Resistance options: One
Why we love it
- Innovative resistance-plus-weight system
- Great for guided, low-impact workouts
Take note
- Swapping straps can be fiddly
This is a clever set consisting of two ankle straps, one short tube band, one long tube band, a handle and a 1.5lb ball. You attach the band to the ankle strap at one end with a carabiner, then the other end has a handle. The ball can be used as an independent weight, but can also attach to the end of the band so you end up with both resistance and weight.
This set is designed to be used with the P.volve app, which is a favourite of Jennifer Aniston. The app provides workouts focussing on strength and function. I liked the emphasis on low-impact, functional movement, with classes ranging from 20-minute core and arm sessions to a 60-minute full body sculpt.
The only slight faff is that you have to unhook the strap to swap it to the opposite leg when you work the other side of the body, but this only takes a few seconds. You can read our review of the full P.volve set and how our writer got on with the training style here.
Buy now £122.49, Healf.com
FitBeast pull-up bands set
Best: Budget resistance band
Type: Long looped band
Resistance options: Five
Why we love it
- A complete, versatile kit
- Durable and long-lasting
I bought this pull-up band set years ago, and I haven’t felt the need to invest in another one since. It comes with five bands with different thicknesses and, consequently, resistances. There is also a travel bag, door anchor and a couple of velcro handles to make the bands more comfortable to hold during certain exercises.
The bands are well-made and worked brilliantly for assisted pull-ups – clove hitch one end over a pull-up bar, place your foot in the other end, and away you go. I’ve also taken the bands on several holidays, and they’ve allowed me to hit strength training sessions everywhere from a Portuguese plaza to Yosemite National Park.
The range of resistances should suit all fitness levels (seriously strong customers can always double up if they want more of a challenge) and the door anchor allows you to jam the bands in a door and perform pulling exercises like face pulls and seated rows.
Buy now £31.99, Amazon.co.uk
La Pochette resistance band, medium
Best: Resistance band for comfort
Type: Short looped
Reisstance options: One
Why we love it
- Extremely comfortable and stable
- Durable and travel-friendly
Take note
- Resistance levels sold individually
This addition from La Pochette is a short looped band for lower body exercises that’s made of stretchy, breathable fabric rather than latex. It’s wide, making it very comfortable around the legs with no cutting or digging in, and it has an inner grip to stop it sliding down.
It’s extremely durable and feels extremely safe to use, with no concerns that it will snap. It can be hand washed, and is also available in heavy and light.
La Pochette’s accessories are also great for travelling with and they’re all designed to fit together so you can build a full workout set for use on the go.
Buy now £15.00, Lapochette.co
Les Mills sculpt bands
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Best: Resistance band for travelling
Type: Short looped
Resistance options: Three
Why we love it
- Three sizes of band
- Great for travelling
Take note
- Expensive
This nifty (if expensive) resistance band set is a great one to have in your gym bag, whether you want to work out on the go or spice up your warm-up.
It has three short looped bands offering light, medium and heavy resistance, allowing you to do everything from shoulder prehab work to donkey kicks. I found the bands really helpful for working on my hip health with exercises like clamshells, and they also come with a neat mesh bag – perfect for travelling.
The bands are made from a strong fabric which feels far more comfortable than rubber alternatives, particularly on bare skin, and they have silicone waves on the inside to stop them from slipping out of position mid-workout.
Buy now £49.99, Lesmills.com
Umi resistance band
Best: Resistance band for assisted pull-ups
Type: Long looped
Resistance options: Five (sold separately)
Why we love it
- Ideal for assisted pull-ups
- Wide range of resistance options
Take note
- Less practical for some lower-body exercises
These long looped bands are available in various resistances: extra light (6.7-13kg), light (18-31kg), medium (27-45kg), heavy (31-54kg) and heaviest (36-67kg). Long-looped bands are perfect for assisted pull-ups – just clove-hitch it around a pull-up bar and put the other end around the middle of one foot or knee to give yourself a boost.
I tested the thickest black band, and found it made pull-ups easier without propelling me too swiftly.
Buy now £16.99, Amazon.co.uk
Les Mills + Smartband
Best: Resistance band for durability
Type: Tube band
Resistance options: One
Why we love it
- Durable, high-quality construction
- Great for home and class workouts
Take note
- Single resistance level
Les Mills On Demand classes were a go-to in lockdown and remain popular with those who still prefer working out at home. This resistance band is part of its home exercise equipment range and you can use it throughout the online classes, or just for your own workouts.
It’s a well made piece of kit – the band itself is strong, durable and a nice width (it’s flat rather than tubed), and the comfortable handles are attached with strong webbing. There is a band with stronger resistance (SmartBand extreme) but this option is a good fit for both beginner and intermediate levels.
Buy now £49.99, Lesmills.com
Meglio latex-free resistance bands rolls 23m
Best: Resistance band for rehab exercises
Type: Therapy band
Resistance options: Five (sold separately)
Why we love it
- Cut-to-size versatility
- Ideal for rehab and sensitive skin
- Used in NHS physio departments
Take note
- Requires self-tying
Meglio offers rolls of resistance therapy bands with five different levels of resistance, from extra light to extra heavy. You can cut it to your preferred length and then tie it into a loop, onto a door handle or just wrap either end around your hands.
These bands are used within NHS physio departments and are great for rehab exercises or if you’re a personal trainer who wants to give bands to clients for specific moves. If you’re sensitive to latex, they’re latex-free, and recyclable at the end of their life.
Buy now £37.49, Mymeglio.com
Onyx resistance bands
Best: Resistance band for HIIT and Pilates
Type: Short looped
Resistance options: Three
Why we love it
- Comfortable and non-slip design
- Three distinct resistance levels
Take note
- Limited versatility for upper-body exercises
A set of three with varying levels of difficulty, these super soft bands are ideal for working out at home. A jump between the resistance of each means you can work your way up from easier movements to more challenging ones, building tone and working various muscle groups as you get stronger. This really helps with progression and will mean you’re less likely to plateau.
The soft material means no chafing and no clammy feeling, especially if your legs or hands are sweaty. There are also clever anti-slip silicone dots inside each band to keep them in place as you move.
As with all of Onyx’s products, these resistance bands also look the part. They come in a range of colours and are a hit with those who care about form just as much as function.
Buy now £24.99, Onyx-fitness.com
What is the best resistance band?
The TRX bandit kit is well-made and offers a wide range of resistance options since you can easily double up the bands inside the handles that come with it. The lightweight set also travels well, which is great for keeping up your fitness regime when you’re on holiday.
If you’re looking for optimal value for money, the Fitbeast pull-up bands set is the way to go. With five resistance options, a door anchor and velcro handles to make the bands more comfortable to hold, all for less than £20, this is the set that lives in my gym bag.
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