Resistance bands are without question the most versatile piece of exercise equipment on earth. Furthermore, resistance bands are very affordable and ultra portable, which are important factors when it comes to choosing the best home exercise equipment for your budget and needs.
There are lots of different brands of resistance bands on the market, so I figured I’d put together a blog post comparing the offerings from various manufacturers. Quality is pretty much the same (arguably identical) regardless of which manufacturer’s bands you choose, but price and available accessories vary significantly.
My preferred resistance band setup, and the type that I think most people should choose, consists of the following:
- 1 pair of 1/2″ bands
- 1 pair of 13/16″ bands
- 1 pair of 1 1/8″ bands
- 1 pair of 1 3/4″ bands
That’s the perfect setup for anyone interested in having killer workouts at home using resistance bands, so that’s the configuration I used when determining the prices below. I do consider handles and a door anchor must-have accessories, but many resistance bands companies do not sell those accessories, so for the price comparisons below, I’ve only included the configuration described above.
Note that those are standard resistance band sizes used by the majority of companies including Iron Woody, Body Bands, RBT, and Rubberbanditz. Rogue and Jump Stretch sizes are slightly different, but not enough to bother going into detail about here.
Body Bands Exercise Bands · $114.95
Overview: Body Bands offers the widest selections of continuously looped resistance bands and the best bundle packages at significantly lower prices than nearly everyone else on the market.
Programming: None.
Extras: Training handles and basic door anchor.
Verdict: The best price you’ll find on resistance bands, plus Body Bands offers the best selection of bands and bundles, plus all the of the must-have accessories. For the majority of people reading this post, Body Bands will be the best place to buy your resistance bands from.
Click Here For More Info On Body Bands Exercise Bands
Iron Woody Bands · $115.00
Overview: Iron Woody is the most well known brand of resistance bands in this list. They are wildly popular and known for offering high quality resistance bands at great prices.
Workout DVDs: None.
Extras: Nothing worth mentioning.
Verdict: You can’t go wrong with Iron Woody because they’re high quality resistance bands from the most well known brand in continuous loop bands, and the prices very competitive. But just keep in mind that since Iron Woody doesn’t offer training handles, or a door anchor, or any workout programming, you’ll need to look elsewhere to complete your resistance band setup.
Click Here For More Info On Iron Woody Bands
RBT Resistance Bands · $142.99
Overview: Resistance Band Training (RBT) is run by Dave “The Band Man” Schmitz, who’s very well known in the fitness community as one of the world’s foremost experts on functional training with resistance bands.
Programming: Tons of high-quality resistance band workout DVDs and downloadable ebooks, plus Dave regularly posts excellent workouts for free on his blog and YouTube channel.
Extras: Training handles and “band utility strap” that can be used to anchor your bands to a door, or any other sturdy object.
Verdict: RBT offers all the of the must-have accessories and workout content, which makes them the most convenient place to buy your resistance bands, but RBT is more expensive than Iron Woody and Body Bands, so if you’re main priority is low price, you should go with Iron Woody or Body Bands.
Click Here For More Info On RBT Resistance Bands
Rogue Monster Bands · $126.00
Overview: Rogue Fitness is one of the most well known manufacturers of equipment for the CrossFit community, and besides being known for making very high quality equipment, they have a reputation for offering phenomenal customer service. Rogue is a reseller of Iron Woody Bands, but they also sell their own brand of resistance bands called Rogue Monster Bands.
Programming: None.
Extras: None.
Verdict: Rogue may not offer must-have accessories or workout programming, but if you’re into CrossFit and/or want to support a well known and respected company in the CrossFit community, consider paying a bit extra for your bands and getting them from Rogue Fitness.
Click Here For More Info On Rogue Monster Bands
Rubberbanditz Fitness Bands · $173.96
Overview: Rubberbanditz is another company I had never heard of prior to tonight when I started doing research for this post. Rather than aiming to undercut competitors on price, Rubberbanditz emphasizes the quality of their product, plus they have a strong focus on protecting the environment and have lots of info on their website about their green initiatives.
Programming: Basic resistance band training tutorial DVD and exercise manual, plus lots of free downloadable workouts in ebook format.
Extras: Training handles, basic door anchor, plus a cool looking “bamboo barbell”.
Verdict: Quite expensive, but if you’re passionate about protecting the environment and supporting companies who share your interest in green initiatives, consider purchasing your resistance bands from Rubberbanditz.
Click Here For More Info On Rubberbanditz Fitness Bands
Jump Stretch Flex Bands · $200.00
Overview: Jump Stretch has the reputation of being the original manufacturer of continuously looped 41″ resistance bands (which they call “Flex Bands”). They also have the reputation of charging nearly double (or in some cases more than double) what most of their competitors charge for the exact same product that was likely even manufactured in the exact same factory in China.
Programming: Good selection of resistance band workout DVDs.
Extras: Tons, including training handles, band utility straps (called “door harness” by Jump Stretch), lift bar (to mimic barbell exercises and for dowel training), vertical wall anchors, etc.
Verdict: These bands are so preposterously expensive, I can’t think of any reason why any sane persons would buy their resistance bands from Jump Stretch when you can get the same quality bands for less than half the price from RBT or Iron Woody.
Click Here For More Info On Jump Stretch Flex Bands
Still undecided? Here’s the straight goods:
If you’re looking for the best value with the widest selection of bands and bundles and all of the must-have accessories, choose Body Bands Exercise Bands.
If you don’t want or need training handles or a door anchor, and you want to buy from the most well known brand of resistance bands, choose Iron Woody Bands.
If you want all of the must-have accessories and the best workout programming from a company that specializes in functional cutting-edge workouts, choose RBT Resistance Bands.
If you want to support a company in the CrossFit community, and/or you want to buy the product with the coolest name, even if that means having to go elsewhere for your handles and door anchor, choose Rogue Monster Bands.
If you’re passionate about protecting the environment and you prefer to support companies who share your values, and/or you’re just really into eco chic products made from bamboo, choose Rubberbanditz Fitness Bands.
If you’ve got lots of extra money to burn, and you get a thrill from pissing your money away on ridiculously overpriced products, choose Jump Stretch Flex Bands.