You want to incorporate resistance bands into your exercise and routine and would like to know how long a workout should last. The length of time in a workout can be measured in time or the number of sets per muscle group. The latter is the most important to reach your goals. We've researched both exercise methods with resistance bands, so you'll know how long to do your next workout.

A productive full-body resistance band exercise can be completed in 15 minutes to an hour. For the best results and to build more lean muscle, complete 2-6 sets for each muscle group. Each set should contain 8-10 reps so that the last two reps are difficult. 

Now that you know 15 minutes to an hour is a good amount of exercise, you might have some more questions. You might wonder how to plan your workouts for the best results. This post will give you more information about resistance bands, including whether they really work and how often you should use them. Keep reading to learn more.

How Long Should A Resistance Band Workout Last?

A resistance band workout can last anywhere from 15 minutes to 1-hour. This can vary greatly based on your goals when working out. Resistance bands can be used for your whole body. Many people choose to work their full bodies by segmenting muscle groups in order to have a day of rest.

When you have a productive workout, your muscles will need to rest for a day in between. You can do upper body exercises during your workout and do the lower body the following day. Upper body exercises will include your arms, shoulders, back, and chest. Lower body includes legs, glutes, and hips. The abdominal region is classified as the core of the body and could be grouped in with either upper or lower body.

Another way to segment the workout routine is to do chest and shoulders on one day. The next day you would do leg exercises. The final day, you could do back, abs, and arms. There are many different ways you could segment the muscle groups as long as you allow your muscles a day of rest.

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How Many Reps And Sets Should You Do With Resistance Bands?

A good workout would be 2-6 sets on 3-4 different exercises that will work all of the upper body or lower body muscles. If it takes one minute to complete a set with a 1-minute resting period, that would take 12 minutes to do 2-3 different exercises. If you complete six sets on four exercises with a 1-minute resting period, that would take 48 minutes to complete.

How Much Time Should I Rest Between Sets?

The ideal resting time between sets depends on your goal. If your goal is body-building or enlarging your muscles for an aesthetic appeal, then hypertrophy training is the objective.  The ideal resting period for hypertrophy is 30-90 seconds. If your focus is on greater strength and power, then 2 to 5 minutes is the best amount of resting time between reps.

Do Resistance Bands Actually Work?

Resistance bands can be used for a productive full-body workout in place of free weights. Resistance bands have some benefits that are not provided by a free-weight exercise. They have a greater time under tension because the bands provide resistance throughout the movement and exercise. Free weights have no tension when gravity brings the weight back down and hangs until you create tension by lifting again.

There are only two downsides to using resistance bands. The tension varies based on the arm length of the individual and the types of exercises they are using the resistance bands for. It is harder to keep track of your tension and progress over time. Resistance bands also have a lifespan of 1-2 years, depending on the amount of use. Free weights do not need to be replaced.

If your goal is to build your glutes with resistance bands, you might wonder if that is possible. Check out a detailed answer to this question and some example exercises you can use to work your glutes with "Can You Grow Your Glutes With Resistance Bands?"

How Long Does It Take To See Results From Resistance Bands?

If you regularly incorporate resistance training into your daily and weekly routine, then you may see results in two to four weeks. Depending on the intensity and length of your workout, you can feel results from just one session. Resistance training gives you immediate results in terms of strength, but it requires at least a day of rest for your muscles to recover from doing the resistance exercises at the same intensity.

How Often Should I Use Resistance Bands?

The important thing is creating a routine or schedule that is sustainable and allows you to reach your workout or health goals. You should use resistance bands two to three times per week at a minimum if you wish to lose weight and build muscle.

If you are able to do resistance training six days per week with a day of rest, that will give you even better results. When working out this many days, it is important to rotate the exercises to give each muscle group at least one day of rest in between workouts.

How often you should use resistance bands depends on your ultimate goal and your available time to workout. If you can do resistance training once per week, that is better than zero. When determining what you should do, think about what is realistic. Set a manageable goal and make sure to still commit to exercising even when you can't reach your goal.

For more information and a detailed breakdown of this topic, check out this post, "How Often To Use Resistance Bands?"

Can You Combine Resistance Bands With Other Workout Equipment?

Resistance bands can be used with dumbbells, barbells, or pull-up bars to increase the tension. The benefit of resistance bands is the time under tension, which you can combine with free-weights to have tension throughout the movement. For a demonstration on how to use bands with free-weights, check out this video:

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What Is The Difference Between Resistance Band Types?

There are several different types of resistance bands. Some are figure-eight or ankle bands used primarily for lower body exercises. There are longer pull-up bands used for full-body stretches. There are also tube bands that can be stacked for full-body workouts. For a detailed breakdown of the different types of resistance bands and how they can best be used, check out this post, "5 Types Of Resistance Bands To Know."

In Closing

A resistance band workout schedule should be tailored to your goals and needs. You should do a resistance workout as often as you feel comfortable while allowing your muscles a day of rest. A specific workout should be 15 minutes to one hour depending on the time you have available and how frequently you plan to do a workout. Any exercise is good and will achieve some results. The more you can incorporate resistance band training into your weekly regimen, the better your results will be.