Exercise library

How to do the Squats - With Bands

A beginner compound exercise using resistance band, working the quadriceps.

Primary musclesQuadriceps
Secondary musclesCalves, Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower back
EquipmentResistance band
LevelBeginner
TypeCompound
ForcePush

Steps

  1. To start out, make sure that the exercise band is at an even split between both the left and right side of the body. To do this, use your hands to grab both sides of the band and place both feet in the middle of the band. Your feet should be shoulder width apart from each other.
  2. When holding the bands, they should be the same height on each side. You should be using a pronated grip (palms facing forward) and have the handles of the bands next to your face for this exercise. This is the starting position.
  3. Slowly start to bend the knees and lower the legs so that your thighs are parallel to the floor while exhaling.
  4. Use the heel of your feet to push your body up to the starting position as you exhale.
  5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Tracking it in OneRep

Add the squats - with bands to a routine and your previous weight and reps sit beside every set, so the decision to add load is made by what is already on the screen rather than by memory. Exercise history and volume trends are one tap away, and logging works offline for the gyms where signal does not reach.

Because OneRep tracks food on the same timeline, a stall on this lift can be read against what you were actually eating that month — which is the difference between a programming problem and an eating one. More on that in tracking progressive overload without a spreadsheet.

Where the instructions come from

The steps above come from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. They are general guidance, not coaching for your body: if a movement hurts, stop and get someone qualified to look at it.