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You’ve bought a set of resistance bands but now you’re wondering how to attach them in different places for different exercises.
How to anchor resistance bands: The best way to anchor your resistance bands is with dedicated wall anchors, mounted in a safe way. The next best option is a door anchor. This doesn’t require any mounting. In a pinch you can use a heavy piece of furniture but this requires some care.
Want to know more about anchoring options and how many you need, keep reading.
| Image | Brand | Model | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
  | OPTP | Resistance Band Wall Anchors by Bob and Brad | Buy on Amazon |
  | Undersun | Resistance Band Door Anchor | Buy on Amazon |
  | Bodylastics | Heavy Duty Resistance Bands Ultra Anchor | Buy on Amazon |
Contents
Resistance bands anchoring options
For some exercises, you need to attach your resistance band somewhere. For any exercises just holding it with your hands or feet will be enough but there are some that need more than that.
Don’t have any resistance bands yet? Or maybe it’s time to upgrade. Check out this complete set on Amazon. It’s a complete set made by two physical therapists. It includes 5 bands, anchor, handles and ankle straps. Everything you need.
So what can you use to attach your resistance bands to? There are a few things;
- Door
- Part of the house
- Heavy workout equipment
- Furniture
- Body
- Wall anchors
For more information on those things, keep reading.
Suggested post: Can Resistance bands build muscle at home?
Door: Most resistance bands starter sets come with a door anchor. They are effective and easily adjustable. Most door anchors are a sturdy nylon loop that has a thicker part on one side. To use it, close the door with the thick part on the other side of the door with the other side of the loop sticking out on the other side.
Your door frame needs enough clearance to be able to close the door with the loop squished in between the door and frame. Not all doors have that option. Interior doors are usually more suitable than exterior doors.
The good part of door anchors is that they are very adjustable. You can put them anywhere you want, even at the top and bottom if the gap allows.
Over time it can wear your door a little because there is a lot of rubbing going on. On the other hand, there is very little preparation required. Just hold it at the preferred height and close the door.
Read more about door anchors here (click)
UnderSun Door Anchor
For people that don’t have a (good) door anchor with their resistance band set, here is a great option for you.
A big foam roll secures the anchor in the door jam without damaging the door.
Pillar/part of the house: Any part of the house that is exposed and you can wrap a band around can be used. Most houses don’t have anypillars or similar things that are exposed but if you do, use it.
Something that isn’t uncommon are ceiling joists. Especially in the garage these are pretty commonly exposed.
If the ceiling joists are rough wood, use something in between the wood and bands otherwise the wood can rub through the band quickly.
Heavy workout equipment: If you have the privilege of owning your own home gym with equipment, that’s great. Especially if you’ve got a power rack there are a ton of options to attach a resistance band.
Many power racks have band pegs built in or are available as an add-on. And even if you don’t have band pegs on your rack, you can still wrap the band around all the uprights and braces. If your power rack is bolted down or weighed down with a lot of weight, it isn’t going anywhere.
Furniture: If you’ve got nothing else available, you can try furniture. It has to be quite heavy to keep it from moving while exercising. How heavy depends on the resistance of your specific band of course.
Is it the best solution? No, but it’s better than nothing. If you are careful to choose the correct heavy furniture and not to damage it.
Body: There are quite a few exercises that you can anchor on yourself. Most movements that aren’t front to back (Like chest press), you can do without any anchor. For example; for shoulder presses and lateral raises you can just hold the band under your feet.
With a little bit of creativity you can do a lot of exercises without any anchoring.
Wall anchors: Finally, the ‘proper’ solution. Of course, you can make many of the other solutions work with great success.
However, if you want to do things right, wall anchors are the way to go. These are a base plate with a hole through which you can put the band. Some anchors have different mounting options. You mount the plate where you want and you’ve got a dedicated mounting point for your resistance band.
Of course you’ll have to mount a separate anchor for every position you want to use but that’s easy enough. Just make sure you mount them in a place that can hold the force exerted on the anchor. Don’t mount it on some drywall because the anchor might catapult into you which is not pleasant.
OPTP Wall Anchors
These anchors are relatively cheap and versatile. This is a pack of 3 with all the mounting hardware you need.
This set is the best value for money you’re going to find.
Summary; The best option to anchor your bands are dedicated wall anchors. If you don’t want to go through the trouble of mounting those, a door anchor is the next best option.
| Image | Brand | Model | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| OPTP | Resistance Band Wall Anchors by Bob and Brad | Buy on Amazon |
| Undersun | Resistance Band Door Anchor | Buy on Amazon |
| Bodylastics | Heavy Duty Resistance Bands Ultra Anchor | Buy on Amazon |
Resistance band anchoring positions
Having a single anchoring position for your resistance bands isn’t going to cut it. Sure, having an anchor point somewhere on the wall will help create exercise options. It’s however not going to be enough for a complete full body workout.
For a full body workout it’s good to have multiple anchoring points. How many? Ideally you could adjust the location from the floor under you to the ceiling above you and everywhere in between. That’s not going to be very practical though.
Most exercises that require an anchor that’s very low, you can anchor with your feet. So that makes it unnecessary to put an anchor on the floor. If you need an anchor as an addition to heavy barbell lifts, you can use the power rack as an anchor.
For most people, 3 anchors on the wall is plenty. You want them at different heights so different positions are possible. Start with one at shoulder height. Then one about 1.5 foot above that and one 1.5 foot below it.
If you want to add a fourth anchor, put it around ankle height so you can do leg exercises.
If you want to go all out, you can put an anchor point straight above you. This way you can do lat pull downs. It’s not absolutely necessary but it would complete the setup.
Suggested post: Are resistance bands worth the money?
Related questions
Can resistance bands help lose weight? Yes, resistance bands can help you lose weight by giving more resistance to your other exercises. More resistance means more muscle growth and more calories used. However, for losing weight, there are probably better things you can do.
How long do resistance bands last? How long resistance bands last depends on the quality, use and storage conditions. Thin resistance bands can be expected about 1 year while thick bands can last about 3 years with regular use.
