Best Resistance Band Door Anchors & How To Use Them

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To get a good full body workout from a set of resistance bands, you’ll want to use some kind of anchor point. A door anchor is the easiest way to do this. What’s the best door anchor and how can you use it? Let’s find out.

A resistance band door anchor can open up a lot of exercise options so it becomes possible to create a complete full body workout. A simple foam and nylon door anchor works well, is cheap and doesn’t damage the door or frame.

Below you can read what the best option is, how to properly use a door anchor and some good alternatives as well.

The Best Resistance Band Door Anchor

Door anchors for resistance bands are very simple things and there is no need to overcomplicate it. It has to do a few things;

• Provide an anchor point for a resistance band
• Stay in place
• Not damage the door
• Not damage the resistance band

To provide an anchor point is very simple. You need a loop that’s closed on all sides. This way you can tie the resistance band to it or simply feed it through the loop so you can grab both ends. Of course a loop alone isn’t going to stay in place. That’s why at the other side of the loop there is a stopper, usually made from plastic or foam. The stopper is placed on the other side of the door. When the door is closed, the stopper is too big to get through the crack so it will stay in place.

Suggested: Can resistance bands break?

You need some distance from the stopper to the end of the loop to make sure you can actually make it past the door. This is usually a nylon strap. This nylon strap should be able to hold plenty of weight but at the same time not be so thick you can’t close the door. Of course that also depends on how close your door is to the frame.

Nylon and plastic are quite hard and can damage the door and band, especially with repeated use. That’s why it’s also important to have a door anchor that has paid some attention to being friendly to those things. A foam stopper and some softer material on the anchor loop are great for this purpose.

Knowing that, we have a few choices. As said, a door anchor is super simple so luckily there is quite a bit of choice and they’re cheap. Here’s my favorite;

How To Use Resistance Band Door Anchors

Using a resistance band door anchor is super easy. Just take the resistance band you need and the door anchor. Slide one side of the band through the loop. If you’ve got tube bands with attachments, you might need to take the attachment off of one side before it fits through the loop.

Now find a door. Preferably one with a solid closing mechanism. Open the door, place the stopper of the anchor on the outside of the door and hold the anchor in place while closing the door. While closing the door, hold the anchor at the height you need for your specific exercise.

Now make sure the door is really closed. Since there is something in between the door and the frame, some doors might not close all the way. You want to hear that ‘click’ or ‘clunk’ to know the door is closed securely.

Do your exercises and change the height of the anchor when needed. That’s it. Very simple and as long as you’ve got a door, you can do it.

Why You Need Workout Bands Door Anchors

You only need a door anchor if you want to be able to do a full body workout with resistance bands. Resistance bands can also be used for exercises where you’re just holding the band but, having an anchor really expands the amount of exercises you can do.

Just a small sample of exercises that need an anchor;

• Chest press
• Face pull
• Straight arm pushdown
• Lat pulldown
• Low row

A door anchor provides a way to attach your resistance bands somewhere. If you don’t have an anchor point, what are you pulling against? For some exercises you can hold the band under your feet but this severely limits the amount of exercises you can do and won’t allow for a full body workout.

Suggested: Do resistance bands build muscle?

A door anchor allows you to create a band anchor point anywhere around the door opening. That means you can set attach your resistance bands at pretty much every height.  

Combo With Everything You Need

Don’t have any resistance bands or anchors yet? It might be a better option to get a combo with all the parts in one combo. There are a lot of these available and it makes life a lot easier. Just order a single thing and you get everything you need.

Most resistance band combos come with five different bands, handles, ankle straps and door anchor. Of course the quality of these things differs from set to set. However, even if the quality of some of the parts aren’t amazing, it’s still a good way to get started. That’s because you’re paying less than for all the parts bought separately. And it’s pretty easy and cheap to just upgrade one part out of the combo.

Here is one set that is high quality all round.

Best Door Anchor Alternatives

Door anchors are great because you can pretty much use them anywhere. At home, at a hotel, it doesn’t matter. However, they have some drawbacks. You need to open and close the door every time to adjust the height of the band and if someone opens the door without warning, you might be hit in the head by the door anchor. And sometimes you just don’t have a suitable door in the right location.

For that reason you might want to look at these alternatives;

Wall anchors

The best alternative to a door anchor is a wall anchor. These are metal or resin anchors that are attached to the wall. They should be attached to a wall stud to mount them securely.

They are not height adjustable after mounting but three wall anchors should be enough to give you all the exercise options you want. Adding two more on the floor and on the ceiling can also be done for even more options.

The benefit is that you can put them pretty much anywhere you want, they’re not dependent on any doors and it’s a much more permanent solution to anchor your resistance bands to.

Read more about wall anchors here

Furniture

Don’t have any proper anchors? Use some heavy furniture to wrap your bands around. Make sure it’s something that’s not going to move under any circumstances because that will just make everyone’s day a lot worse. But things like a heavy wardrobe can work well.

The drawback is that you often miss the height adjustability. Often the legs of a piece of furniture are the only feasible attachment point. But in a pinch it can work.

If you’ve got a pillar or window bars in your house, those will work well too.