Undersun Resistance Band Workout: Exercises To Build Muscle, Lose Fat, And Get Ripped At Home!

Undersun Fitness’ popularity has rapidly gained traction. So I gave their resistance bands a go to see if they really work. This post shares the Undersun band workout and exercises I tested with great effect at home

Undersun bands work well for beginners and advanced lifters alike. The lighter bands are good for smaller exercises like the bicep curl, whilst the heavier bands are ideal for larger exercises like the chest press. They can be used to build muscle, lose fat, and get ripped.

The workout I share below is a 3-day full-body split.

It’s suitable for beginners to build muscle, lose fat, and tone at home quickly and efficiently without having to spend the entire week working out.

The workout can also be adapted into a 6-day muscle group split for intermediates and onwards to maximize muscle growth.

What You’ll Need For This Undersun Band Workout

Here are favourite resistance bands:

The Undersun bundle comes with everything you need to build muscle and strength at home.

There are 5 bands (extra-light, light, medium, heavy, and extra-heavy).

Combined, this gives you enough weight and increments to progress from a beginner to an advanced lifter, as well as work small and large muscles equally effectively.

Additionally, you also get a heavy-duty door anchor which opens different angles to isolate specific muscle regions like the upper chest.

The door anchor is made from heavy-duty fabric. So you don’t need to worry about it snapping, damaging your property, or cutting into your bands.

As a bonus, you also get a travel pouch for when you want to work out away from home!

If you haven’t already got your bands, you can find the cheapest Undersun price here. Or you can check out my hands-on Undersun review here.

Finally, I highly recommend getting gloves (which aren’t bundled with the Undersuns).

This workout revolves around the Undersun resistance bands which do not have handles.

As such, you’ll be gripping bare rubber which can cause discomfort and friction burns.

This can prevent you from lifting heavy loads and hold you back from maximizing your true muscle and strength potential.

Gloves don’t have to be expensive Undersun ones.

I found cheap ones like this Ihuan work well.

Before & After Transformation Pics Showing Undersun Bands DO Work

Here is a 1-year before and after transformation pictures of me using the undersun resistance bands:

I’d already been a regular gymgoer before using the Undersun bands.

My training focused primarily on heavy barbell and dumbbell gym workouts to build muscle and strength.

However, I had to find an alternative training method during the 2021 lockdown restrictions when gyms were inaccessible.

So I turned to the Undersun resistance bands.

Not only did I find the Undersun bands work well for building and maintaining muscle, but they could also be used to lose fat and build a ripped physique.

Your success, of course, depends largely on your diet also!

You can check out my other post to see exactly how long it takes to see results with resistance bands, based on my experience and that of other people from Reddit!

The Undersun Resistance Band Workout

Below, you’ll find the basic framework for my Undersun resistance band workout.

Overview:

• 3-day full-body split program. Complete 3 workouts per week. Each workout hits every major muscle group in the whole body. I found this to be a fast and efficient way to train. You choose training days that are suitable to your schedule. You can also adapt the workout into a 6-day muscle-group split to maximize muscle size if you don’t mind working out more frequently.

• Focus on compound-type movements. These exercises simultaneously work multiple muscles at once to maximize muscle growth and burn calories fast. Isolation-type movements are also there to help you define and tone specific muscles. I have a list of compound/isolation band exercises for you to play around with later in this post.

• 24-48 hours of rest between each workout. Don’t make the common mistake of training every day hoping for faster results. Instead, you should carefully choose how many times per week to use resistance bands. A 3-day split allows you 1 or 2 rest days for your muscles to recover and grow.

• Apply progressive overload every 1-2 weeks. Overloading means increasing exercise intensity over time. This is most commonly done by using heavier bands as you get stronger or doing more reps. This keeps your muscles challenged for growth as you get stronger (more on this below).

Next, I’ll reveal the Undersun resistance band workout for each training day.

Remember, you choose your training days.

Where I work out on Monday, you can work out on Tuesday, etc.

The important thing is to train 3 days per week with 1 to 2 rest days in between.

Each workout will take approximately 1 hour to complete.

Monday’s Undersun Workout:

Undersun Exercise	Target Muscle	Sets	Repetitions	Weight	Rest Between Set
Push-Up With Bands	Chest	4	8	8RM	2 mins
Sitting Banded Back Row	Back	4	8	8RM	2 mins
Band Shoulder Press	Shoulders	4	8	8RM	2 mins
Kneeling Band Ab Crunch	Abs	4	12	12RM	2 mins
Front Squat With Bands	Legs	4	8	8RM	2 mins
Banded Bicep Curls	Arms	4	12	12RM	2 mins

Wednesday’s Undersun Workout:

Undersun Exercise	Target Muscle	Sets	Repetitions	Weight	Rest Between Set
Chest Press With Bands	Chest	4	8	8RM	2 mins
Reverse Fly With Bands	Back	4	12	12RM	2 mins
Standing Band Lateral Raise	Shoulders	4	12	12RM	2 mins
Standing Band Core Rotation	Abs	4	12	12RM	2 mins
Deadlift With Bands	Whole Body	4	8	8RM	2 mins
Tricep Pull-Down With Band	Arms	4	12	12RM	2 mins

Friday’s Undersun Workout:

Undersun Exercise	Target Muscle	Sets	Repetitions	Weight	Rest Between Set
Forward Fly With Bands	Chest	4	12	12RM	2 mins
Sitting Banded Back Row	Back	4	8	8RM	2 mins
Band Shoulder Press	Shoulders	4	8	8RM	2 mins
Kneeling Band Ab Crunch	Abs	4	12	12RM	2 mins
Front Squat With Bands	Legs	4	8	8RM	2 mins
Banded Bicep Curls	Arms	4	12	12RM	2 mins

How To Do The Exercises In This Undersun Workout

In this section, I’ll describe the muscles worked in each of the exercises in my Undersun resistance band workout (see above), show you how to perform them, and explain why the movement is so effective.

1) Push-Up With Bands

Primary muscles worked:

• Pectorals (chest).
• Triceps (arms).
• Anterior deltoids (front shoulders).
• Core (abs).

Exercise type:

• Compound.

How to do it:

Why this Undersun band exercise is effective:

The push-up is the bodyweight equivalent of the bench press. This is a popular exercise for simultaneously hitting all of your upper body “mirror muscles” in a single movement.

Master bodyweight push-ups first before increasing intensity with your Undersun bands.

Eat a bulking diet to build upper body muscle or keep to a calorie deficit to tone flabby arms and define your chest!

2) Chest Press With Bands

Primary muscles worked:

• Pectorals (chest).
• Triceps (arms).
• Anterior deltoids (front shoulders).
• Core (abs).

Exercise type:

• Compound.

How to do it:

Why this Undersun band exercise is effective:

An easier alternative to the banded push-up is the chest press.

This is one of the most effective resistance band exercises for a beginner to work the chest, especially if you can’t yet do push-ups.

It’s safe to perform and doesn’t require a great deal of starting strength.

But you can also work your way up to the heavy Undersun bands to really improve your upper body pushing strength!

3) Forward Fly With Bands

Primary muscles worked:

• Pectorals (chest).
• Biceps (arms).

Exercise type:

• Isolation.

How to do it:

Why this Undersun band exercise is effective:

Another great chest exercise for beginners.

In terms of outright muscle-building potential, the band fly is inferior to the band push-up and chest press.

However, it’s one of the most beginner-friendly chest movements you can do with your Undersun bands.

Start with the lighter bands and concentrate on doing slow and controlled movements.

This will help you to develop greater chest strength.

Intermediates can also use this exercise to give the chest a really good pump and increase definition in the pectoral cleft!

4) Sitting Banded Back Row

Primary muscles worked:

• Trapezius (upper back).
• Rhomboids (middle back).
• Latissium dorsi (lower back).
• Posterior deltoids (rear shoulders).
• Biceps (arms).
• Core (abs).

Exercise type:

• Compound.

How to do it:

Why this Undersun band exercise is effective:

This is to the back what the banded push-up/chest-press is to the chest.

In other words, it’s one of the best exercises you can do with your Undersun bands to activate all of your back muscles in one powerful movement.

Use it to sculpt a wider and thicker back for muscle-building goals. Or use it to tone and burn max calories in the shortest amount of time for fat-loss goals.

Adjust your diet to accommodate your goal!

5) Reverse Fly With Bands

Primary muscles worked:

• Trapezius (upper back).
• Rhomboids (middle back).
• Posterior deltoids (rear shoulders).

Exercise type:

• Isolation.

How to do it:

Why this Undersun band exercise is effective:

This is the back equivalent to the forward chest fly.

It’s an effective exercise that works the muscles in your upper back region.

Start with the extra-light band. This will help you maintain good form.

The reverse fly is a popular movement with bodybuilders to maximize upper back definition.

But if you keep your calorie intake sensible (i.e. maintenance or deficit calories), then you can use this exercise to tone your back.

6) Band Shoulder Press

Primary muscles worked:

• Anterior deltoids (front shoulder).
• Lateral deltoids (side shoulder).
• Posterior deltoids (rear shoulder).
• Triceps (arms).
• Core (abs).

Exercise type:

• Compound.

How to do it:

Why this Undersun band exercise is effective:

Also called the overhead press.

Where horizontal pressing movements are great for working your chest, vertical pressing is amazing for targeting your shoulders.

This is a great exercise to focus on in your Undersun resistance band workout if you’re looking to broaden your shoulders and develop a V-tapered body.

It’s also great for burning calories since it’s a compound movement that activates multiple muscles.

Additionally, the shoulder press will work your triceps and help you develop the tricep cleft you see on a set of well-defined arms!

7) Standing Band Lateral Raise

Primary muscles worked:

• Lateral deltoids (side shoulder).

Exercise type:

• Isolation.

How to do it:

Why this Undersun band exercise is effective:

Where the shoulder press is great for hitting all 3 shoulders (deltoid) muscles at once, the lateral raise is more suited to specifically working the lateral (side) shoulder.

Why would you want to do this?

Firstly, the lateral deltoid contributes to the 3D “shoulder-boulder” look if you’re on a bulk.

Secondly, the same muscle also contributes to toned-looking arms since it sits between the bicep and tricep.

Keep to maintenance or deficit calories if your goal is to tone the shoulders without increasing width.

8) Kneeling Band Ab Crunch

Primary muscles worked:

• Abdominals (abs).
• Obliques (side abs).

Exercise type:

• Isolation.

How to do it:

Why this Undersun band exercise is effective:

Sit-up-type movements like the crunch are the most effective way to work your abs.

And working your abs will increase the likelihood of your six-pack revealing themselves!

Most of the compound movements in this Undersun resistance workout will already work your abs to some degree to stabilize the torso.

But it’s also good to include some direct ab work to further increase abdominal definition.

Just be aware that you’ll also need low body fat to reveal the abs!

9) Standing Band Core Rotation

Primary muscles worked:

• Obliques (side abs).
• Abdominals (abs).

Exercise type:

• Isolation.

How to do it:

Why this Undersun band exercise is effective:

Unlike sit-ups, core-rotation-type movements shift emphasis to the obliques.

These are the muscles that run vertically alongside the six-pack abdominals.

I like to add a few sets of resistance band core rotations into my weekly Undersun workout for balanced core development!

When doing this exercise, it’s important to rotate your entire torso and not just use the arms and upper torso to pull on the band.

10) Front Squat With Bands

Primary muscles worked:

• Quadriceps (front thigh).
• Hamstrings (rear thigh).
• Glutes (buttocks).
• Gastrocnemius (calves).
• Core (abs).

Exercise type:

• Compound.

How to do it:

Why this Undersun band exercise is effective:

This is one of THE best resistance band exercises to include in your Undersun workout for building powerful legs.

Keeping your calorie intake low will also help you tone, define, and shape the glutes (aka the butt!).

It’s also a very versatile movement.

You can do low reps (6-8) using a heavy Undersun band to maximize leg muscle and strength gains.

Or you can do higher reps (12-15) using a medium Undersun band to focus more on cardio and fat loss.

The band sits on your hand under high tension which can cause discomfort. I recommend using gloves to protect your skin from friction burns.

11) Deadlift With Bands

Primary muscles worked:

• Whole-body.

Exercise type:

• Compound.

How to do it:

Why this Undersun band exercise is effective:

This is arguably the King of all exercises.

Every single muscle in your body fires on all cylinders with each deadlift movement.

It’s a welcome addition to your Undersun resistance band workout regardless of whether you’re trying to build muscle, increase strength, burn fat, or tone.

The deadlift works best with heavy resistance bands since it’s such a large movement.

I recommend doing lower reps (6-8) using a heavier band for strength and muscle gains, and higher reps (12-15) using a slightly lighter band for cardio or fat loss.

Gloves are essential for this exercise.

They’ll protect your hands from being shredded by the Undersun bands which are under high tension.

12) Banded Bicep Curls

Primary muscles worked:

• Biceps (arms).

Exercise type:

• Isolation.

How to do it:

Why this Undersun band exercise is effective:

No workout would be complete without the ever-famous bicep curl.

And this Undersun resistance band workout is no exception.

Yup, bicep curls can be done using resistance bands.

It can be even more effective doing curls using bands vs dumbbells due to the unique linear variable strength curve of resistance of bands.

Unsure what that means?

It’s a posh way to say that the band curl gets harder as the band stretches and you approach the top of the movement, unlike a dumbbell curl which gets easier towards the top.

13) Tricep Pull-Down With Band

Primary muscles worked:

• Triceps (arms).

Exercise type:

• Isolation.

How to do it:

Why this Undersun band exercise is effective:

The triceps make up 2 thirds of your upper arm.

So if you’re looking to build bigger arms, or simply want to tone and tuck flabby arms, tricep movements are essential.

A lot of the compound pressing movements will work your triceps already.

But adding a few extra sets of direct triceps work can really help define our upper arms!

In my opinion, the tricep pull-down is one of the best triceps exercises you can do with your Undersun bands.

Choosing The Right Resistance Band Weight For This Workout

You’ll see the recommended weights are given as “RM”. This stands for “repetition maximum”. In other words- the maximum amount of weight you can lift for an allotted number of repetitions. So an 8RM is a weight you can lift for 8 reps and a 12 RM is a weight you can lift for 12 reps.

This will take a bit of experimentation to find the ideal weight.

But here are my starting Undersun band weight recommendations to use as a beginner for this workout:

• 8RM- start with the medium Undersun resistant band. Switch to the light or heavy band accordingly.

• 12RM- start with the light Undersun resistance band. Switch to the extra-light or medium band accordingly.

The idea is to start with the above recommendations and adjust according to your strength.

If for example, a medium band feels too easy for 8 reps then you can switch to a heavy band for your next workout.

Remember- the band weight chosen should be challenging.

Completing 8 reps is no good if the weight is not fatiguing your muscle!

As a general rule, you should start feeling muscular fatigue (aka “the burn”) within the last 1-4 reps of each set.

You can also stack Undersun bands and combine them into different weight increments.

For example, combining the medium + extra light band creates a resistance that sits just between a medium + heavy band.

This method allows you to micro-adjust the weight of your bands.

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If you’re interested, you can check out my other post to find out if you should be lifting light, medium, or heavy resistance bands!

Progressive Overload With This Workout For Maximum Results

Progressive overload involves increasing exercise intensity over time. This keeps your muscles challenged as they become stronger, and as a result, you continue to see muscle growth and fat loss benefits. Overloading is commonly done by increasing weight or reps.

This is how to apply progressive overload in this Undersun resistance band workout:

• Increase weight. Jump to the next band increment whenever you’re able to complete your allotted reps relatively easily. Try stacking bands to micro-adjust (see the previous section) if you find it too difficult to jump from one band weight to the next. For example, you can try combining a medium and extra-light band if you find it too difficult to directly jump to the heavy band.

• Increase reps. This is an effective way to overload when increasing weight is too difficult. Simply add an extra rep onto each set. And keep doing this each workout. I’d stay under 15 reps per set though as this is the threshold where training transitions from a muscle-building to a cardio focus.

As a general rule, you should aim to progressive overload at least once every 1-2 weeks as a beginner.

After you’ve been working out consistently for around 6-12 months, you may find it increasingly difficult to overload regularly.

This is called a plateau and it’s normal since the law of diminishing returns applies to resistance training.

When it happens, focus on making slow but steady overloads.

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Considering the Undersun resistance bands? Maybe you’re not sure? You can check out my other post which compares the Undersun bands vs 8 other popular competitors to find out which is best!

Additional Undersun Chest Exercises

Here’s a list of chest exercises that you can include in your Undersun resistance band workout:

Undersun Chest Exercises	Type	Recommended Reps	Recommended Weight
Push-up with bands	Compound	8-12	8-12RM
Chest press with bands	Compound	8-12	8-12RM
Forward fly with bands	Isolation	12-15	12-15RM
Incline/decline push-up with bands	Compound	8-12	8-12RM
Incline/decline chest press with bands	Compound	8-12	8-12RM
Standing upward fly with bands	Isolation	12-15	12-15RM

Additional Undersun Shoulder Exercises

Here’s a list of shoulder exercises that you can include in your Undersun resistance band workout:

Undersun Shoulder Exercises	Type	Recommended Reps	Recommended Weight
Band shoulder press	Compound	8-12	8-12RM
Standing band lateral raise	Isolation	12-15	12-15RM
Band front raise	Isolation	12-15	12-15RM
Upright row	Compound	8-12	8-12RM
Banded face-pull	Compound	8-12	8-12RM
Standing cross-pull	Isolation	12-15	12-15RM

Additional Undersun Arm Exercises

Here’s a list of arm exercises that you can include in your Undersun resistance band workout:

Undersun Arm Exercises	Type	Recommended Reps	Recommended Weight
Banded bicep curls	Isolation	12-15	12-15RM
Tricep pull-down with bands	Isolation	12-15	12-15RM
Hammer curl with bands	Isolation	12-15	12-15RM
Overhand reverse curl with bands	Isolation	12-15	12-15RM
Tricep kickback with bands	Isolation	12-15	12-15RM
Overhead tricep extension	Isolation	12-15	12-15RM

Additional Undersun Back Exercises

Here’s a list of back exercises that you can include in your Undersun resistance band workout:

Undersun Back Exercises	Type	Recommended Reps	Recommended Weight
Sitting banded back row	Compound	8-12	8-12RM
Reverse fly with bands	Isolation	12-15	12-15RM
Banded pull-ups	Compound	8-12	8-12RM
Lat pull-down with bands	Compound	8-12	8-12RM
Standing wide-grip band row	Compound	8-12	8-12RM
Stiff-legged deadlift	Compound	8-12	8-12RM

Additional Undersun Leg Exercises

Here’s a list of chest exercises that you can include in your Undersun resistance band workout:

Undersun Leg Exercises	Type	Recommended Reps	Recommended Weight
Front squat with bands	Compound	8-12	8-12RM
Deadlift with bands	Compound	8-12	8-12RM
Lying leg extension with bands	Isolation	12-15	12-15RM
Banded lunges	Compound	8-12	8-12RM
Leg kickback with bands	Compound	8-12	8-12RM
Banded glute bridge	Compound	N/A (30 secs per set)	12RM

Additional Undersun Ab Exercises

Here’s a list of ab exercises that you can include in your Undersun resistance band workout:

Undersun Ab Exercises	Type	Recommended Reps	Recommended Weight
Kneeling band ab crunch	Isolation	12-15	12-15RM
Standing band core rotation	Isolation	12-15	12-15RM
Banded golf swing	Isolation	12-15	12-15RM
Banded wood chopper	Isolation	12-15	12-15RM
Bicycle crunch with bands	Isolation	12-15	12-15RM

Products Mentioned In This Undersun Band Workout

• Undersun resistance band set (link for the cheapest price). High-quality resistance band set at a very affordable price. Can be used to build muscle, and strength, lose fat, and tone at home.

• Ihuan gloves (link for the cheapest price). Protects your hands from bare rubber which can cause friction burn and discomfort, especially for beginners.

Conclusion

I’ve shared the Undersun band workout I used to build muscle, lose fat, and get ripped at home.

It’s a 3-day full-body workout that’ll take around 1 hour each to complete.

Don’t let their simple nature fool you.

These Undersun resistance bands really do work.

If you don’t want to pay for the Undersun TA2 fitness app, you’re more than welcome to try my workout first.

After all, it’s completely free!

I’ve also shared my favorite chest, back, shoulder, ab, arms, and leg exercises you can include in your Undersun resistance band workout.

Will you be giving the workout a go?

Feel free to send me a message if you have any questions! You can find my details on the “contact us” page.

You may also be interested in the downloadable Kalibre Blueprint PDF which details exactly how I gained 40lbs of lean muscle (it’s 100% free!). It details the exact exercises and nutrition (with printable worksheets) I used to go from skinny to ripped!

Thanks for reading guys!

Peace Out,

Kal

(Biochemistry BSc, Biomedical Sciences MSc, Ex-Skinny Guy)