Beloved by brawny bodybuilders and aerobics aficionados alike,  resistance bands are versatile strength-training tools. They’re lightweight, portable,  and suitable for targeting muscles throughout the body.


Conor Heffernan,  a lecturer in the sociology of sport at Ulster University in Northern Ireland who has researched the history of  resistance bands, explained that resistance bands represent an evolution from pulleys,  which strongman Eugen Sandow popularized around the turn of the 20th century.


We’ve tested 28 sets of bands and found that the Bodylastics Stackable Tube Resistance Bands are the best traditional  tube-and-handle bands. They are reinforced with rope to help prevent the type of overstretching that can lead to  potentially dangerous breakage. If you’re looking for superbands for pull-up assistance or mini-bands for  physical-therapy exercises, we have picks for those, too.