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Level up your mobility work, bodyweight exercises, or rehab moves with versatile (and compact!) resistance bands.

Resistance bands are an incredible piece of fitness equipment. They come in many different shapes and sizes, including long thin or thick loops, smaller loops, straight bands with and without handles on the end, and even figure-eight shaped bands. Depending on the design, resistance bands can be used to work just about every single muscle group in your body. Plus, they’re the perfect way to warm up your glutes, quads, and hamstrings before heading out for a run.

Bands provide progressive resistance: The farther apart you pull the band, the more resistance you’ll experience. The thickness of the band can also determine the amount of initial resistance, and different size bands or different configurations are better for working different areas. For example, the smaller loops are great for glute work, where the larger loops can be perfect for full body moves like squats, good mornings, and lunges.

Don’t think of these as only light-duty workout tools; some bands can offer up to 200 pounds of resistance. But know that there’s no standard rating system: Bands can be listed by a static level of resistance, a dynamic range, or just relative levels, such as “light” or “medium.” Bands are often coded by color according to how much resistance they provide, but each brand uses a different color scheme, so compare resistance by weight or difficulty level, not color, when selecting a set.

Finally, beware that some resistance bands are made with latex. If you have an allergy, look for a latex-free model, often made with thermoplastic elastomer instead.

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When it comes to resistance bands, durability is key. The last thing you want to happen while pulling a band apart to stretch or add resistance is for it to snap. That was the biggest factor that I considered when testing the bands during weekly workouts and when recommending these models. I wanted to be sure that the bands could be used for basic bodyweight exercises, strength training, and rehabbing injuries. The bands below offer various size, configuration, and tension options, as well as multiple price points. Based on my testing, research, and trainer and user reviews, here are the best resistance bands that you can buy.

With seven different bands, each offering a different resistance range from 5 to 15 pounds all the way up to 85 to 200, WodFitters offers enough variety for you to find one (or more) that work for your training regimen. Use them in your apartment, stand on them, wrap them around furniture, door handles, or even trees to enable you to perform the exercises in your workout. I used them when traveling and even wrapped them around fences for presses and car roof racks for pull-downs and had no issues with the bands tearing. They’re great to assist with stretching as well. Prices run from $10 for the lowest resistance to $100 for a five-band set.

Featuring two easy-to-grip foam handles and a snap-proof design, the Lit Resistance Band is a great option for exercises where you prefer gripping handles versus a band itself. Stand on the middle and grip the handles to perform bicep curls, tricep kickbacks, overhead press, and more, or wrap the band around an anchor and grip the handles to perform a chest press, flys, or rows. This band gives a good amount of resistance, and I like that it doesn’t stretch out over time. It is somewhat limited in range; there are only three options, at 15, 30, or 50 pounds of resistance. Prices run from $21 to $31, depending on resistance.

Throw one of these mini bands around your thighs and perform some side steps, glute bridges, and clam shells to warm up your lower body before getting into your workout. Choose from four resistance levels, or get this variety four-pack so you can change them based on the move you’re performing and increase resistance as you become stronger and moves get easier. They’re perfect for traveling, too, as they take up very little space, so you can bring them with you to the gym or on a work trip or even vacation. These are listed as relative levels of resistance (“light,” “medium,” etc.) rather than a numerical weight equivalent.

This set of three bands lets you choose light, medium, or heavy resistance, depending on the workout you’re doing. The thick fabric construction of this set ensures they are extremely durable and can withstand frequent use without any wear and tear. Instead of a single long piece of material, these are a closed loop, which makes them ideal for stabilizing your lower body for exercises like squats, especially while rehabbing injuries. Each wide band features a grippy material on the inside, so you don’t have to worry about the bands slipping or moving around on your ankles or thighs. They come with a mesh carrying case, too, for easy transport.

For just $22, you’ll get five resistance bands, two handles, two ankle straps, a door anchor, and a storage bag. Easily clip the band of your choice to a handle or ankle strap, or slip it through the door anchor, depending on the exercise you’re looking to perform. If you’re working out from home a lot and can’t decide what size resistance band you need, this kit is a good choice for its multiple options. You can even attach more than one band at the same time to increase the resistance level to over 50 pounds.

For under $20, you’ll get five 59-inch-long, latex-free (perfect for anyone with an allergy) bands, ranging from 5 to 25 pounds of resistance. The bands are made of single, long pieces of TPE, so you can loop them around your hands; wrap them to anchors, fences, furniture, or handles; or tie the band to itself, depending on what you’re trying to do with it. The low resistance and 6-inch-wide supportive cut makes them a perfect tool for rehabbing injuries, as well as stretching and mobility exercises, where you might not have the flexibility sans a bit of assistance.

If you’ve taken a Barry’s class, you’ve probably used this type of resistance band before. Made from rubber tubing with handles at each end, SPRI’s Xertube is tough and durable. Available in five resistance levels from very light (roughly 10 pounds of resistance) to very heavy (about 50 pounds), it can be used for exercises like side raises, tricep extensions, lunges, squat to press, front raises, chest flys, and more, all by holding onto the handles and standing on different parts of the band, using your body as an anchor. You can download PDFs from the SPRI website to learn proper form and explore different moves.

Whether you’re a beginner or a fitness pro, you’ll find these three figure-eight shaped resistance bands easy to integrate into your routine to add a little extra tension and resistance to up your burn. The design works well for shoulder exercises, as well as toning the lower body, too, with exercises like lunges, fire hydrants, kickbacks, and more. The loops are easy to insert your foot or hand into, and each side has a foam grip to prevent slippage.

Resistance bands can be used to replicate many exercises you’d perform with free weights or even certain machines in the gym. You can wrap a band around an anchor point to perform resistance rows or flys instead of cable variations, stand on the middle and grab the handles or ends to perform bicep curls or tricep kickbacks versus dumbbell variations, or stand on the band and wrap it around your neck and shoulders to do a squat without a barbell.

Because a resistance band provides resistance throughout an exercise, you’re forcing your body to work even at the starting point of a movement, so the band challenges your body in a different way. It’s a nice change from a free-weight routine, and they can even feel a bit safer for some exercises—you don’t have to worry about dropping them on yourself if you can’t complete a rep.

Resistance bands take up little to no space, making them the perfect piece of equipment to add to your home gym. They’re also a great travel companion, as you can easily stuff them into your luggage for work travel or vacation or throw them into your gym bag.

Great Tool for Stretching, Mobility, and Rehab

Although they can be used for full workouts and strength moves, resistance bands are also a great tool for stretching, rehabbing injuries, and mobility work. They’re gentle on joints and can help provide a little or a lot of resistance when you’re working to strengthen your muscles after an injury or to increase your range of motion and depth in a stretch.