Written by Sam Coleman | Co-founder
Fact checked by Kirsten Yovino, CPT Brookbush Institute
FACT CHECKED
If you are looking for new, more effective ways to target your lower body muscles, especially your hips and glutes, fabric non-slip booty bands are one of the best tools you can use. From warm ups to workouts, there are so many ways that you can benefit from using booty bands. In this post, we are going to cover all of the main booty band aka hip circle band benefits, as well as other things you should know about this fantastic resistance band that wraps around your thighs.
WHAT ARE BOOTY BANDS?
Booty Bands aka Hip Circle Bands are a type of resistance band made from elastic fabric. They are designed to wrap around your thighs, at any point above the knee, although they can also be used below the knee for certain exercises. This relatively short and thick resistance band will add pressure, support or resistance to leg muscles during lower body movements.
As the name suggests, these bands were created to target the hips in all of their possible movements (flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, and external/internal rotation). Ultimately, this will help improve both hip strength and mobility, while also promoting glute gains (which is why they are known as booty bands).
That said, as the fitness industry is full of creative people, hip circle bands have taken on a larger role. Hip circle bands can be utilized in many ways during warm ups and workouts, as well as mobility training. From priming muscles and improving form to increasing resistance and honing in on specific muscles, hip circle bands can benefit the performance in all areas of the lower body (glutes, hips, legs, knees, calves and ankles)…all of which we will get into in this article.
But first, let’s just be clear on the various terms for these specific resistance bands, as they are not to be confused with other resistance bands.
Other Names for Booty Resistance Bands
The following names can be used to describe the same kind of resistance band that we were referring to above and that is pictured in this article:
- Hip Circle Bands
- Fabric Bands
- Hip Bands
- Non-Slip Resistance Bands
- Glute Bands
- Sling Shot Bands
- Exercise Bands for Legs and Butt
Note: Just to be clear, we will be using both the term "booty band" and and "hip circle band" interchangeably throughout this article.
There are probably other names for them. However, it should be noted that this type of fabric elastic band is markedly different than latex “mini bands”.
Difference between rubber mini bands and fabric booty bands, and which is better?
When you look at the two, you can clearly see the difference. Hip circle bands have a fabric design and they are wider and thicker, whereas mini bands are rubber and they are thinner and not as wide. But there’s more to it than just how they look.
Here are some of the benefits of fabric elastic bands when comparing them to rubber mini bands…
The elastic fabric hip circle bands have more resistance, and they are more durable and longer lasting. Moreover, they will not slip, roll up, or pinch the skin…not to mention, they are very hard to break.
However, it’s not to say rubber mini bands are bad. The one advantage that mini bands have over hip circle bands, in our opinion, is that they can also be used in certain ways for the arms, as they have less resistance and they stretch more.
Hip circle bands on the other hand, are pretty much solely for the lower body. Even though there are some exercises you can do for the upper body if you get creative.
In any case, most people don’t even use rubber mini bands for the upper body, as they are not really effective or useful in that way, with exception to certain beginners.
Now, mini bands can be used in the same ways as hip circle bands for lower body exercises, but again, they roll up and are not comfortable on the skin. However, even with that, it could be argued that mini bands are better for beginners who lack lower body strength, as they come in lighter resistance levels than hip circle bands. Because of this, people will sometimes only recommend hip circle bands to intermediate and advanced trainees, although we find most beginners can still use hip circle bands effectively. After all, we walk on our legs all day, ergo, even most beginners have enough strength to utilize the fabric hip bands.
To sum it up, as long as your legs are not super weak, go for hip circle non-slip resistance bands. If you want a band that can hit the upper body, then get 41” loop resistance bands for that as they can do all the same things as rubber mini bands plus a ton more (benefits of large loop resistance bands). Getting a hip circle band and a set of 41” loop resistance bands is not going to set you back much anyway. As for mini bands, we really only recommend them to people who lack normal strength in their lower body.
Fabric vs Latex Resistance Booty Bands Comparison
If you still aren’t sure, get both mini bands and hip circle bands and see what works better for you. Neither are that costly.
ARE BOOTY BANDS EFFECTIVE?
Although you will see hip circle bands all over Instagram, they are still underestimated by those who have not tried them, especially men. However, when you first try hip bands out, you will immediately realize how effective they are for body composition, strength and mobility. There is no question that you can build strong, stable hips and thick, tight, round glutes with hip circle bands (aka booty bands).
The name says it all! People wouldn’t call them booty bands if they didn’t work for the booty, would they?!
But if you are still skeptical, let’s dive deeper by breaking down all of the hip circle band benefits.
TOP 5 BOOTY BAND BENEFITS
1. LOWER BODY STRENGTH & MUSCLE GAINS BECAUSE OF BETTER ACTIVATION
They are called booty bands for a reason, and that reason is when you wear the bands during squats, deadlifts, and hip thrusts, you will be activating your glutes tenfold. All you have to do is wrap them around your thighs and squat with good form as you normally would. Just make sure your stance is wide enough to cause pressure within the band, which should be shoulder-width apart.
Oftentimes, people have trouble activating all of their glute muscles (gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus) when squatting and deadlifting. With booty bands, you will immediately feel the difference. The hip bands will cause your glutes to fully activate. And the results are…a bigger, stronger butt!
Just try to squat with and without the hip bands and you will see exactly what we mean. Booty pump in full effect!
Note: The hip bands won’t just make your glutes activate more, it will better activate all of your leg muscles and hips as well. It’s just the glutes are the most noticeable as people typically have trouble keeping them activated throughout the entire movement.
2. IMPROVES HIP STRENGTH THROUGH ALL THE POSSIBLE MOVEMENTS
The hips are probably one of the most overlooked areas of the body, especially for men. It’s a shame because strong hips will translate into major performance improvements. Strong, balanced hips will improve your running, jumping, overall lower body strength, and your ability to transfer force from your lower body to your upper body (rotational movements). Moreover, it will help you prevent injuries, and not only at your hip, but your low back and knees too.
Your hips are capable of flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, and external/internal rotation. Thus, you want to strengthen them in all of these movements. And guess what? There is no better tool than the hip circle band to do so.
With hip bands, you can work all of your hip muscles by moving through all of the motions the hip joint is capable of. This, in turn, will work your glutes, which plays a key role in hip stabilization.
You can wear hip circle bands to perform bodyweight-only movements or wear them during free weight, smith machine or leg press exercises.
All in all, there really is no better training tool or equipment specifically for the hips (and booty). So, if you are someone who doesn’t often think about the hips, the time is now and you need some hip circle bands.
3. INJURY PREVENTON
This benefit of booty bands is twofold because hip circle bands help you prevent injuries in two ways.
First, you will be preventing injuries throughout your kinetic chain by building stronger, more stable hips, as well as core and glute strength. A strong core and glutes are as essential for stability as the hips are. Your glutes and core (some people consider the glutes part of the core) are major stabilizer muscles for most movements and exercises.
Second, you will prevent injuries during the big lifts like squats and deadlifts because your muscles are more activated. If your muscles are fully activated during the lift, you are much less likely to injure your joints. Your stabilizer muscles will be working in full force. Most injuries during squats and other big lifts are caused by not being fully activated (or poor form, which leads us to our next point).
4. HELPS MAINTAIN GOOD FORM DURING SQUATS & DEADLIFTS
Hip circle bands can help you improve your form for exercises like squats, deadlifts and hip thrusts because your legs will be forced to stay active. An issue many people have when going heavy with these lifts is at the leg level. Their knees push in or out. This is, again, due to activation issues, so with booty bands, you will be forced to maintain pressure on the band. This, in turn, prevents injuries and it help you make better gains.
What's more, when you wear booty bands during squats, you will notice you can get more depth in your range.
5. IMPROVES HIP MOBILITY & RANGE OF MOTION
Hip circle bands are a great tool for warming up too! Even if you don’t plan to use them during your workout on a lower body day, warming up with them will be highly advantageous. They do a fantastic job of priming the lower body muscles, getting them warm and getting the blood flowing, which leads to improved mobility and range of motion. It’s much more effective and efficient than doing bodyweight squats to warm up. This is because you will be activating all the muscles, including stabilizer muscles to a greater effect.
Overall, most people think “dynamic stretches” when working on mobility, and that is great, but simply getting blood flowing to lubricate the joints and increasing your body temperature by activating your muscles will significantly improve your mobility for the workout to come.
BONUS: OTHER BOOTY BAND BENEFITS
Although we’ve listed the main benefits above, there’s more…
- Booty bands add variety to your workout, which allows you to shock your muscles in new ways and it keeps your body guessing. Plus, it’s fun to switch things up.
- They are lightweight, portable, and space friendly. So, you can take them anywhere you want with ease. Use them at home and then throw them in your gym bag to use them at the gym.
- They are cost effective. You will be getting way more than your money’s worth. Pound for pound (or we should say dollar for dollar), resistance bands are one of the most effective, versatile and useful training tools there is.
- Hip circle bands are durable and safe. You don’t have to worry about them snapping, putting pressure on your joints, or whatever else you can think of that may happen with free weights. Of course, you will often use them in tandem with free weights, but that’s another story. As for durability, they are meant to last a very long time. The combination of fabric and elastic is very hard-wearing.
HOW TO USE BOOTY BANDS?
Booty bands can be used during warm ups and workouts. Generally speaking, here are the three main ways you can use hip bands:
- Wear booty bands during warm up movements to prime your lower body muscles, especially the hips and glutes. This will increase blood flow to your muscles and joints, helping you to improve your range of motion and mobility. Booty band warm up exercises include glute bridges, ham raises, squats, side steps, kick backs, hip abductors, etc.
- Booty band-only workouts. You can get a killer lower body workout in with just one booty band. There are many exercises you can do with booty bands, such as clamshells, band walks, squats, hip abductors, sideway leg lifts, kickbacks, and even single arm deadlifts (the last one is more of a non-conventional use of booty bands, but effective nonetheless). You’ll notice many of the booty band exercises that you can do for workouts are the same as warm ups. The main difference is the rep scheme and rest time. If you are doing booty band only exercises for a workout, try to keep the reps higher to have a better effect on muscle growth.
- Use them during big lifts like squats and hip thrusts for better depth and glute activation.
To give you a clearer picture, here is a booty band workout that demonstrates the various uses.
Should I Buy Booty Bands?
If you want to build a stronger, more stable lower body, improve your hip mobility and strength, and develop a bigger butt, then you should absolutely buy a booty band or a set of booty bands. There are so many ways that you can use fabric booty bands that you will never get bored of your fabric non-slip booty resistance bands.
Buy Non-Slip Fabric Resistance Booty Bands
If you have any questions about booty bands, please feel free to reach out to us.
Sam Coleman
Author