When it comes to losing stubborn belly fat, making the most of your gym time is essential. With options ranging from resistance bands to machines to free weights to no-equipment routines, it can be challenging to determine which method reigns supreme. To help settle the age-old debate, we spoke with fitness experts about training with resistance bands or no equipment to learn which is the ideal choice for melting belly fat.
Keep in mind that spot reduction is a myth. That said, you can change how your body stores fat and utilizes it by packing on muscle. That’s where strength training comes into play.
Resistance Bands vs. No Equipment: Which Burns More Belly Fat?
While both resistance bands and bodyweight workouts promote fat loss, bands “give you an edge when you’re ready to scale up,” says Deb Simpson, NASM-CPT, founder of Featherweight Fitness.
“Bodyweight routines teach strong foundational movement and are a great place to begin,” Deb explains. “But to build lean muscle—which helps reduce body fat—you eventually need to add resistance. Bands do that affordably and effectively, without needing a full home gym setup.”
Kristina Turnure, MS, CPT, PN1, GGS-PPN, health and fitness coach and founder at Built & Balanced, agrees that bands provide a clear advantage by establishing more resistance and time under tension.
“This is essential for boosting metabolism and improving body composition, including reducing abdominal fat,” Kristina shares. “Resistance bands also allow for more progressive overload compared to bodyweight alone, which helps prevent plateaus and promotes long-term fat loss. They can mimic the benefits many women love from Pilates or reformer-based workouts like added resistance, core engagement, and controlled movement.”
Bands make it seamless to sculpt lean muscle, boost metabolism, and train in a consistent manner—all of which support fat loss. In addition, they’re portable, making working out on the road easy, and they’re cost-efficient. A full set is typically cheaper than a single dumbbell, Deb points out.
“[Plus,] for anyone getting back into strength training or working around joint issues, bands are a low-friction way to make progress without overwhelm,” she adds.
That’s not to say no-equipment workouts don’t have their place.
“Bodyweight exercises like squats, planks, and single-leg movements can be deceptively hard. They challenge your balance, control, and coordination—all of which build strength that supports fat loss,” Deb tells us. “The key is progression. Once the basics get easier, you either make the movement harder or add resistance.”
That’s where resistance bands come in clutch.
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