Band Resistance Calculator
Did you know you can stack bands to create custom resistance? Two bands on the same anchor pull together and their tensions add up, so a handful of bands covers a range no single band could. Load your brand's set below, find yours with a search, or edit the rows to match what you actually own.
Name your bands or paste a link to where you bought them, and we will look up the specs.
Numbers are the easy part.
Rubber Bands turns a goal into a schedule you can actually keep, built around the resistance bands you already own.
Tensions add, but only at the same stretch.
Two bands anchored side by side and pulled to the same length share the load, so the resistance you feel is the sum of what each band produces at that length. That is the whole arithmetic here: the minimums add, and the maximums add.
The caveat is the one that catches people out. A flat band's tension depends on how far it is stretched, and the number printed on the packet is measured at one particular stretch that the manufacturer picked. Stack a short band with a long one and they will not be at the same percentage of their length, so the real total lands somewhere inside the range rather than at the top of it. Bands of the same length stack predictably; mismatched lengths do not.
Tube bands with handles carry a single printed rating rather than a range. Add them with the tube button, or import them like any other set, and enter that one number. The calculator keeps a tube's minimum at zero, the same way the app does. Not sure which type suits you? See loop vs. tube resistance bands.
The Rubber Bands app does this for you while you train: turn on band stacking in your gym profile and the band picker keeps a running total for each set, then uses it to work out when you have earned more resistance.