How many reps of the band frog pump should a beginner do?

Aim for 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps with a light or medium band, resting under a minute between sets. Progress by moving to a heavier band rather than rushing the tempo, since the band's job is to add resistance to hip abduction, not just to hip extension.

What can you do instead of the band frog pump?

Without a band, do the standard bodyweight frog pump and focus on manually pressing the knees outward against your own resistance, or loop a folded towel above the knees in a pinch. A hip-abduction machine or seated band abduction targets the same outward-press pattern.

What is the band frog pump good for?

The band adds a hip-abduction challenge to the usual glute-focused hip extension, making it a good warm-up or finisher for anyone whose knees cave in during squats and lunges. It is a poor choice if you want to build raw hip-extension strength, since the light band and small range cap how much tension the glutes ever see.

Beginner

Band Frog Pump

The frog pump places the hips in external rotation with the soles of the feet together, a position that biases the glutes and reduces the hamstrings' share of the work. Adding a mini-band above the knees loads hip abduction at the same time, so the glutes work on two fronts. It is a low-fatigue, high-rep glute builder ideal as a finisher or activation drill.

Equipment: Band
Body part: Glutes
Type: Strength
Browse by muscle: Gluteus Maximus
Browse by movement: Hinge

How to do it

1
Loop a mini-band above your knees and lie on your back with knees bent.
2
Bring the soles of your feet together and let your knees fall open.
3
Rest your arms at your sides and brace your core.
4
Drive through the outer edges of your feet to lift your hips off the floor.
5
Press the knees out against the band and squeeze the glutes hard at the top.
6
Lower the hips under control and repeat for high reps.

Tips

Push the knees outward against the band throughout the set.
Finish with a hard glute squeeze rather than arching the lower back.
Keep the reps controlled and focus on feeling the glutes contract.

Variations

Common mistakes

A band that sits too high toward the hips loses tension long before the top of the rep, letting the outward push fade out exactly when it matters most.
Relaxing the outward pressure on the band between reps gives the hips a moment of rest that a continuous glute-focused set is not supposed to allow.
The heels drift apart mid-set so the soles stop touching, which takes the hips out of external rotation and hands more of the work back to the hamstrings.
Once the band feels too light, some people just crank out more reps instead of switching to a heavier band, so the hip-abduction challenge never grows.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the band frog pump should a beginner do?: Aim for 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps with a light or medium band, resting under a minute between sets. Progress by moving to a heavier band rather than rushing the tempo, since the band's job is to add resistance to hip abduction, not just to hip extension.
What can you do instead of the band frog pump?: Without a band, do the standard bodyweight frog pump and focus on manually pressing the knees outward against your own resistance, or loop a folded towel above the knees in a pinch. A hip-abduction machine or seated band abduction targets the same outward-press pattern.
What is the band frog pump good for?: The band adds a hip-abduction challenge to the usual glute-focused hip extension, making it a good warm-up or finisher for anyone whose knees cave in during squats and lunges. It is a poor choice if you want to build raw hip-extension strength, since the light band and small range cap how much tension the glutes ever see.

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