These resistance bands back exercises are a convenient way to work out your lats, shoulders, deltoids and traps.
Along with equipment-free and bodyweight exercises, resistance bands are low maintenance and cost-effective. With many different types of bands with many different densities, training with resistance bands adds diversity to your workout, while also assisting in mobility.
Why Should You Use Resistance Bands for Back Exercises?
Resistance bands are an excellent and house-safe way to build muscle and mobility in your upper body.
Resistance bands are great for working out your back muscles. Their versatility allows you to hit a variety of muscle groups without needing to set foot in the gym. The bands induce muscle contraction at different difficulties depending on which thickness of band you choose, making the movement harder and easier as you need. This also makes them great for mobility or an alternative to deloading.
Benefits of resistance bands include:
- Improving mobility
- Improve flexibility
- For rehabilitation
- For learning new skills
- Supplement weightlifting
You can train, build and tone various muscle groups using resistance bands. In CrossFit, athletes use resistance bands to warm up, do accessory work, aid in training or make training harder. Resistance band back exercises are both an excellent workout, or a supplement to your fitness journey.
5 Resistance Bands Back Exercises to Tone Your Back
1. Lat Pull Down
You don’t need access to expensive lat machines to sculpt your upper back — all you need is a resistance and and a sturdy anchor.
- Using a door anchor or attaching the band to a bar or something sturdy, hold one end in each hand.
- Either take a knee or stay standing, with your arms outstretched and hips tilted forward, keeping your back straight.
- Make sure the band has good resistance as you pull each end down either side of your hips.
- Pull down on the bands in an aching movement, working your lats and back. These are the only muscles you should be working with this movement.
2. Bent Over Row
This resistance band back exercise is really simple and you don’t even need access to an anchor.
- Start by standing in the middle of your resistance band with both both.
- Bend at the waist and stick out your butt with your knees slightly bent.
- Have a flat back and keep your chest up, and with a loose grip on the ends of the band, pull up slowly until you reach your hip.
- Repeat for 10-15 reps.
3. Standing Back Row
Using a fixed object like a door handle, attach your band so it’s sturdy and doesn’t move. You will need to have access to both ends as this is an exercise that works both sides at the same time.
- Start with a shoulder width stance and a bend in the knees.
- Make sure your standing far enough from the fixed surface to feel the tension in the band.
- Begin to row your arms, squeezing when your arms reach your trunk, and then slowly return.
- Again, this is a great exercise for your lats, which is the part of your body that should be assisting this movement.
4. Assisted Pull-Up
If you’re working up to an unassisted pull-up, or are just struggling to get all the way there, resistance bands can really help bridge the skill gap and help you give your back a killer workout.
- Depending on where you are in your pull-up training, start with a band with plenty of resistance; this will make the exercise easier. This will also help you get a feeling for the movement.
- Loop the band to your pull-up bar.
- Put one foot in the loop of the bar, and put your other foot over the looped food for safety incase the band slips off your foot.
- Next, pull yourself up until your chin reaches the bar, using the resistance of the band to assist your back muscles in pulling you up and down.
- This movement will work your lats, your rhomboid and your scapular.
You might want to find someone to give you a hand or spot you while you get acquainted with the movement.
5. Resistance Band Deadlift
Deadlifts are an iconic compound exercise, but you don’t need an enormous barbell to make it work. Resistance band deadlifts are a great way to practice technique and to learn how to perform the movement correctly.
- Set your feet hip width apart with both feet in the middle of the band, much like you would if you were performing a bent over row.
- With your knees slightly bent and hips hinged at an angle, bend down and pick up each end of the band.
- Keep your core tight and pull your shoulder blades back, opening up your chest.
- Move your hips upright, pulling on the bands as you go. This movement is a hip hinge movement, so keep that in mind as you work through the exercise.
- Repeat for as many rounds and reps you’re comfortable.
Read More: Build Core Strength with these Resistance Band Ab Exercises
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