Band Row
A seated row with a resistance band: sitting on the floor with the band looped around your feet, you pull your hands to your lower ribs and squeeze your shoulder blades together.
- Primary muscles
- Lats, Upper back
- Secondary
- Biceps, Rear delts, Forearm flexors
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Band × reps
Loads from YouTube only when you press play. The video is by an independent creator.
Why do it
The band row needs nothing but a band and some floor space, so it suits home workouts, travel and warm-ups before heavier rowing. Because the band gets tighter as you pull, the squeeze at the end is the hardest part, which makes it a good drill for learning to bring your shoulder blades together. It's light at full stretch compared to a cable or dumbbell row, so use it for higher reps and move to a stronger band when the set gets easy.
How to do it
Sit on the floor with your legs extended and loop the band around your feet. Hold one end in each hand with your arms straight and your back upright.
Pull your elbows back past your torso until your hands reach your lower ribs, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
Keep your chest up and avoid leaning back to finish the pull.
Return slowly until your arms are straight again. Log the band you used; a stronger band counts as progress.
Common mistakes
Leaning back to finish
Rocking your torso back stretches the band without your back muscles. Keep your chest up and your torso still, and use a lighter band if you can't.
Slumping on the floor
Sitting with a rounded back makes it hard to pull your shoulder blades back. Sit tall before the first rep; a slight knee bend helps if your hamstrings are tight.
Stopping your elbows at your sides
If your elbows stop level with your torso, your biceps do most of the work. Drive them back past your body and squeeze your shoulder blades together.
Letting the band pull you forward
Return slowly until your arms are straight. Letting the band yank your arms forward throws away the lowering half of each rep.
Sets, reps and progression
How many sets you do and how close to failure you take them depend on your goal and your week, not on the exercise. These guides cover it:
Alternatives that train the same thing
Same movement, a different angle or piece of equipment.
