What Trainers Want You to Know About Back Resistance Band Exercises

Resistance bands are thick, stretchy bands made of rubber or latex that can intensify many regular workouts by adding an element of, well, resistance. There are all different types of resistance bands, including thick, flat therapy bands, tube bands with handles, mini bands, and figure eight-shaped bands.

Yes. “They’re perfectly suited for corrective exercises that improve posture, core stability, and overall strength because they have varying levels of tension and allow you to really focus on form, technique, proper pace, and mind to muscle connection,” explains Teddy Savage, national lead trainer at Planet Fitness. “Posture is tied heavily to spinal stability, core strength, and mobility through your hips. So, working with resistance bands helps to unlock a vast array of exercises that are specifically designed to target each by engaging those essential stabilizer muscles.”

Put differently, the bands can help you engage your “center,” adds Denise Chakoian, C.P.T., owner and founder of CORE Cycle.Fitness.Lagree, which inherently straightens the spine and corrects poor posture. When you use resistance bands correctly, you have no choice but to sit up straight.

Below, Savage and Chakoian outline exercises that deliver the double perks of posture improvement and a good workout. Perform each exercise for 60 seconds with a 30-second rest in between. Do each exercise for three sets.

Reverse band fly

This exercise helps correct posture by discouraging your shoulders from concaving and rounding forward, Savage says.

How to: “Start with your feet about hip width apart and standing on your band. While keeping a neutral spine, pull the band apart and squeeze the upper back muscles between your shoulder blades and scapula. Imagine you’re trying to crack an acorn between those muscles,” Savage says.

Resistance band bent row

This exercise is great for strengthening your lats or lower back, which help stabilize the shoulder joint and mid to upper spine, Savage explains.

How to: “Starting with your feet about hip width apart, stand on the resistance band and keep your heels flat to the ground,” Savage says. “Hinge at the hips and keep your back straight as your foundational posture for the exercise. Then, pull the band back towards yourself by driving your elbows straight back and squeezing those back muscles.”

Resistance band lat pulldowns

“Lat pulldowns are one of the best exercises for strengthening your posterior chain muscles that help keep your torso upright because they target the lats, rhomboids, and rear deltoids,” Savage says.

How to: Begin by anchoring the band to a point above your head, like a piece of gym equipment. Then, position yourself below the anchor point on one knee with your chest up and back straight. Pull the bands down by drawing your elbows down and back until you create a “W” with your elbows close to your torso, chest pronounced.

Resistance band high-to-low woodchoppers

Rotational stability through your core is one of the primary catalysts for maintaining good posture, Savage says. This exercise targets the internal and external obliques, small stabilizer muscles, with a twist movement.

How to: Begin with anchoring the band above your head and standing adjacent to the anchor point. Grab the handle of the resistance bands and pull the right side downwards towards the left knee by engaging your core and rotating in the direction of the pull. Then switch sides.

Resistance band deadlift

The lower back is essential for keeping the spine vertical, meaning its a key player in posture and mobility, Savage says. The below deadlift exercise is a compound movement that engages multiple lower lumbar muscles to improve strength in that area.

How to: Start with your feet about hip width apart and the band securely beneath your midfoot. Bend at the knee slightly and hinge at the hips. Cross the bands so that the band itself makes an “X,” creating more tension. Then, bend at the knees and hinge to squat down until you’ve reached parallel with your thighs or until you hit your fullest range of motion. Next, drive through your heels and engage your lower back muscles to raise your chest and return to the standing position.

Resistance band sit-ups

“Our muscles work in a complementary relationship to one another,” Savage explains. “So, in order to strengthen your back, you must also strengthen your core muscles so that you don’t create a muscular imbalance that could cause stress and strains.” This exercise helps with that, he adds.

How to: Start with your band anchored to a point in front of your and slightly above knee height. Then, sit facing the anchor point with your feet flat and chest up, making sure to hold the bands close to your chest and sternum. Next, lean back slowly until you reach the ground and your back is flush to the mat. Slowly come up and return to the starting seated position.

Resistance band lateral raise

This simple move from Chakoian engages the upper back and shoulders.

How to: Place both feet on your band and lift handles out to the side of the body at a “T” level. Repeat.