Do you have a pair of resistance bands you aren’t putting to good use? While there are many exercises you can do with resistance bands, there’s one you might not be doing that offers benefits you might not be currently getting. It’s called band posture pulls (aka band pull-aparts). It’s a very simple exercise that offers a variety of benefits for your upper body.
Here’s how to do one:
- In a standing position, grab a resistance band and hold it in front of your body at chest level.
- With your hands about shoulder-width apart, use each hand to pull the band apart as you bring your shoulders together behind you.
- In a slow controlled motion, let your hands return to the starting position.
How to Vary the Exercise:
Once you can do 8 to 10 repetitions using your current band, grab a stiffer band with more resistance and do the exercise. You can also make the movement harder by doing a greater number of repetitions, but if you’re trying to maximize strength, increasing the resistance and doing fewer reps will give you the greatest strength benefits.
Once you’ve mastered the exercise at chest level, lift the bands a little higher or drop them a bit lower to work at a different level. That’s an advantage of resistance bands; you can easily change the height at which you hold the bands and shift the emphasis of the exercise or work your muscles in a slightly different way.
What Are the Benefits of Band Posture Pulls?
Band posture pulls are one of the most effective exercises for working the posterior deltoids. Your shoulder muscle is divided into three heads: the anterior, middle, and posterior. Most shoulder exercises like front raises and overhead presses work the anterior and middle heads of the shoulder. The rear deltoids often get neglected. That’s where band posture pulls come in. They’re a simple exercise that isolates the rear or posterior head of the deltoid so you can get more balanced shoulder training.
Along with the posterior deltoid muscle, band posture pulls work your middle trapezius and rhomboids. Both muscles play a key role in maintaining a healthy posture. The rhomboids are especially important for shoulder stability and healthy posture, but often get neglected. Their job is to pull your shoulder blades together. So, band posture pulls can help you maintain healthy posture and avoid neck and upper back pain. Look at your posture from the side. If your head and shoulder are too far forward and your back is rounded when you look at yourself from the side, your posture could use some work. This type of posture, called kyphosis, places added strain on the muscles in your neck and upper back and can increase your risk of cervical neck strains.
Also, band posture pulls are a pulling exercise. Most people do a high ratio of pushing exercise relative to ones that require pulling. This creates muscle imbalances that lead to asymmetrical muscle development and increase the risk of injury. By adding more upper body pulling exercises you balance out the many upper body pushing exercise you do, like chest presses, overhead presses, and more.
Resistance Bands Provide a Different Stimulus for Your Muscles
Because band posture pulls use resistance bands, they work your muscles differently and that can help you avoid strength plateaus. Resistance bands have some advantages over dumbbells. When you work your upper body with dumbbells or barbells, the exercise becomes easier near the endpoint of the movement. For example, when you do biceps curls with dumbbells, the tension on your muscles drops at the top of the curl and your muscles get a break. Not so with resistance bands. When you use resistance bands to do a posture pul, the tension increases as you pull apart the band and never drops to zero, so you’re challenged throughout the movement. When you’re at the top of a band posture pull and your arms are apart, your muscles still have to work to maintain that tension.
Resistance bands are a safer option if you’re a beginner too. They’re also joint-friendly and a viable option if you work out at home and don’t want to invest in weights. You can take your light-weight bands everywhere.
Tips for Getting the Most Out of Band Posture Pulls
- Start with a lighter resistance band and go for more repetitions until you become familiar with the movement.
- Check your form in the mirror when you do the exercise or have someone critique your form for you.
- Stand straight up when you do the exercise without allowing your body to sway forward and drift back when you extend the bands.
- Don’t short-change your range-of-motion but don’t go too far either. The endpoint should be when your arms are extended out in line with your shoulders. Don’t overextend the bands so that your arms drift behind you.
- Control the bands at all times. Many people control the bands while extending them, but then let the bands snap their arms back to the starting position. Maintain control even during the eccentric or return phase of the exercise.
- Some people use band posture pulls as a warm-up before doing other upper body exercises. If so, use a band with lighter resistance and do higher reps.
- Do a variety of shoulder exercises, including ones that work target your anterior and middle deltoid heads for balanced training.
The Bottom Line
If you’re not doing band posture pulls, now you know what they can do for your upper body, particularly your upper back and posterior deltoids. Plus, it gives you a break from using dumbbells and barbells and places a novel stimulus on your muscles. Keep several sets of bands around so you can vary the resistance as you get stronger. You can also increase the challenge by placing your hands closer together on the band. So, put those bands to good use with this simple but challenging upper body exercise!
References:
- The FitWorld Blog. “7 Main Reasons Why Band Pull-Aparts NEED To Be a STAPLE in Your Programs”
- Men’sHealth.com. “3 Ways to Use the Band Pull-Apart during Your Next Workout”
- Ann Rehabil Med. 2012;36(1):98–104. doi:10.5535/arm.2012.36.1.98.
- SAGE Open Med. 2019; 7: 2050312119831116. Published online 2019 Feb 19. doi: 10.1177/2050312119831116.
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