Exercises · Back

Upright Row - With Bands

Upright Row - With Bands is a beginner-friendly compound exercise for the back, done with bands. Step-by-step instructions are below; the plain-English guide, common mistakes and sets and reps ranges for this page are still being written.

• Primary musclesBack
• Secondary musclesShoulders
• EquipmentBands
• LevelBeginner · compound

How to do it

1. To begin, stand on an exercise band so that tension begins at arm's length. Grasp the handles using a pronated (palms facing your thighs) grip that is slightly less than shoulder width. The handles should be resting on top of your thighs. Your arms should be extended with a slight bend at the elbows and your back should be straight. This will be your starting position.
2. Use your side shoulders to lift the handles as you exhale. The handles should be close to the body as you move them up. Continue to lift the handles until they nearly touches your chin. Tip: Your elbows should drive the motion. As you lift the handles, your elbows should always be higher than your forearms. Also, keep your torso stationary and pause for a second at the top of the movement.
3. Lower the handles back down slowly to the starting position. Inhale as you perform this portion of the movement.
4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

In the app: this exercise is one of 873 in GymPilot's library, with the same photos, form cues and a link back to the moment in an imported video it came from.