Upper back exercise
Band Seated RowHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Upper back, Lats
- Also works
- Biceps
- Equipment
- Band
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
How do you do the Band Seated Row?
- Sit with your legs straight and loop the band round your feet.
- Hold the ends, palms facing, arms straight and band taut.
- Sit tall and pull your hands to your waist, elbows close to your sides.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades for a second.
- Let your arms straighten slowly, keeping the band tight.
Cues
- Sit tall on your sit bones.
- Elbows back, along your ribs.
- Keep the band tight all the way.
Common mistakes
- Slumping or rounding: sit up tall; bend your knees slightly if your hamstrings are tight.
- Leaning back: move only your arms and pick a lighter band.
- Letting the band snap back: take two seconds to return.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
Sit on the floor, legs straight out in front, feet hip-width apart, heels on the floor, toes up (ankles about 90°). Hold one end in each hand, neutral grip (palms facing each other), wrists straight. Sit tall on the sit bones, chest up, shoulders down, spine neutral.
The movement
The hands travel back in a straight line along the band, dropping slightly towards the waist. Elbows slide back along the ribs. Only the arms and shoulder blades move; the trunk, legs and feet stay still, and the band stays in place on the feet.
End position
Hands just in front of the waist / lower abdomen, band ends at the sides of the stomach. Elbows close to the sides and behind the trunk: elbow flexion about 100°, upper arm about 35° behind the trunk line. Shoulder blades squeezed together and down. Trunk still upright. Pause 1 s.
Tempo
Pull 1.5 s / squeeze 1 s / return 2 s, then 0.3 s at the stretch, band still taut.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knee flexion | 0° | 0–10° (soft, not bent up) | |
| Feet | hip-width, toes up | ankles 80–100° | |
| Trunk angle from vertical | 0° | 0–10° forward, constant | |
| Elbow flexion at the start | 5° | 0–10° | |
| Elbow flexion at the end | 100° | 90–115° | |
| Elbow out from the side at the end (front view) | 10° | 0–20° | |
| Hands at the end | front of the waist | lower ribs to navel height |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Band Seated Row is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
