Resistance bands are a super useful piece of kit. They’re lightweight, versatile and effective at working your muscles. With a tonne of resistance band exercises you can perform, these bands are perfect for a home gym setup and are lightweight enough to use on the move - I’ve taken mine on holiday before to give me workout options.

As they’re easy to anchor, I find them particularly useful for working the back muscles. With that in mind, here are my top five Exercise Band back exercises.

1 - Deadlift

Deadlifts with a resistance band? Absolutely. 

This compound movement engages your entire posterior chain, including your upper back, lower back, glutes and hamstrings. There are a couple of variations you can perform too. The conventional deadlift asks more of your quads, whereas the Romanian deadlift is a great one to perform with a band to get a deep stretch in the hamstrings. 

Some people are apprehensive about barbell deadlifts, but resistance band deadlifts are extra safe and controllable. They’re a perfect option for beginners or for when you want to focus on form without heavy weights.

2 - Reverse Flye

The reverse flye is an excellent exercise for targeting the rear delts, traps and rhomboids. Using a resistance band for this move adds constant tension through the range, helping to activate these muscles effectively.

This is one of my favourites because it strengthens the often-neglected posterior deltoids and draws your shoulders back into a better posture - particularly useful if you sit at a desk for most of the day like me. 

3 - Single Arm Row

The resistance band single arm row is a simple and effective exercise to target the latissimus dorsi and biceps. Alongside your lats, you’ll also hit other back muscles including your traps and rhomboids. Depending on where you grab the band, you should feel a good amount of tension throughout the movement – but especially at the top when you give your lats a big squeeze. 

I like this unilateral exercise as it allows me to really focus on each lat individually and is great for adding back width.

4 - Overhead Pull Apart

For me, the overhead pull apart is a key activation exercise or finisher for any shoulder and back workout. It effectively targets your upper back, traps and rear delts.

Using a light resistance band, this movement not only strengthens the stabiliser muscles of the upper back but also improves shoulder mobility and posture.

Like the reverse flye, it’s especially helpful if you spend a lot of time sitting or working at a desk - it feels great to stretch everything out! 

5 - Straight Arm Pulldown

The straight arm pulldown is one of my favourite resistance band exercises for isolating the lats. This movement focuses on engaging and strengthening these large muscles, making it an excellent addition to any back workout. 

The band provides constant tension, which really allows you to feel the burn in your lats as you pull through the movement.

I love this exercise because it mimics the cable machine pulldown but can be done anywhere. It helps build that tapered V look and adds definition to your back without needing bulky equipment.

All of these resistance band exercises are accessible and effective. Whether used to activate muscles before your lifts, as a finisher or as the main exercise itself, these five resistance band back exercises are my personal favourites. So pick up a Resistance Band Set and some Exercise Matting and get to work.

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Tags: Equipment > Resistance Bands ; Exercise Type > Strength