8 PT-Approved Resistance Band Back Exercises to Help You Get Stronger

Whether you’re sitting at your desk, standing in line at the store, doing chores, or exercising, your back muscles are at work supporting your posture and movement. But they have to be strong in order to do their job effectively, otherwise you could wind up with back pain over time. One of the best ways to strengthen your back: resistance band exercises. They’re simple-but-effective moves that can build strength all over your body, including your back. 

“I love using bands with clients because you can use them to tailor the exercise so much, from changing the way you grip the band to switching up how close it is to your body,” says Renee Bullis, PT, DPT, a physical therapist at Hinge Health. Resistance training — also called strength training — is one of the best ways to keep muscles strong and healthy so you can perform your daily activities with ease (and hopefully, without pain). 

Read on to learn about how to improve your back strength, especially with resistance band exercises recommended by Hinge Health physical therapists.

Interested in getting a personalized exercise therapy plan? Learn more about Hinge Health’s digital physical therapy program and see if you’re eligible.

8 Resistance Band Back Exercises

This move strengthens your latissimus dorsi, or lats, one of the biggest muscles in your back, says Dr. Bullis. It also helps activate your lower trapezius muscles (the muscles between the shoulder blades) and triceps, which play an important role in back support.

How to do it: 

• Stand tall with your arms extended in front of you at chest height, holding a band in both hands with a bit of slack in the band, palms facing down. 

• Keep your arms straight as you open your arms out to the sides. 

• PT Tip: Keep your arms at chest height and avoid letting your shoulders lift toward your ears. 

Get more information on how to do a straight-arm pulldown.

With this exercise, you’ll strengthen your posterior shoulder muscles, including your rhomboids and trapezius muscles, which can help offset the typical hunched shoulder position that can happen when you sit with your hands in front of your body, like at a desk. 

How to do it: 

• Stand with a resistance band stretched between your hands. Your elbows should be at your sides with your palms facing each other and your wrists straight. 

• Move your hands apart from each other to stretch the band as you focus on keeping your wrists straight and your elbows at your side.

• Move your hands back together to return to the starting position. 

Get more information on how to do a banded pull apart.

In a hinged position, you’ll activate both your low back and your core muscles, both of which are important for supporting your posture. “People often have issues bending over to pick things up, so doing an exercise in this position helps strengthen the low back so you perform functional movements with greater ease,” says Dr. Bullis.

How to do it: 

• Place a resistance band under your feet, holding the ends in your hands. 

• Hinge at your hips to bring your chest forward with your back flat and at a 45-degree angle to the floor. 

• Pull on the band to bring your hands toward your ribcage, with your elbows staying close to the sides of your body as you move.

This move activates your upper shoulders and trapezius. It’s also a chest-opening exercise, which helps alleviate neck, shoulder, and upper back pain that can develop from a rounded shoulder position.

How to do it: 

• Secure a resistance band by opening a door, wrapping the band around the handle on the other side, then closing the door. 

• Take a few steps back from the door with the ends of the band in each hand. 

• Your arms should be straight out and raised to about chest height with some tension in the band. 

• Move your arms out to your sides, stretching the band horizontally.

The bridge exercise puts your back in an extended position — the opposite of the flexed position you’re in when you’re sitting for a long time. “This move strengthens and mobilizes your low back as well as your glutes, which support your back, pelvis, and hips,” says Dr. Bullis.

How to do it: 

• Lie on your back with a looped resistance band placed above your knees. 

• Your knees should be bent and your feet flat on the floor. 

• Move your knees apart to stretch the band and push through your heels to lift your hips off the floor. 

• Focus on squeezing your glutes and holding your knees apart. 

• Lower your hips back to the floor.

Along with strengthening your low back and glutes in an all-fours position, this move works your core muscles to support your posture in a holistic way. 

How to do it: 

• Get into a comfortable position on your hands and knees with a looped resistance band placed above your knees. Your hands should be below your shoulders and your knees below your hips. 

• With your knee bent and your back straight, extend one leg back and up toward the ceiling, stretching the band.

• Lower your knee back to the floor.

Dr. Bullis recommends this exercise because, with the band around your thighs, you’ll activate some of the smaller gluteus muscles, which play a role in stability of your pelvis while walking, climbing stairs, and supporting your back. Plus, a squat is a very functional strengthening exercise — we move through this movement pattern many times a day when we go from sitting to standing (and vice versa).

How to do it: 

• Sit on the front part of a chair and place a loop band around your legs, just above your knees. 

• Press into your feet to stand tall. Keep your weight in your heels.

• Lower your hips back and down to return to the starting position.

Working on single-leg stability is key, says Dr. Bullis. “We tend to lose stability in single leg stance as we age, and this movement helps to improve balance while also improving strength in your back, glutes, hips, core, knees, and feet,” she adds. “The important thing is to move with control here and utilize a table or counter for balance, if needed."

How to do it: 

• Stand with your feet a comfortable distance apart. A looped resistance band should stretch from the bottom of one foot to your hand on the same side.

• Move your chest and hands toward the floor by hinging at your hips and lift one leg back and up toward the ceiling.

• Squeeze your glutes to lift your chest up and return to standing. 

The information contained in these videos is intended to be used for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice or treatment for any specific condition. Hinge Health is not your healthcare provider and is not responsible for any injury sustained or exacerbated by your use of or participation in these exercises. Please consult with your healthcare provider with any questions you may have about your medical condition or treatment.

Benefits of Resistance Band Back Exercises

Resistance bands can give you more bang for your buck when it comes to back exercises. “Using resistance bands can offset low, mid-back, and neck pain by making it easier to hold different postures, especially seated and standing postures with your hands in front of you,” says Dr. Bullis. 

Other reasons to use a resistance band to improve back strength and mobility include: 

• Increased back flexibility. Maintaining the same posture for an extended period can lead to stiff muscles, which can cause pain. Resistance bands are a great way to stretch these contracted muscles and improve your range of motion and mobility as you start working on strengthening. “I like that you can fully tailor your stretch with a band,” says Dr. Bullis. “You can use it to go to your own end range of motion, so you don’t overdo it.” 

• Lower injury risk. Using a resistance band is a great way to prevent muscle strain or other back injuries. A bit of gentle resistance with a band, Dr. Bullis explains, can help warm up your back muscles before you use heavier weights in a workout.  

• Better injury recovery. Strengthening with a resistance band can promote blood flow to your back, which is important when you’re recovering from an injury. It’s also a great way to ease back into strengthening exercises during the healing process. “Bands allow you to move slowly through your range of motion,” says Dr. Bullis. “People often feel they can tap into the muscles they want to work more easily with a band than with their body weight or free weights.”

• More bone and joint protection. Building strength throughout your back muscles helps to support your bones and joints, Dr. Bullis explains, which is important for preventing injury and staving off pain if you have a condition like osteoarthritis. 

How Hinge Health Can Help You

If you have joint or muscle pain that makes it hard to move, you can get the relief you’ve been looking for with Hinge Health’s online exercise therapy program.

The best part: You don’t have to leave your home because our program is digital. That means you can easily get the care you need through our app, when and where it works for you.

Through our program, you’ll have access to therapeutic exercises and stretches for your condition. Additionally, you’ll have a personal care team to guide, support, and tailor our program to you.

See if you qualify for Hinge Health and confirm free coverage through your employer or benefit plan here.

This article and its contents are provided for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or professional services specific to you or your medical condition.

References

1. Lee, J.-S., & Kang, S.-J. (2016). The effects of strength exercise and walking on lumbar function, pain level, and body composition in chronic back pain patients. Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation, 12(5), 463–470. doi:10.12965/jer.1632650.325

2. Liu, X., Gao, Y., Lu, J., Ma, Q., Shi, Y., Liu, J., Xin, S., & Su, H. (2022). Effects of Different Resistance Exercise Forms on Body Composition and Muscle Strength in Overweight and/or Obese Individuals: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Frontiers in Physiology, 12. doi:10.3389/fphys.2021.791999

3. Lopes, J. S. S., Machado, A. F., Micheletti, J. K., de Almeida, A. C., Cavina, A. P., & Pastre, C. M. (2019). Effects of Training with Elastic Resistance versus Conventional Resistance on Muscular strength: a Systematic Review and meta-analysis. SAGE Open Medicine, 7, 205031211983111. doi:10.1177/2050312119831116

4. Picha, K. J., Almaddah, M. R., Barker, J., Ciochetty, T., Black, W. S., & Uhl, T. L. (2019). Elastic Resistance Effectiveness on Increasing Strength of Shoulders and Hips. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 33(4), 931–943. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000002216