Upright Row - With Bands

Also called band upright row and resistance band upright row.

Works

Traps, plus shoulders

Equipment

Band

Level

Beginner

Type

Compound

How to do it

Setup. 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.

1. 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.
2. Lower the handles back down slowly to the starting position. Inhale as you perform this portion of the movement.
3. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Cues

• Stand on the band, hands close.
• Lead with the elbows.
• Stop at chest height.
• Lower slowly.

Common mistakes

• Pulling to the chin.
• Shrugging the traps.

Where to start

A starting point, not a law. Pick a weight you could lift two or three more times than the top of the range. Tempo is seconds down, pause, up. When every set hits the top of the range, add a little weight.

Go easy, or pick an alternative, if you have a sore shoulder. Pain that's sharp or gets worse set to set means stop.

Harder

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