Band Pullover
Standing band pullover that trains the lats through their stretched range — a strong back-day finisher.
How to do it
- Anchor the band overhead and grab the handle or both ends, reaching your arms straight up overhead.
- Step back until the band is taut with your arms fully extended overhead, and stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Keep a slight bend in your elbows and pull your arms down in a wide arc toward your thighs.
- Squeeze your lats hard at the bottom, feeling the contraction along the sides of your back.
- Slowly bring your arms back overhead with control over 2–3 seconds, resisting the band all the way up.
- Do 12–15 reps, focusing on the lat stretch at the top and the squeeze at the bottom.
Key technique cue
Arms nearly straight, sweep the arc from the lats.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Bending the elbows too much, turning the movement into a triceps extension instead of a lat pull.
- ✕ Pulling with the chest and shoulders instead of driving from the lats and shoulder blades.
- ✕ Cutting the range short at the top — the stretched overhead position is where the growth happens.
- ✕ Arching the lower back as you reach overhead, which loses tension and risks straining the lumbar spine.
Benefits
- ✓ Loads the lats in their stretched range, where most of the growth happens.
- ✓ Improves overhead shoulder mobility through controlled reaching.
- ✓ Adds a band-friendly hypertrophy element to any back day.
Progression: from easier to harder
-
Step 1 You are here - Band Pullover
- Cable Rope Pullover
- Machine Lat Pullover
About the exercise
The band pullover works the lats in their lengthened overhead position — a range most pulling exercises skip. By bringing the arms down from overhead against the band, it loads the lats while they're stretched, which is a strong stimulus for muscle growth. It works well as a back-day finisher, in home workouts and in any program built around hypertrophy. It also makes a good prehab element for people with shoulder issues, since controlled overhead reaching builds shoulder mobility under a light load.
Updated
Similar exercises
A week of training and meals built for you
Workoutify plans workouts around your days, time and equipment — and a menu for your goal and macros.