The resistance band lat pull down is a resistance band exercise you can perform to target the muscles of the back.
As a vertical pull exercise, it helps you train a foundational movement pattern not often used in everyday life.
By pulling resistance from a starting point that is overhead, you can stimulate the muscles of the latissimus dorsi (lats) and biceps.
To position your resistance band in this way, you’ll need to invest in a door anchor or find a high bar to hook your band around.
In this article, we will cover 5 lat pull down variations you can perform with a resistance band. Bookmark this article and add these exercises to your at-home workouts to ensure you are training a very important movement pattern in your workouts.
1. Resistance Band Wide Lat Pull Down
The first variation we’ll discuss is the resistance band wide lat pull down. This variation is one of the most traditional pull down variations. By pulling at a wide angle, you’ll be able to focus on isolating and contracting the lats.
How to perform wide resistance band lat pull downs:
- Set your resistance band in position by looping it into your door anchor or around a high bar.
- Grab the handles or sides of the band and test that it is secure in the anchor point.
- Take a seated or kneeling position 1-3 feet away from the leverage point.
- Ensure the middle of the band is aligned with the anchor point.
- Pulling with the muscles of the back, bring the handles towards your torso until your hands are even with your shoulders.
- Squeeze the muscles of the back and slowly reverse the movement back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
2. Close Grip Resistance Band Lat Pull Down
The close grip variations will feel more comfortable for most performing this exercise. Unlike the wide lat pull down, this variation keeps the movement closer to the body. As a result, the biceps will be slightly more involved as well.
The close grip variation will be more friendly with people working through some shoulder discomfort.
How to perform close grip resistance band lat pull downs:
- Set your resistance band in position by looping it into your door anchor or around a high bar.
- Grab the handles or sides of the band and test that it is secure in the anchor point.
- Take a seated or kneeling position 1-3 feet away from the leverage point.
- Ensure the middle of the band is aligned with the anchor point.
- Pulling with the muscles of the back, bring the handles towards your torso until your hands are even with your chest.
- Squeeze the muscles of the back and slowly reverse the movement back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
3. Neutral Grip Banded Pull Downs
The neutral grip variation is very similar to the close grip variation. The main difference is your hand placement as you perform the movement. Instead of keeping your hands facing away from the body, for a neutral grip banded pull down you will face them towards one another.
This is especially helpful for people who have elbow discomfort when performing either of the other two variations.
How to perform neutral grip banded pull downs:
- Set your resistance band in position by looping it into your door anchor or around a high bar.
- Grab the handles or sides of the band and test that it is secure in the anchor point.
- Take a seated or kneeling position 1-3 feet away from the leverage point.
- Ensure the middle of the band is aligned with the anchor point.
- Position your hands in a neutral position by taking a second to ensure they are pointed at each other.
- Pulling with the muscles of the back, bring the handles towards your torso until your hands are even with your chest.
- Squeeze the muscles of the back and slowly reverse the movement back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
4. One Arm Band Pull Downs
The one arm banded pull down variation can be utilized for any of the variations listed above. The main difference is that instead of pulling with both sides at once, you’ll focus on performing the exercise one side at a time.
This can be especially helpful if you want to build the mind muscle connection with each side of your body. All that said, this variation will be more challenging than the others as you are essentially doubling the amount of resistance you are pulling.
How to perform one arm band pull downs:
- Set your resistance band in position by looping it into your door anchor or around a high bar.
- Grab the handles or sides of the band with one hand and test that it is secure in the anchor point.
- Take a seated or kneeling position 1-3 feet away from the leverage point.
- Ensure the middle of the band is aligned with the anchor point.
- Pulling with the muscles of the back, bring the handles towards the same side of your torso until your hand is even with your chest.
- Squeeze the muscles of the back and slowly reverse the movement back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
- Repeat on the opposite side.
5. Resistance Band Straight Arm Lat Pull Down
The final variation we’ll discuss is the most different. The straight arm lat pull down is performed in a standing position. This can be helpful for those who are uncomfortable getting on and off the floor.
That said, it does not train the exact vertical pulling pattern that the others do. So, for those who are able to get on and off the floor, it may be best to reserve this movement as an accessory movement in your workouts.
How to perform resistance band straight arm lat pull downs:
- Set your resistance band in position by looping it into your door anchor or around a high bar.
- Grab the handles or sides of the band and test that it is secure in the anchor point.
- Remain standing and take a starting position 1-3 feet away from the leverage point.
- Ensure the middle of the band is aligned with the anchor point.
- Keep your arms straight and use the muscles of the back to pull the handles down towards your hips.
- Once at the bottom of the movement, squeeze the muscles of the back and slowly reverse the movement back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Conclusion
The banded lat pull down is an awesome exercise to incorporate into your workouts if your training tool of choice is a set of resistance bands.
Resistance bands are awesome for those looking to perform workouts at home, while traveling, and even outside.
The important thing with any workout routine is ensuring that you train the foundational movement pattern exercises. The resistance band lat pull down helps you accomplish this by training the vertical pull movement pattern.
A general recommendation would be to perform 2-5 sets of one of the variations for 6-12 repetitions. Experiment and find the variation that will work best for you.