How to do a resistance band row
For a band row, anchor a resistance band at chest height in a door anchor or around a solid post, hold one end in each hand, and step back until it is lightly taut. Stand tall with soft knees, then pull your elbows back past your ribs while squeezing your shoulder blades together and down. Pause, then let your arms straighten slowly. Check the band for nicks before every use.
Why it matters: Pulling strength balances all the time spent hunched over a desk, a phone or a steering wheel.
Steps
- Check the band and handles for nicks, tears or stretched spots, and replace any damaged band.
- Anchor it at chest height with a door anchor on the hinge side of a closed door that opens away from you, or around a solid post.
- Hold one end in each hand and step back until the band is lightly taut.
- Stand tall with soft knees and your ribs down.
- Pull your elbows back past your ribs, squeezing your shoulder blades together and down.
- Pause for a breath, then let your arms straighten slowly against the band.
- Step closer to make it easier or further away to make it harder.
Stop and call a professional if
- a shoulder pinches, clicks painfully or aches after the session: stop and see your clinician or a physical therapist
- you feel numbness or tingling down an arm: stop and see your clinician
- you are pregnant, gave birth in the last year, or have a heart, joint, bone or pelvic floor condition: ask your clinician or a physical therapist which movements suit you first
- you feel chest pain or pressure, faintness or breathlessness far beyond the effort: stop and call your local emergency number, 911 in the US
Common mistakes
- Anchoring the band to something that can move, like a chair or a door that opens toward you.
- Shrugging the shoulders up toward the ears.
- Letting the band snap the arms forward.
- Leaning back to finish the pull.
Teach this to someone
A one page sheet for showing a friend, a teenager or a parent: what to say, what to show, and one question to check it landed.
Teach: How to do a resistance band row
What to say
For a band row, anchor a resistance band at chest height in a door anchor or around a solid post, hold one end in each hand, and step back until it is lightly taut. Stand tall with soft knees, then pull your elbows back past your ribs while squeezing your shoulder blades together and down. Pause, then let your arms straighten slowly. Check the band for nicks before every use.
What to show
- Check the band and handles for nicks, tears or stretched spots, and replace any damaged band.
- Anchor it at chest height with a door anchor on the hinge side of a closed door that opens away from you, or around a solid post.
- Hold one end in each hand and step back until the band is lightly taut.
- Stand tall with soft knees and your ribs down.
- Pull your elbows back past your ribs, squeezing your shoulder blades together and down.
- Pause for a breath, then let your arms straighten slowly against the band.
- Step closer to make it easier or further away to make it harder.
Where it stops
Stop and call a professional if a shoulder pinches, clicks painfully or aches after the session: stop and see your clinician or a physical therapist.
Check question
Where should a door anchor go?
Answer: On the hinge side of a closed door that opens away from you. The pull then presses the door into its frame instead of opening it.
Your checklist
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Quick quiz
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Related skills
Sources
- Certified exercise professional guidance on movement form, 2025. Reviewed September 28, 2026.
Written in our own words from the sources above. It is general information, not advice for your situation; where a professional, your doctor or your lease says something different, follow them.
Last reviewed . First published .