Tip: 3 Do-Anywhere Exercises for Back & Shoulders Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Training Tip 3 Do-Anywhere Exercises for Back & Shoulders Add these high-tension moves to your gym workout or do them at home The results are the same bigger delts and upper back by Dan North November 29, 2020August 26, 2022 Tags Training For band training to work, you've got to do these things: Maintain Tension: If your goal is to build muscle, maintain constant tension throughout the entire range of motion. Minimize Momentum: To get more muscle-building potential out of band work, minimize momentum while maximizing tension. Emphasize the Mind-Muscle Connection: You need awareness of which muscles you're emphasizing during each move. With these in mind, here are three must-try banded exercises for the shoulders and upper back. Use them as part of your warm-up or during your workouts. To get the most out of pull-aparts, reduce hyperextension in the lower back while keeping your ribs braced down. This will allow you to use the small, often neglected muscles of the upper back more effectively. How to Do It Hold a resistance band and stand with your back against the wall. Tilt your pelvis in so your lower back and head are pressed against the wall. Maintain this contact throughout your set. With your arms locked, pull the band towards your neck. Keeping tension in the band, slowly return your arms forward while squeezing your upper back. Don't let the band snap back in the middle and lose tension. You can also do these on the floor. Go for 10-15 reps and 3-4 sets. Snatches aren't limited to the barbell. The muscle snatch, done correctly, is one of the best exercises you can do for your upper back. On paper, it's pretty straightforward: lift the weight from the floor to overhead in one continuous motion. The banded variation is a great warm-up tool before lifting, particularly prior to the Olympic lifts. How to Do It Stand on one end of the band and face the wall. Initiate the movement by pulling your elbows up towards the ceiling. Once your elbows reach about shoulder height, externally rotate the shoulders and lock out your arms overhead. Return the band back down in the same motion. Facing the wall encourages you to pull up in one straight line, instead of letting the weight drift away from your body (a critical error when doing any snatch variation). The tension you get in the delts with this variation is insane. Try adding a pause at the top of the movement followed by a slow, controlled lowering. How to Do It Sit on a bench with a band looped around the bottom. Keep your arms locked and raise them to shoulder height while focusing on lifting with the delts. Slowly return back to your starting position while maintaining constant tension in the band. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training Tip A New Way to Build a Powerful Chest Chances are, you've never tried this pec-builder before. Check it out. Tips, Training Ben Bruno October 11 Training Get Huge in a Hurry Proven, effective size training advice that’s a lot different than what you normally hear. Check it out. Bodybuilding, Training T Nation December 9 Training Tip Replace the Leg Extension There's a better exercise to target your quads. Check it out. Tips, Training Dr John Rusin January 1 Training CAT Plyo and Board Presses Compensatory acceleration, plyometrics, and board presses. Here’s how to use these tools for explosive bench pressing. Athletic Performance, Bench Press, Metcon, Push-Up, Training Todd Bumgardner & Josh Bryant July 26