How to do the Band Pull-Apart
Step by step
- Stand tall and hold a light band in front of you at chest height, arms straight and hands shoulder-width apart.
- Keep your ribs down and shoulders relaxed away from your ears.
- Pull the band apart by spreading your hands out to the sides, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- Stop when the band touches your chest and your arms form a straight line.
- Return slowly to the start under control, keeping tension in the band.
The thing people get wrong
Do not shrug your shoulders up toward your ears - the movement comes from the shoulder blades, not the neck.
Coaching cue
Keep your arms fully straight and hold the stretched position for a beat before returning.
Make it easier or harder
- Easier: Widen your grip on the band to lower the tension.
- Harder: Slide your hands closer together on the band, or use a thicker band.
Muscles worked
- Primary: Upper Back, Rear delts
What to do instead
Same job, different movement — useful if you don't have the equipment or it doesn't feel right today.
Daily Coach builds this into a real weekly plan. It picks the exercises for your equipment and experience, swaps around injuries you tell it about, and tracks what you actually lifted.