Technical Points for the Band Assisted Pull Up

Keep A Tight Core

The assistance from the band can sometimes allow individuals to relax and not put emphasis on keeping their core tight. The legs and feet should be tight together while the anterior core should be tight, even if a band is being used and it is less required. This will help both improve core strength and make the exercise more specific to the pull up variation.

Have A Controlled Set Up

One of the most technically difficult parts of this exercise is setting up in a way that doesn’t result in swinging. This often happens because people jump into the position. the most effective way to find the position is to start on a bench and step the foot into the band, rather than pulling the band towards the feet. Then come to a controlled hanging position.

Move Through A Full Range Of Motion

Just like with the traditional pull up, people often cut corners on the range of motion to make the exercise easier. This often isn’t a conscious decision, it is just our bodies way of saving energy. However it often means we miss the most challenging part of the exercise (the top and bottom of the repetition) which means we are missing out on key adaptations and therefore stunting our progress.

Equipment Required To Perform Band Assisted Pull Up

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Benefits of the Band Assisted Pull Up

Specific to the Pull Up

A huge benefit of the band assisted pull up up is that it is very specific to the pull up. Unlike a banded pull down or a lat pull down, it mimics the pull up much more making it very effective for working towards your first pull up. If you have a goal of performing a pull up but do not have the required strength, it is very likely that this will show up in your training programme at some point.

Effective For Strength and Hypertrophy

The band assisted pull up is effective for both increasing muscle strength and size. Depending on the repetition range you are working through this can be an excellent exercise to help increase the strength at size of the lats.

Effective for Muscle Endurance

The band assisted pull up is a great option for advanced individuals to improve their muscular endurance. The pull up is a very challenging exercise to use to improve muscular endurance due to how difficult it is to perform 10+ repetitions. With band assistance it is much easier to be in the required repetition range to work on muscular endurance.

Minimal Training Set Up

Most people who train at home can set up a pull up bar, but very few are ordering a lat pull down. Training the vertical pull movement pattern at a home gym can be challenging if you are not yet strong enough to perform pull ups. Hence why band assisted pull ups are a great option for those using home gyms with minimal training set ups.

Negatives Of The Band Assisted Pull Up

Complicated Set Up

Getting set up in the band assisted pull up is not a graceful movement. This is especially true if you are learning how to do it and lack strength in the positions required to perform it. This shouldn’t block people from performing it, just be aware that learning the set up will be important for performing it with confidence.

Requires Prerequisite Strength

A great deal of the population can find it difficult to hang from a pull up bar. If you have experience working with beginners or obese trainees you will be well aware of this, or you are one of these situations. This means that band assisted pull ups are not a safe option for them to improve their vertical pulling strength, until they have improved their hanging strength.

Progression Is Frustrating and Unclear

Progression with bands can be very frustrating, especially when they are used to improve the pull up. Unlike with free weights where we can make very small incremental changes, bands are progressed through band tension which means changing the colour of the resistance band. Their is no number attached to the band tension and sometimes performing band assisted pull ups can involve performing pull ups with multiple resistance bands.

This all adds up to a lot of frustration, especially when we consider how long it can take for some individuals to get their first pull up. Training towards getting your first pull up is very different from getting strong in other movement categories. It is like saying that you cannot perform a deadlift before your able to deadlift your own bodyweight, which would be extremely frustrating and take a large amount of time for the majority of people.

Use A Lat Pull Down In Conjunction

This is why using a lat pull down in conjunction with more specific exercises like band assisted pull ups is the best option. The lat pull down allows you to make small incremental improvements over time and it also allows you to see the enormous amounts of progress you have made in terms of strength in the vertical pull movement pattern. The lat pull down allows us to more accurately apply progressive overload and therefore improve our strength over time more effectively.

Progression of The Band Assisted Pull Up

The best progression towards a pull up is the band assisted chest to bar pull up. This moves through a slightly further range of motion than the traditional banded pull up making it substantially more difficult. If you have been progressing a lot on the band assisted pull up but are not yet strong enough to perform a full pull up, try this variation and it will help you on your way to performing your first pull up.

An Exercise To Avoid

I have seen some individuals performing an exercise which literally makes no sense, a weighted banded pull up. This is non-sensical. You cannot reduce the weight with the band while increasing the weight with an external load. Please do not use this exercise variation.