Band Pull-Through

beginner · hinge

Setup

Anchor one end of a resistance band to a low fixed point at ankle height, behind you. Face away from the anchor with your feet shoulder-width apart, pass the other end forward between your legs, and grip it with both hands. Step forward until the band has light tension.

Execution

Stand tall with soft knees, both hands holding the band low in front of your hips, torso upright.
Inhale, push your hips back and hinge your torso forward, letting your hands follow the band back between your legs.
Lower until your torso is close to parallel with the floor or as far as your back stays flat, feeling tension in the hamstrings and the band.
Exhale, drive your hips forward hard, pulling the band through between your legs with hip drive, not your arms.
Finish standing tall, squeezing your glutes for one second before starting the next rep.

Breathing

Inhale as you hinge forward, exhale as you drive the hips forward to stand up. Do not hold your breath at the bottom of the hinge; if you have high blood pressure, heart disease, a hernia or are pregnant, keep the range short, use a lighter band, and always exhale on the effort.

Quick cues

Hips back first, hands just follow.
Pull with the hips, not the arms.
Squeeze the glutes at the top.
Think slamming a door shut with your hips.
Keep the back flat the whole way.

Common faults

Fault: Bending the elbows to pull the band instead of driving the hips
Fix: Keep the elbows fully extended for the whole set and generate power only from the hips driving forward.
Fault: Standing up by arching the upper back instead of squeezing the glutes to drive the hips
Fix: Shorten the descent to half range and cue driving the hips forward before the upper back is allowed to move.
Fault: Knees caving inward on the way up
Fix: Loop a small band above the knees and cue pushing them outward through the entire stand-up.
Fault: The band going slack at the top, losing resistance
Fix: Step farther from the anchor or switch to a heavier band so tension stays on through the whole set.

Equipment

resistance_band

Muscle groups

glutes, legs, back