The Band Seated Pulldown is a beginner-friendly resistance-band strength exercise that targets the lats and middle back, with the biceps working alongside. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Primary musclesLats, Middle Back
Secondary musclesBiceps
EquipmentResistance band
LevelBeginner
TypeStrength
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Band Seated Pulldown
Anchor a band high overhead — over a door or beam — and sit on the floor or a bench beneath it.
Reach up and grab both ends of the band with arms straight overhead, palms facing forward.
Pull both elbows down toward your ribs, leading with the elbows rather than the hands.
Squeeze your shoulder blades down and together at the bottom, fully contracting the lats.
Slowly return your arms overhead with control over 2 to 3 seconds, keeping band tension throughout.
Repeat for 10 to 15 reps, focusing on a clean lat squeeze at the bottom of every pull.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
Isolates the lats by removing leg and hip compensation.
Builds vertical pulling strength for users not yet at a pull-up.
Stable seated position works well for rehab and beginner content.
03 Don't do this
Common mistakes
Leaning back during the pull, which turns the seated pulldown into a row.
Pulling with the biceps and bending the wrists rather than driving from the lats.
Letting the shoulders shrug up at the top, losing the vertical-pull pattern.
Releasing the band too quickly on the eccentric, missing half the time-under-tension benefit.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Band Seated Pulldown, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
