Open up tight shoulders and fire up your upper back.
Keep your arms straight and ribs tucked, don't let your lower back arch to cheat it.
Pulling a band apart overhead and lowering it behind your head in one wide arc works the upper back through a range most training never visits, the muscles between and below your shoulder blades pulling the arms out and down from a fully stretched overhead reach. The biceps assist simply by holding the long-arm position against the band. It doubles as strength work and mobility work in a single move, opening the shoulders while teaching the upper back to control that overhead range.
The starting position. A regular pull apart travels straight out in front of your chest, the overhead version starts stretched above you and arcs down behind your head, hitting the upper back through overhead range and doubling as a shoulder opener.
Tight lats and shoulders make your spine compensate to get the band back. Tuck your ribs, brace lightly, and use a wider grip on the band so the arc is achievable without arching. Narrow the grip as your range improves.
They're one of the better picks, because they strengthen the upper back in the exact ranges that hours of sitting steal. A couple of light sets daily or before upper sessions goes a long way.
