How To Do A Banded Pull-Up

Are you interested in learning how to do a banded pull-up? If so, the first question you should ask yourself is, why do you want to learn how to do a banded pull-up in the first place?

The banded pull-up is simply a way to assist oneself in doing a pull-up. For example, let’s say that you weigh 175 pounds and can’t do a pull-up without help. A band around your knee or foot will offer up upward resistance so that you can do a pull-up that is assisted with a full range of motion.

It is generally accepted that the banded pull-up is a progression towards doing more advanced pull-up variations. It is a stepping stone and as such, should only be used for a limited amount of time in your training history. With that said, regretfully I find that throngs of fitness enthusiasts use the banded pull-up for months or years in their training. This should be avoided.

There is a biomechanical limitation of the banded pull-up that you should also consider. The banded pull-up doesn’t follow that same power curve as an unassisted pull-up.

When you’re doing a banded pull-up, the bottom will always provide more resistance than the top. Meaning, when you are at the bottom of a pull-up, the band will help you more.

This doesn’t translate the best to an unassisted pull-up because the bottom of the movement is always the hardest.

The banded pull-up can be used as part of a progression towards your pull-up, but it doesn’t have to. In fact, in my Beginner Pull-Up program, the banded pull-up isn’t even used.

The Banded Pull-Up appears in the following programs.