A joint-friendly back row you can do anywhere.
Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top of every rep.
Rowing from a hinged position pulls the whole upper back through its full job, retracting the shoulder blades and driving the elbows back, with the biceps assisting the pull. The band's resistance builds as it stretches, so the top of the row, right where your blades squeeze together, is exactly where the tension peaks. It earns its place as back training you can do in a hotel room, garden or anywhere with two square metres of floor.
For building and maintaining the rowing pattern and upper back, yes, the muscles respond to tension and effort, not the object providing it. The band even peaks its resistance at the squeeze, where dumbbells go light. Heavier long-term loading is where free weights eventually pull ahead.
Widen your stance on the band, choke down on the handles, or step onto a doubled band so the stretch starts sooner. If none of that bites, move up a band thickness.
Holding the hinge is its own workout, and letting the back round under fatigue is what causes the ache. Push your hips back, keep the spine flat, and if the hinge fails before your back muscles do, break the set into shorter chunks.
