Loaded back work, zero plates required.
Lead with the elbows, not the hands, and keep your neck long instead of cranking it up.
Standing on the band and hinging over turns your own stance into the loading system, the wider your feet or the shorter the band, the harder every pull to your ribs becomes. Your back handles the rowing with the biceps assisting, and the band's rising tension means the squeeze at the top is the hardest moment of the rep, exactly where you want your shoulder blades working. The unsung hero is your hinge, holding a flat back against the band for a whole set is quiet lower-body homework included free.
Three dials, widen your stance on the band, grip lower down the band, or move to a heavier band. Adding a strict pause with shoulder blades squeezed at the top makes any band feel two sizes heavier.
Yes, the stimulus profile just differs. Dumbbells load evenly through the range, bands load hardest at the top squeeze. If bands are what you have, rowing hard against them absolutely builds back, just chase the contraction.
Your hinge is the weak link, common and fixable. Soften the knees more, hinge to a higher torso angle, and brace before each rep. If it persists, split your sets in half and build hinge endurance over a few weeks.
