Muscle building back exercises -
High pulls train your upper back, specifically the traps and rhomboids, as well as the middle head of your deltoids and your biceps.
We even have an entire guide on how to rack pull if you want to learn more. It might sound dangerous or risky to place heavy loads on your back, but like all exercises, rack pulls are safe if you do them right and with an appropriate weight.
And if you do, the benefits are many—rack pulls are arguably the best exercise for isolating your back muscles from your leg muscles, which can lead to greater strength and muscle increases.
Rack pulls are often used to help athletes overcome a deadlift plateau and improve their lockout. Dumbbells are a super-effective tool for adding muscle to your back, as they often allow for greater muscle contraction and isolation than a barbell.
RELATED: Best Adjustable Dumbbells. One-arm rows are a great addition to any back workout. A well-executed single-arm row is one of the best back exercises for hypertrophy, AKA muscle growth. Not only that, single-arm rows can reveal muscle imbalances and correct them. RELATED: Best Gymnastic Grips CrossFit.
Dumbbell bent-over rows have the same benefits as barbell bent-over rows, but using dumbbells instead of a barbell adds an element of instability, which can lead to greater recruitment of muscle fibers. In other words, your muscles have to work harder to move the same amount of weight, and that challenge can increase muscle hypertrophy.
RELATED: Best Kettlebells. Also called the rear delt fly, this exercise targets your posterior shoulders and upper back. Reverse flys work all of the muscles involved in contracting and relaxing your scapula, which makes this a phenomenal move for improving posture.
Compared to bent-over rows and other row variations, the main benefit of the incline row is the opportunity to really hone in on the contraction of your back muscles. Thanks to the support of the bench, your core, hamstrings, and glutes are spared of the responsibility of holding your body up. RELATED: REP Blackwing Adjustable Bench Review.
The king of all back exercises. The epitome of bodyweight strength training. And, for a lot of people, one of the toughest exercises in the game. Muscles worked: Lats, biceps, rhomboids, delts, traps, pecs, serratus, and teres. Where to begin? If you want a stronger back, pull-ups are a good place to start.
Not only are they great for increasing upper body strength, but they build muscle in all the right places for the V-shaped torso that bodybuilders chase after. While chin-ups seem very similar to pull-ups, they work the body much differently. For instance, pull-ups emphasize lat recruitment more, while chin-ups emphasize biceps recruitment more.
Like pull-ups, chin-ups are great for developing strength throughout your entire upper body and contribute to muscle growth in your back and biceps. RELATED: Dips vs Pull-Ups. Ring rows are also great in their own right, though, and can have a place in exercise routines even for advanced fitness folk.
A horizontal bodyweight pulling exercise, ring rows have similar benefits to bent-over rows. When you do ring rows, your hamstrings and glutes engage to keep your body in a straight light.
And your core does a lot of work to keep your spine in a neutral position. These are typically done with a cable machine, but you can also do them with resistance bands or an individual lat pull-down tower that attaches to your existing power rack, such as the Rogue Monster Lat Pull Down tower.
Lat pull-downs strengthen and shape the latissimus dorsi—the long muscles that run from the back of your rib cage just below your armpit to the back side of your hip bones.
RELATED: Best Resistance Bands. Most home gym owners are more likely to add a lat pull-down power rack attachment to an existing rig. Ultimately, what constitutes a good back workout depends on your goals. To create a good back workout to build strength, answer these questions and plan accordingly:.
Notice that the workout starts with the exercise the person can most likely move the most weight on, and transitions to the exercise the person is likely to move the least weight on, or even assistance with. The exercise selection includes movements that target the upper, lower, and mid-back muscles.
Include bodyweight back priming exercises like supermans and resistance band pull-aparts. Here are more tips on how to program your own workout at home. All exercise comes with many benefits. Back exercises in particular are not only great for building muscle and a great physique, but also for improving your overall health and fitness.
How often do you find yourself slumped in the shoulders or with an achy neck? During exercise, do you ever catch yourself with an excessive arch in your back or a protruding neck?
Adding in some at-home or at-work stretches may help, too. Core and abs are not synonymous. Your core consists of your entire trunk, which includes your abdominal muscles and back muscles. Strengthening your back muscles is as important for fitness as strengthening your ab muscles.
Both are required for stability during compound movements like squats and overhead press. A strong back is an antidote to an injured back. RELATED: Dead Bug Exercise. The back exercises listed above can help you strengthen your back by strengthening your spine, shoulders, and core, as well as relieving the strain of lower-back stiffness.
These acts, when paired with regular stretching regimens and dynamic motions, may help to reduce lower-back stiffness if done correctly. As you can see, there are plenty of different back exercises to choose from—this is far from a comprehensive list.
Here are some key takeaways on the best back-building exercises:. Train all parts of your back by doing exercises for your lower back muscles, upper back muscles, and mid-back muscles. You can do a couple of each throughout the week, or dedicate an entire day to your back and hit all three muscle groups.
All back exercises are safe and beneficial if performed with good technique and with an appropriate amount of weight. Mike Masi, a physical therapist on our Garage Gym Reviews expert panel, says stretching exercises and yoga poses are a good place to start for people with lower back pain.
Even two people training for the same goal may not train their back the same amount. In general, at least one back day per week should be sufficient. For bodybuilders, two days per week is pretty average.
The overall volume is more important than the frequency for most people. There are plenty of effective back exercises. Some of the most popular back exercises include deadlift, pull-ups, lat pulldown, inverted row, dumbbell rows, and much much more! Our in-depth buying guide shows you exactly what to look for in a pre-workout for various fitness goals.
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Best Online Workout Programs Learn More. This includes physicians, certified trainers, elite-level coaches, and more. Learn more about our experts. Benefits of Deadlifts Deadlifts strengthen your entire posterior chain, which is a fancy way of saying all of the muscles on the backside of your body.
How to Do Deadlifts Setup: Load one of the best powerlifting barbells with weight plates on the floor. Use standard-sized Olympic plates for the best deadlift setup.
Position your feet so that the bar hovers over your midfoot and sits close to your shins. Your feet should be stacked beneath your hips. Hinge at the hips and grip the barbell double overhand grip for badasses and mixed grip for babies… with your hands just outside your legs.
Concentric lifting phase: Drive through your heels and engage your glutes and hamstrings to pull the weight off of the ground. Keep your spine in the neutral position no arching or rounding and push your hips forward until you reach full hip extension.
Eccentric lowering phase: With control and maintaining your neutral spine, lower the barbell back to the ground by hinging at your hips, then your knees, to create one fluid motion.
Finish: The rep is finished once the weight plates touch the ground; you can either do touch-and-go reps or reset entirely. Benefits of Trap Bar Deadlifts The trap bar deadlift is a deadlift alternative and a compound exercise with an emphasis on the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back.
How to Do Trap Bar Deadlifts Setup: Grab one of the best trap bars and load plates on each side. Stick with Olympic-sized plates. Starting position: Step inside the hexagon of the trap bar.
Concentric lifting phase: Drive through your heels to stand up with the weight. Squeeze your glutes and fully extend your hips, but be careful not to hyperextend your back.
Eccentric lowering phase: Lower the hex bar back to the ground, squeezing your shoulder blades together and engaging your core to prevent your back from rounding.
Benefits of Barbell Bent-Over Rows Bent-over rows increase strength and muscle mass in your upper and mid-back. How to do Barbell Bent-Over Rows Setup: Load a barbell on the ground with Olympic weight plates.
Grab the bar, ideally with a double overhand grip for this lift, with your hands shoulder-width apart and palms facing down. You should be in a hip-hinge position with your back straight. Concentric rowing phase: Think about squeezing your shoulder blades together. Pull the barbell toward your torso and try to tap it to your sternum.
Your elbows should travel backward and point to the sky behind you. Palms remain facing down. Eccentric lowering phase: Extend your arms to lower the barbell back to the starting position.
Finish: Start a new rep when your elbows reach full extension. Wide-Grip Row This back exercise is just like the regular barbell row , except you use a wide grip instead of a standard grip.
Muscles worked: Lats, biceps, delts, rhomboids, erectors, hamstrings, and core. Benefits of Wide-Grip Rows Wide-grip rows are great for physique athletes who want to develop a wide, V-shaped back.
How to Do Wide-Grip Rows Setup: Place your barbell on the ground and load it with Olympic weight plates. Starting position: Bend down and grip the bar with your hands wider than shoulder-width. For those who know CrossFit or weightlifting terminology, use your snatch grip. The bar should rest right around the crease of your hips while standing.
Hinge at the hips and keep your spine neutral. Concentric lifting phase: Squeeze your shoulder blades together to pull the barbell perpendicular to your torso. It should tap lightly somewhere between your bellybutton and your sternum, depending on your grip and stance. Eccentric lowering phase: Slowly extend your arms to lower the barbell.
Finish: The rep is complete when your elbows reach full extension. Benefits of High Pulls High pulls train your upper back, specifically the traps and rhomboids, as well as the middle head of your deltoids and your biceps.
Starting position: Grab the bar with a standard or narrow grip your preference; narrow grip isolates the traps more and stand up with your arms extended.
Keep a slight bend in your knees and hips. Concentric lifting phase: Pull the barbell up toward your chin, leading with your elbows.
Keep the bar close to your body. Eccentric lowering phase: Slowly lower your arms to return the barbell to the starting position. Finish: The rep is complete when your arms fully extend.
Benefits of Rack Pulls It might sound dangerous or risky to place heavy loads on your back, but like all exercises, rack pulls are safe if you do them right and with an appropriate weight. You can also use jerk blocks or stacks of pound bumper plates, but a power rack works best.
Set up the bar so it rests at your sticking point in the deadlift. For most people, this is just below or just above the knee. Starting position: Stand in front of the bar and assume your normal deadlift stance. Grip the bar and plant your feet.
Concentric lifting phase: Take a deep breath, tighten your core, and pull until you reach full hip extension. Lower the barbell back down with control to get the most out of the exercise.
Finish: You can reset in between each rack pull rep. Benefits of Single-Arm Rows A well-executed single-arm row is one of the best back exercises for hypertrophy, AKA muscle growth. RELATED: Best Gymnastic Grips CrossFit How to Do Single-Arm Rows Setup: Grab one of the best weight benches or a low box for this.
This shoulder press variation can take your shoulder training to the next level. Training specialist Gareth Sapstead shows you a new way to perform this back-building classic. Close Ad ×. I want content for: Both Men Women.
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Click to share on Facebook Opens in new window Click to share on Twitter Opens in new window Click to share on Pinterest Opens in new window. Back Exercises The Bigger, Stronger Back Workout Get a more substantial back in four weeks with this training program targeting every muscle system b Topics: Back Build Muscle Hypertrophy Lower Back Middle Back Strength Training Upper Back.
Written by Bill Geiger, MA. Related Articles. Pro Tips Boxing Promoter Kalle Sauerland Always gets in His Workout. News 5 Ways You're Already Biohacking Without Even Knowing It. Newsletter Signup. Follow us Facebook Twitter Youtube Pinterest. More news. Back Exercises This Chinup Variation Is A new Way to Spread Your Wings Gareth Sapstead has your back with this innovative fix on an old-school move.
Back Exercises Why the 'Swole Press' Can be the Move for Making Shoulder Gains This shoulder press variation can take your shoulder training to the next level.
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