Is your workout routine feeling stale? Incorporating exercises that target your back muscles can help reinvigorate your fitness regimen while improving your posture, preventing injury, and building overall strength.
From classic moves like deadlifts and bent-over rows to innovative variations like the gorilla row and elevated plank row, these 15 exercises will help you build a stronger, healthier back.
1. Deadlifts
The barbell deadlift is a foundational exercise that targets your hamstrings, glutes, and lats. Your back muscles must work hard to support the weight when lifting or lowering the barbell. This classic move is essential for building a solid, strong back.
To perform a deadlift, stand close to a barbell loaded with weight on the ground so it nearly touches your shins. Hinge your hips back, bend your knees to lower your torso, and grab the bar with an overhand grip.
Engage your core, then drive through your heels to stand up and lift the bar, keeping it close to your body. Squeeze your back at the top, then lower the bar with control.
2. Bent-Over Rows
Bent-over rows are another staple exercise for strengthening your back muscles. This move also engages your core, shoulders, and biceps, making it a well-rounded addition to your back workout routine.
To do a bent-over row, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand. Hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
Let the dumbbells hang at arm’s length, then row them up to your sides, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Slowly lower the weights back down and repeat.
3. Pull-Ups
Pull-ups are a challenging bodyweight exercise that primarily targets your lats but also works your biceps, forearms, and core.
If you’re new to pull-ups, you can start with assisted variations using resistance bands or a machine until you build the strength to perform them unassisted.
To do a pull-up, hang from a pull-up bar with your palms facing away and your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Engage your core and pull your body up until your chin clears the bar. Slowly lower yourself back down with control and repeat.
4. Seated Cable Rows
Seated cable rows isolate your back muscles while maintaining stability. To perform them, sit at a cable machine with your feet on the footrests and your knees slightly bent.
Grasp the handle attachment with both hands, then lean back slightly, keeping your back straight. Pull the handle towards your abdomen, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Slowly extend your arms back out and repeat.
5. Resistance Band Pull-Aparts
Resistance band pull-aparts are a simple yet effective exercise targeting upper back muscles. This move also helps improve shoulder health by strengthening the stabilizer muscles around your shoulders.
To do resistance band pull-apart, stand with your arms extended in front of you, holding a resistance band taut with both hands so the band is parallel to the floor.
Keeping your arms straight, pull the band to your chest by moving your arms out to the sides. Initiate the movement from your mid-back, squeeze your shoulder blades together, and keep your spine neutral. Slowly return to the starting position and repeat.
6. Back Extensions
Back extensions target the entire posterior chain. This exercise is excellent for beginners who want to build foundational back strength and improve posture.
To perform back extensions, lie face down on a back extension bench with your hips supported and your feet secured. Cross your arms over your chest or place your hands behind your head.
Keeping your back straight, lift your torso until it aligns with your lower body. Squeeze your back muscles at the top, then slowly lower back down and repeat.
7. Single-Arm Dumbbell Rows
Single-arm dumbbell rows allow you to focus on each side of your back individually, helping to correct any muscular imbalances.
To do a single-arm dumbbell row, place your left knee and hand on a bench, keeping your back parallel to the floor. Hold a dumbbell in your right hand with your arm extended towards the floor.
Row the dumbbell up to your side, keeping your elbow close to your body. Squeeze your back at the top, then lower the weight with control. Complete all reps on one side before switching to the other.
8. Inverted Rows
Inverted rows, also known as bodyweight rows, are a great alternative to pull-ups for those who may still need to gain the strength to perform them.
Set a barbell or suspension trainer at about waist height to perform inverted rows. Lie underneath the bar and grasp it with an overhand grip, keeping your body straight and your heels on the ground.
Pull your chest up to the bar, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Slowly lower yourself back down and repeat.
9. Kettlebell Swings
Kettlebell swings help build explosive strength and power while providing a cardiovascular challenge.
To do kettlebell swings, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a kettlebell on the floor between your legs. Hinge at the hips and bend your knees to grasp the kettlebell with both hands.
Swing the kettlebell back between your legs, then drive your hips forward to swing it to chest height. Allow the kettlebell to swing back down between your legs, and repeat.
10. Bird Dogs
Bird dogs are a simple yet effective exercise for building stability and strength in your lower back and core. This move helps establish a strong foundation for more advanced back exercises.
To perform bird dogs, start on your hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Extend your right arm forward and your left leg back, keeping your back flat and your hips level.
Hold for a few seconds, then return to the starting position. Repeat on the opposite side, extending your left arm and right leg.
11. Supermans
Supermans, also known as prone back extensions, target your entire back, particularly your lower back muscles and glutes. This bodyweight exercise is accessible for all fitness levels and requires no equipment.
To do supermans, lie face down on the floor with your arms extended in front of you. Simultaneously lift your arms, legs, and chest off the ground, engaging your back muscles.
Hold for a few seconds, then slowly lower back down and repeat.
12. Elevated Plank Rows
Elevated plank rows challenge your lats and mid-back while engaging your core for stability. This exercise adds a new dimension to your back workouts by incorporating a plank position.
To perform elevated plank rows, sit on a bench in a single-arm plank position with your legs spread wide and your elbow in front of you. Lift a dumbbell with your free hand, keeping your hips low by tightening your glutes and obliques.
Row the weight to a parallel position relative to your torso, pause, squeeze your back, and lower the weight back down. Complete all reps on one side before switching to the other.
13. Gorilla Rows
Gorilla rows are a bent-over row variation that challenges you to work from a wide stance while reducing tension on your lower back.
Stand wide with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart to do gorilla rows. Hinge at the hips, keeping your back flat and your core engaged.
Grip a dumbbell in each hand and let them hang at arm’s length. Row one dumbbell up to your side while pressing the other into the ground. Alternate sides with each rep.
14. Banded Pull-Aparts
Banded pull-aparts are another variation of the resistance band pull-apart exercise that targets your upper back muscles. This move is easy to perform at home or on the go, as it only requires a resistance band.
To perform banded pull-aparts, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a resistance band in front of you with your arms extended.
Pull the band apart by moving your arms to the sides, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Slowly return to the starting position and repeat.
15. Renegade Rows
Renegade rows combine a plank position with a single-arm row, challenging your back muscles, core, and shoulders. This exercise is an excellent way to finish your back workout while improving overall stability and strength.
To renegade rows, start in a high plank position with your hands on dumbbells. Keeping your core tight and your body straight, row one dumbbell up to your side, squeezing your back muscles.
Lower the weight back down and repeat on the opposite side. Alternate sides with each rep, maintaining a stable plank position throughout the exercise.
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Nancy Maffia
Nancy received a bachelor’s in biology from Elmira College and a master’s degree in horticulture and communications from the University of Kentucky. Worked in plant taxonomy at the University of Florida and the L. H. Bailey Hortorium at Cornell University, and wrote and edited gardening books at Rodale Press in Emmaus, PA. Her interests are plant identification, gardening, hiking, and reading.