Our Best Back Exercises – For Your Best Workout

Think you’re doing the top back exercises possible? Unless you’ve taken the time to educate yourself, you’re more than likely making the same mistakes as millions of others (including me, once upon a time). Common exercises that target the back muscles tend to ignore many key strategies for building muscle mass – which is unfortunate, since there are so many benefits to having a well-sculpted back.

Aside from strength, building back muscles provides greater metabolism, better posture, and prevents neck and shoulder pain. If you’re reading this, you probably already knew that – so only one question remains: what are some good back exercises?

3 Familiar Workouts

Some of the best back workouts are workouts most people already use. Many of these workouts can be done at home and without special equipment. If these are in your routine, keep them in –but also make sure you’re doing them correctly!

Pull-ups: everybody’s favorite – this workout primarily exercises your lats (latissimus dorsi), the muscles which help achieve the much-desired v-shape. To perform a proper basic pull-up:

Pull-ups: everybody’s favorite – this workout primarily exercises your lats (latissimus dorsi), the muscles which help achieve the much-desired v-shape. To perform a proper basic pull-up:

• Place your hands on the bar so that they are further apart than your shoulders.
• Pull yourself up to chest height.
• Hold this position briefly.
• Return to a hanging position.

For this workout and all others on this list, keep step 3 in mind – the best back exercises focus on strength more than endurance.

Deadlift: horror stories of painful injuries may come to mind when you hear the term “deadlift,” but with good form and some caution, deadlifting is one of the absolute best back exercises possible. To perform a proper deadlift:

• Load a bar with your desired weight (start with less than your body weight if you haven’t deadlifted before).
• Stand so that the middle of your feet are underneath the bar.
• Bend down, keeping your back at a 45 degree angle, and grab the bar.
• Straighten your legs, then your back; keep your shoulders relaxed and your arms straight.
• Return to your starting position the same way.
• Wait a few seconds and repeat.

Remember not to drop the bar; the set-down builds muscle too. Check out Stronglifts’ guide to deadlifting for a more in-depth explanation with images.

Single Lateral Raise: this is perhaps the simplest workout on this list, yet it is similar in effectiveness to the pull-up. To perform a proper single lateral raise:

• Stand with hips and knees slightly bent, holding one dumbbell.
• Keeping arm extended, raise the dumbbell to shoulder height; keep your other arm at your side.
• Hold for 1 second; return to starting position.

3 Advanced Workouts

These workouts take advantage of cable machines. Cable machines are ergonomic and provide a more consistent workout – use them!

Pull-downs: unsurprisingly, the opposite of pull-ups is also one of the most effective workouts for your back. This machine is pretty straightforward; just be sure not to bend your back, neck, or wrists.

Cable Rowing: rowing machines or rowers are popular at the gym, but I must stress again that many repetitions are not the way to go. In fact, in this case you might end up hurting yourself if you’re not careful. To perform a proper row:

• Grab the bar and sit with your back and neck straight.
• Pull the bar toward your abdomen – down and back, not straight back; this will help avoid injury.
• Hold this position for a few seconds.
• Slowly extend your arms to bring the bar back to the starting position.
• Repeat; remember to keep your back and neck straight.

Plank Row: two workouts in one! This is a fairly simple exercise if you have access to a cable machine. To perform a proper plank row:

• Grab the bar and enter a side plank position (body straight with only your foot and lower arm touching the ground).
• Pull the cable without turning your chest or rolling your shoulder.
• Hold this position for a few seconds; slowly release and repeat.

Summary

There you have it – 6 workouts to build a better back. Remember that keeping good form is one of the most important ways to avoid injury, but also to get the most out of your workout.

These workouts are intended to be part of a routine; the number of repetitions, as well as how much weight or resistance to use, will be different for each person. Many gyms and fitness centers offer personal trainers for free or at low cost with memberships – take advantage of them.

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