How hard and how often do you train your back? If the answer is “not very,” you could be undermining your physique, as well as your performance. You could even be increasing your risk of injury.
If you want to build a back that you can be proud of, increasing your strength and athleticism in the process, it’s time to start taking back training more seriously. In this guide, we reveal why and how to build your best back ever.
- Back Anatomy 101
- The 10 Best Back Exercises
- Warming up before back training
- Who Needs to Train Their Back?
- Wrap-up
Back Anatomy 101
Your back is made up of several important muscles. In exercises like deadlifts, all of these muscles work together. However, it is also possible to target each one with specific movements. This is useful if you want to change the shape of your back or address any areas of weaknesses.
The main muscles that make up your back are:
Erector Spinae
Also known as your lower back muscles, the main job of the erector spinae is spinal extension. The erector spinae, which run up either side of your spine, is also essential for keeping your back stable during exercises like bent-over rows and squats. Long periods of sitting will weaken and stretch these muscles.
Latissimus dorsi
When it comes to back training, these are the muscles that most people tend to think of. Located on the side of your upper back, when well-developed, the lats look like wings as they spread out from underneath your armpits. Their functions include shoulder extension, shoulder adduction, and shoulder medial rotation.
Trapezius
This large kite-shaped muscle covers most of your upper back and controls the movement of your shoulder girdle. The upper fibers of the traps elevate your shoulder girdle. In contrast, the middle fibers pull your shoulders back and together. The lower traps pull your shoulders down.
Rhomboids
Located between your shoulder blades, the rhomboids work with the middle fibers of your trapezius to pull your shoulders back. While the rhomboids don’t add a lot to your physique, they are essential for posture, and also for maintaining shoulder girdle stability during pressing and pulling exercises.
The 10 Best Back Exercises
Whatever your back-building aspirations are, these are the ten best exercises to achieve it. Don’t try and do all of these exercises in your next back workout; that’s overkill. Instead, just choose 2-4, making sure you work all of the parts of your back, i.e., lower, middle, and upper.
- For strength, do sets of 1-5 reps using heavy weights, resting 3-5 minutes between sets.
- For hypertrophy, do sets of 6-12 reps with moderate weights, resting 60-90 seconds between sets.
- For endurance, do sets of 13-20 reps with light weights, resting 30-60 seconds between sets.
1- Deadlifts
No exercise works as many back muscles as deadlifts. It’s a great way to strengthen your legs, forearms, and core too. Deadlifts also teach you how to lift heavy objects off the floor safely. If you only do one back exercise, deadlifts should be it.
How to do it:
- Place a loaded barbell on the floor. It should be about 8-10 inches off the ground. Stand with your feet hip to shoulder-width apart, toes under the bar.
- Lean forward and hold the bar with an overhand grip. You can also use a mixed grip. Read more about grip variations for bodybuilding in this article.
- Straighten your arms, drop your hips, and lift your chest. Make sure your lower back is slightly arched. Brace your core. This is your starting position.
- Drive your feet into the floor and, without bending your arms or rounding your lower back, stand up straight. Do not lean back as doing so puts a lot of unwanted stress on your lower back.
- Push your hips to the back, bend your knees, and lower the bar under control down to the floor. Let the weight settle, reset your position, and do another rep.
2- 45 Degree Back Extensions
Where deadlifts work all of your back muscles at the same time, this exercise only involves your erector spinae or lower back. As a bodyweight exercise, this exercise is ideal for beginners, but more advanced exercisers can make it harder by holding a weight to their chests or behind their heads.
How to do it:
- Adjust the 45-degree back extension bench, so that the edge of the pad is level with the top of your hips.
- Climb onto the machine and place your feet flat on the footrests. Rest your pelvis against the hip pad. Bend your knees slightly and keep them bent throughout.
- Hinge forward and lower your upper body down toward the floor without rounding your back too much.
- Lift your torso back up, stopping before you overextend your spine.
Watch how to do 45 Degree Back Extensions correctly:
3- Reverse Hypers
Most lower back exercises involve fixing your feet in place and moving your upper body. Reverse hypers use the opposite movement to work your lower back, glutes, and hamstrings in a very spine-friendly way. No reverse hyper machine at your gym? Don’t worry – there are several other ways you can do this exercise.
How to do it:
- Lie face down on the reverse hyper machine so that your hips are on the edge of the bench. Hold the handles firmly.
- Contract your glutes and lower back and lift your legs up and out behind you. Do not raise them higher than your butt; hyperextending your lower back could lead to injury.
- Lower your legs and repeat.
Watch how to Reverse Hypers:
4- Chest-supported Rows
Chest supported rows are a great way to work your lats, rhomboids, and middle trapezius without stressing your lower back. If you want to avoid working your lower back, maybe because of injury or because you’ve just finished deadlifting, this exercise is a good choice.
How to do it:
- Set an adjustable bench to 30-45 degrees. Lie face down on it with a dumbbell in each hand. While you can use a barbell, it will hit the bench and reduce your range of motion. Dumbbells are a better choice.
- Keeping your chest on the bench, bend your arms, and row the weights up and into your ribs. Concentrate on leading with your elbows, keeping your wrists straight, and pulling your shoulders down and back.
- Extend your arms and repeat.
Watch Chest-supported Rows demo:
5- Inverted Rows
This lats, rhomboid, and mid-trap exercise also involves your erector spinae, which must work to keep your body straight and stable. However, the stress on these muscles is minimal. That means this is a good exercise for beginners and those with weak lower back muscles.
How to do it:
- Adjust the bar on a Smith machine to about hip-height. Lock it in place.
- Sit on the floor beneath the bar. Reach up and hold it with a shoulder-width, overhand grip. Lean back and straighten your arms.
- Keeping your legs straight, lift your hips off the floor so your weight is supported by your hands and feet only. Make sure your body forms a perfectly straight line.
- Bend your arms and pull your chest up to touch the bar. Extend your arms and repeat.
- You can make this exercise easier by raising the bar. Make it harder by elevating your feet or resting a weight plate on your abdomen.
6- Bent Over Barbell Rows
Bent over barbell rows work your entire back, from top to bottom, and side to side. This is an advanced lat exercise so only attempt it if you have a strong, healthy lower back. Also, avoid using your legs to help you jerk the weight up as doing so puts even more stress on your lower back and spine. Try too keep your torso stationary. That way your lats, rhomboids, and traps will do the bulk of the work.
How to do it:
- Hold a barbell with a shoulder-width underhand grip, or a slightly wider overhand grip. The underhand grip emphasizes your lats, while the overhand grip involves more mid-traps and rhomboids.
- Bend your knees slightly and lean forward from your hips. Do not round your lower back. Your torso should be between 45-90 degrees to the floor.
- Starting with your arms straight, bend your elbows and pull the bar up and into your body. If you are using an underhand grip, pull the bar to your stomach. Pull it to your chest if you are using an overhand grip.
- Extend your arms and repeat.
Watch How to Bent Over Barbell Row:
7-Lat Pulldowns
The great thing about lat pulldowns is that you can use different handles and hand positions to add variety to your workouts. All options work your lats, as well as your lower trapezius, middle trapezius, and rhomboids.
How to do it:
- Grab your chosen bar and sit down, so your legs are firmly under the thigh pads. Plant your feet flat on the floor for stability.
- Lean back slightly and lift your chest. Pull your shoulders down and back.
- Bend your arms and, leading with your elbows, pull the bar down to the top of your chest.
- Extend your arms and repeat.
8- Pull-ups and Chin-ups
Pull-ups and chin-ups are largely interchangeable. While they use different grips and arm actions, both of these exercises work your lats. Pull-ups feature a pronated or overhand grip, and chin-ups use a supinated or underhand grip. You can also do this exercise with a parallel or neutral grip.
How to do it:
- Hang from the bar with your arms straight. Bend your legs and cross your feet behind you. Arch your back slightly and lift your chest up toward the bar.
- Without kicking your legs, bend your arms and pull your chest up to the bar.
- Lower yourself down under control and repeat.
9- Band Pull Aparts
This exercise mainly works your mid-traps and rhomboids. Using nothing more than a resistance band, it is ideal for people who spend a lot of time sitting at a desk and need to work on their upper back posture. Break up long periods of sitting with a set or two of this great exercise.
How to do it:
- Hold an exercise band in front of you using an overhand grip. Raise your arms forward and up to shoulder-height.
- With your arms slightly bent but rigid, open your arms and stretch the band out across your chest.
- Return to the starting position and repeat.
Watch how to do Band Pull-Aparts:
10- Face Pulls
Like band pull-aparts, this exercise emphasizes your rhomboids and middle traps. However, you’ll need an adjustable pulley machine to do it, so it’s best incorporated into your gym-based back training workout.
How to do it:
- Attach a rope handle to an adjustable cable machine. Set the pulley to around head-height.
- Grab the handle, straighten your arms, and step back into a staggered stance for balance.
- Bend your arms and pull your hands back to either side of your face. Imagine you are trying to put your thumbs in your ears. Pull your shoulders down and back.
- Extend your arms and repeat.
Warming up before back training
Warm-ups are important regardless of what body part you are about to train, but they are especially crucial before back training. Why? Because long periods of sitting can leave your back muscles stretched and weakened and, if you jump into your workout too quickly, this could lead to injury.
A lower back injury is no laughing matter. Back injuries can take a long time to heal and pack pain can affect almost every aspect of your life, including sitting, standing, walking, and even sleeping.
Prepare your back for your workout by performing some light cardio to raise your core temperature and increase circulation. Then, when you are warm, mobilize your upper and lower spine with movements like gentle side bends and waist twists.
Finally, do a few sets of your chosen back exercises using very light weights – such as an empty barbell. Gradually increase the load over several sets until you feel ready to start your workout.
Who Needs to Train Their Back?
The short answer to this question is everyone! Back training is so important that everyone should include back exercises in their workouts. However, for the sake of clarity, let’s take a look at some individual groups that really need to train their backs hard and often.
Bodybuilders
Bodybuilders are judged on their entire physiques, and not just their chests, biceps, or quads. Well-developed back muscles make you look more powerful and give your upper body width and thickness. A big, muscular back is visible from the front and the side, as well as the rear.
Powerlifters, Strongman competitors, and Weightlifters
Lifting heavy weights requires a strong back. Back strength is vital for stability, posture, and generating force. If your back is weak, you won’t be able to lift as much weight. You may also be more prone to injury.
Athletes
All sportsmen and women need strong backs. Lower back injuries are all too common in sports, and many are caused by weakness. Strong back muscles can help injury-proof your body. This is especially important for athletes involved in contact sports, such as MMA, football, rugby, and hockey.
People with manual labor jobs
Most manual labor jobs involve a lot of bending, twisting, and lifting. All of these actions are hard on your back. A stronger back will make these activities easier, so you finish your working day feeling much less tired. It’ll also reduce your chances of suffering a work-related injury.
People with sedentary jobs or lifestyles
Long periods of sitting can lead to back muscle atrophy and weakness. Smaller, weaker back muscles can cause poor posture, back pain, and injuries due to over-exertion. Back training can help reverse the atrophy commonly associated with sedentary jobs and lifestyles.
People with back pain
Providing your doctor says it’s okay to do so, back strengthening exercises can help relieve and prevent back pain. Back pain is often caused by weakness and poor posture. A lot of people with back pain are tempted to avoid training their lower backs because they fear it will make things worse. But, in reality, building back strength is one of the best ways to relieve many common back problems (1).
Wrap-up
A lot of exercisers spend most of their training time on the muscles they can see in the mirror, namely their pecs, biceps, quads, and abs. While these areas of the body are undeniably important, so too are the back muscles. Back training is crucial for developing a well-balanced physique, increasing strength and performance, and warding off injury.
Get and keep your back in great shape by training it as hard and as often as the rest of your body.
References
- PubMed:A Systematic Review of the Effects of Exercise and Physical Activity on Non-Specific Chronic Low Back Pain https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and
YouTube for even more content.
