You dedicate time to crunches that chisel your abs, pump out curls that make your biceps pop, and rep out squats to build strong quads – but when it comes to back exercises, we tend to get a bit lazy...
We'll tell you this: You may not look at your back every day, but this doesn’t make back exercises any less important. A well-built, muscular back looks impressive in a sports bra or under a muscle-fit t-shirt. Plus, it will massively benefit your compound lifts, improve your posture, and help prevent injury. So why do many of us neglect back exercises in our training?
Maybe you brush off back exercises as boring, or maybe you're fooled into thinking a couple of rows will build the back you want. If that's the case, it's time to rethink your back workout: And we've got the best back exercises to help you do just that.
These back exercises aren't easy, but they certainly aren't boring, and they'll help you build the back you're yearning for. From unilateral exercises to compound lifts and isolation movements - we'll show you how to do each one, with tips to ensure your form is on point.
So, if you’re ready to build a back that will turn heads and help you lift heavier, then add these back exercises to your back workout. They aren’t easy, but you’ll thank us later when you see your gains in the mirror.
What You'll Find In This Article:
The 8 Best Back Exercises
What Are The Main Muscles Of The Back?
What Are The Benefits of Back Workouts?
FAQs
Did you know The Gymshark Training App has hundreds of back workouts programmed by our athletes and coaches? Download today to track your weights, reps, and sets and build a physique you’re proud of.
The 8 Best Back Exercises
The back muscles make up a large percentage of the upper body's muscles. In fact, when we talk about the back muscles, we're actually referring to a group of 40 muscles! Together, these make up the 'back'—and if you thought a couple of rows and a few lat pulldowns would be enough to build them, then you may need to think again!
The best back exercises will largely involve heavy pulling movements, using a combination of compound movements to challenge multiple muscles and isolation exercises to focus and refine.
Our essential back exercises are:
Once you’ve finished your back workout, don't forget your post-workout stretching, too! Try these back stretches to improve flexibility and prevent any next-day DOMS!*
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1. Bent Over Barbell Row
The bent over row (or barbell row) is a staple back exercise and likely a go-to for any back workout. As a compound exercise, it’s going to work multiple muscles in your back, with a key emphasis on the Rhomboids, Teres Major + Minor, Posterior Deltoids, and Trapezius. Alongside that, the bent over row requires excellent core stability and help from the glutes, quads and hamstrings to keep you stable – making it a great back exercise for improving posture and acting as a counterbalance to the bench press.
Although the bent-over barbell row exercise can be performed with dumbbells, using a barbell means you can add more load—and more load? You’ve guessed it: better gains.
Furthermore, progressively increasing the load will help constantly challenge the muscle fibers, promoting even more strength and muscle growth.
Bent Over Row Form:
This back exercise might look easy, but the form is key on the bent-over row! Keep a neutral spine and brace your core to prevent the back from rounding. Focus on keeping the shoulders retracted throughout the exercise, and imagine trying to touch your elbows together behind your back at the top of each rep.
Grip Position:
Using different grips will alter the back muscles targeted during the bent-over row:
A pronated (overhand) grip will target the upper back (mid and lower traps)
A supinated (underhand) grip targets the lower back, lats, and traps (the biceps).
A wide grip (1.5-2x shoulder width) places more emphasis on the upper back muscles, such as the rhomboids and rear delts.
A narrow grip (shoulder width or closer) increases the involvement of the lats due to the shorter ROM.
One variation isn’t better than the other; it simply depends on your personal preference and goals.
2. Pendlay Row
This may be a controversial opinion, but we’re putting it out there: We think the Pendlay row is a better back exercise than the bent-over row.
Sure, they look similar: Take a glance at the Pendlay row, and we’ll forgive you if you mistake it for a bent over row. But there are a few things that differentiate these two rowing back exercises:
The Pendlay row has a greater hip hinge (the torso is less upright and more bent over)
The weight is returned to the floor after each rep during a Pendlay row.
Momentum is removed from the lift, making the Pendlay row more explosive, requiring a whole lot more effort from the back muscles—in other words, there’s no cheating! It also ensures more balance between upper and lower back recruitment and builds athleticism, power, and strength.
The Pendlay row works all the back muscles and engages the core, hamstrings, and glutes to help with stability.
Pendlay Row Form:
Due to the explosiveness of this movement, you should be able to lift heavier than you would for a bent over barbell row. Ensure your back is flat throughout the movement, bracing your core to prevent any rounding. Keep a neutral spine, keeping your gaze focused on the ground in front of you. Focus on powerfully bringing the bar up to your chest, driving your elbow back.
For these, you’ll want to use an overhand grip, keeping your hands about shoulder-width distance from the barbell.
3. Gorilla Rows
The Gorilla Row is a kettlebell back exercise that mimics the movement of a Pendlay Row. This is a great exercise if you’re doing your back workouts at home, are faced with a busy gym with little equipment free, or want to incorporate some single-arm back exercises into your routine. We would recommend adding in some unilateral back exercises to work both sides of the back independently, as this prevents one side from dominating the movement (which often can happen, even if you don’t realize it!).
Gorilla Row Form:
Just like the Pendlay row, you’ll want to make sure you’re hinging from the hip so your torso is parallel to the floor (or as close as you can get it). Focus on driving your elbow back, squeezing your lats at the top of the movement. Alternate arms for each rep.
Discover why this is the most underrated back exercise of the year and how to add it to your back day workout.
4. Pull Ups
Let’s take a break from rows for a moment and turn our attention to another great back exercise: the pull up. Didn’t expect to see this one here? Well, pull ups are actually one of the most effective back exercises for strengthening the lats and teres major.
Pull ups are a challenging exercise, but before you skip over this one because you can’t do them, stay with us for a second. There are variations for every level.
But first, if you are ready to hop onto the bar, here are some form tips for a bodyweight pull-up.
Pull Up Form:
Grip the bar just outside of shoulders, knuckles facing up. Keep your core braced, legs straight down (note, not bent), toes pointed to form a tight line with your body. As you pull yourself up, drive your elbows down, bringing your chin above the bar.
Pull Up Variations:
If you can’t get a bodyweight pull-up, don’t worry! There are variations you can do to make the pull up easier whilst still working the back muscles:
Resistance band pull-ups: Using a band will take some of your body weight, meaning it is easier to pull yourself up. The thicker the band, the easier the pull up will be.
Ring rows: Working the same muscles as a pull up, ring rows are an easier pull up variation to build horizontal pulling strength. The closer your feet are to the rings and the more upright your position, the easier these will be.
Lat pulldown: This is another great exercise to build initial strength before moving on to pull-ups. Alternatively, lat pull-downs can also help increase training volume, as more sets and reps can be completed, lowering the resistance as your muscles begin to fatigue.
5. Deadlifts
Sure, the deadlift is a leg day classic, especially when it comes to building those hammies, but it’s actually a great back exercise. The back muscles have to do a ton of work to keep the spine neutral during a deadlift, whilst lat engagement keeps the bar close to your body, and the traps keep the shoulders back and down.
A reason why we love it so much in our back workouts is because you can go pretty heavy with the weights – much heavier than other back exercises!
Deadlift Form Tips:
When you set up for the deadlift, make sure your spine is neutral (not hunched), your lats are engaged, and your gaze is on a point on the floor in front of you (to maintain the neutral spine). When you come up, keep the bar as close to your body as possible, and remember to hinge from the hips.
6. Renegade Row
Just when you thought you were done with the rows… the renegade row is a dumbbell back exercise not to be missed. This back exercise combines a dumbbell row with a plank, killing two birds with one stone by working the back and building a core of steel at the same time.
You won’t be lifting as heavy as the barbell row variations (so whilst this will increase back strength, it isn’t as effective as some of the other variations we’ve covered). Nevertheless, the renegade row can be effective at building shape and size if a moderate weight for 8-12 reps is used—so if hypertrophy is your overall goal, renegade rows are a great exercise to add to your back workout.
Renegade Row Form:
The renegade row is a fairly easy back exercise to learn. But you’ll want to minimize any side-to-side movement as you switch from one arm to the other. Brace your core and think about pulling the weight up with your lats, keeping your planted hand and foot fully grounded.
7. Dumbbell Shrugs
It wouldn’t be a complete back exercise guide without this back workout classic: the dumbbell shrug.
Shrugs are one of the best exercises to target the traps. Peaking between your shoulder and neck, the traps help lift the shoulder blades and support the neck, contributing to performance on big compound lifts such as deadlifts and rows.
Not only that, adding shrugs to your back workouts will make your upper back ‘pop’ (especially if you’re wearing a halterneck top or stringer 👀).
Dumbbell Shrugs Form:
This back exercise looks simple, but be sure to complete a full range of motion and pause for 2-3 seconds at the top of each rep to achieve the muscular contraction needed to train the muscle efficiently. Dumbbell shrugs can also be performed with a barbell or trap bar to help load more weight!
Want more trap exercises? Check out our best exercises to build bigger traps.
8. T Bar Rows
Our final back exercise is a lesser-known treasure called the t bar row (or landmine row). Often performed using a barbell landmine attachment that fixes one end of the barbell to the floor, the t-bar row uses a narrow, neutral grip. While the barbell row recruits the biceps to drive the weight up, t bar rows really fire up the lats to move the weight and place less stress on the lower back.
The setup of t bar rows means you’ll be able to lift more weight compared to the regular barbell row, and more weight (of course) means greater gains, making these the ideal back strength builder. Plus, you have the ability to perform them single-armed, to iron out any muscular imbalances and focus on creating an evenly built back.
T Bar Rows Form:
Keep your torso as horizontal as possible, and move through the full range of motion by rowing the bar to your upper stomach. Hold for a second to contract your back muscles before lowering back down.
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What Are The Main Muscles Of The Back?
When we’re talking about the ‘back,’ we’re actually talking about multiple muscle groups that, together, make up this large muscle in our upper body. There are a total of 40 muscles in the back – but don’t worry, we won’t bore you with going into detail on each and every one of them. It is helpful to know, however, that these 40 back muscles are split into three categories.
These are the:
Superficial Back Muscles: The latissimus dorsi (lats), levator scapulae, rhomboids, and trapezius (traps). Together, they support shoulder and neck movements. These are probably the muscles of the back that initially come to mind when you think of back workouts!
Intermediate Back Muscles: The serratus posterior superior and serratus posterior inferior. These muscles support the rib cage as the lungs expand and contract when you breathe.
Intrinsic Back Muscles: The erector spinae, splenius muscles, and transversospinal muscles. These muscles support the spine to help maintain posture, rotate the body, and flex the back.
You’re probably more familiar with some of these muscles than others, but they give you an idea not only of how complex the back muscles are but also how complicated it can be to create a back workout that actually works and targets the whole back!
Luckily, effective back workouts (which include back exercises such as the ones above) focus the majority of their back exercises on four major areas.
These are the:
Traps: Moves the shoulder and shoulder blade.
Rhomboids: Pulls the shoulder blade back and down.
Lats: Pulls the arms down.
Erector Spinae (Lower Back): Extends and stabilizes the spine.
Training these major back muscles will have the most impact on back strength and size, and as long as you work these key areas, you’ll work the other surrounding muscles in the back, too.
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What Are The Benefits of Back Workouts?
So you’ve got the best back exercises to add to your next back day – but if you still need convincing, let’s cover the benefits of doing back workouts:
1. Back Exercises Will Improve Your Posture
What is the main muscle responsible for holding us upright? You’ve guessed it: It’s our back muscles. No one wants a rounded lower back and slumped shoulders, so giving time to your back workouts helps to improve your posture. This can help reduce back pain or stiffness caused by back posture and will also help your compound lifts by better supporting your spine and making it easier to carry the load on your back.
2. A Stronger Back Will Boost Your Performance And Help Prevent Injury
Pick up any heavy deadlift bar or load up a barbell on your back for a back squat, and you’re going to need some pretty good back strength to lift the bar or hold it in position. Strong back muscles will improve your lifts and lessen the chance of injury. Have you ever suffered from back pain the morning after a heavy deadlift session? You may want to look at what back exercises you’re doing to strengthen your lower back…
3. Finally – A Shapely Back Looks Great
There’s no arguing with this one: a strong back looks impressive. Whether you want to build size to fill your muscle fit t-shirt, or you’re chasing an hourglass figure to make your waist look smaller when you pop on your BBL jacket, an effective back workout will build and sculpt your physique.
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Give These Best Back Exercises A Go
Whether you want a proven way to hit new one-rep maxes across your compound lifts or you’re looking to build a toned, muscular upper body, you need to start doing these back exercises.
Back workouts aren’t easy (maybe not as grueling as leg day, but they come pretty close at times!), but the rewards are worth it. So do these back exercises, implement progressive overload, and watch the gains grow – you’ll soon have a strong and shapely back that only the best lifters know how to build.
Download The Gymshark Training App, add these back exercises to your back day workout, and start tracking your progress as your numbers grow.
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WRITTEN BY: Alex Kirkup-Lee
Alex is an inhouse Content Writer for Gymshark’s Health & Conditioning categories. A qualified Personal Trainer, CrossFit Level 1 and Functional Fitness Coach, Alex is experienced in training clients from a range of sporting backgrounds. With a passion for functional training, her favorite workout is anything that includes deadlifts, rowing, or wallballs.
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References:
Schoenfeld, B.J., Ogborn, D. and Krieger, J.W. (2017). Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of sports sciences, [online] 35(11), pp.1073–1082. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2016.1210197.
Schoenfeld, B.J., Ogborn, D. and Krieger, J.W. (2016). Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Medicine, [online] 46(11), pp.1689–1697. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8.
