Written by Travis Halena | ACSM CPT
Fact checked by Kirsten Yovino, CPT Brookbush Institute
FACT CHECKED
Some muscle groups just go well together. Signs of a perfect muscle pairing include exercise moves that complement each other and exercises that enable one major muscle group to rest while the other gets to work. Take the chest and back, for example.
You get two major upper body groups done in one workout, and it even presents the opportunity to reduce your time spent in the gym. Talk about getting the most bang for your workout buck. And if knocking out almost the entire upper body in one workout isn’t enough to convince you, we’ll leave you with this: It was Arnold’s favorite. Need we say more?
This post will cover:
- How to train the chest and back together
- Back and chest muscle anatomy
- Best exercises for back and chest
- Important training variables for a back and chest workout
- Best chest and back workouts, including a superset version
CAN I TRAIN CHEST AND BACK TOGETHER?
Even the best workout spits focus on one muscle group per workout or may include throwing in biceps on a back day, triceps on a push/chest day, or shoulders on a back day. This, however, does not mean you can’t train two big muscle groups together.
In fact, not only can you, but we’d go as far as to say you should!
Think about it: As a whole, chest exercises will be pushing exercises, like the bench press or push-up. The back muscles act to pull, so picture pulling exercises like a pull-up or bent-over row variation.
During a dumbbell bench press, the chest muscles are the agonist (the muscle contracting), and the back muscles (lats and traps) act as the antagonist (relaxing/stretches). The same applies when you are doing a pulling exercise. The back muscles contract while the chest muscles relax.
It is crucial for your longevity that these muscles function simultaneously. This will make sure you have strong joints and bones. They act like yin and yang. One must be strong enough to support the other. And if not, imbalances and injuries can occur.
Because we are working two major muscle groups, we need to be strategic about how we program a back and chest workout. It can be structured in several ways during your workout.
- You can stagger the exercises that alternate between chest and back.
- You can super set the chest and back exercises (perform them back to back with no rest).
- You can finish one entire muscle group before moving on to the next.
These muscles are designed to work together and can be trained in the same workout. A little later, we will take you through two of the best back and chest workouts that are certain to maximize your results.
ANATOMY OF THE BACK AND CHEST MUSCLES
The chest and back muscles cover the thoracic region of the body, which includes everything below the neck and above the abdominal area. These muscle groups are responsible for a variety of things, making them great muscle groups to work together. For example, a motion as simple as moving your arm forward to grab something will use multiple chest and back muscles. They even work together to support breathing, making both extremely significant and essential.
When you mention training chest and back simultaneously, you’re going to be referring to the pectoralis major and minor (pecs), latissimus dorsi (lats), and the upper back (composed of rhomboids, trapezius, and teres major).
Some other muscles are worked during these moments, like deltoids, triceps, biceps, and forearms. Today we focus on the more immense slabs of meat, but just know that the smaller ones are often activated during chest and back exercises as well.
Let’s dive into what the muscles do and how they work
BACK MUSCLE ANATOMY
In order to effectively work the back, first, we've got to learn which muscles comprise this major muscle group and which movements will work them.
Latissimus Dorsi:
Aka, the lats, is the broadest muscle in the body and is critical for achieving the v-taper look most lifters are chasing. They have multiple origin points but all insert into the humerus. Working collaboratively with the teres and pectoralis major, they adduct (move the arm toward the body), rotate, and extend the arm. Other functions include support of the spine and activating during deep respiratory tasks like breathing, coughing, or sneezing.
To put it into context, think of them working while climbing, rowing, swimming, chopping, and breathing. Exercises in the gym would include pulldowns and pulldown alternatives, pull-ups, bent-over rows, deadlifts, and pullovers.
Rhomboid:
The rhombus shape muscle includes the rhomboid major and minor. These connect the inner edges of your shoulder blades to your spine and elevate/retract the shoulder blade. It's hidden beneath the traps and is easily missed next to the lats.
Rhomboids are less of a mirror muscle and more about posture, so to work them in rhomboid exercises, you can do any horizontal pulling exercise and focus more on the extreme squeeze of that muscle as you pull your arms/shoulders back to engage them.
Trapezius:
Nothing is a business card for your physique like a pair of well-developed traps. Starting at the bottom of the back of the skull and the spine, they connect to the shoulder blade and collarbone. They have three parts: upper traps (support the weight of the arm), middle (retract the scapula), and lower (medially rotates and depresses scapula).
As for trapezius exercises, deadlifts and shrugs are the top choices for these upper back muscles. Barbell rows and reverse dumbbells fly for the middle traps. Finally, pull-ups and lat pulldowns work well for the lower traps.
Teres Major:
Sometimes confused for a shoulder muscle (it’s not), this small back muscle assists the bigger ones (mainly the lats). It originates at the back of the scapula and inserts into the front of the humerus. Its primary functions are extending, adducting, and internally rotating the shoulder. Think of throwing a football as far as possible, swimming, a tennis serve, or rowing.
Teres major exercises that work well include face pulls, seated cable rows, or inverted bodyweight rows.
CHEST MUSCLE ANATOMY
We know that you know that the pecs are the superstar of the chest. But let's dig into this a little bit more. After all, the more you know, the more you'll be able to effectively work them.
Pectoralis Major:
This is the most significant fan-shaped chest muscle and has three heads. The clavicular head (upper chest) originates from the clavicle and crosses to the humerus. During upper chest exercises, it functions to lift your arm up and across the other side of your body.
Beginning at the breast bone, the sternal head (lower chest) reaches across to the humerus, which functions during lower chest exercises by bringing your arm around to the front of your body.
Lastly, the costal head starts at the cartilage of the ribs and the external oblique muscle. It runs to the humerus and functions by allowing your arm to pull down when it’s overhead.
Some choices to train the pectoralis major include the bench press (dumbbells or barbells), the push-up, and the chest fly (dumbbells or cables). Pro-tip: Be sure to hit your pecs from all angles.
Pectoralis Minor:
The smaller two chest muscles are triangle-shaped with three heads. They start at the 3rd, 4th, and 5th ribs and insert into the scapula. Its functions include protracting the shoulder blade (pulling it back), depressing the shoulder (pulling it down), and assisting in raising the ribs when you take a big deep breath.
It is impossible to isolate the pec minor completely. However, chest dips and cable flys target it best.
BEST EXERCISES FOR THE BACK AND CHEST
With so many choices, it can be overwhelming to figure out which exercise to put where and how much to do of it. Luckily, you just learned about the muscles and their functions, so you can better understand the format we will lay out for you. This means you will know what the muscle’s function is, what exercises work best, what the exercises do, and how to do them correctly. Some of the critical points of exercise selection include:
- Make sure to hit the muscles from all angles so you don’t develop muscle imbalances.
- Prioritize main compound lifts for strength/hypertrophy but don’t forget about smaller stabilizer muscles.
- Proper form and a strong mind-muscle connection are king for growth and making sure your body moves correctly (no ego lifting).
We’ll touch on these training variables briefly, so let’s get to the best exercises for the chest and back you’ll be doing in today’s workouts.
11 BEST BACK EXERCISES
Get ready to feel your back muscles burn with these back-building muscles. A combination of compound exercises and isolation moves, no muscle will be ignored.
1. Face Pull:
This is a terrific primer (warm-up) for your shoulders at the start of your workout. Doing this before presses will ensure your rear delts, rhomboids, and traps are prepared to handle the movement without injury.
Not a fan of the face pull? Try one of these face pull alternatives instead.
How to do the Face Pull:
- Set your cable machine up with a rope attachment at neck level.
- Stand tall in a straight line and pull the rope toward your face as far as you can while driving your elbows up and back and pulling the rope apart. Make sure not to lean back (it should feel like a standing plank)
- Straighten your arms as the cable returns to starting position. Repeat.
2. Deadlift:
The king of total body strength and the most significant movement in your workout, the deadlift is a cheat code for building every muscle of the back. Deadlifts are especially beneficial for the traps and low back. They do come with a little bit more risk. So if you’re going heavy, make sure that form is a top priority.
How to do the Deadlift:
- Walk up to the bar and place the middle of your shoelaces under the bar. Feet hip width (maybe an inch or two wider depending on your frame) apart, and your shins should be close to or touching the bar.
- Keep your legs straight, reach down, and grab the bar outside your hip width with an overhand grip.
- Pull yourself down by lifting your chest, and push your butt back while hinging at the waist. Your hips should be lower than your shoulders.
- Pinch your shoulder blades together, so your lats are engaged. Once your upper body is locked in, think of leg pressing the ground away and pulling with your upper body as you stand up. Don’t let your hips shoot up first.
- Squeeze your glutes the entire time and finish standing tall without leaning back. Lower down to the ground and repeat.
3. Incline Chest-Supported Row:
Another great exercise to pack some muscle onto the traps, lats, and rhomboids (read: your entire back), the chest-supported row is great for building mass. The support of the bench takes your lower back out of the equation. That’s key because you’ll be able to lift more weight to grow and strengthen those back muscles, plus your low back will already be fatigued from deadlifts in this workout.
How to do the Incline Chest Supported Row:
- Set the adjustable bench at a 45-degree angle. Pick up your barbell or dumbbells and lay on the bench with your chest against the pad.
- Pull your shoulder blades down, and then pull your arms back like you are trying to touch your elbows together behind your back.
- Lower the weight down in a controlled manner and repeat as needed.
4. Bent-Over Row:
An excellent compound movement for developing the back muscles and strengthening the legs as they help hold the position. They can be done heavily and as a primary movement in the workout, making it great for muscle hypertrophy.
However, in this post's workouts, they are after two exercises that already tire these muscles, so go lighter with the weights.
How to do the Bent-Over Row:
- Once your barbell is set up with the appropriate weight, stand with feet shoulder-width apart, bend your knees and hinge down to grab the bar.
- Keeping your back flat and your knees bent, bring your body to a 45-degree angle similar to the chest-supported row done earlier.
- Hold this position with your body and pull the weight toward your belly button while squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- Control the weight down to the starting position and repeat for indicated reps.
*For the dumbbell variation, set up the same way but keep palms facing each other as you pull your arms back to a 90-degree angle.
5. V-Bar Pull Downs:
There are many grips and variations of pulldowns, but today we’re working on the neutral grip (remember, we said to use all angles for the muscles). These are fantastic for building muscle, particularly the width of the lats, and getting that V-taper.
How to do V-Bar Pull Downs:
- Attach the V-Bar to the pulldown machine. Sit down and reach up to grab the bar.
- Lean back slightly so the bar can reach your sternum in a vertical pulling motion.
- Retract your shoulder blades and pull the bar down to your upper chest while keeping your elbows tucked close to your body.
- Pause for a moment and control the weight back to the starting position, keeping tension on your lats the entire time. Repeat.
6. Pull Up & Chin-Up:
These are both bodyweight exercises that are great for building the upper body. Use a band or assisted machine if needed. We have an article that goes more in depth on pull ups vs. chin ups, but for a pull up, you’ll use an overhand grip, and for the chin-up you’ll use an underhand grip. If you want to work your back more, opt for the pull up. Hoping for more chest work? The chin up is the move for you.
How to do a Pull-Up/Chin-Up:
- Reach up and grab the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width apart with an overhand grip (underhand for chin-ups).
- Squeeze your butt and core tight, and drive your elbows down to pull yourself up until your collar bone is close to the bar.
- Lower down and repeat
7. Chest-Supported Reverse Flys:
Again, using the incline bench for support, this is a great rear delt exercise. They are a vital part of shoulder health and support your body for pressing movements. This exercise also gives your rhomboids and traps plenty of love, making it a great one to include in your upper body workout.
How to do Chest Supported Reverse Flys:
- Using a cable machine or lighter dumbbells, lean into the bench similar to the chest-supported row.
- If using dumbbells, let your arms hang straight down. For the cable machine, start by holding them in front of you. Keeping them straight, take your arms straight out to the sides, making a T with your body.
- Control the weight back to starting position and repeat.
8. Inverted Bodyweight Rows:
A bodyweight exercise that’s great for building the teres major, traps, and rhomboids. This will act as your finisher for the workout. Oh, how we love calisthenic workout plans!
How to do Inverted Bodyweight Rows:
- Set a barbell up on a rack at around waist level.
- Lie down on the ground and reach up to grab the bar just outside shoulder width.
- Keeping your entire body flat like a moving plank, pull your chest up to touch the bar and lower down slowly.
9. Single-Arm Dumbbell Row:
This unilateral version of the dumbbell row works to balance out uneven sides of the body. It's great for the lats - especially the lower lats.
How to do the Single-Arm Dumbbell Row:
- Set up with both feet split around the bench and on the floor. Place your hand in the middle of the bench right under your shoulder.
- Grab the weight with your right hand and while keeping your back flat, pull your right arm and the weight back toward your hip until your arm reaches a 90-degree angle.
- Lower down under control and repeat (don’t forget to keep your glutes tight). Switch sides.
10. Seated Cable Row:
Similar to the chest-supported row, this works well to build the traps and rhomboids. The cable and position of the exercise allow for greater muscle tension. Look for more options like this one? There are plenty of great seated cable row alternatives.
How to do the Seated Cable Row:
- Sit on the bench, bend your knees, and grab the V Bar (most common attachment).
- Keep your body upright at less than a 90-degree angle while using your legs to brace.
- Slowly pull the bar toward your abdomen as you drive your elbows back and squeeze your shoulder blades together.
- Continue to slowly lower the weight back to starting position without losing position.
11. Barbell Shrugs:
An essential tool in your toolbox for building the traps, barbell shrugs are a great isolation move. Since it’s only focusing on the traps, it will be toward the end of your workout, so it doesn’t fatigue the muscles for other more compound exercises. You can also use dumbbells in place of a barbell.
How to do Barbell Shrugs:
- Grab a barbell or pair of dumbbells and stand up straight.
- Holding the bar with an overhand grip, or if using dumbbells, keeping your palms facing each other and your arms straight, pull your shoulders up and back as you elevate your traps up into your ears (but not forward).
- Pause at the top, then control them back down as you feel them stretch into a deep range of motion.
6 BEST CHEST EXERCISES
Is there anything better than chest exercises? From compound lifts like the bench press to unilateral training, these moves are at the top of the best upper body exercises list. Don't forget to include some chest stretches post-workout.
1. Bench Press:
The chest press is the king of upper body pushing movements and pec development. We have several variations of bench presses for the workouts here that all have the same principles. The incline bench will simply be adjusting the bench to a 45-degree angle and can be done with a barbell or dumbbells.
A flat bench press is just that, pressing with a bar or dumbbells, and the bench is flat. You can even go crazy and do a narrow chest press, in which your dumbbells are closer together. Bench presses all have their place and hit the chest at different angles. No matter which variation you do, prepare to use challenging weights and feel that calorie burn!
How to do the Bench Press:
- Lying flat on a bench, reach up and grab the bar just outside shoulder width.
- Keeping your back flat, lift the bar off the bench and position it just above your chest. Start with your arms extended.
- Lower the bar down slowly until it lightly touches your chest (think of touching just your shirt).
- Exhale and push the bar back up as you press yourself into the bench.
2. Push-ups:
Push-ups and push-up variations are a superb bodyweight chest exercise for pumping blood into the pecs. There are countless variations, but today we’ll focus on three to give the muscle that finished off feeling.
How to do Push-Ups:
- Set up in a high plank position on your hands just outside shoulder width. Start with your arm straight.
- Once you're in pushup position, keeping your abs tight and back flat, lower your body toward the ground while maintaining tension on the chest. Your elbows should be moving at a 45-degree angle.
- Lower down as deep as you can and then press the floor away, returning your body to the starting position.
For the slow negative variation, simply lower at a slower pace (try 3 to 5 seconds). For isometrics, you will hold at the bottom of the rep like a plank for as long as you can (It keeps maximum tension on the pecs).
3. Incline Dumbbell Chest Fly:
The incline chest fly will target the upper chest and for these workouts, serve more as an isolation movement to stimulate muscle growth. Get ready for some serious muscle gain!
How to do Incline Dumbbell Chest Flys:
- Set the bench at a 45-degree angle. Lie back and put the dumbbells up above your chest.
- With elbows slightly bent and palms facing each other, lower the weights in an arcing movement until you feel a stretch in your chest.
- Exhale and bring the consequences back to the starting position by squeezing your chest together.
4. Cable Standing Fly (Low to High):
The tension and position of the cable’s function will provide maximum contraction and shaping of the pectoral muscles. Looking for more moves like this? Be sure to check out our best cable chest exercises!
How to do Cable Flys:
- Set both cables to the lowest position. Take a step forward to increase tension with a slight bend in your knees.
- Keeping your arms bent similar to the incline chest fly done earlier, pull your hands up in an arcing motion in front of you until they meet (it should feel like your chest is going to pop).
- Slowly lower the weight, resisting the motion slightly to feel the chest stretch out.
5. Dumbbell Pullovers:
You’ll get a ton of bang for your buck with the dumbbell pullover. It builds your chest and lats, which is why it's almost always labeled as a best dumbbell chest exercise. Perfect for our combo chest and back routine! Use lighter weights for this move.
How to do Dumbbell Pullovers:
- Lay flat on a bench with a dumbbell in each arm, or one dumbbell in both hands, and position your arms above your chest.
- Keeping your palms facing away from you and your elbows slightly bent, extend the dumbbells upwards and back over your head while bracing your core. Do not go past your head, as this will be an intense stretch.
- Exhale and slowly bring your arms back to starting position.
6. Single-Arm Dumbbell Bench Press:
Similar to our pressing variations mentioned above, this is a unilateral exercise that will work the pecs in a different position and identify potential imbalances. Use free weights, and as a warning, just one set will have your chest fatigued. Go slow here; good form is essential.
How to do the Single Arm Dumbbell Bench Press:
- Lay flat on a bench holding a dumbbell in your left arm, either with a neutral grip or an overhand grip, and raise the arm over your chest.
- Keeping your palm facing, lower the weight until your arm is at a 90-degree angle. The key here is keeping the elbow close to your body as well.
- Exhale and press up slowly, squeezing the pec muscle.
Important Training Variables/Info for the Workout
The principles for this workout are relatively simple. The significant strength movements are prioritized first, followed by supersets, isolation exercises, and compounds for higher reps.
For rep ranges around 4-7, you will focus on strength (here are the differences between training for strength vs. hypertrophy). For 8-12, your weight will be a bit lighter for a mix of power and hypertrophy. For reps 12 and above, you will focus on chasing the pump and muscular endurance.
All of these exercises will require control and feeling the muscle work. Each week you can progress by either feeling the muscle work better or increasing your weight. There are two workouts here; we suggest doing one earlier in the week, and the other later on in the same week, so you’re getting enough sets in to achieve muscle hypertrophy.
THE BEST BACK AND CHEST WORKOUT ROUTINE
Notice the superset boxes within the programs below. This means you’ll do one set of the first move in the superset exercises, immediately followed by the second exercise. As soon as you’re done with the second move, go back to the first exercise and begin your second round. Take a brief rest if needed.
Give yourself around 2 minutes of rest for stand-alone exercises to recover and build strength.
Workout A (Back Focus):
|
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
|
Cable Face Pulls |
2 |
20 |
|
Deadlift |
3 |
5 |
|
Superset: Incline DB Bench Press Chest Supported Rows |
3 3 |
6 12 |
|
Bent Over Rows |
3 |
8 |
|
V Bar Pulldowns |
2 |
10 |
|
Superset: Pull Ups Push Ups |
2 2 |
Failure Failure |
|
Superset: Chest Supported Reverse Flys Inverted Bodyweight Rows |
2 1 |
15 Failure |
Workout B (Chest Focus):
|
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
|
Cable Chest Flys |
2 |
20 |
|
Barbell Bench Press |
4 |
7 |
|
Superset: Single-Arm Dumbbell Row Single-Arm DB Bench Press |
3 3 |
8 12 |
|
Pullovers |
2 |
10 |
|
Superset: Seated Cable Rows Push-Ups (3 seconds on the way down) |
3 3 |
8 Failure |
|
Incline Barbell Bench |
2 |
15 |
|
Superset: Pull-Ups Push-Up Isometric Hold |
2 2 |
Failure Failure |
|
Cable Chest Flys |
1 |
20 |
TIME CRUNCH CHEST AND BACK SUPERSET WORKOUT
These supersets can all be done with no rest in between. This is an excellent option for when you are short on time. It will be a fat-burning, muscle-building, powerhouse of a workout in half the time. Think of this as HIIT in strength training form.
Superset Chest and Back Workout:
| Exercise: | Sets: | Reps: |
|
Superset: Cable Face Pulls Push-Ups |
2 2 |
20 10 |
|
Superset: Flat DB Bench Bent Over DB Row |
3 3 |
8 12 |
|
Superset: Cable Flys Single Arm DB Row |
2 2 |
20 8 |
|
Superset: Shrugs Pullovers |
3 3 |
8 15 |
|
Superset: Chin-Ups Push-Ups |
2 2 |
Failure Failure |
Not only are you now equipped with the best chest and back workouts and a time saver option for great muscle gains, but you should also understand how all chest and back muscles work. Work out your chest muscles and hit your back, and you're simultaneously working your upper arms too. That is what we call effective.
Trust us, the pump you’re about to get with this program will be out of this world.
Looking for another unconventional, but ultra-effective, workout? Check out our Ultimate Chest And Bicep Workout!
Prepare to maximize your gains with our exclusive 12-week hypertrophy training program. Choose between a 4 or 5 day training split and gain 2-12 pounds of muscle over 90 days...
2 Responses
Kirsten @ SET FOR SET
Hi @DAVID – To failure means that you’ll continue doing reps until you can’t do anymore. You’re basically working until your muscles aren’t able to continue doing the exercise (following good form).
David
Hey you might have mentioned it but i couldn’t see anywhere explaining what “failure” meant for the reps on some of the exercise.
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Travis Halena
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