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FACT CHECKEDWhen it comes to weight lifting, legs tend to get more attention from ladies than some of the less glamorous body parts. There's no denying the beauty of defined quads and visible calf muscles that pop in heels, but hear us out: Think of how amazing your strapless dresses and tank tops will look when paired with a sleekly sculpted back.
Plus, training a major muscle group like your back results in more calories burned during your workout and after, and that's great for your overall physique. And if you're not in it for aesthetics, it'll also help prevent lower back pain.
After reading this post, you’ll know:
Just as the best weight lifting moves are timeless, the best back exercises are genderless.
In fact, back workouts such as these do a great job building muscle and strength, regardless of whether you're a girl or guy. When women first dip a toe into the weight lifting world, an overall concern can be looking too big or bulky. Men want a big, broad back, while women's priorities gravitate toward a sleek back and toned muscles.
This is certainly not to say that some women don’t want broad backs. Everyone has a different goal, and we love ladies who aren't afraid to grow! But biologically, men and women are not the same, so even when following the same exercises and routine, each gender will see significantly different results.
Ladies, as you grow your back muscles, your figure will become even more feminine, as your defined upper back tapers down to tight lats and a waist that continues to look more narrow the more muscular your back becomes.
To further put your minds at ease, research shows that men have higher muscle thickness values, which the study at least partially attributed to gender differences1. Another study found that men experience greater muscle volume gains than women, indicating that genetics wires guys to build larger muscles than ladies2.
Now, if you are hoping to develop large, visible muscle mass, this is certainly not to say you can’t make it happen. Women can absolutely build muscle! But just know your genetics are much more inclined to develop in a way that maintains your girlish figure.
The superman is an excellent erector spinae exercise. In addition, the rhomboids and traps also feel the burn in this versatile exercise, leading to that tight, muscular back we previously discussed. Looking for some variety? Try holding a dumbbell or medicine ball.
How to do a Dumbbell Superman:
A long list of back muscles, including the traps, rhomboids, teres major and minor, with help from the erector spinae and lats, are working in the bent-over dumbbell row. The neutral grip helps target your middle back, and the dumbbells work great for providing you with a greater range of motion.
This move is a staple in many trapezius workouts. It's also a great compound exercise that helps build all the muscles while burning calories. Using less of a break in between sets will increase your heart rate and blast extra fat.
How to do the Bent-Over Dumbbell Row:
There's a reason you'll see rows on repeat in upper back workouts. The traps, rhomboids, and upper lats, in particular, get some love in the bent-over barbell rows, creating a back physique you’ll love.
We suggest rotating between the overhand and underhand grips, as the underhand grip targets your lower lats and erector spinae. Alternating between the two week-to-week ensures you’re developing your back muscles equally.
How to do the Bent-Over Barbell Row:
Another excellent compound movement, the lat pull-down engages your lats and upper back, making it an essential exercise for upper body workouts for women. The latissimus dorsi is a large, flat muscle that runs across the middle of your back, and developing it helps create the tapered look we’re striving for.
It’s also a great first step to mastering the pull-up, which we’ll see later on in this list of exercises.
How to do a Lat Pull Down:
Your lats and rhomboids are fully engaged in this pulling move, while the traps step in to assist. For some variation in your back exercises for women routine, consider occasionally swapping this move out for a cable row alternative.
How to do a Seated Cable Row:
When you’re striving for a lean and muscular look, the renegade row is the move for the job. The best back exercises for women are those that torch calories while sculpting. As an added bonus, it also improves core strength, making it the perfect exercise for your entire body and ideal for at home back workouts.
How to do the Renegade Row:
Your upper back gets lots of love in the farmer’s carry, a move that also encourages good posture and burns calories quickly as you walk around with two semi-heavy kettlebells. Calories out, and muscle in will get you to your goals! The farmer's carry is also great for building powerful forearms, which helps improve grip strength. And if that's not reason enough to do this move, you'll also get some lower body work in too. Talk about building overall muscle mass everywhere.
We like kettlebells for this exercise as they provide equipment variety in your routine and enable you to grip them comfortably, likely leading to an increased ability to increase your weight. You can also use dumbbells instead.
How to do the Farmer’s Carry:
Hello, well-defined traps, rhomboids, and lats! Thanks to this back workouts staple, you’ll be able to use a heavier weight and identify any back muscle imbalances. Performing the single-arm dumbbell row is what we call a win-win.
How to do the Single-Arm Dumbbell Row:
A great pre-cursor to the pull-up exercise, you can also find a place for both of these moves in your back routine, as the pull-up does a better job hitting the lats, and the inverted row more thoroughly activates your rhomboids and traps.
If that’s not reason enough to use this move to build the back muscles of your dreams, we’re happy to continue convincing you. Research comparing this move to the barbell bent-over row and one-arm cable row found the inverted row elicited the most powerful contractions in the lats and upper back muscles while providing the most stability to the lower back3.
How to do the Inverted Row:
To pull-up or chin-up? For back-specific workouts, we recommend the pull-up as it activates your lats and lower traps. If completing a pull-up seems unlikely, we suggest starting with the lat pull-down or using an assisted pull-up machine and working your way up. Your upper body muscles will love this exercise.
How to do a Pull-Up:
The dumbbell pullover does an excellent job isolating the lats, something that can be hard to do. But trust us, the lats are incremental in achieving a sleek, sexy back that’ll make your strapless dresses look even better, so it’s important to strengthen them in back workouts. For added variation, you can alternate between dumbbells and cable pullovers.
How to do the Dumbbell Pullover:
We love compound exercises for hitting multiple muscles and burning extra calories, but we can't ignore isolation moves for extra back emphasis. Fortunately, this back workout targets both. Enter: the chest-supported row, a back-isolating exercise that enables you to lift heavy.
How to the Chest-Supported Row:
Remember, ladies: Your muscle accrual will look different than men's just as men and women's strength standards vary. Strength training creates broad backs for guys, whereas weightlifting for women results in a sleek, defined back that makes your waist look even smaller.
Building visible muscle mass is also more challenging for women compared to men, meaning you need to work equally hard - if not harder - to yield visible results.
What does this mean for your training? We’ll be sticking to the same reps and sets that men follow for muscle hypertrophy because this is the best strategy for creating a defined back.
Aim for 3-4 sets of 8-12 repetitions per exercise. Use a challenging weight that enables you to reach at least eight but causes you to feel thoroughly fatigued by set 12. If you hit 12 and could keep going, do your back a big favor, and bump up that weight.
Rest between 30 to 90 seconds for each exercise. If you’re hoping to burn extra fat while building muscle, leaning closer to 30 seconds of rest will keep your heart rate nice and high. This will also help boost your resting metabolism throughout the day.
If you strictly want to emphasize hypertrophy and volume, 90 seconds of rest allows your anaerobic energy system to recharge. To grow your back and increase your upper body strength, train your muscle groups twice weekly, not on back-to-back days. We’ve provided two workouts for you: perform one earlier in the week, and the other 2 to 3 days later.
During your two workout options, you have one exercise in both in which you can pick between two options. Don’t do both as they work similar muscles, and overtraining is counterproductive. Rotate between your options for variety, or on a busy gym day, pick the open one.
Remember, almost all exercises are modifiable, so if these seem too challenging, adjust them to fit your needs. Decrease the weight, use body weight to begin when appropriate, or start with two sets.
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
Rest |
Dumbbell Superman |
3-4 |
8-10 |
30 to 90 seconds |
Bent-Over or single-arm dumbbell row |
3-4 |
8-12 |
30-60 seconds |
Pull-Up |
3-4 |
7-9 |
60-90 seconds |
Chest-supported dumbbell row |
3-4 |
8-12 |
30-90 seconds |
Seated cable row |
3-4 |
8-12 |
30-90 seconds |
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
Rest |
Kettlebell Farmer’s Carry |
3-4 |
30-60 seconds per set |
45 seconds |
Bent-over Barbell Row |
3-4 |
8-12 |
30-90 seconds |
Lat pull-down or dumbbell pullover |
3-4 |
8-12 |
30-90 seconds |
Inverted rows |
3-4 |
8-12 |
30-90 seconds |
Renegade rows |
3-4 |
8-10 |
60-90 seconds |
A toned back is the result of muscle development. If you’re hoping for a sleek, sculpted back, strength training to hypertrophy will get you there!
Pulling exercises and rows of any kind, whether you're using cables, dumbbells, or barbells, are great back-strengthening exercises for women. In addition, compound movements such as the farmer’s carry and renegade row do a great job building back muscles while burning extra calories.
And don’t forget the benefits of isolation exercises, including the pullover, which, quite literally, has your back when it comes to increasing strength.
Defined muscles create a beautiful backline. Specifically, muscular traps, lats, and erector spinae muscles will create a more visible back line.
The teres major, found closer to your armpit, won't directly contribute to your back line, but when developed, it creates a beautiful bubble shape that further accentuates your back line.
No gym equipment required for a sleek, sculpted back. Consider dumbbells your new best friend if strength training at home! With dumbbells, almost all row variations are possible. Invest in a set of kettlebells as well, and you can add in moves like the farmer’s walk (or just use dumbbells for it).
Kettlebells are also great to use for renegade rows in place of dumbbells. Pull-up bars for your house are always an option, or you can follow one of our favorite techniques and fit your pull-up reps in at the park's monkey bars while your kids play.
For exercises requiring a bench, instead, use a kitchen bench or chair, or move it to the ground, like with the dumbbell pullover.
Other great at-home back exercises include plank up-downs, W superman, alternating rows, and swimmers. You can keep the calorie burn and back sculpting going by incorporating some at-home cardio, including mountain climbers and half burpees.
Beautiful backs are built on muscle hypertrophy and dedication. If you’re heading into your back workouts journey nervous about getting jacked and looking over masculine, rest assured that building muscle is a slow process. Once you get to your desired appearance, maintain your new muscle by training once a week. Hoping to take your training one step further? Complement your back exercises with these arm workouts for women, a chest workout, and some breast lifting exercises.
Looking for some inspiration to hit the gym and follow these back exercises? Check out the Top 20 Female Bodybuilders!
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