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FACT CHECKEDLooking for a new back workout? You've come to the right place! Back day just so happens to be our favorite due to the massive amount of weight we can pull as well as the drastic effect it can have on our physique.
Because we know how important back training is, and due to the multiple training goals a lifter could potentially have, we've created 5 free back workouts for various situations and goals.
The 5 best back workouts are:
For each back workout, we will teach you how to progress so you can gain muscle and strength over time.
We'll also cover the best back exercises, back muscle anatomy, and the benefits of performing back workouts.
Let's get right to the workout plans. Be aware that each plan includes two sessions as training muscle groups twice a week has been shown to be optimal for strength and hypertrophy.
This back training workout plan is designed for those purely interested in getting stronger. Therefore, strength is the main goal which means emphasis is on big movements with heavier loads. That being said, you will do some isolation/smaller movements which are primarily to strengthen joints and improve shoulder stability.
Session 1:
Deadlift | 4 sets | 4 reps |
Bent Over Row | 4 sets | 6 reps |
Chin Up | 3 sets | 8 reps |
Single Arm Dumbbell Row | 3 sets | 8 reps each arm |
Circuit w/Cable Rope Attachment x 3 sets: | ||
Face Pull x 10-12 reps | ||
Rope Upright Row x 10-12 reps | ||
Hammer Curl x 10-12 reps |
Session 2:
Rack Pull (at knees) | 4 sets | 4 reps |
Chin Up | 4 sets | 6 reps |
T-Bar Row | 4 sets | 8 reps |
Kroc Row | 2 sets | 15+ reps |
Front Barbell Shrug | 4 sets | 4 reps |
Circuit w/Cable Straight Bar Attachment x 3 sets: | ||
Straight Arm Lat Pulldown x 10-12 reps | ||
Bicep Curl x 10-12 reps | ||
Back Extension (on hyperextension bench, not cable machine) x 10-12 reps |
Progressive Overload:
For progressive overload, you’re primarily going to rely on simply adding weight to the bar for 4 weeks. On the 5th week, you’ll perform a deload week where you will just use the same rep scheme but drop the load by 50%.
In the 6th week for the deadlift and rack pull, you will work up to a heavy single and perform 3 singles. You want to work up to what feels like a 95%1RM or a weight you can get twice. Then in the 7th week,, you will return to the weight you used in the 4th week and continue.
For the other movements, in the 6th week you will take about 10% of the load you used in the 4th week and continue.
For the circuit, don’t stress too much. Simply add weight and work up to RPE8-9.
This back training workout plan is for those purely interested in building mass. This means that it will include a lot more smaller exercises with moderate weight and moderate reps. However, there will still be a bit of strength oriented movements.
Session 1:
Deadlift | 3 sets | 5 reps |
Chin Up | 4 sets | 6 reps |
T-Bar Row (Neutral & Wide - 2 sets each) | 4 sets | 8-12 reps |
Lat Pulldown | 3 sets | 8-12 reps |
Reverse Cable Fly | 2 sets | 12+ reps |
Straight Arm Lat Pulldown | 2 sets | 12+ reps |
Back Extension on Hyperextension Bench | 3 sets | 12+ reps |
Session 2:
Rack Pull | 4 sets | 4 reps |
Pull Up | 3 sets | 8 reps |
Seated Cable Back Row | 3 sets | 8-12 reps |
Lat Pulldown (Close Neutral Grip) | 3 sets | 8-12 reps |
Helms Row | 3 sets | 8-12 reps |
Reverse Cable Fly | 2 sets | 12+ reps |
Back Extension | 3 sets | 12+ reps |
Progressive Overload:
For progresive overload, you’ll follow two methods. For the set rep scheme, you’ll add weight to the bar (or increase the load on chin-up/pull-up). Every 5th week, take a deload week and decrease the weight
For the Deadlift and Rack Pull, you will take a deload every 5th week and decrease the load by 50%. Then in the 6th week, you will take about 10% off from what you did in the 4th week and begin the process again.
This program is for ya’ll you want a good mix of strength training and hypertrophy training.
Session 1:
Deadlift | 4 sets | 4 reps |
Bent Over Row | 3 sets | 5 reps |
Kroc Row | 2 sets | 15+ reps |
Lat Pulldown | 3 sets | 10-12 reps |
Barbell Front Shrug | 3 sets | 5 reps |
Face Pull | 3 sets | 12+ reps |
Reverse Cable Fly | 3 sets | 12+ reps |
Session 2:
Rack Pull | 4 sets | 4 reps |
Chin Up | 3 sets | 5 reps |
Pendlay Row | 3 sets | 6 reps |
Helms Row | 3 sets | 8-10 reps |
Reverse Cable Fly | 3 sets | 10-12 reps |
Back Extension | 3 sets | 10-12 reps |
Straight Arm Lat Pulldown | 3 sets | 12+ reps |
Progressive Overload:
For progressive overload, you’ll follow two methods. For the set rep scheme, you’ll add weight to the bar (or increase the load on chin-up/pull-up). For the movements with the rep range, you’ll increase reps until you are able to increase the laid and still hit the lower end of the rep range.
For the set rep scheme (other than chin-up), you will take a deload every 5th week and decrease the load by 50%. Then in the 6th week, you will take about 10% off from what you did in the 4th week and begin the process again.
If you don’t like training with a barbell or you're a fan of at home back workouts, this back workout is for you. In this calisthenic back workout plan, you’ll see how to make the most of the limited movements possible to train the back with calisthenics.
Further, we’re going to also assume you have access to some basic bars. That being said, the key to progressing with a calisthenics program is to increase the difficulty of the exercise. That being said, there will only be one session that you will repeat twice a week.
Chin Ups (or Pull Ups) | 5 sets | 7-8 RPE |
Australian Rows | 5 sets | 7-8 RPE |
Face Pulls | 3 sets | 7-8 RPE |
Push-Back Push Up | 3 sets | 9 RPE |
Bent Over I-Y-T | 3 sets | 9 RPE |
Notes:
Progressive Overload:
For progressive overload, you will need to gradually increase the difficulty of the movements. Below is a list for some of the exercises you can do to increase the intensity.
Chin-ups/Pull-Ups: You will gradually want to transfer the load to one arm over time. You can do this by:
This plan is for those who might be stuck at home who only have a pair of dumbbells to use. Therefore, it will only include dumbbell back exercises. That being said, anyone can use this plan if they want to include a different stimulus for a cycle but we would advise to add chin-ups if possible.
Due to the lack of possible exercises, there will just be one session but we advise to run it twice a week.
Further, because this is written for those at home with a limited amount of dumbbells, there won’t be exact rep schemes. Instead, you’ll just use RPE.
Bent Over Dumbbell Row (Overhand Grip) | 3 sets | 7-8 RPE |
Straight Leg Deadlift | 3 sets | 7-8 RPE |
Single Dumbbell Row (Neutral Grip) | 3 sets | 7-8 RPE |
Dumbbell Pullover | 3 sets | 7-8 RPE |
Reverse Dumbbell Fly | 3 sets | 7-8 RPE |
Dumbbell Shrug | 3 sets | 7-8 RPE |
Bent Over High Row | 3 sets | 7-8 RPE |
Notes: For the bent over high row, just bend over slightly when you perform these.
Progressive Overload:
Assuming you don’t have a ton of dumbbells to choose from, you aren’t really able to increase the load. Therefore, you basically have two choices:
If you do have a few different size dumbbells, we suggest you try to use bigger ones as you get stronger. Other than that, you’re only going to be able to do so much if you are going to be in this position for a while. Therefore we strongly suggest you try to buy a bigger set of dumbbells or invest in a multi-weight dumbbell.
There are so many good exercises that it's hard to narrow our list down to just 5. But, if we have to, these 5 back exercises are research-backed and repeatedly used by strength and conditioning coaches, as well as personal trainers, due to their effectiveness.
The 5 best back exercises are:
Here's how to do each.
The deadlift makes our list of best back moves due to its ability to strengthen the entire back and posterior chain. A study of the deadlift found that it's particularly great for the low back and erector spinae1.
A separate study analyzed the deadlift under various loading conditions, finding it produced high levels of muscle activation in several key muscles, including the erector spinae, lats, and traps, all of which are crucial for back strength and development2.
Many strength and conditioning coaches and fitness experts consistently recommend deadlifts as an essential exercise for back development due to its ability to target multiple muscle groups at once.
How to do the Deadlift:
A study comparing the pull up to several lat pulldown variations found it was more effective than pull downs in targeting the lats3.
Further, separate research discovered that pull-ups activate the latissimus dorsi, biceps brachii, and other upper back muscles, providing an effective way to build strength and muscle mass in the back4.
How to do Pull Ups:
This exercise targets your mid-back and lats. You can also make this a unilateral exercise by turning it into a single-arm dumbbell row.
Research shows that bent-over rows do a great job activating the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, and other muscles of the upper back and posterior shoulder region, promoting back strength and muscle development5.
How to do Bent-Over Rows:
T-Bar Rows are used by the majority of strength and conditioning coaches, as they do a great job activating the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, and erector spinae muscles.
This makes them effective for back muscle growth and strength, helping you grow the wide back of your dreams.
How to do T-Bar Rows:
Lat pulldowns activate the latissimus dorsi, biceps brachii, and other upper back muscles, making it an effective exercise for back development, especially when performed with a relatively heavy load6 (not so heavy that you can't maintain good form).
How to do the Lat Pulldown:
There are multiple back muscles that make up the “back.” While they more or less all work together for most movements, you should still have a good idea of their basic function and structure.
The latissimus dorsi (or the lats for short) are the largest muscle in your upper body and sit on either side of your back. They’re a large and flat muscle that runs from the base of the spine to approximately 2/3rd of the way up. The lats are responsible for multiple shoulder movements, including:
The trapezius are two large trapezoid-shaped muscles that sit on the upper back. That being said, while most people think of only the upper traps that sit on the upper of the back behind the neck, the traps are much larger than people think.
Altogether, there are 3 main parts:
The rhomboids are a set of smaller muscles shaped like rhomboids that attach the scapula to the spine. Technically, there are two sets:
Together, these muscles are very important scapular stabilization muscles and perform the following functions.
The posterior deltoids are one of three shoulder muscles known as the deltoids. The posterior delts sit on the posterior side of the shoulders and play a major role in drawing the shoulder back.
The erector spinae is a large set of muscles that sit on either side of the spine. While most people think of the erector spinae as just the “lower back,” this muscle actually runs down the entirety of the spine.
There are actually three different parts of the erector spinae that start together at the base of the spine but then branch out as they travel up, almost like 6 big roots (3 per side) branching out to aid in the stabilization of the spine. These 3 muscle groups are the:
The primary function of these muscles is flexion, extension, and stabilization of the spine.
As seen, the back is full of quite a few different muscles that are basically responsible for all pulling movements. That being said, there are a few movement patterns you want to include in your training to hit every muscle appropriately, as well as train the back the way it’s supposed to work.
Training the back properly will bring a ton of awesome benefits. Here are the top reasons to follow one of our back workout programs.
One of the worst mistakes you can make when training is to put all the emphasis on the chest while ignoring the back. This will be a disservice for multiple reasons.
Quite simply, you CAN NOT look big if you don’t give your back enough attention. As we said, we believe you should actually give your back more attention when compared to your chest.
When comparing the anterior muscles to posterior muscles, weak posterior muscles are responsible for a much higher percentage of injuries and ailments in people. A list of these can include:
It's why strengthening these muscles, like in lower back workouts, is so important. Heck, even shoulder pain and elbow pain can be caused by weak scapular muscles.
For example, a major cause of tennis elbow is weak traps as they aren’t able to provide a stable scapula for the shoulder to function from. As a result, the elbow must compensate and receive too much stress.
Training the back is relatively easy. Basically, any pulling movement is going to hit the back muscles. Even though there are some smaller back muscles like the rhomboids, there aren’t any rhomboid-specific exercises as anything that causes scapular retraction will train them.
That being said, even though there are a bunch of muscles in the back, it’s not really too hard to train them. You just need to be sure to hit the main movement patterns listed above and be done with it.
Related: How many back exercises & sets per week
You now have 5 awesome back workout plans for any situation. As you work through one plan, feel free to look through the others to give you ideas on how you can alter your current plan to add variability as time goes on.
At the end of the day, variability and continuing to implement progressive overload is the key to long-term success. Swapping exercises and rep schemes is the best way to keep moving forward.
As a bonus, any of these plans are guaranteed to kickstart your growth and add mass and strength to your back.
And if you're looking for even more back-building inspiration, check out our Ultimate Back Day Workout Routine!
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...
References:
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Garett Reid
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