Introduction:
A strong back makes any gym workout more efficient and effective, and it’s important to choose your exercises carefully if you want to make the most of your back workouts. The 10 best back workouts target all three of the back’s major muscle groups, so you’ll have no trouble hitting each one with the right exercises. Plus, these 10 great back workouts are extremely effective when it comes to building muscle and strength, so you’ll have no trouble building up that strong, muscular back you’ve always wanted.
1) Incline Dumbbell Rows:
Grab an EZ bar or dumbbells and place them on the floor with the weight on one end. You'll need to face away from the weight rack in order to use both hands to pick up each end of the bar. Once you have it in your hands, pull it up until it reaches chest height. Lower it back down and repeat for specified reps. The angle of incline will make this movement more difficult but may help with back development.
2) Bent-Over Barbell Rows:
Bent-over barbell rows are one of the best back workouts you can do because they work out multiple muscles groups in your back. You can do this exercise with either dumbbells or a barbell and with either one arm or two. When doing them with two arms, make sure to keep your lower back from rounding out by tucking it down towards the floor while hinging forward at the hips. Keep pulling with your elbows until they’re in line with your torso and then let go of the weight again to come back to starting position. This is one exercise that's easy to cheat on if you don't maintain good form so make sure not to round out those lower backs!
3) Seated Cable Rows:
Seated Cable Rows may not be the most exciting exercise on this list, but they are an essential exercise for building strength in your upper back. Standing in front of the pulley machine with your chest out and head up, grab the handle with both hands and pull it towards your stomach until you feel tension in your back. Keep your core tight and make sure to squeeze through your shoulder blades. Slowly release the handle and repeat.
4) One-Arm Dumbbell Rows:
Rows not only target the latissimus dorsi (the large muscle in your back), but they also work other muscles to stabilize your body during the exercise. The one-arm dumbbell row strengthens your entire back with high repetitions and activates more stabilizing muscles that make it easier to perform exercises like deadlifts. This exercise may look easy, but it will work up quite a sweat when you go heavy.
Alternating Grip Pulldowns (eight sentences)
One of the most underused exercises at the gym is an alternating grip pulldown. These are done with both hands grasping each handle on opposite sides of the bar and pulling it down toward the chest until reaching full extension.
5) T-Bar Rows:
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes turned out. Grab the bar and lean forward at about 30 degrees from the hips. Grasp the bar so that your arms are in front of you with palms facing down. Keeping your back straight, bend at the knees and lower yourself as if to sit down until you feel tension on your lower back then slowly extend until you are upright again.
6) Close Grip Pulldowns:
Close Grip Pulldowns are one of the best workouts to develop the width and thickness of your back. It is an advanced workout so start out with a weight that is heavy enough to take at least five seconds on each repetition but not so heavy that you can't take six or seven seconds to complete. Make sure your grip is shoulder-width apart and keep your arms straight as you lean back slightly and pull down on the bar until it touches your chest. Touching your chest does not mean locking out your elbows, it means just short of.
7) Standing Barbell Bent Over Row:
This is one of the most effective exercises you can do to tone and strengthen your back muscles. Here are some variations:
-While standing up straight, bend forward at the waist until your torso is parallel to the ground with your knees bent and feet shoulder width apart. This will be your starting position. Now grip the barbell that's placed on the floor in front of you as far away from you as possible. Pull it towards your belly button until you feel tension in your upper back muscles. Hold it there for a moment then slowly release.
8) Deadlifts (with chin-up bar attachment):
It's impossible to overstate the importance of this exercise. The deadlift is one of the best back workouts, as it exercises the entire posterior chain in one motion. Furthermore, it helps to improve grip strength and strengthen your lower back. Simply choose a barbell weight that's heavy enough to be challenging but light enough to ensure proper form and complete five sets of five reps at moderate speed with two minutes' rest between sets.
9) Barbell Straight-Leg Deadlift:
This exercise starts with feet hip-width apart. Hold the barbell at shoulder height in front of your body, palms facing down. Take an unweighted step away from the rack to position your stance wider than shoulder width. Keeping your back straight and knees slightly bent so that you are in a hinged position at the hips and can maintain an arch in your lower back. Inhale through the nose, brace your core by drawing in your abdominal muscles under while maintaining an arch in your lower back. This is the starting position of this exercise called the Barbell Straight-Leg Deadlift.
10) Delt Machine Rows:
Delt machine rows may be the most popular back exercise in any gym. As such, it's often difficult to find an open machine. However, this is one of the best back exercises that you can do because it effectively strengthens your entire back. Start by leaning against the pad and sliding your feet as close to your hips as possible. Grasp the handle with both hands and lean forward while pulling down toward your lower stomach with each rep.
After you've completed eight sets on one side (16 reps), switch sides and repeat on the other side. Try to avoid swinging from side-to-side or using momentum to create movement.