This page includes three beginner back workouts, including one workout that can be completed at home, however it does require some basic equipment. The other two require access to a gym, or gym equipment.
Training Your Back
The back is an area that beginners often overlook when training, this is due to a few reasons. The muscles of the back are not obvious show off muscles like the Abdominals, Biceps or the Pectorals. Plus many back exercises are not as easy to perform as exercises for other body parts.
Developing your back may not seem as important for a good looking upper body, however it is very important. It’s like the relation between the bicep and tricep. Often guys just think of training their biceps if they want good arms, which is a huge mistake as the tricep is the larger muscle and very important for well balanced good looking arms.
It can be difficult to feel and contract the muscles of your back during the exercises, especially the latissimus dorsi. However with experience and using good technique, it will become easier to feel the muscles and contract them during the exercise, resulting in better gains in muscle development.
The Lats
The latissimus dorsi is the largest muscle in your back and it’s responsible for giving your back width. The lats are primarily used when you perform exercises that have a pulling motion, for example, lat rows, lat pull downs and pull ups.
Your back muscles make up for a huge area in your upper body and they shouldn’t be neglected. There is also a large number of exercises that can be used to train your back muscles, this is good because variety is great for triggering muscle growth and preventing boredom.
There are also very good health and fitness reasons why you shouldn’t neglect your back, such as helping to prevent lower back problems and injuries to the back in general.
The Workouts
These workouts will train the different sections of your back, this includes the upper, middle and lower back. These workouts and exercises will strengthen and develop all the major muscles in your back.
Beginner Back Workouts for Home & Gym
The first workout can be performed at home, however it requires dumbbells and a pull up bar.
| Home Back Workout | ||
|---|---|---|
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Pull ups | 4 | 10 - 15 |
| One arm lat rows | 4 | 10 - 15 |
| Shrugs | 4 | 10 |
| Stiff legged deadlift | 4 | 10 - 15 |
| Gym Back Workout 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Seated pulley rows | 4 | 10 - 15 |
| Pull ups | 4 | 6 - 10 |
| Barbell lat rows | 4 | 10 - 15 |
| Hyperextensions | 4 | 10 - 12 |
| Gym Back Workout 2 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Barbell lat rows | 4 | 10 - 15 |
| Deadlift | 4 | 10 - 15 |
| Barbell good mornings | 3 | 10 - 12 |
| One arm dumbbell rows | 4 | 10 - 15 |
| Pull ups | 3 | 6 - 10 |
