You don’t need a gym or heavy weights to build a stronger back. Bodyweight back exercises can help you improve posture, increase core strength, and develop real functional muscle. These exercises target key muscle groups like the lats, traps, and rhomboids, and can be done almost anywhere. However, if you have access to resistance machines, you’ll have a wider variety of alternative exercises, allowing you to achieve gains even faster. Whether you're a beginner or looking to elevate your home workouts, this guide breaks down the best bodyweight back exercises for a comprehensive back-strengthening routine.
What Are the Benefits of Bodyweight Back Exercises?
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Improves posture
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Improves balance
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Reduces injury risk and back pain
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Enhance core stability
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Increase functional strength
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Builds back muscles
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Create comprehensive workouts without equipment
Understanding Back Muscle Anatomy
Understanding muscle anatomy is crucial for designing effective workout routines that target all the various muscles to achieve balanced gains while minimizing the risk of injury. Here are the main muscles in the back:
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Rhomboids are between your shoulder blades. They help stabilize your shoulders and pull them towards each other, and assist in upper limb movement.
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Latissimus dorsi, or lats, is one of the largest back muscles. These wing-like muscles reach from your upper arms down to your lower back. They’re responsible for bending forward, lifting vertically and horizontally, assisting with pulling movements, and stabilizing your back while extending your shoulders.
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The rear deltoids are at the back of your shoulders. They assist with rotating your shoulders and arms outward and helping pull things toward your face. These are often overlooked.
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Trapezius, or traps, is a large triangle-shaped muscle that starts at the back of your head and goes down your spine. They are divided into three sections: The upper traps move your shoulders up, like when shrugging; the middle lats move your shoulder blade away from you; the lower traps help move your shoulders up and down.
8 Effective Bodyweight Back Exercises
Pull Ups
What They Do
Pull-ups are excellent back calisthenics exercises that test your strength and target the lats, traps, and rhomboids, while also engaging your core, forearm muscles, brachialis, and biceps brachii.
How to Do It
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Grab the pull-up bar with an overhand grip and straight arms.
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Pull yourself straight up, squeezing your lats, until your chest reaches the bar.
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Lower yourself back down in a controlled manner as you straighten your arms again.
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Repeat once your elbows are fully straightened.
Inverted Rows
What They Do
The inverted row is another terrific calisthenics back exercise that utilizes your bodyweight for resistance during a pulling movement. It targets the lats, traps, rhomboids, and those often-overlooked rear deltoids.
How to Do It
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Use a sturdy table to support your body weight, and place something heavy on the opposite end for added stability.
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Place your feet flat on the floor in front of the table.
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Grab the edge of the table with your hands shoulder-width apart.
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Bend your knees while keeping your feet flat on the floor.
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Keep your body straight while tightening your glutes to maintain your form.
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Pull yourself up toward the table, squeezing your shoulder blades together without shrugging them.
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Lower yourself in a slow, controlled motion, taking about 3 seconds.
Standing Dual-Handed Rows
What They Do
The standing dual-handed row uses resistance machines like the Speedance Gym Monster 2 to help you achieve gains faster than bodyweight alone. This exercise targets the lats, rhomboids, and traps while working the rear delts, biceps, and core muscles.
How to Do It
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Set the machine handles at your mid-torso.
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Take a handle in each hand with your palms facing each other.
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Stand with a staggered stance while facing the machine.
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Extend your arms fully in front of you.
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Retract your shoulder blades.
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Pull the handles back toward your belly button.
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Hold for 1 second while squeezing your shoulder blades.
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Extend your arms out to the starting position.
Superman
What It Does
Superman is an excellent bodyweight exercise that targets your posterior chain, including the erector spinae, glutes, hamstrings, and shoulders, while also engaging the core. This is a challenging but simple exercise; pay close attention to your form to avoid putting too much strain on your lower back.
How to Do It
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Lie down with your chest on the floor, and reach your arms straight out in front of you.
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Keep your shoulders pulled back and down.
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Squeeze your glutes and lower back to slowly lift your feet, arms, and chest off the floor.
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Hold for a few seconds, then slowly lower yourself to the floor in a controlled motion, without dropping your arms and legs.
Y-Superman
What It Does
Using the same form as Superman and targeting the same muscles, but positioning your arms differently, helps target the upper back muscles differently. It’s a great way to add variation to your routine quickly.
How to Do It
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Lie with your chest down on the floor.
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Instead of reaching your arms straight out like Superman, reach them out at an angle to form a 'Y' shape in front of you.
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Squeeze your glutes and lower back to raise your arms and chest off the floor.
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Hold for a few seconds before slowly returning to the starting position in a controlled motion.
W-Superman
What It Does
The W-Superman is another excellent back-strengthening exercise you can do without any equipment. Like the Y-Superman, varying your arm position will target those upper back muscles differently.
How to Do It
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Lie down with your chest on the floor.
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Place your arms out in front of you, with your palms on the ground in line with your head on either side of your chest.
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Keep your shoulders pulled back and down.
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Squeeze your glutes and lower back to lift your arms, chest, and feet off the floor.
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Hold, slowly pulling the elbows backwards towards your hips, forming a 'W' shape while you feel the retraction in your shoulder blades.
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Hold for a few seconds, then slowly return to the starting position in a controlled motion.
T-Superman
What It Does
This one also targets the same muscles, but uses another arm position to target them differently.
How to Do It
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Lie on the floor with your chest down.
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Extend your arms out on either side of your chest to form a 'T' shape with your body.
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Squeeze your glutes, lower and upper back muscles, and raise your arms and chest off the floor.
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Hold for a few seconds before slowly returning to start in a controlled motion.
Reverse Superman
What It Does
Finally, the Reverse Superman also targets the back muscles, but works the lower back more with some help from the glutes, lats, and those rear delts.
How to Do It
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Lay on the floor, chest down, with arms and legs in a straight line.
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Place your hands facing the ceiling, elbows tucked into your sides.
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Squeeze your glutes and lift your arms and legs.
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Pull the shoulder blade inwards using a rotating motion. Your hands should turn toward the ground.
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Hold for 3 seconds.
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Slowly lower your arms and legs back to start in a controlled motion.
Creating a Bodyweight Back Workout Routine
Designing your own bodyweight back workout routine is easier than you might think.
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Start by selecting 5 or 6 back exercises, such as those listed above, to create a comprehensive back workout. Alternatively, choose 2-3 back exercises for a larger, full-body routine.
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Be sure to examine the muscles each exercise targets and select a variety of exercises that target the most diverse range of muscles.
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Always start with a warm-up that includes dynamic stretching and some light cardio to get your muscles moving and help prevent injuries.
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Depending on your fitness level, aim for 2-4 sets of 8-15 reps per exercise.
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Slow, controlled movements, focusing on form, are essential to achieve gains while preventing injuries.
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Rest for about 30-60 seconds between each set.
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While you can achieve gains with bodyweight exercises alone, you will get results faster when incorporating exercises that utilize equipment, such as pull-ups or resistance rowing exercises.
Common Mistakes To Avoid in Bodyweight Back Training
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Not warming up properly increases the risk of injury. Be sure to start with dynamic stretches and light cardio to prepare your muscles for your workout.
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Ignoring the lower back can lead to imbalances. Use exercises like the Superman and its variations to strengthen the lower back.
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Poor form: Maintaining a neutral spine without rounding or excessively arching your back is crucial for preventing injuries. Focus very closely on your form.
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Over-reliance on elbow flexion: When performing rows and pull-downs, try not to focus solely on chinning or chest-to-bar contact, but instead focus on pulling with your elbows and driving them towards your body.
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Rushing progression: The desire for fast gains can result in adding too much weight too quickly, which can compromise your form and cause injuries. Focus on mastering proper form and gradually increasing weight as you get stronger.
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Overtraining the upper back: We sometimes overemphasize the upper back because we want to see visible results. It’s essential to use a varied routine and also pay attention to the lower back and lats.
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Ignoring pain: Yes, we all seek that burn to know our routine is working. However, it's important to distinguish between the burn and pain that can lead to injury. Listen to your body. If you feel pain, stop and try an alternative approach or consult a healthcare professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Build Your Back With Bodyweight?
You can build your back muscles using only your bodyweight. Your gains won’t be as fast as if you use weights or resistance, but you can exercise anywhere without having to go to a gym. The Superman exercise and its variations are excellent bodyweight exercises for the back.
Calisthenics Build Functional Back Muscles
Bodyweight back exercises are a smart, effective way to train at home without machines or heavy weights. Understanding your back’s anatomy and focusing on form and muscle engagement can build strength, improve posture, and enhance your overall fitness. Whether you’re using classic moves like the Superman or adding resistance with rows and pull-ups, variety and consistency are key. And when you're ready to take your training further, tools like the Speediance Gym Monster 2 offer personalized resistance to keep your gains going strong.
