Back Exercises

114 back exercises with photo demos and step-by-step instructions.

The back is not one muscle but a stack of them: the lats give you width, the mid-back (rhomboids, mid-traps) gives you thickness, and the spinal erectors hold everything under load. That is why a back day built on a single movement always plateaus. Anchor each session with one vertical pull for the lats (pull-up, lat pulldown) and one horizontal pull for the mid-back (barbell row, chest-supported row, cable row), then finish with a stretch-position isolation such as a straight-arm pulldown. Pull with the elbows, not the hands, and let the shoulder blade travel — a rep that ends with the scapula locked in place is a biceps rep. Most lifters progress fastest on 14–22 hard sets per week spread over two sessions.

How often should you train back?

Two back sessions per week beats one for almost everyone, because pulling volume is easy to recover from. Aim for 14–22 working sets weekly: 6–10 vertical pulling, 6–10 horizontal pulling and 2–4 sets of direct lat or rear-delt isolation.

Common back training mistakes

Turning every row into a shrug — if the traps burn before the lats, the weight is too heavy and the torso is swinging.
Half-repping pulldowns. Let the shoulder blade rise at the top to load the lats through their full stretch, then drive the elbows to the ribs.
Skipping the mid-back. Lat-only training gives you a wide silhouette from the front and a flat back from the side — chest-supported rows and face pulls fix that.

Frequently asked questions about back training

How often should I train back?

Twice per week is the sweet spot for most lifters. Pulling movements create less muscle damage than heavy squatting or pressing, so the back recovers quickly and responds well to a second weekly stimulus.

What is the best back exercise overall?

There is no single best one, because width and thickness come from different movement patterns. The most productive pairing is a weighted pull-up or lat pulldown for the lats plus a barbell or chest-supported row for the mid-back.

How do I make my back wider?

Width comes from the lats, which respond best to vertical pulling with a full stretch at the top and a controlled eccentric. Prioritise pull-ups, lat pulldowns and straight-arm pulldowns, and keep the reps in the 8–15 range.

Do deadlifts build the back?

Deadlifts build the spinal erectors and traps hard and add a lot of systemic strength, but they do very little for the lats. Treat them as a posterior-chain lift and still train rows and pulldowns separately.

Why don't I feel my lats working?

Usually because the arms are doing the work. Think about pulling your elbow into your back pocket, pause for a second at the peak of each rep, and drop the load until you can feel the lat rather than the forearm.

All Back Exercises

Related pull exercises

Middle Back exercises · Lower Back exercises · Lats exercises · Traps exercises · Biceps exercises · Forearms exercises