There are many articles online that teach how to workout from home. While many of these resources at extremely helpful, they tend to lack clarity around which muscle groups you are working. When working out from home you typically will not have the guidance of a coach or personal trainer to help ensure that you are doing the correct exercises to benefit the muscle groups you are hoping to target. In this article we will try to give you some tips on workouts that you can focus on if you are looking to specifically target you back muscles. In future posts we will do the same for different groups of muscles.
We will break down the rest of this article into 3 areas dependent on the type of equipment you have at home as well as whether you are looking to focus on back workouts for mass or back workouts for strength.
Back Workouts with Dumbbells
Dumbbells are a great option for at home workouts as they do not take up to much space and can be used for a variety of different exercises. Below are some workouts that will target your back muscles using dumbbells.
Dumbbell Deadlift
The dumbbell deadlift is an intermediate level back workout that focuses on building strength. The movement involves using your quads, glutes, and lower back primarily. Below is a video that shows how to complete a dumbbell deadlift.
Quadruped Dumbbell Row
The quadruped dumbbell row is a more advanced level back workout that focuses on body control and balance. While this movement requires your full body, it is good at isolating work in your lat muscles. Below is a video that shows how to complete a quadruped dumbbell row.
Wide Dumbbell Row
The wide dumbbell row is another intermediate level back workout that focuses on building mass. The movement works your upper lats and mid-back. Below is a video that shows how to complete a wide dumbbell row.
Reverse Fly
The reverse fly is again an intermediate level back workout that focuses on building both strength and mass. The movement helps to build muscle in the shoulders and upper back. Below is a video that shows how to complete a reverse fly with dumbbells.
Dumbbell Snatch
The dumbbell snatch is an advanced level back workout that focuses on entire body strength. The movement involves using legs, core and upper body but also targets many back muscles. Below is a video that shows how to complete a dumbbell snatch.
Dumbbell Clean
The dumbbell clean is another advanced level back workout that focuses on building entire body strength. The movement involves using legs, core and upper body but also targets many back muscles including shoulders and traps. Below is a video that shows how to complete a dumbbell clean.
Back Workouts with Resistance Bands
While dumbbells provide a lot of different options for all sorts of different exercises, they can be expensive if you are on a tight budget. Resistance bands on the other hand are affordable and can be used for several different types of exercises including building back strength. The following home back workouts only require a resistance band.
Pull Apart
The pull apart is a beginner level back workout that focuses on building strength. The movement involves several muscles but mainly focuses on shoulders. Below is a video that shows how to complete a pull apart.
Pull Down
The pull down is a beginner level back workout that focuses on building strength. It uses several muscles but targets many back muscles including mid back, upper back, lats and traps. Below is a video that shows how to complete a pull down.
Face Pull
The face pull is a beginner level back workout that focuses on building strength. The movement involves working the upper shoulder primarily but also uses other back muscles. Below is a video that shows how to complete a face pull.
Back Workouts without Weights
If you spend most of your time at a gym or in our case a local functional fitness location, you probably don't have a ton of equipment at home. If you don't feel like spending money on resistance bands and can't afford dumbbells, your body weight can work as an excellent tool to build back strength. The following workouts do not require any equipment and can simply be done with your own body weight.
Superman
The superman is beginner level back workout that focuses on building strength. The movement involves using your glutes, hamstrings, and core but focuses on the lower and upper back muscles. Below is a video that shows how to complete a superman.
Plank
The plank is beginner level back workout that focuses on building strength and definition. The movement involves using your core but also is great for upper back muscles. Below is a video that shows how to complete a plank.
Wide Grip Pull Up
The pull up is intermediate level back workout that focuses on entire upper body strength. The movement involves using many muscles but targets the upper lats and shoulders when it comes to back muscles. Below is a video that shows how to complete a wide grip pull up.
YTW
The YTW is beginner level back workout that focuses on shoulder mobility and strength. The movement involves primarily your shoulder muscles. Below is a video that shows how to complete a YTW.