Back Exercises

Learn How to do all of our Lat, Upper Back, and Lower Back Exercises to add to your next Back Workout

Welcome to our Back Exercises main page!

Here we’ve linked to all of our back toning and back strengthening exercises that target your lat muscles (latissimus dorsi), lower back, and upper back muscles. Each of our weight training exercises comes complete with pictures, exercise instructions, and tips so you can immediately add to your next Back Workout and other Weight Training Programs.

Leave this page and skip directly to our list of the Five Best Weight Training Exercises for the Back

Why your Workout Routines should Include Back Exercises

Your upper back muscles and lats form one of the largest areas of the upper body and are therefore essential in Muscle Building Workouts as well as Fat Loss Workouts. Because these areas are so significant, back strengthening exercises will help you improve your maxes on most other upper body lifts.

Lower back exercises are also important as the lower back acts as a stabilizer in many of the most important weight training exercises and plays a crucial role in sports and athletic lifts.

We’ve divided up our page and the site to give you a few options.

Continue reading to view each back exercise sorted by equipment required or view each exercise by primary muscle trained.

View the following pages:

Lat Exercises
Lower Back Exercises
Upper Back Exercises

Each Back Weight Training Exercise by Equipment Required

Below we’ve linked to dozens of weight training exercises that target your back muscles. The massive list is sorted by equipment required resulting in the following sections:

Barbell Exercises
Body Weight Exercises
Cable Exercises
Dumbbell Exercises

Scroll down to view each section or skip directly to the equipment you’d prefer to use.

Barbell Back Exercises

Exercise Name	Primary Muscle(s)	Addl Equip. Required
Barbell Deadlifts	Calves, Glutes, Lats, Quads, Traps, Upper & Lower Back	Barbell
Barbell Pullover	Lats, Chest Shoulders, Triceps	Barbell, Bench
Barbell T-Bar Row	Upper Back, Lats, Biceps	Barbell
Bent Over Row	Upper Back, Lats, Biceps, Shoulders	Barbell
Goodmorning	Lower Back, Hamstrings, Glutes	Barbell
Romanian Deadlift	Hamstrings, Calves, Forearms, Glutes, Lower Back, Upper Back	Barbell
One Arm Side Deadlifts	Hamstrings, Abs, Calves, Glutes, Lower Back, Quads, Traps	Barbell
Power Clean	Hamstrings, Calves, Forearms, Glutes, Lower Back, Quadriceps, Shoulders, Traps	Barbell
Reverse Grip Bent Over Row	Upper Back, Lats, Biceps, Shoulders	Barbell
Stiff Leg Deadlift	Hamstrings, Calves, Glutes, Lower Back, Upper Back	Barbell
Sumo Deadlift	Hamstrings, Forearms, Glutes, Hip Adductors, Lower Back, Quadriceps, Traps, Upper Back	Barbell

Check out all our Barbell Exercises divided by muscle group trained!

Body Weight Back Exercises

Exercise Name	Primary Muscle(s)	Addl Equip. Required
Back Extensions	Lower Back, Hamstrings, Glutes	Apparatus
Body Row	Upper Back, Lats, Biceps	Barbell or Smith Machine
Chin Ups	Lats, Upper Back, Biceps, Shoulders	Pull Up Bar
Climber Pull Ups	Lats, Upper Back, Biceps, Shoulders	Pull Up Bar
Gironda Sternum Chin Ups	Lats, Upper Back, Biceps, Shoulders	Pull Up Bar
Narrow Parallel Grip Chin Ups	Lats, Upper Back, Biceps, Shoulders	Pull Up Bar
Pull Ups	Lats, Upper Back, Biceps, Shoulders	Pull Up Bar

Check out all our Body Weight Exercises divided by muscle group trained!

Cable Back Exercises

Exercise Name	Primary Muscle(s)	Addl Equip. Required
Cable Back Extensions	Lower Back, Hamstrings, Glutes	Cable
Close Grip Front Lat Pull Down	Lats, Upper Back, Biceps, Shoulders	Cable
Lat Pull Down	Lats, Upper Back, Biceps, Shoulders	Cable
Rear Lateral Raise	Upper Back, Shoulders	Cable
Reverse Grip Lat Pull Down	Lats, Upper Back, Biceps, Shoulders	Cable
Seated Cable Reverse Fly	Upper Back, Shoulders	Cable, Bench
Seated Cable Row	Upper Back, Lats, Biceps, Shoulders	Cable
Straight Arm Pull Down	Lats, Chest, Shoulders, Triceps	Cable
V-Bar Lat Pull Down	Lats, Upper Back, Biceps, Shoulders	Cable, V-Bar

Check out all our Cable Exercises divided by muscle group trained!

Dumbbell Back Exercises

Exercise Name	Primary Muscle(s)	Addl Equip. Required
Dumbbell Deadlift	Hamstrings, Calves, Forearms, Glutes, Lats, Lower Back, Quadriceps, Traps, Upper Back	Dumbbells
Dumbbell Pullover	Chest, Lats, Shoulders, Triceps	Dumbbell, Bench
Dumbbell Rows	Upper Back, Lats, Biceps, Trapezius, Deltoids	Dumbbell
Power Cleans	Hamstrings, Calves, Forearms, Glutes, Lower Back, Quadriceps, Shoulders, Traps	Dumbbells
Pushups Row	Upper Back, Chest, Core, Shoulders, Triceps	Dumbbells
Reverse Flys (One Arm)	Upper Back, Shoulders	Dumbbell, Bench
Reverse Fly	Upper Back, Shoulders	Dumbbells, Bench
Romanian Deadlifts	Hamstrings, Calves, Forearms, Glutes, Lower Back, Upper Back	Dumbbells
Single-Arm Bent Over Row	Upper Back, Lats, Biceps, Deltoids, Trapezius	Dumbbell

Check out all our Dumbbell Exercises divided by muscle group trained!

Weight Machine Back Exercises

Exercise Name	Primary Muscle(s)	Addl Equip. Required
Smith Machine Bent Over Row	Upper Back, Lats, Biceps, Trapezius, Deltoids	Smith Machine
Smith Machine Goodmorning	Lower Back, Hamstrings, Glutes	Smith Machine
Smith Machine Romanian Deadlifts	Hamstrings, Calves, Forearms, Glutes, Lower Back, Upper Back	Smith Machine

Weight Training Exercises by Primary Back Muscles Trained

Want to focus on lower back strengthening exercises or emphasizing your lat or upper back muscles? Check out each of our back toning and back strengthening exercises for these muscle groups listed below.

Lat Exercises
Exercises for the Lower Back
Exercises for the Upper Back

Final Related Pages:

Best Weight Training Exercises for the Back
Weight Training Exercises Main Page
Muscle Building Workouts and Strength Training Exercises
Fat Loss Workouts and Fat Burning Exercises

You’ve seen the Weight Training Exercises. Now check out the Workout Routines. Start at our Home Page.