Show Medically reviewed by Jake Tipane, CPT — Written by Samantha Kostaras and Daniel Dowling on August 5, 2020
If you’re all about bringing sexy back with a sexy back, you’ve come to the right place. These bodyweight workouts for your back will strengthen the key muscles to prevent hunched shoulders and lower back issues without any complicated gym equipment or weights. Don’t be nervous about getting started. These 15 bodyweight workouts recommended by certified personal trainers will have your back. Soulja Boy, Tell’em the Superman isn’t just a crowd-pleasing dance move. With this simple exercise, you can rock your lower and upper back, abs, glutes, and shoulders. Do it right:
Aim for 3 sets of 8–10 reps. Pro tips:
Prone pullGetting tired of the Superman? That’s like a toddler getting tired of crawling — you’re meant for bigger and better things, like THE PRONE PULL! Sorry if that name was a bit of a letdown (sometimes all-caps can’t fix everything), but this exercise can give you some impressive back and shoulder results. Do it right:
Aim for 3 sets of 10 reps. Pro tip: Keep your body stable by squeezing your glutes and abs. Glute bridgeIf you want to strengthen your lower back while building up that back, you won’t want to skip this move. Do it right:
Aim for 3 sets of 10–12 reps. Pro tip: Keep your abs engaged to avoid overextending your back. Cobra PoseThe Cobra strengthens your abs, back, and legs in one move. Bonus points if you hiss at the top of each rep. Do it right:
Try for 3 sets of 3–5 reps. Pro tips:
Reverse snow angelLike the snow angels you used to do growing up but without quite as much childlike bliss, reverse snow angels will have your lats working like the (snow) devil. Do it right:
Aim for 3 sets of 10 reps. Pro tips:
If you’ve done too many planks and you’re getting bored of being a board, introduce this little twist to switch it up. You’ll really feel the burn in your back and midsection. Do it right:
Alternate arms for 30–60 seconds. Pro tips:
Band pulldownYou won’t get let down by the band pulldown. In this deceptively simple move, all you need is a resistance band to put your back to work. Do it right:
Do 3 sets of 10 reps, or until you can’t do any more. Pro tip: To ensure that your lat is doing the work, keep your shoulder from creeping up toward your ear. Band rowCan’t get to a rowing machine at the gym? A band row just might row your boat. It’s just as good at pumping your back and biceps, and all you need is a resistance band and a solid place to wrap it around. Do it right:
Aim for 3 sets of 12–15 reps. Pro tip: Make this move harder by slowing it down and pausing in the contracted position. Inverted row/TRX rowIt can be tempting to look at someone else doing this exercise and think, “I could do 100 of those, easy.” But you’ll be surprised how intense of a back/biceps burn this move can give you just by using your own bodyweight. Do it right:
Aim for 3 sets of 5–8 reps. Pro tips:
As if the inverted row weren’t hard enough, you can turn up the pain and crush your abs, back, and biceps with this advanced version. Do it right:
Try for 2–3 sets of 12–15 reps. Pro tips:
Chin-upYes, chin-ups are super hard, but you can build up to a chin-up by doing just the eccentric/lowering portion of the exercise or by doing inverted rows with elevated feet. Do it right:
Complete as many reps as you can! Pro tips:
Wide-grip pull-upDon’t do this one for the first time in front of your boo. Even if you can do 10 normal pull-ups, there’s no guarantee you can do even 2 wide-grip pull-ups.
Aim for 3 sets of at least 8 reps. Pro tips:
Eccentric-focus pull-upThe eccentric-focus pull-up is a seriously useful exercise if you want to activate your back muscles, and you don’t even have to reach full pull-up status to do this mega-intense, next-day-crying type of move. Do it right:
Pro tips:
Eccentric-focus chin-upJust like the pull-up variation, the eccentric-focus chin-up strengthens your entire back, but it does so while also chiseling your biceps. Do it right:
Pro tip: Extend your arms fully before repeating. Muscle-upThis is one of the hardest, most unobtainable exercises known to the world of recreational weightlifters. You basically explode so hard through a pull-up that your body sails over the bar and you glide effortlessly into a dip, throwing the majority of your body over the bar. Sound cool? Yes. Sound impossible? Almost. (If you can do 10+ pull-ups, you can do a muscle-up.) Do it right:
Pro tips:
First things first: Know thyself. Your perfect workout has to be a good combination of rational and aspirational. You wouldn’t want to settle for 10 minutes of Supermans if you’re a newbie, but you definitely wouldn’t want to include muscle-ups in there, either. As a general rule, your workouts should combine pull-down and row movements. The pull-downs are “width” exercises, while the rows build thickness and density, says Pete Gaffney, founder and head trainer at PGPT. And before you start any workout routine, remember the advice of your fifth grade gym teacher: Don’t forget to warm up! In this case, our gym teacher is James Shapiro, an NYC-based certified personal trainer. “Be sure to warm up your shoulders and activate your deep core muscles before any of these exercises,” says Shapiro. “This will help you get the most of your workout and prevent injury.” Last medically reviewed on August 5, 2020 |