8 Best Back Exercises For Women (Video) | Nourish Move Love (2024)

Jump To Workout

How To Do Reverse Grip Back Rows

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent.
2. Grip a set of dumbbells, palms facing out away from the body.
3. Hinge at the hips until your chest is parallel to the floor (neck in line with your spine, flat back, and belly button and rib cage pulled in).
4. Pull the weights back towards your hips, squeezing the shoulder blades together.
5. With control, slowly lower the dumbbellsback down to the starting position.

How To Do Single Arm Back Rows

1. Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. Option to keep feet parallel or take a slightly staggered stance to better support your low back (stepping your left leg slightly behind your right leg).
2. Hold a dumbbell in your left hand, palm facing in (narrow grip).
3. Bend forward at the hips maintaining a flat back, belly button pulled back towards your spine.
4. Pull the dumbbell back towards your left hip (think of pulling from your elbow joint versus your wrist), as if you were starting a pull-start lawnmower.Stop once your elbow is in line with your rib cage, making a straight line from shoulder to elbow. Hold the row at the top for a moment squeezing your shoulder blade in.
5. With control, lower the dumbbell back to the starting position and repeat.

Modification: Perform a bird dog row from a box or bench to increase core engagement and get greater range of motion.

How To Do Straight Arm Pull Backs

1. Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. Grip a set of dumbbells, palms facing in towards each other.
2. Hinge forward at the hips approximately 45 degrees until your body is in a straight line (torso parallel to the mat).
3. Keep your arms straight as you pull both dumbbells back to your hips (just past your hips).
4. Control the dumbbellsback down. Return to the starting position, trying not to let the dumbbells touch at the bottom.

How To Do Deadlifts and Narrow Rows

1. Start standing with feet hip-width apart, core engaged. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing in towards your thighs. Think about squeezing oranges in your armpits to activate your lats.
2. Hinge at the hips, pushing your glutes back towards the wall behind you and gliding the dumbbells down the front of your legs. Lower until you feel a stretch along the back of your legs – range of motion will be different for everyone.
3. Hold at the bottom of your deadlift, then perform a narrow row. Pull the dumbbells back towards your hips (think of pulling from your elbow versus your wrist). Stop once your elbows are in line with your ribcage, making a straight line from shoulder to elbow.
4. With control, slowly lower the dumbbells down. Then press through your heels to stand tall, returning to starting position.

How To Do Plank and Rows (Renegade Rows)

1. Start in a high plank position with your hands directly under your shoulders and feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, with your palms facing each other and your arms extended. Your wrists should be in line with your shoulders.
3. Engage your core and keep your back straight as you row one dumbbell up towards your chest, keeping your elbow close to your body. Try to keep your hips and shoulders parallel to the floor.
4. Lower the dumbbell back down to the starting position, then repeat the movement with the other arm.
5. Alternate rowing the dumbbells, keeping your core engaged and maintaining a stable plank position throughout the exercise.

Modification: Drop to your knees and perform a modified plank and row. Alternatively, place your dumbbells on an incline (such as a bench or box) to bring the ground closer to you.

How To Do Dumbbell Pullovers

1. Start lying on your back, either on the ground or on an exercise bench, knees bent and feet planted firmly on the floor. Engage your core to press your lower back into the ground.
2. Hold a dumbbell with both hands, grasping the top of the weight with your palms facing up. Your arms should be extended straight above your chest.
3. Keeping your arms straight with a slight bend in your elbows, slowly lower the weight behind your head until your arms are parallel to the floor.
4. Exhale to slowly lift the weight back up to the starting position by squeezing your chest muscles and pulling the weight back up over your chest. Keep your arms straight as you lift the weight.

How To Do Prone Superman Back Flys and Extensions

1. Lie face down on a mat or flat surface with your legs straight out behind you. “Goal post” your arms, bending both elbows to 90 degrees, elbows in line with shoulders. Keep your neck in a neutral position by looking down towards the floor.
2. Take a deep breath and engage your core muscles to lift your arms and chest off the ground simultaneously.
3. Hold the top position for a second, squeezing your glutes and lower back muscles to keep your chest lifted.
4. Then, reach your arms overhead, extending your hands away from your body.
5. Squeeze your back to pull your elbows back towards your hips, returning your arms to a goal post position.
6. With control, lower your upper body towards the mat, returning to starting position.

Modification: Perform a bird dog exercise, extending opposite arm and opposite leg away from each other in a quadruped position.

How To Do Dumbbell Back Flys (Reverse Fly)

1. Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. Grip a set of dumbbells, palms facing in towards each other. Hinge forward at the hips.
2. Open your arms, squeezing your shoulder blades together as you raise the dumbbells. Aim to bring dumbbells just to shoulder height.
3. With control, slowly lower the dumbbells back down, returning to starting position.

Modification: Perform alternating single arm back flys.

1. Reverse Grip Back Row
2. Single Arm Back Row
3. Straight Arm Pull Backs
4. Deadlift and Narrow Row
5. Plank and Row (Renegade Row)
6. Dumbbell Pullover
7. Prone Superman Back Fly and Extension
8. Dumbbell Back Fly

Free 2-Week Strength Program

What Are The Benefits of Back Workouts?

Back workouts can improve posture and core strength, increase muscle mass and definition (resulting in a “toned” appearance), improve bone density, and help prevent injury and back pain.

What Are The Best Exercises To Strengthen The Back?

The best back exercises can be broken into different movement patterns. Row movements (dumbbell row, barbell bent over row), pull movements (lat pull downs, seated cable row, pull ups, and dumbbell pullovers), and hyperextension movements (supermans).

Can You Workout The Back At Home?

Yes. Although many traditional back workouts rely on gym equipment such as a lat pulldown machine, pull up bar or assisted pull up machine, or cables, you can target all the muscles in your back using just a set of dumbbells. For more of the best back workouts at home try our: Chest and Back Workout, Arm and Back Workout, Upper Body Pull Workout (Back and Biceps) or Legs and Back Workout.

How Often Should I Train Back?

You can focus on back workouts up to three non-consecutive days a week. This gives the muscle groups proper time to recover between training sessions. Alternate back workouts with other upper body workouts, such as bicep workouts, tricep workouts, shoulder workouts and chest workouts to create a well-rounded workout plan.

More Workouts

Upper Body Workouts

Leave a Comment

1. yes! i enjoyed the OG but this new format with plus counting down the reps and pure strength was awesome. I was able to go up in weight and i’m lengthening more and engaging my lats more on pullovers. Those used to be one of my weakest moves because of shoulder restrictions.

   Reply

   • Cat! So glad you love both the old back workout as well as this new one!! And look at you going up in weights — nice work!! Pullovers are such a great move! Keep up the great work! -Lindsey

     Reply

2. Excellent video for back! What about core?

   Reply

   • Way to go Evelyn! So glad you enjoyed this workout! You can find all of our abs + core workouts here — https://www.nourishmovelove.com/category/workouts/move-blog/by-type/abs-core-workout/

     Reply