Back Exercises
This hub covers the lats and the upper back. The lats are wide, flat muscles that run from your spine and pelvis to the front of your upper arm. They pull your arm down and back toward your body. The upper back muscles, such as the rhomboids and the middle and lower traps, pull your shoulder blades together and hold them in place. Two patterns train the back: vertical pulls, such as pull-ups and lat pulldowns, and horizontal pulls, such as rows. Vertical pulls load the lats most. Rows add more work for the muscles between the shoulder blades. Your biceps and rear delts help in both patterns.
6 exercises with male and female illustrations.
Start here
Beginner picks: easy to learn and easy to load.
Horizontal pull
Vertical pull
Shoulder isolation
Questions
Can I train my back at home with no equipment?
Yes. A table row, a doorframe row and the prone lat pulldown on the floor need no equipment. A resistance band or a pull-up bar adds harder options, such as band rows and negative pull-ups.
What is the difference between rows and pulldowns?
In a row you pull toward your torso from in front of you, so your shoulder blades squeeze together at the end. In a pulldown or pull-up you pull from above, which puts the lats through their main job of bringing the arm down. Both train the whole back, and many programs use one of each.
Is the pull-up or the chin-up better for the back?
Both give high lat activity. In an EMG study, the chin-up showed higher biceps and chest activity, and the pull-up showed higher lower trap activity. EMG shows muscle activity, not growth, so pick the grip that you can do with good form and no pain.