Too many people are skipping Back Day at the gym.

A healthy torso has muscles that are developed symmetrically. Many people are unaware that their chest muscles are stronger than their back muscles, and that this is causing them problems in their movement, appearance, and the future wellness of their lower back.

This article provides an excellent workout for your back muscles and includes photos and descriptions of each exercise – plus, a video of the complete routine.

This workout is appropriate for both men and women. Additionally, each exercise can be modified to accommodate any level of fitness – from beginner to advanced.

If your torso has muscles that are more important than others, it would be your back muscles.

Back muscles are responsible for good posture and a tall spine.

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Strong Back Muscles Are an Essential Ingredient of Good Health

Often, the slouch many people have today are a result of weak back muscles that become over-stretched in a specific shape from texting, computing, and driving.

Strangely, even though strong back muscles are an imperative component of good health, many people continue to train their chest muscles disproportionately.

Why?

Probably because that’s what they see first when they look in the mirror.

Also, it’s a bit simpler to train chest rather than back, simply because less equipment is needed to push (chest), rather than to pull (back). For example:

• push-ups are a fundamental chest exercise, and beginners can always do push-ups on their knees.
• however; the fundamental back exercise – the pull-up – requires a high bar from which to pull (plus, beginners have a hard time pulling their own bodyweight and so require specialized equipment – or at least an exercise rubber band attached to the high bar).

With a bit of creativity and an adventurous attitude, it’s possible to find fun ways to keep your back workouts interesting and effective.

Keep Your Torso Healthy and Attractive with this Circuit Routine for Your Back Muscles

The best exercise routine is the one you’ll actually do.

This circuit routine is designed not only to shape, define, and strengthen your back muscles, but also to burn a higher number of calories compared to a standard, vanilla weight-training workout.

Plus, it’s a lot of fun.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Move through exercises in the circuit consecutively – without a break.
• Once you’ve finished a circuit, take a brief rest before repeating the circuit two more times.
• That rest period should be about 2 minutes – a bit less for advanced athletes, and a bit more for beginners.
• Use a timer on your phone (or watch) to make certain you’re gauging time correctly (many of us tend to underestimate the amount of time we rest).
• After completing a circuit 3 times, move on to the next new circuit.

 

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First Back Circuit:

The first circuit utilizes exercises that will increase your abdominal awareness – because you’ll need your core muscles fully engaged later – in order to do challenging exercises safely.

This circuit gradually raises your body temperature and lubricates the muscles and joints. Basically, it gets the blood moving.

Additionally, if you’re over the age of 50, I encourage you to do 6-minutes of light cardio before starting this workout. A brisk walk or light jog – either outdoors or on the treadmill – should do the trick.

Reach-Back Single-Arm Suspended Row

See the video above to see how a single-arm suspended row is properly executed.

You begin my rotating your spine and reaching one arm back to touch the ground. Then you pull/row the arm holding the TRX strap – as you rotate the spine and return yourself forward, reaching up.

Resist the temptation to hold your breath.

You’ll feel your core muscles working – especially your obliques – as well as your rhomboids and lats (see the muscular anatomy chart, above).

Do 12 repetitions on each side.

A good Back Day workout utilizes a variety of grips (wide, narrow), positions (high, low), and tempos (slow, fast). You’ll notice this workout provides them all.

Leaning TRX Back-Day High Row

The TRX straps use your own bodyweight to provide the resistance. This makes it easy to make the exercise either harder (place your feet way forward in front of your torso) or easier (place your feet almost underneath your shoulders).

Remember to drop your chin down a bit so you’re not over-arching your back or straining your neck muscles.

This is a high row, so your elbows come to the center of your torso.

You’ll be tempted to use your biceps to do most of the work, but try instead to initiate the movement from your lats and rhomboids.

12 reps.

Alternating: Suspended Rear Delt Fly and Overhead Front Arm Raise

This is not a row, it’s a fly and a raise. That means the arms are almost straight but with a soft bend in the elbow.

The posterior deltoids cannot handle as much resistance as the lats and rhomboids, so for this exercise you’ll want your feet almost underneath your shoulders.

16 reps (8 for each exercise).

Low Row with Resistance Band for Lats and Rhomboids

This is a low row, so your elbows come below the center-line of your torso.

14 reps.

In the photo above, can you identify my lats, rhomboids, and erector spinae muscles? When those muscles become visible under the skin during a rowing exercise, it means you’re successfully engaging the back muscles to pull, instead of just using the biceps to do most of the work.

Burpees with a Weighted Medicine Ball

Do a burpee keeping your hands on a big, weighted medicine ball, then in the standing position do an overhead press.

Beginners can do this exercise slowly. Advanced athletes can do it quickly.

14 reps.

Final Back Circuit:

The posterior chain refers to those muscles on the back side of your body. This chain of muscles is often the missing link in many people’s training.

Let’s face it: we sit too much.

The exercises in this next circuit are programmed specifically to correct problems associated with the modern sedentary lifestyle, including postural weaknesses that hinder our ability to look and feel our best.

Remember, by correcting muscular imbalances we’re also likely avoiding future chronic pain. Everything in the human body is connected – either directly or indirectly – to everything else in the body, and that means when imbalances are restored that hip, knee, or sciatica discomfort can be remedied as well.

Horizontal Bench Dumbbell Rows

A classic rowing exercise. When you lean into the horizontal bench, be sure to keep your glutes active and your pelvis pressing forward into the bench. This will help protect your lower back.

12 reps.

Arms-Close Rear Delt Dumbbell Flys for Upper Back

Similar to the row you just did, only this time the arms are only slightly bent.

You’ll probably want to do a bit less weight than you did on the rows so can concentrate on proper form and isolating those posterior deltoids (the rear delt muscles directly responsible for improving your posture).

12 reps.

Alternating: Single-Arm Dumbbell Rows, Parallel and Perpendicular

• Remember to use your back muscles more than your arm muscles.
• Keep the core engaged!
• Hips should face down to the floor evenly.
• Let your breath flow freely.

Tip: if you’re having a hard time finding good back isolation, try changing your grip. Sometimes, wrapping all five fingers around the dumbbell bar can trick your body into using lats more than biceps.

16 reps (8 per exercise).

Resistance-Band PullOvers for the Back

Resistance-band pullovers are an outstanding exercise, because the resistance increases as the movement approaches the point of peak contraction.

16 reps.

Rope Slams

Slamming a battle rope is guaranteed to fill your lats with blood (“the pump”) and help give your torso that nice V-taper.

16 reps.

Battle Rope Tug-Of-War Variation for the Back

Grab a workout buddy to help you on this one. You pull one end of the battle rope while your buddy provides a bit of resistance on the other end, gradually making his or her way toward you (it’s not an all-out tug of war – you should “win” in the end).

Incline Dumbbell PullOver – Full Range of Motion

Set a bench at a slight incline and, facing up to the sky, reach a dumbbell or kettlebell all the way back.

Use the power of your lats to bring the weight back over your chest.

This particular pullover is a full-range variation, meaning you bring the weight all the way down to your waist at the end of each rep. This provides a highly effective negative resistance (“eccentric training”) for your pectorals as well.

Back Day Intelligence: Why Training Your Posterior Chain of Muscles is a Brilliant Idea

The principles of Foundation Training are born form the fundamental idea that when we move outside of the natural patterns for which our bodies were intended, then forces of gravity are absorbed by the wrong parts of the body, leading to instability, poor aesthetics, and – eventually – pain.

Hopefully this Back Day workout will help strengthen and balance your body’s posterior chain of muscles so that they can support the weight of your body properly.

The end result? That you look better and feel better!

Give this workout a try and let me know how it went for you. Remember to consult with your own medical doctor before undergoing any significant changes in your movement patterns or lifestyle habits.

Don’t skip Back Day at the gym! A healthy torso has symmetrically developed muscles. It’s imperative to train your posterior muscle chain, preferably once a week, but at least twice a month. Improve your appearance and avoid postural problems with this complete back workout.