Back workout routine
This back routine has two sessions, A and B, to do once or twice a week. Each one combines the two kinds of pulling your back needs: a vertical pull, bringing your arms from overhead down, and a horizontal pull, bringing them toward your body, which is what rows do.
Session A is heavier, with pull-ups and barbell rows; session B uses cables, machines and dumbbells, which load your lower back less. Every exercise links to its own page, with the technique and the most common mistakes.
Session A
- Pull-ups
Sets 3 · Reps 6 to 10 · Rest 2 to 3 min
Alternatives: Lat pulldown
- Barbell row
Sets 3 · Reps 8 to 10 · Rest 2 min
Alternatives: T-bar row
- Face pull
Sets 3 · Reps 12 to 15 · Rest 1 min
- Back extension
Sets 3 · Reps 12 to 15 · Rest 1 min
Session B
- Lat pulldown
Sets 3 · Reps 10 to 12 · Rest 90 s
- Seated cable row
Sets 3 · Reps 10 to 12 · Rest 90 s
Alternatives: Machine row
- Dumbbell row
Sets 3 · Reps 10 to 12 per arm · Rest 90 s
- Dumbbell pullover
Sets 3 · Reps 10 to 12 · Rest 1 min
Vertical and horizontal pulls
Pull-ups and lat pulldowns mostly work the lats, the wide muscles along your sides. Rows add the middle and upper back, between the shoulder blades. Doing only one kind leaves part of the back untrained, which is why each session has both. The face pull works the back of the shoulder, which rows and pulldowns barely reach.
How it fits your week
If you want to prioritize your back, do A and B on days at least 48 hours apart, and the rest of your body on the other days. If you follow push pull legs, either session can replace the pulls and rows of your pull day. Your biceps work in every pull and row, so they don't need many extra sets; if you want more, add a curl at the end.
How to progress
On pull-ups, add reps until you reach 10 on all three sets; only then does it make sense to add weight with a belt. If you can't do six in a row yet, use the lat pulldown until you can. On rows and pulldowns, add reps up to the top of the range, then move to the next step on the stack or the next pair of dumbbells.
If your lower back bothers you
The barbell row loads it the most, because you hold your torso bent over. If it bothers you, swap it for a dumbbell row supported on a bench or a machine row, which hold your body for you. On hyperextensions, come up only until your body is in line, without arching your back at the top. If the pain persists, see a doctor or physiotherapist.
Frequently asked questions
How many times a week should you train your back?
Once is enough to maintain it and progress at first. Twice, with at least two days between sessions, usually works better if you want it to grow.
Pull-ups or lat pulldowns?
Both train the same muscles. Pull-ups require lifting your own bodyweight; the pulldown lets you choose the load, so it works for starting out and for adding sets once pull-ups have tired you out.
Do I need deadlifts for my back?
They are not required. Your back trains well with pulls and rows. The deadlift mostly adds work for the hips, glutes and lower back, which is why it is in other routines.
Gojan builds the routine and changes it when you tell it your week falls apart. Download Gojan