ExercisesProgramsPricing

Back Workout at Home, with Dumbbells or at the Gym

Pick where you train and your level: at home with no equipment, with a resistance band, with dumbbells or at the gym. You get a back workout with sets, reps and rest times. Under it is a list of back exercises with video and technique.

Workout settings

Where do you train
Level

Time is an estimate: warm-up, sets and rest between them

Your workout

At home, no equipment · Beginner

AtletIQ · Back Workout at Home, with Dumbbells or at the Gym · At home, no equipment · Beginner · atletiq.com/en/exercises/back/

Estimated time

about25minutes

4 exercises in the main part plus a warm-up of about 5 minutes.

  • Total 12 sets
  • Set ≈40 sec

Go down the list from top to bottom. In “3 × 10–12” the first number is sets and the second is reps per set. Rest between sets for the time shown.

Warm-up of about 5 minutes

Main part4 exercises

  1. 1 SupermanBack extensors · Lower Back 3 × 20–30 secrest 60 sec
  2. 2 Prone Leg RaiseLower back and glutes · Glutes 3 × 12–20rest 60 sec
  3. 3 Prone Press-Up on ForearmsUpper back, arch · Trapspause 1–2 sec at the top 3 × 10–15rest 60 sec
  4. 4 Bird DogBack extensors, balance · Lower Backeach side hold 3–5 sec 3 × 8–10rest 60 sec

Without something to pull on, your lats get almost no load. For them you need a resistance band, dumbbells or a pull-up bar.

Log weights and sets in the AtletIQ appThe diary saves every workout and shows your progress

Exercises by part of the back

Lats27 exercises

Back width, pulling from above and to the waist

Middle back19 exercises

Shoulder blades and posture, horizontal rows

Lower back22 exercises

Back extensors that hold the torso in a hinge

Traps16 exercises

Upper back: shrugs and upright rows

Popular back exercises

24 exercises

How to train

How the workout is built

Start with a full-body warm-up of about 5 minutes, then do 4–5 exercises in order. With a band, with dumbbells and at the gym the core of the workout is pulling for the lats and middle back, plus the lower back and traps. At home with no equipment there is nothing to pull on: the back extensors and lower back do the work, and for the lats you need a band, dumbbells or a pull-up bar.

Do “each side” exercises on both sides: a set counts after the right and the left. Do timed and hold exercises with a pause at the top. Before the deadlift, the dumbbell deadlift and the barbell row do 1–2 light warm-up sets.

Weight and progression

Train your back 1–2 times a week and leave 48 hours between sessions. Choose a weight that leaves 2 reps in reserve at the end of a set.

When you reach the top of the rep range in every set of an exercise, add weight or move from a band to dumbbells. At home with no equipment make the exercise harder by moving from “Beginner” to “Experienced”.

Time and rest

The estimated time includes the warm-up and rest between sets. A set takes about 40 seconds, and an exercise done on each side twice as long. Rest depends on the exercise: 60 seconds at home with no equipment and with a band, 75–150 seconds with dumbbells and at the gym.

A beginner does 3 sets per exercise. With experience, at home with no equipment and with a band you do 4 sets, and with dumbbells and at the gym the first exercises get 4 heavier sets and the rest 3.

AtletIQ app

Log weights and sets in the AtletIQ app

AtletIQ saves the weight and reps of every set, calculates your working weight and shows your progress on each exercise.

  • Working weight for your goal and fitness level
  • Sets, reps and rest in your workout log
  • Progress for every exercise
Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play
GeneratorUpper body workoutAt the gym, with dumbbells and at homeGeneratorLeg workoutAt home, with dumbbells and at the gymGeneratorArm workoutWith dumbbells, with a band and at the gymMuscleLat exercisesPulldowns and rows with video and techniqueMuscleTrap exercisesShrugs and upright rows with technique

FAQ

How many times a week should I train my back?

Once or twice a week, with 48 hours between back workouts. In a split the back gets its own day or is trained together with the biceps.

Can I build my back at home?

With no equipment the back extensors and lower back get stronger: arches, the bird dog and the superman. The lats and middle back need pulling: a band, dumbbells or a pull-up bar. Choose “At home with a resistance band” or “At home with dumbbells”.

What exercises should I do if my back hurts?

This page gives a strength workout for a healthy back and does not replace a therapeutic routine. If you have sharp pain, numbness or pain after an injury, see a doctor.

Which exercise should a beginner start with?

At the gym start with the lat pulldown to the chest, at home with the bent-over dumbbell row. Move to pull-ups when you can do 3–5 reps.

AtletIQ app

A workout log with working weight calculation: program, sets and progress on your phone.

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play