Developing a thick sweeping back is a priority of many who wish to create the all important V-taper appearance, the aesthetically pleasing illusion of a small waist and wide upper torso. If you step into a gym there is usually a whole host of machines and cable systems which allow you to target the back from many angles, great for those who train at a gym, but what about those who train at home?
Below you will find back exercises which only require a set of dumbbells, barbell and a bench – great choices of back exercises to perform at home if you have limited equipment. Your choice of back exercises would be further increased and enhanced if you had a pull up bar.
Barbell home back exercises
Barbell bent over row – bread and butter back exercise for developing a thick powerful back. Targets the lats, traps, rhomboids, posterior deltoid head, and the arm flexor muscles. This exercise only requires a barbell with weight plates.
Barbell pull over – performed with a barbell or dumbbell, the pull over is an old-school exercise which recruit’s the lats and chest to execute the movement. Form and safety is important with the pull over, so a weight must be chosen which allows the trainer to safely exit the movement once the back is fatigued, and a spotter would be extremely wise with this exercise.
Dumbbell home back exercises
One arm dumbbell row – performed in a similar manner to the barbell bent over row, the dumbbell variation allows for greater freedom and support, with one side of the body resting on a bench. This unilateral exercise is great for the major muscles of the back, and allows for the trainer to go to failure with little worry regarding safety of dropping the weight.
Incline dumbbell row – with a bench set at a suitable angle, the trainers torso can be supported whilst executing dumbbell rows. This variation allows for form to be ensured during the exercise due to the torso remaining stationary, and also allows for a great stretch at the bottom of the exercise.
Incline dumbbell shrug – successfully targeting the middle and upper fibres of the trapezius (the diamond shape muscle of the upper back), the incline dumbbell shrug should be performed on a relatively steep incline bench and in a controlled manner. Ensure the arms do not flex during the exercise, and focus on the shoulders elevating towards the ceiling as with normal dumbbell shrugs.
Other home back exercises
The above exercises primarily focus on upper back muscles. Lower back muscles can also be targeted with the use of dead lifts using either dumbbells or a barbell, or supermans/dorsal raises which involve the hyperextension of the back.
If you have a chin up bar you can also include a variety of pull up exercises which would improve a back session very much. If you do not have a chin up bar it would be wise to look into getting one, and whether you would have the suitable door frames to fit one. If you train in a garage you can also buy free standing stations which would be very useful as it would allow room to perform wide grip pull ups, a very effective back exercise for targeting the lats.
For hypertrophy of the back muscles a wise choice would be eight to twelve repetitions of three to four sets per back exercise, with a total of three exercises which target the back in a variety of ways if possible.