Back workouts
Two complete back workouts — a row-and-pull-up day and a deadlift day — with every lat and upper-back exercise in the library below.
Your back has two jobs to train: vertical pulls (pull-ups and pulldowns) build the lats and the width of the back, and horizontal pulls (rows) build the thickness of the mid and upper back. A complete back workout includes both, plus some direct rear-shoulder work.
Back workout for width and thickness
A vertical pull, a horizontal pull, and the rear delts.
Pull-upUse the assisted machine or a band if you can’t yet do 5.- Sets
- 4
- Reps
- 5–10
- Rest
- 2 min
Barbell Bent Over Row- Sets
- 4
- Reps
- 6–8
- Rest
- 2 min
Seated Cable Row- Sets
- 3
- Reps
- 10–12
- Rest
- 90 s
Lat Pulldown- Sets
- 3
- Reps
- 10–12
- Rest
- 90 s
Face Pull- Sets
- 3
- Reps
- 15
- Rest
- 60 s
Deadlift back day
The deadlift trains the whole back chain; the rest fills in the lats.
Barbell Deadlift- Sets
- 3
- Reps
- 5
- Rest
- 3 min
Chin-up- Sets
- 3
- Reps
- 6–10
- Rest
- 2 min
Dumbbell One Arm Bent-over Row- Sets
- 3
- Reps
- 8–12 each side
- Rest
- 90 s
Cable Straight Arm Pulldown- Sets
- 3
- Reps
- 12–15
- Rest
- 60 s
Can’t do one of these?
Machine taken or training somewhere else? Each of these has substitutes that work the same muscles.
Tips
- Lead each pull with your elbows, not your hands. Think of your hands as hooks; it keeps the biceps from taking over.
- Pause for a beat with the weight pulled in. If you can’t hold the squeeze, the load is too heavy to train the back well.
- Let your shoulder blades move. Reaching forward at the start of a row and up at the top of a pulldown gives the lats a full stretch.
Run this workout in SPLYT
Every exercise here is in SPLYT’s library. Save the workout as a template, log your sets on iPhone or Apple Watch, and next time your weights are already filled in from what you lifted.
182 back exercises
Every one links to step-by-step instructions and a demonstration. Swap any of them into the workouts above.
Questions
How many back exercises are there?
SPLYT’s exercise library has 182 back exercises, including Chin-up, Pull-up and Lat Pulldown, each with step-by-step instructions, a demonstration and the muscles it works.
What is the best exercise for back width?
Pull-ups and lat pulldowns, which train the lats through a vertical pull. Rows add thickness to the middle of the back more than width.
Should I use straps on back day?
For heavy rows and deadlifts, straps let your back keep working after your grip gives out. Train your grip separately so it still improves.