Back exercises

As already mentioned, the exercise always results from the respective movement (contraction) of the muscles. For back training, this results in movement forms with pull towards the body in all possible forms and variations. This results in additional strain on the arm bending muscles (biceps).

Note: The change of position (e.g. standing upright with the upper body bent forward) changes the muscles that are used. The butterfly reverse preventative trains the upper back muscles. In the upright position, however, the shoulder musculature is stressed much more.

For the upper back there is a variety of exercises. One is the shoulder press, standing with the dumbbells. The dumbbells are fitted with corresponding weight plates depending on the level of ability.

The dumbbells are held in the starting position close to the body (in front of the collar bones) and are held up. The elbows point down and the forearms point forward. Now both dumbbells are raised simultaneously or alternately until the elbows are almost straight.

At this point, the movement is reversed and the dumbbell is returned to the starting position. Sitting rowing on the machine is a good exercise for the broad back muscle and the back extensor. It can be trained with weight plates or any adjustable difficulty level.

Rowing can also be done with the barbell or dumbbells as a preventive exercise. The pull-up is the king exercise for the upper back and the goal of many sports enthusiasts. The body is pulled up hanging from the arms (elbows stretched) as far as possible (elbows bent).

Depending on how wide the grip of the hands is chosen, biceps and back muscles are more or less involved. Half of the Superman is performed on the stomach. The legs are closed and lie on the floor, the arms are stretched forward and the head rests with the forehead on the floor.

Now the upper body with the arms is lifted off the floor as far as possible and held in this position as long as possible. The head is held in the extension of the spine. Then the upper body is lowered again slowly and in a controlled manner to the floor, where a short break is taken before the exercise starts again.

The Butterfly reverse is a training machine where the upper back is trained. You sit in the machine with your chest against a cushion. The arms grasp two handles and are stretched out forward.

Now the two training arms of the machine are guided outwards on the handles with the arms almost stretched out to the level of the shoulder axis. The shoulders must not be pulled up during this process. At this point the exercise can be held briefly before the arms are slowly returned to the starting position.Diagonal stretching with dumbbells takes place in a four-footed position.

The dumbbells are held in the hands and used as support handles at the beginning. Now the arms can be lifted forward or to the side. The legs can be stretched diagonally to increase the level of difficulty.

The knees and elbows can touch each other under the body when returning. If this exercise is to be performed with the arms stretched only, a Pezi ball can be added under the abdomen to increase the difficulty. In this case, the deep-lying back muscles are increasingly involved.

Bridging or pelvic lift is particularly suitable for the lower back. The back extensor is strengthened above all. The starting position is the supine position, with the legs positioned hip-wide.

Depending on the level of ability, the arms are either laid on the side of the floor or crossed on the chest. Now the pelvis is lifted off the floor as high as possible. At the highest point it is held briefly before it is slowly lowered again.

To increase the difficulty, one leg can be lifted off the floor. In addition, the feet can be placed on a shaky surface, such as a Bosu-Ball (half rubber ball with a hard plate). Now the torso and especially the lower back have to do more stabilization work, which makes the training more intensive.

Here, too, one-legged training can be done for experienced people. The back stretching can be done in a machine against weight plates or in a machine with your own body weight. In both cases, the back extensor is strengthened, especially in the lumbar region.

For this, the upper body is moved upwards with a straight spine against a weight or against gravity. The freer variant “trapped” in the device can still be modified. For this purpose, the spinal column is rolled up vertebra by vertebra from top to bottom and then rolled out vertebra by vertebra again.

However, this requires prior experience, since the control of the individual muscles must first be learned. An additional weight can also be used for “free” back stretching. However, this is only recommended for advanced athletes, since a certain amount of strength is a basic requirement.

Cross lifting is one of the king disciplines among the exercises for the lower back. This very complex exercise with the barbell is a very effective exercise, but can lead to injuries if performed incorrectly. In the hip-wide stance the barbell is lying on the floor.

The barbell is gripped with the spine straight and the legs bent. The entire back is straight and under tension. The shoulders are actively pulled backward and the barbell is gripped with arms stretched out.

Legs and hips are now simultaneously brought into extension, lifting the barbell upwards close to the thigh. Only after the hip has been completely stretched, the barbell is slowly brought back down to the starting position. The tension in the shoulders (pulled backwards and downwards) is not released until the number of repetitions for this training set is reached, or a clean execution is no longer possible.

During the entire exercise the head is always held in extension of the spine. When bending the legs, it is especially important that the buttocks are pulled down backwards so that the knees can ideally remain fixed above the ankle joints. Otherwise, overstraining the knee joint can occur.

The latissimus pull is the conventional and safe way to train the broad back muscle and should not be missing in any training plan. It is used in health sports as well as in professional weight training. By varying the grip width, the use of the upper arm muscle can be controlled.

To avoid tension in the neck muscles, the weight should be pulled to the chest. A similar back exercise would be the pull-ups. For more detailed information about this exercise, please visit our topic Latissimus pull-upThe back isolator is worked in a similar way to the latissimus pull-up, with a pulling movement towards the body.

With the back isolator, however, the athlete sits upright and does not pull the weight downwards, but from the front to the chest. Since the athlete also trains on a device with a fixed movement, the coordination requirements are low. The target muscles are the diamond muscle and the transverse trapezius muscle.For more detailed information on this exercise, please visit our Back IsolatorThe hyperextensions (overextensions) in back training train the deep, long back muscles.

Sitting work and little movement cause these muscles to atrophy and lead to complaints in the area of the lumbar spine. Targeted training of these muscles through hyperextension is therefore particularly important. Patients with back pain in the lumbar spine area should avoid hyperextension.

This is not possible when exercising on the floor. Targeted equipment in the gym makes more sense. For more detailed information on this exercise, please visit our topic HyperextensionIn addition to hyperextension, cross lifting is another exercise for training the long, deep back muscles.

This exercise is a useful exercise from health sports, as it is a good way to learn how to lift objects. However, weight should be kept very low at the beginning and to learn the correct execution of movements. For more detailed information about this exercise, please visit our topic Cross LiftingFor back training, there are exercises on barbells or machines as well as the possibility of training with a dumbbell.

This kind of training is very popular because these training devices are very space-saving and can still be trained very intensively and effectively with them. These exercises are only suitable for beginners to a limited extent, since previous experience with free weights should be available. Free exercises are more effective than guided exercises on the machine, but the risk of injury is also slightly higher.

Rowing with a dumbbell is an exercise that is good for training the back. This basic exercise supports the muscle development of the back in both width and depth. In this exercise the knee and lower leg of the left leg rest on a bench.

The other leg stands on the floor and the upper body is bent forward. The left hand supports the upper body on the bench. The right hand grips the barbell and holds it by the outstretched arm.

The back should be straight and in a slight hollow back. Now the arm is pulled up slowly and in a controlled manner and exhaled. If the upper arm is parallel to the body, the dumbbell is then released.

This is done again in a controlled and slow manner. Depending on the training goal, eight to 20 repetitions can be performed. The exercise can be varied in speed and explosiveness.

When rowing with both arms bent forward, the starting position is the shoulder width stand with slightly bent knees. The upper body is tilted forward with straight spine and the dumbbells are in the hands. Here, too, the shoulders are actively pulled down backwards and the abdomen is tensed to increase stability.

Now both arms are bent as far as possible and the dumbbells are lifted up. The elbows and upper arms remain close to the torso and upper body. The head is in physiological position, in extension, the spine.

The tension in the shoulders is removed only after the last repetition. Shoulder lifting with dumbbell is another exercise for the back, which is performed in a standing position. Both arms hold a dumbbell and the body stands upright with a straight back, shoulder width apart.

With arms outstretched, shoulders are raised and rotated backwards, exhaling. Then the shoulders are lowered while breathing in. The cross lifting can be done with a barbell but also with a dumbbell.

This exercise is mainly aimed at strengthening the back extensor. But also upper back and neck are trained. This exercise is relatively complex and in the beginning you should only do this exercise under supervision until you have a feeling for the correct execution.

Mistakes can lead to considerable back problems in the long run. Good mornings with the dumbbell are another exercise for back training. The dumbbells are held in front of the upper body in an upright position, shoulder width apart, with slightly bent knees.

The upper body is flexed up to about 90° when the back is straight. The knees remain slightly bent. The upper body is then raised again.

Another exercise is the Superman/Superwoman. You lie on a mat with your stomach and lift your upper body and legs. Thus the back extensor and the upper back must keep the body parts up and work.With dumbbells, the arms can now be alternately bent and stretched, thus involving the shoulder muscles even more in the movement.

Biceps and triceps are also innervated to a greater extent. In addition to countless other exercises for the back, the “bent reverse flys” and “thoraric rotation” are particularly well-known and popular built-in exercises. The exercises that almost everyone knows for the back are cross lifting and good mornings.

Both exercises train the lower back muscles. The Cross Lift or Dead Lift is considered a difficult exercise, but also a very effective one. If performed incorrectly, however, injuries can occur.

One exercise for the upper back is the bent over rowing with the barbell. The starting position is the same as with the Good Mornings. However, the barbell is now lying on the floor for the time being.

The upper body is tilted forward while the back remains straight. The shoulder blades are pulled together. The barbell is grasped with arms stretched out and led to the belly by bending the arms.

When executing the movement, the upper body remains still.

The Good Mornings is an exercise that is better suited for beginners. You stand shoulderwide with your feet rotated slightly outwards.
The legs are slightly bent and the barbell rests on the neck muscles with or without additional weights. The hands grasp the barbell slightly wider than shoulder width to stabilize it on the neck. Now begin to tilt the upper body forward.

The back must remain straight. The chest is pushed forward and the head remains in extension of the spine. The upper body is lowered as far forward as possible as long as the back is straight. A trainer or training partner can control this. Then the upper body is brought back into the starting position, the upright position, and the hips are slightly overstretched.