Back exercises: which work your back most?

Your back is several muscles: the lats pull your arms down and back, the rhomboids and middle traps squeeze your shoulder blades together, and the erector spinae hold your spine straight. A complete back routine needs a vertical pull, a row and a hip hinge.

Exercises where the back is a primary mover

Ranked by how much of the work the back does in each exercise.

• Barbell Row
• Lat Pulldownalso biceps
• Pull-Upalso biceps
• Seated Cable Row
• Shrug
• Chin-Upalso biceps
• Dumbbell Row
• T-Bar Row
• Deadliftalso glutes, hamstrings
• Dumbbell Pulloveralso chest
• Farmer's Walkalso forearms, abs
• Upright Rowalso side delts
• Good Morningalso hamstrings, glutes
• Reverse Flyalso rear delts
• Face Pullalso rear delts
• Romanian Deadliftalso hamstrings, glutes
• Kettlebell Swingalso glutes, hamstrings
• Plankalso abs, obliques

Exercises that also work the back

The back assists in these, but is not the main target.

• Back Squatalso quads, glutes, adductors
• Overhead Pressalso front delts, side delts, triceps
• Sumo Deadliftalso glutes, quads, adductors, hamstrings
• Front Squatalso quads, glutes, abs
• Thrusteralso quads, glutes, front delts
• Arnold Pressalso front delts, side delts, triceps
• Lateral Raisealso side delts
• Russian Twistalso obliques, abs

Other muscle groups

This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice. Muscle involvement varies with form, grip and individual anatomy.