6 exercises19 setsabout 45 mina pair of dumbbells and a bench
The back is several muscles that do different jobs, so one exercise is never enough. This session pulls from above for the lats, rows for the upper back, and finishes with the lower back.
Dumbbells make each side carry its own weight, so a stronger arm or leg cannot cover for the other, and they travel through a longer range than a bar allows.
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The workout
One-Arm Dumbbell Row4 × 8 per sideOne hand and knee on the bench. Pull the dumbbell to your hip, not your chest, and keep your shoulders square.2 min rest
Dumbbell Pullover3 × 10Lying across the bench, lower one dumbbell behind your head with soft elbows, then pull it back over your chest.90 s rest
Chest-Supported Dumbbell Row3 × 10Lie chest-down on an incline bench and row both dumbbells up, so your lower back cannot help.90 s rest
Dumbbell Reverse Fly3 × 15Hinge forward with a flat back and raise the dumbbells out to the sides, squeezing your shoulder blades.60 s rest
Superman3 × 12Lying face down, lift your arms and legs a few centimetres off the floor and hold for two seconds.60 s rest
Dumbbell Shrug3 × 12Lift your shoulders straight up towards your ears and hold for a second. No rolling.60 s rest
Muscles worked
FrontBack
Upper back10
Lats8.5
Shoulders4.5
Traps4.5
Biceps3.5
Forearms3.5
Lower back3
Sets per muscle. A muscle that only assists in an exercise counts half.
How to run it
Before the first exercise, do two lighter sets of it: one at about half your working weight and one at three quarters. Rest for the time shown next to each exercise; the heavy lifts at the top need more than the smaller ones at the end.
Aim to finish each set with one or two reps left in you. If every set reaches its target easily, the session is too light. Dumbbells go up in big steps. When the next pair is too heavy, add a rep to every set first, and move up once you are two or three reps over the target.
Once or twice a week. Leave a day between this and any session with heavy deadlifts or squats, since the lower back works in all three.
In myreplog
It is already set up. These 6 exercises arrive in your account as a program, with the sets and reps above.
Tap, do not type. Set your weights the first time, then mark each set done as you finish it.
Records count themselves. From your second session, a lift that beats your best is marked as a personal record on the spot.
See what you trained. The session ends with this muscle map, drawn from the sets you actually did.
Logging is free for good. The first 14 days also include Pro, where a coach reviews each session and suggests the weights for the next one. No card needed.
Questions
How long does this back workout take?
About 45 minutes. That is 19 working sets with the rests listed next to each exercise, plus five minutes to warm up.
What muscles does it work?
Mostly the upper back, lats and shoulders. The traps, biceps, forearms and lower back assist. The map on this page shades each muscle by the number of sets that reach it.
What equipment do I need?
A pair of dumbbells and a bench.
What is the best exercise for a wider back?
Vertical pulls: pull-ups, chin-ups and lat pulldowns. They train the lats, which are what give the back its width.
How do I train my back without it hurting my lower back?
Use rows that take the lower back out of it, such as a chest-supported row or a seated cable row, and keep the weight where you can hold a flat back for every rep.