Exercises to pump up your back at home: train with your own weight or dumbbells

Back exercises at home can be performed either with your own weight or with weights. For full development, it is optimal to have a horizontal bar and dumbbells. A barbell will help add even more variety to your workouts. Otherwise, you can use a simpler inventory:

1. TRX hinges. You can perform various types of deadlifts, horizontal pull-ups, lateral raises, weighted bend-overs, and back bridges.
2. Suspended block exercise machine CrossCore 180. The difference from TRX loops is the ability to train not only with your own weight, but also with weights in the form of kettlebells, dumbbells, etc. You can perform all the same exercises as with TRX loops and a block exercise machine in the gym . These are different types of rows, pull-ups and raises.
3. Elastic bands and fitness bands. Their advantage is a good load on the muscles with little impact on the joints and spine. With the help of fitness bands, they also perform different types of traction. For those who have problems with the spine, the load with such equipment will be optimal and less traumatic.

Yoga band expander STARFIT ES-201 (Blue) For outdoors

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Rules for doing exercises to strengthen your back

Before you start practicing exercises to strengthen your back muscles at home, you need to consult a doctor and examine your spine. If a set of exercises was developed for the purpose of treatment, the first training should be carried out under the supervision of a physical therapy doctor.

Gymnastics to strengthen the back muscles will not cause harm if it is performed taking into account the following rules:

• start with a few minutes a day, gradually increasing the time and number of approaches (up to 5-15);
• exercise regularly, develop a routine;
• do all exercises smoothly, without jerking;
• strengthening of weakened and relaxation of overstrained muscle fibers should be achieved;
• do not exercise on a full stomach (no earlier than two hours after eating);
• breathe calmly and deeply, starting the exercise with inhalation and ending with exhalation;
• exercise in a spacious, well-ventilated room or in nature;
• If pain or discomfort occurs during exercise, take a break and rest.

You should always “listen” to your body. If exercises to strengthen your back are systematically accompanied by pain, you should consult a doctor.

In what ways can this be done?

Firstly, the best exercise for the back is pull-ups .
There are horizontal bars in almost all yards, and it won’t be too difficult to hang a horizontal bar at home.

Do a lot of pull-ups. Pull up nicely. Pull up correctly and half of your success is guaranteed.

Plus, you'll need dumbbells or barbells if you want your back to be truly spectacular.

You can do the following exercises at home with dumbbells and barbells :

1. Bent-over barbell row.
2. Bent-over row of dumbbells to the waist.
3. Dumbbell row to the waist with 1 hand.
4. Shrugs with barbells/dumbbells.
5. Pullover with dumbbells.

To do this, you will only need set dumbbells. The more weight, the better.

Contraindications

Gymnastics to strengthen the muscles of the back and spine is contraindicated in the following cases:

• exacerbation of chronic pathologies or acute infectious processes;
• serious diseases of the body (oncology, renal failure, hypertension, etc.);
• spinal injuries;
• bleeding;
• severe pain syndrome.

Pregnant women and people who have recently undergone surgery should not perform back strengthening exercises.

When can I expect results?

The speed at which you achieve results depends on how you not only train, but also eat.
Yes, a large share of success depends on nutrition. You can fidget with a dumbbell in front of a mirror for days on end, but if at the same time your nutrition is like that of a sick sparrow, then you can forget about a wide back once and for all.

I wrote about how a strong and independent man should eat here.

And a lot depends on your recovery. If you sleep well, if you don’t have stress that will lead to terrible and terrible catabolism, then your muscles will grow much more willingly.

If you do everything correctly, you will be able to see the first hints of muscles within a month.

Exercises to strengthen your back muscles

A physical therapy doctor will tell you how to strengthen your back in each specific case. There is a whole range of effective and safe exercises, which, if performed correctly, can achieve the desired result.

Baby pose

Technique:

• kneel down;
• completely relax and place your body down on your legs so that your head rests on the floor;
• place your arms along the body, without tension;
• do not move for several moments, breathing deeply, alternately relaxing the muscles as you exhale;
• smoothly return to a sitting position.

The exercise is primarily aimed at relaxing the back muscles and restoring normal blood flow and transmission of nerve impulses in the spinal structures. It is recommended to do it at the end of the working day or after intense physical training.

Stretching on a fitball

What exercises will help strengthen your back muscles and remove tension accumulated during the day? Fitball exercises may be the answer. There are many options for training using an exercise ball. The two most effective exercises are:

1. For the deep muscles of the lower back. The lower abdomen rests on the ball, while straight legs are widely spaced on the floor and arms are parallel to the body. As you exhale, the body rises up as much as possible, the shoulders are straightened. As you inhale, the body returns back.
2. Bridge. Lying with your back on the ball, with your calves and spine tightly pressed to it, with your feet and hands resting on the floor, the fitball gently rolls under your body. It is important to maintain balance and avoid overload.

Regular exercise leads to significant strengthening of the spinal muscles.

Side plank

Effective exercises to strengthen the back muscles at home for women who want to have a thin waist - side plank. The result is comparable to training in the gym.

Technique:

• lying on your side, leaning on your elbow, with your fingers and palm retracted and pressed to the floor, place your other hand on your waist;
• the legs are on top of each other, only the lower one touches the floor;
• the back straightens, the stomach retracts;
• as you exhale, the body rises and forms a perfectly straight line;
• the moment of muscle strengthening is recorded;
• the body slowly falls back.

During the exercise, you should not let your stomach sag. For beginners, the preferred plank is on your side with your knees bent.

Lunges

Exercises to strengthen your back at home necessarily include lunges. They help stabilize muscles and develop coordination, which protects the spine during walking, running and any physical activity.

Hands are fixed on the hips. The abdominal muscles tense. A big step forward is taken with the right leg, and it bends at a right angle. The thigh is parallel to the floor. The exercise can be done using dumbbells to further strengthen the back, alternating between straight and diagonal lunges.

Dog and bird

How to strengthen your back muscles? An interesting exercise for all muscle groups will help with this. Standing on all fours, your abs tense and your back straightens. Then one arm and the opposite leg rise up together. The limbs are positioned strictly horizontally. The person freezes in this position for a couple of seconds, returning to the original position. Then the exercise is repeated in a mirror manner.

Bridge with hips

The person lies on his back, bends his knees, and rests his feet on the floor. The heels become hip-width apart. The upper limbs lie relaxed along the body. The muscles of the gluteal region contract, and the pelvis rises up, forming a straight line with the shoulders and body. The position is fixed for a few seconds. Then your hips slowly lower to the floor.

boat

The exercise is considered an “easy” version of classic hyperextension. It is good for strengthening the back extensors and abdominal muscles. It is performed lying on your stomach, with your limbs straight and parallel to each other. As you exhale, the arms and legs are raised from the floor to a height of approximately 50 cm and fixed for a few seconds, then lowered back.

Pendulum

This exercise for the back muscles can be done while sitting or standing. In the first option, the tailbone remains motionless, in the second - the feet. The rest of the body moves like a pendulum (metronome), tilting forward and backward to strengthen the spine.

Hyperextension

Hyperextension (hyperextension) is an exercise to strengthen the muscles of the back, especially its lower part, which can be performed using your own weight or additional “amplifiers”. In the first case, the person rests both hips against the support, fixing his legs. At first, he is in a bent position, with his head hanging down, then he smoothly raises his body, without arching at the top point of the body.

Sarpasana

Some effective exercises for strengthening the back muscles are borrowed from yoga. These include sarpasana (snake pose). The person lies on his stomach, holding his hands together behind his back. The forehead touches the floor. The body is relaxed. The legs are straightened in one line, with the heels pointing up.

A deep breath is taken, at the end of which the head slowly rises and leans back. Then, smoothly, without tension, the shoulders and upper back are stretched upward. The muscles are stretched and strengthened, while the legs do not leave the floor.

Exercise "Prayer"

The person kneels on the mat, then slowly lowers his head down, rounding his back. As a result, the forehead touches the floor, and the arms lie relaxed along the body. The muscles relax and stretch.

Home workouts: basic principles

By adhering to the following basic rules, you can achieve significant results by training at home:

1. Regularity of training – no more than twice a week. This is the best option, since fewer sessions will not allow you to achieve a noticeable effect, and more is pointless, since the muscle group needs time to recover.
2. At the initial stage and until the ability to feel each tense and involved area appears, the exercises are performed in 3 approaches , each of which includes from 12 to 15 repetitions . Subsequently, with the acquisition of the above skill, you can move on to training until “ failure ” - approaches are performed as many as you can and one or two more repetitions on top, which is called “ with all your strength .”
3. You cannot start classes immediately with strength exercises , as this can lead to injury. No workout should be complete without a preliminary preparatory stage - warming up and joint warm-up.
4. Due to the fact that muscles have the ability to get used to the plane and nature of the load, it is advisable to alternate training programs .
5. Each lesson begins with basic exercises (one or two are enough), during which two or more joints are involved. At the end of the workout, do one or two isolation exercises (working one muscle, one joint).

How to improve your posture

Orthopedic chair

If you have a sedentary job, for example, you work as a programmer, then in order to prevent various diseases of the spine, it is recommended to take regular breaks (preferably every hour). Do a little exercise for your back: walk around the room a little, bend in different directions, squat and turn your head . This will improve blood circulation in the spinal area.

Improving posture

While standing for a long time, place one foot on a small hill (stand or step), and then change legs. Such manipulations allow you to relieve the spine, which, if you stand for a long time in relative immobility, experiences increased stress. You also need to have the right approach to lifting weights. Watch your body: while lifting a heavy object, your back should remain straight and your legs slightly bent at the knees. This will prevent various injuries to the lumbar region.

If you want to learn in more detail about the ways and methods of dealing with stoop in adults, and also consider alternative options for correcting posture in adults, you can read an article about this on our portal.

What is correct posture

It is also recommended to sleep in a certain position so as not to put strain on the lower back. First of all, to improve your posture, you should lie on your back, placing a small pillow under your feet (under your knees). At the same time, doctors do not recommend sleeping on your stomach or side, as this negatively affects the health of the lumbar region.

Backlift with body weight

Replaces the classic rowing machine exercise (for the mid-back muscles)

With this version of the exercise, we will smoothly move on to the muscles of the middle part of the back: trapezius and rhomboids, which occupy most of the surface of the back. To do this, we perform reverse thrust as follows:

1. take both sheets in your hands;
2. take a few steps back and lean back until the sheets are fully taut;
3. Pulling your elbows back and bringing your shoulder blades together, pull your body forward.

There are many variations of this exercise. You can simplify the exercise by changing the position of your legs. Place one foot back to help you lift your body with each repetition. Then gradually move on to the classic version described above. For variety, you can place your feet closer and closer to the door, so the movement will become even more difficult. The closer your body is to a horizontal position, the greater the load will be on your back muscles.

Didn't find any extra sheets? Find a table that is heavy, stable, and long enough to safely perform the movement. To make the exercise easier, bend your knees to help your legs. As you improve your skills, aim to move to a more horizontal body position to increase the load on the working muscles and strengthen them.

Pull-ups

For this exercise you will also need sheets. The working muscles in this exercise are the lower and middle trapezius muscles. As well as various muscles of the shoulder girdle, which are important for posture. For this:

• wrap the sheets around your hands;
• take a few steps back from the door;
• lean back until the sheets are fully taut;
• then lift your torso, performing a pull-up towards your face. Bring your hands as close to your face as possible, spreading them to the sides and keeping your elbows high.

You should feel tension in the middle of your back and the back of your shoulders.

Beginners can start by placing their feet apart to support the back foot. Then, as you get stronger, you can keep your legs open. And gradually move your feet closer and closer to the door to gradually increase the difficulty of the exercise.

As an alternative without sheets, try the wall variation. You lean your back against a wall and slide your arms up and down it, simulating a shoulder push-up. If you do everything correctly, then you will feel how the working muscles tense and work.

Bodyweight chest row

Replacement of classic pull-ups or lat pulldowns to the chest

To activate the latissimus muscles to the fullest, you will need a simple sheet that you need:

• tie a knot with the second sheet;
• throw over the door;
• close it.

The home version of TRX loops is ready. We will use this simple device quite often in our classes. Just make sure the door is closed tightly when you start pulling the sheets up. This will allow you to safely perform exercises and relax without fear of falling.

After a short preparation, follow these steps:

1. Wrap the sheets around your hands;
2. Lie on the floor with your legs straight;
3. Pull your elbows back to lift your body, and then return to the starting position.
4. Use your lats to lower your body to the floor. Repeat.

You can simplify the exercise if your muscles are weak if you bend your knees and help yourself with your legs when lifting your body up. Try to gradually straighten your legs, putting less and less emphasis on them during each repetition. The ideal look will be when your body is completely straight and your upper body does all the work.

As an alternative, you can try the sliding pull.

What if you don't use a sheet? Then try this:

• lie down on a flat surface;
• place something under your arms, for example, sneakers;
• perform chest rows, leaning on your hands and bending your elbows so that your body slides forward, activating the latissimus dorsi muscles;

Unfortunately, this variation eliminates the all-important eccentric portion of the movement. Nevertheless, this option also has a right to life.