Have you been planning to build an aesthetic V-shaped physique like Hrithik Roshan or Dwayne Johnson but have no idea about a back exercises gym routine? Or are you fed up with the back pain you have acquired while sitting at the office desk all day? You might be a mother who has destroyed her back posture holding your baby, and helping your toddler study all day.

You can be anyone, with any type of lifestyle choice, all you need is just the guidance to achieve your back goal. You can improve your posture, grow muscle and change your physique, and you can leave your back pain behind with some simple yet essential back exercises and gym routines.

Let me help you out with the best back exercises at the gym.

Top 7 Best Back Exercises Gym Routine

I understand that your concerns related to your back can be different, so don’t worry, the workout routine for the gym is exactly what you need in your life.

1. Deadlift: The Ultimate Back Exercises Gym Routine

If you are aiming for a good V-shaped physique, a strong muscular back deadlift should be included in your back exercises gym routine. Accurate deadlifts target most of your back muscles including Traps (Trapezius), Rhomboids, Lats (Latissimus Dorsi), Erectors, and lower back muscles like the Glutes and Hamstrings.

Based on your level of fitness and strengths decide the weights that you are going to put in the Barbells. Keep your back straight, bend your knees, activate your lats and traps, bend over keeping your back flat, keep your hands straight, and take the barbell with an overhand grip and hands at shoulder width. Your barbell should almost touch your shin while you are bending on your knees.

If you are just starting and your current goal is strengthening the muscle you can just maintain 3-5 reps per set, and when you are approaching the muscle goal you can gradually increase 6-12 reps per set.

I can assure you that with accurate posture and a gradual increase in weight, you can achieve your strong muscular back goal. Best of Luck!

But remember, wrong posture and sudden change in weight can cause some serious injuries, so be safe, and be patient.

2. Pull Ups: Strengthening Back Workout

If you are planning to strengthen your back without external weight, Pull Up can be the best back exercises gym workout for you. All you need is a strong and fixed pull-up bar at your gym. Like Deadlifts, pull-ups can also strengthen the Lats, Rhomboids and Traps muscles of your back. Biceps, Forearms and Core muscles are also strengthened by pull-ups.

Now, let's start, stand in front of your bar, extend your arms upwards and grab the bars with an overhand grip. Don’t keep your hands close to the other, the gap between the grips should be wider than the shoulder width, but ensure that they are not too wide.

Engage your shoulder blades, and pull up your weight as long as your chin crosses the bar. Then slowly go back to the initial position without leaving the grip, and keep on continuing the process.

Remember, you should not lose control of your body, keep your core tights, and shoulder blades strong so that you can pull your body weight up without exhausting your grip.

Also, do not over-exhaust yourself, they can lead to injuries, wrong postures, and other risks. At the beginner level, maintain 5-8 reps in 2-3 sets, and you can also take the help of resistance bands, but again with caution. But if you are not a beginner and eager to build strong muscle mass, then you can go for 6-12 reps per set.

Don’t overthink it, go for it, and strengthen your back muscles.

3. Reverse Fly: Working on the Upper Back

Are you suffering from back pain because you have mastered bad back postures with years of a sedentary lifestyle?

It’s not too late you know, you can improve them with a back exercises gym routine, all you need to do is include a simple Reverse Fly exercise. Reverse Fly work on your upper back, and that’s why muscles like Traps, Rhomboids and Posterior Deltoids.

Wanna know how you can Reverse Fly properly for your scapular and shoulder blade stability? All you need is a pair of dumbbells, you can start with 2kgs, and then gradually increase them according to your shoulder capacity.

First, stand straight, keep your feet apart as per your hip width and hinge your hips a little. Now lean forward, bend your knees a little, or you can lean forward on an incline or decline bench as well.

Grab the dumbbells, extend your hands to your sides with a little elbow bent, and then retract them to the neutral starting position. Don’t forget to squeeze your shoulder muscles to raise your hands and retract.

At the beginner level, I would suggest you go for one set of 15-20 reps, and after that, you can increase the set numbers. But ensure that your posture is maintained, increasing weight with bad posture will do no good but harm. I would recommend keeping a safe weight that is not too much for you that you have to stop in the middle of your set.

4. Bent Over Rows: For that Muscle Build Up

If you are planning on strengthening your middle and lower back muscles, and want to get that ideal V-shaped physique, you should absolutely include Bent Over Rows in your back exercises gym routine. All the major back muscles like the Lats, Traps, Rhomboids and even Posterior Deltoids benefitted from this exercise.

Ok, now let me tell you how you can do the exercise properly, without injuring yourself. First, stand straight, keep your feet apart from the other shoulder-width, bend your knees a little, and bend yourself forward from the waist.

Don’t lift your head; from head to the waist, your body should be in a straight line. Then grab the barbell with an overhand grip, wider than your shoulder-width, and pull it up to your abs while your elbows go behind you. Hold that position for a few seconds, then slowly lower the barbell, and then repeat.

You can do 6-12 reps in each set of a total of 3 sets if you are a beginner, but you can do 4-5 sets if you already have shoulder strength and you are an intermediate. In case you are planning on improving your posture, stabilising your back, and want to gain muscle in your back, this is an exercise you should never miss.

5. Cat-Cow Stretch: A Stretch Like No Other

Enough of back muscle building done, now let’s focus on improving the muscle tension and ache with a simple yet relaxing back stretch. Whether you have grown back muscle stiffness and tension due to prolonged sitting on your office desk, or with your household chores and baby duties, doesn’t matter.

You just need to add a Cat-Cow stretch to your back exercises gym routine. Erector Spinae, Traps, smaller muscles of the shoulder and neck, and Deltoids, along with other muscles in your body like glutes, and rectus abdominis.

Set your Yoga Mat in the gym, keep your two arms and knees on the mat, and hold a table position. Keep your spine neutral before starting off. Now inhale air, gaze up, lower your belly, and lift up your tailbone and hip.

Make sure you create an upward curve from your hip to the head, which is the Cow position. Then, exhale the air by taking the cat position. You should keep your head downward, lift your back by creating a rounded back, and tuck the tailbone down.

You will feel your sore muscles are getting relaxed, the mobility in your back is returning, and the pains are slowly going away. 10-15 reps can be done in 1-3 sets, but there are no restrictions or rules; you can extend the reps and sets if you feel like it.

6. Back Extension: Building a Stable Back

Working on your back muscle building cannot be done properly if you are not doing anything to improve the mobility, stability, and posture of your back. Erector Spinae, glutes and hamstrings are the main muscles that will be improved and stabilized if you add this to your back exercises gym routine.

You can use a back extension machine, or stability balls to correctly do the exercise. With the support of the ball or the machine, stand at a 45-degree to 60-degree angle with your head forward and leg backwards.

Now keep your hands crossed in your chest and keep the back straight, don’t hunch. From the waist of your body bend forward while inhaling, and then exhale while you are going back to the initial position.

Remember to keep a slow pace for your own safety, and don’t overextend your back. You can do 2-3 sets and can include 8-15 reps in each of your sets. Involving this exercise regularly will support you in achieving your back goals, and maintain stability and posture of your back.

7. Lat Pull-Down: For that strong back

On your way to achieve the perfect V-shaped body, Lat pull-down is a must-have back exercises gym workout. As the name indicates, the main focal area of the workout is the Lats, but not just it. Through Lats pull down you can strengthen the back muscles like Rhomboids, Traps,  Teres Major, and Biceps Brachii.

First, you need to set the weight in the machine, set the weight according to your capacity and threshold. Grab the bar with your shoulder width apart, and with an overhand grip.

Now slowly sit in your position facing the machine, and pull down the bar while pushing your body outward. Use your lat muscle to pull it down, without extending your elbow in the outward direction.

You can do the exercise maintaining 8-12 reps in each set, and can do 2-4 sets based on your ability. Don’t try to challenge yourself by putting on so much weight that can cause muscle pull and other injuries.

For a perfect V-shaped body and strong back, your Lats muscle needs to be strengthened, and this exercise can be your favourite one to achieve your body goal.

Final Thoughts

I have suggested all the exercises based on my gyming experience, expert advice from the trainers at Crunch Fitness India, and weighing the impacts of the exercises.

 The best back exercises gym routine should not be just the muscle-building and strengthening exercises, but a mixture of flexibility, mobility and posture improvement. 

I have included back stretches to ensure that you do not get overwhelmed by the muscle sore, and can give your back the most needed relaxation.

I would like to mention a few more exercises which you can try for your back at the gym, along with these essentials. Single-arm dumbbell rows, Chin-ups, T-bar rows, and Single-arm cable rows can help you achieve your ideal back goal.

You should definitely follow the 7 essentials I have recommended, and you can add up the others if you wanna push yourself even harder in the future.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What gym exercises are good for back fat?

For losing your back fat, Bent Over Rows, Reverse Fly, and Back Extension can be good exercises. Including this in your back exercises gym routine can help you lose significant back fat.

2. What is the best full-back workout?

Pull-ups, Deadlifts and Bent Over Rows are some of the most effective full-back workouts. These exercises target Lats, Traps, Rhomboids, and other main back muscles simultaneously.

3. Can I do back workouts in the gym without a trainer?

Yes, even though at Crunch Fitness India we have certified trainers to assist you and help you do the exercises properly, you can do them yourself as well. You just need to maintain the right posture and weight selection.

4. Are back exercises safe to perform?

Yes, with supervision from experts, maintained posture and the right selection of weights, the back exercises are safe for performance.

5. How often should I do back exercise for a faster result?

You can do the back exercises 2-3 times each week with a mixture of stretching exercises and pre-workout warm-ups. Remember consistency is the key to better results; over-pushing can have a negative impact on the body.