Weight Training Middle Back Exercises
Bent Over Barbell Row
Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Middle Back
Other Muscles Worked: Biceps,Lats
Equipment: Barbell
Mechanics Type: Compound
Tips: Position your feet at about shoulder width. Bend over so your back is as close to parallel to the floor as you can and hold bar with an overhand grip and with hands a little wider than shoulder width. Keep legs slightly bent. Hold bar at arm's length straight down. Pull bar straight up to the lower part of your chest. Slowly lower bar back to starting position. Keep your head up and back straight at all times, and do NOT swing or use momentum to lift the weight!
Bent Over One-Arm Long Bar Row
Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Middle Back
Other Muscles Worked: Biceps,Lats
Equipment: Barbell
Mechanics Type: Compound
Tips: Put weight on one end of a long barbell. It is helpful to put something at the other end of the barbell on the ground so it can not slide backward. Straddle the bar and bend forward until torso is as close to parallel with the floor as you can go. Keep your knees slightly bent. Hold bar just behind plates with one hands. Put your other hand on your knee. Pull bar straight up with your elbows in until the plates touch your lower chest. Lower bar slowly to starting position. Finish set and then switch arms. Do not let the plates touch the floor at the bottom. You can get a better range of motion by using many small plates rather than one big plate. Keep your back straight and head up!
Bent Over Two-Arm Long Bar Row
Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Middle Back
Other Muscles Worked: Biceps,Lats
Equipment: Barbell
Mechanics Type: Compound
Tips: Put weight on one end of a long barbell. It is helpful to put something at the other end of the barbell on the ground so it can not slide backward. Straddle the bar and bend forward until torso is as close to parallel with the floor as you can go. Keep your knees slightly bent. Hold bar just behind plates with both hands. Pull bar straight up with your elbows in until the plates touch your lower chest. Lower bar slowly to starting position. Do not let the plates touch the floor at the bottom. You can get a better range of motion by using many small plates rather than one big plate. Keep your back straight and head up!
Bent Over Two-Dumbbell Row
Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Middle Back
Other Muscles Worked: Biceps,Lats
Equipment: Dumbbell
Mechanics Type: Compound
Tips: Put your feet close together and grab two dumbbells. Bend forward as far as you can go, so your torso is close to parallel to the floor. Bend your knees slightly and keep your head up and back arched inwards. Hold dumbbells at arm's length straight down. Pull dumbbells straight up to your sides keeping your elbows out. Concentrate on squeezing with your middle back. Return slowly to starting position. You can also do this with a barbell or with an underhand grip.
Bent Over Two-Dumbbell Row With Palms-In
Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Middle Back
Other Muscles Worked: Biceps,Lats
Equipment: Dumbbell
Mechanics Type: Compound
Tips: Put your feet close together and grab two dumbbells. Bend foreward as far as you can go, so your torso is close to parallel to the floor. Bend your knees slightly and keep your head up and back arched inwards. Hold dumbbells at arm's length straight down with your palms facing in. Pull dumbbells straight up to your sides keeping your elbows in next to your body. Concentrate on squeezing with your middle back and lats. Return slowly to starting position. Can also be done with a T-bar row machine or with an overhand grip.
Incline Bench Pull
Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Middle Back
Other Muscles Worked: None
Equipment: Barbell
Mechanics Type: Isolation
Tips: This exercise focuses on the middle and outer part of the back. Lie face DOWN on a bench and place a weighted barbell at the level of your head. Place a block of wood under the front part of the bench where your head is to elevate it and hit your back from a different angle. Now grab it and pull it up as if you are doing a reverse bench press. Remember to look up and keep your back flexed.
Lying Cambered Barbell Row
Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Middle Back
Other Muscles Worked: None
Equipment: Barbell
Mechanics Type: Isolation
Tips: Lie face down on an exercise bench. The cambered bar should be underneath of the bench. Grab a hold of the bar and row it up to either your chest (upper back) or stomach (lats). Lower back down to the start position. A regular barbell can be used, but a cambered barbell gives you a greater range of motion.
Lying T-Bar Row
Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Middle Back
Other Muscles Worked: Biceps,Lats
Equipment: Machine
Mechanics Type: Compound
Tips: Adjust the leg height so that your upper chest is at the top of the pad. Lay face down on the pad and grab the handles. You can use a palms down, palms up, or palms in position depending on what part of your back you want to work more. Extend your arms completely to start. Slowly pull the weight up and squeeze your back at the top of the movement. Do not lift your body off of the pad! Return to the starting position.
Middle Back Shrug
Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Middle Back
Other Muscles Worked: Shoulders,Lats
Equipment: Dumbbell
Mechanics Type: Isolation
Tips: Here?s a truly unique exercise that hits the upper back muscles - the rhomboids and teres major and minors - like no other. To do this exercise, lie facedown on an incline bench. Grab two dumbbells. Now, rather than shrug them, as the name implies, squeeze your shoulder blades together and hold the contraction for a full second. It?s nothing more than the reverse action of a hug, or trying to perform rear laterals as if you had no arms. The effect is an amazing pump, as this is probably the first time in your life these muscles will have received direct work.
Mixed Grip Chin
Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Middle Back
Other Muscles Worked: Biceps,Lats
Equipment: Other
Mechanics Type: Compound
Tips: Simple, one hand with palms facing forward and the other with palms facing towards you. Do 4 sets, and change the hands for each set. This ensures your back is fully worked while putting extra stress on a side depending on the hand placement.
One Armed Chin-Up
Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Middle Back
Other Muscles Worked: Biceps,Forearms,Lats
Equipment: Other
Mechanics Type: Compound
Tips: The most difficult variation, but also the most mass building one. The form is that of a wide grip pull-up, however, the other hand will be helping with only balance. This is ensured by placing a towel around the bar and holding on to the towel with the other hand. This builds fore-arm strength in one hand and a wide powerful back in the other. Switch sides to ensure an even muscle build.
One-Arm Dumbbell Row
Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Middle Back
Other Muscles Worked: Biceps,Lats
Equipment: Dumbbell
Mechanics Type: Compound
Tips: Begin with your right foot flat on the floor and your left knee resting on a flat bench. Then lean forward so that you're supporting the weight of your upper body with your left arm on the bench. Your back should be flat, almost parallel with the floor. Reach down and pick up a dumbbell with your right hand. Your left arm should be locked at the elbow so it will support the weight of your upper body. Before starting, look straight ahead instead of at the floor in order to keep your back straight. Tighten your abs to keep your body from turning to the side as you lift the dumbbell. Concentrate on pulling your elbow back as far as it can go. The dumbbell should end up roughtly parallel with your torso. After you've rowed the dumbbell up as far as you can, slowly lower it to the starting position. Switch arms after one set.
Reverse Grip Bent-Over Rows
Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Middle Back
Other Muscles Worked: Biceps,Lats
Equipment: Barbell
Mechanics Type: Compound
Tips: Bending over at a slight angle, knees bent, back straight, abs tight, grab straight bar with a reverse grip (palms are facing forward or up). Pull bar towards your upper stomach, squeezing you back as you pull. Return bar to starting position slowly. Can also be done with dumbbells. Sometimes it helps to imagine you are squeezing your shoulder blades together or imagine a string attached to your elbows and the string is pulling your elbows back. This will help keep the concentration on the back instead of just pulling the bar with the arms.
Rocky Pull-Ups/Pulldowns
Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Middle Back
Other Muscles Worked: Biceps,Lats
Equipment: Other
Mechanics Type: Compound
Tips: Simple, pull-ups to the front followed by pull-ups to the back.
Seated Cable Rows
Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Middle Back
Other Muscles Worked: Biceps,Lower Back,Lats
Equipment: Cable
Mechanics Type: Compound
Tips: Sit down at a low-pulley rowing machine with your feet flat against the footrests and your knees slightly bent. Bending only at the waist, lean forward and grasp the pulley handle in front of you. Your palms should be facing each other. Keep your back FLAT and looking forward, slowly draw the handles back to your stomach while simutaneously leaning back at the waist until your torso is prependicular to the floor. The handles should reach your stomach just as your upper body reaches the upright position. Slowly return to the starting position by leaning forward from the waist while extending your arms in front of you. TO ISOLATE YOUR LATS ONLY do not bend forward at all, just keep your back straight up and down and move only your arms and squeeze your back.
Side To Side Chins
Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Middle Back
Other Muscles Worked: Biceps,Lats
Equipment: Other
Mechanics Type: Compound
Tips: A simple wide grip pull-up, however, you lean to one side every rep. This places more stress on each side of the back to create astounding growth!
Smith Machine Bent Over Row
Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Middle Back
Other Muscles Worked: Biceps,Lats
Equipment: Machine
Mechanics Type: Compound
Tips: Just like the Barbell Bent Over Row but with a Smith Machine bar instead.
T-Bar Row
Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Middle Back
Other Muscles Worked: Biceps,Shoulders,Lats
Equipment: Machine
Mechanics Type: Compound
Tips: Straddle a T-bar rowing machine with your feet firmly on the ground. Using a narrow grip, hold the bar slightly off the ground so your back is straight and not hunched. Lift the bar up toward your body with your back by squeezing your shoulder blades together. Bring the weight up as high as you can, or until it touches your lower chest. Your elbows should be pointing up and slightly out as you lift. Return to the starting position in a slow, controlled manner. You can also do a variation of this with just a barbell on the ground.
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