Best Back Lifts for Women

My go-to back exercises at the gym!

Get a strong and sexy back by incorporating weights into your workout routine! 💪🏼 These 10 strengthening moves will help you torch back fat and give you a nice hourglass figure. You can try these exercises at home (depending on what equipment you have) or in the gym, just throw a couple moves into your regular workout and I guarantee you’ll have tight and toned back in no time!

Hi friends! I’m taking you on a journey through my “back day” at the gym to show you the different lifts that I’ve fallen in love with.

I know a lot of women fear or are intimidated by lifting heavy weights because 1. they don’t want to get bulky or 2. they don’t know what to do (or don’t want to be judged) in the weight-room. – I know because I’ve been there. But I’ll let you in on a little secret…

1. Lifting weights will NOT bulk you up, in fact it does the opposite.
2. Who gives a shiz what people think, because everyone has to start somewhere!🤷🏻‍♀️

So with that out of the way, let’s chat back exercises!

I lift back every Monday. I usually do 20 minutes of cardio beforehand, whether its a HIIT workout on the elliptical, treadmill or plyometrics. Just something to get my heart rate up.

Then I hit the weight room and start with deadlifts (if there’s a space open). I start with deadlift because it’s the biggest exercise and requires the most muscle groups. Check out my cues of proper form below 👇🏼

I do 5 – 6 sets working my way up in weight with each set. So for example, I start with just the bar (45 lbs.) for warm-up and do 10 reps. Then I’ll add 25’s on each side and do another 10 reps. Then I’ll add 10s on each side and do another 10 reps. You get the picture, I work my way up 45s on each side, but I do decrease reps once I hit my top weight – I shoot for 10 reps, but when I feel my form go, I stop.

The weight doesn’t matter. Some people lift way more than me and others might just be starting out. Begin with a weight you feel comfortable with and work your way up. Remember those last few reps should be uncomfortable. Hard. But good form is always better than more weight or more reps 🙂

After deadlifts I work the lats (sides of the back) with Lat Pull Downs. I mix it up every week with regular, wide-grip and reverse grip. I usually just do 3 – 4 sets of 10 reps each.

The most important thing to remember with lat pull downs is that your working the sides of your back. Not your shoulders. Lean back a little, pull the core in tight and focus on pulling your shoulders back, down and together or pretend you’re performing a pull up.

Next up: Back Extensions. Actually I do back extensions and lat pull downs together and just alternate them (depending on how busy the gym is). So I’ll do one set of lat pull downs and then one set of back extensions. I hold a 25 lb disk for back extensions for 3 sets of 10 reps each, but you do you!

3 exercises down, 2 to go!

Barbell Rows are up. Sometimes I do overhand, sometimes I do underhand. By this point my legs and lower back are pretty well shot, so I really focus on keeping the core tight. Again, I do 3 sets of 10 reps.

And last but not least…. Wild Card! I switch up this last lift every week, sometimes it’s seated v-grip rows, cable face pulls (not sure the technical term for this), machine flys, whatever! See the list below. I shoot for 3 sets of 10 reps, but at this point my upper back is pretty tired and I push for what I feel my body can handle.

This takes me about 1 hour total with the cardio. Not too shabby!

This is what works for me and my schedule, but if you don’t go to the gym regularly, you might start smaller, maybe 10 minutes of cardio and 2 back lifts or if you’re working out at home grab some dumbbells and focus on higher rep lower weight exercises.

Whatever you do, a little work each week will make a big difference in your body’s muscle tone. And who doesn’t want a sexy strong back?! 🙂

Best Back Lifts for Women

Perform as many of these back exercises as you want – 3 sets of 10 reps each.

1. Deadlift – roll shoulders back and down into pockets. Slowly lower upper body while pressing hips back (keep shoulders in the pockets, don’t let them fall forward). Keeping bar close to the body (should almost touch your shins) lower bar down below knees – or what feels comfortable. Lift by squeezing glutes and pressing hips forward. You should feel the pull in the hamstrings and glutes!
2. Lat Pull Down (Regular, Wide, or Reverse Grip) – sitting, lean body back slightly and tighten core. Depending on the lat pull down version, place hands slightly farther than shoulder-width apart (for regular lat pull down). Squeeze shoulder blades back down and together (elbows should come in toward the body), pulling bar down toward chest. Slowly raise bar back up to starting position. (Wide Grip – hands out toward the end of the bar, Reverse/Underhand Grip – place hands at shoulder-width apart)
3. Back Ext – place thighs on pads where they feel comfortable and flex feet on foot support. Bending at hips, let upper body hang over front of machine and grab weight (if you want). Pull shoulders back and tighten core. Lift upper body by squeezing glutes and lower back. Lift until body is straight at the top and then hold for 1 second and slowly lower back to starting position.
4. Barbell Row/ Reverse Row – holding barbell, bend at hips so upper body is at a 45 degree angle and barbell is around knee height (keeping knees soft). Pulling elbows back and together and squeezing shoulder blades lift barbell to belly button. Slowly release barbell back to knees and repeat.
5. Seated V-Grip Row – sitting on bench, straighten upper body and pull core tight. Lean slightly forward and pull v-grip toward belly button keeping elbows low and squeezing shoulder blades together.
6. Cable Face Pulls – place the machine at shoulder height and grab both ends of the rope. Step back so there’s tension when your arms are extended and make sure you legs are in split stance. Pull rope to face, bringing elbows out wide and squeezing shoulder blades. Slowly bring back to starting position and keep weight anchored in the front leg.
7. Dbell Back Flys – with dbells in both hands, bend at the hips so upper body is at a 45 degree angle. With palms facing, squeeze shoulder blades and bring arms up to body height. Slowly lower back to starting position and try not to bang dumbbells together at the bottom. (keep the core tight)
8. Cable Bent Over Rows – set the machine to the very bottom wrung. Holding both sides of the rope, bend upper body to 45 degrees and pull core in tight. Pull ropes back to hips, bringing elbows straight back and squeezing shoulder blades together.
9. Machine Back Fly – in seated position, grab handles with palms facing together. Squeeze shoulder blades together and press pinkys out, keeping arms as straight as possible. Slowly bring arms back to starting position – this is the challenge.
10. Bent Dbell Row – with one knee on bench and body hinged, bring dbell straight under shoulder. Pull right shoulder blade in and together, bringing dbell to hip (not chest), lower back to starting position. Repeat 10 on the right side, then 10 on the left.

Did you guys see a pattern there? A LOT of shoulder blade squeezing 😉

Looking for other strength-training workouts? Check out my Leg Day Exercises that Tone & Tighten.

I’d love to know what workouts you want to see more of. Leave a comment below! 👇🏼