10 Best Barbell Back Exercises for Strength and Mass

Want to build a strong, muscular back and improve your posture? Obvious Yes.

Barbell back workouts should be a key part of your strength training routine. Barbell exercises are effective for building muscle mass throughout your entire body.

And lifting heavy weights with a barbell is one of the most effective ways to build a V-shaped, well-defined back.

A stronger back will make your shoulders more stable, which allows you to lift heavier weights in an upper-body workout. Also, most back exercises use your arms or legs, so you’ll get an extra training effect without even noticing it.

Exercises like barbell rows, deadlifts, and shrugs work several back muscles simultaneously for faster results.

In this article, we’ll explain the following:

• How To Do A Back Workout With Barbell
• 10 Best Barbell Back Exercises
• Barbell Exercises Benefits
• Sets and Reps For Back Workout
• Complete the Back Workout Plan
• Anatomy Of Back Muscles
• Workout Routine

How To Do A Back Workout With Barbell

With barbells, you can do compound exercises that work multiple areas of the back in a full range of motion. You can also change your body position and hand placement to work on your back muscles differently.

To structure an effective barbell back workout for gains in strength and size, the number of reps and sets will vary based on your goals:

• For strength gains, do 4 to 6 sets of 1 to 6 reps for each exercise, using 85-100% of your one rep max (1RM). Go heavier and perform fewer reps.
• If your goal is muscle growth(hypertrophy), do 3 sets of 8-12 reps for each exercise, using 70-85% of your 1RM.
• For muscular endurance, use moderate weights of 50-70% 1RM for higher reps of 15-20 per set.

Focus on compound barbell movements like bent over rows, deadlifts, and barbell bent over rows. Allow sufficient rest between sets. Increase weight gradually over time.

Know More: The Complete Guide To Barbell Exercises For Strength Training

10 Best Barbell Back Exercises To Build Mass and Strength

Below, we outline the 10 best compound barbell back exercises that you can work into your program for more muscle, improved strength, and some training variety.

1. Deadlift

The deadlift is the King of all exercises—this power exercise is designed to build an overall physique that uses more muscles than any other exercise.

The deadlift is the best exercise for posterior chain muscle strengthening. It works your whole body, including the Lower back, upper back, arms, legs, and buttocks.  

Due to the engagement of large muscle groups, deadlifts can boost your metabolism, aiding in fat loss.

How To Do

1. Place a barbell loaded with weights in front of you.
2. Grab the barbell using an underhand grip with one hand and an overhand grip with the other hand.
3. Remember to keep your back as straight as possible and contract your back and hamstrings.
4. Now raise the bar from the ground using your hamstrings and glutes.
5. You should keep your legs slightly bent, back straight, and head looking up.
6. Raise it to the point where your body is erect. Do not hyperextend your body as the weight shifts to the lumbar spine.
7. Hold the bar momentarily at the top of the lift and remember to lock out.
8. Slowly lower the bar steadily by bending at the hips first and then at the knees.
9. Allow the weight to almost touch the ground for a moment before beginning the next rep.

Tips

• Never compromise on form to lift heavier weights; this could lead to serious injury.
• Lower back muscles take a long time to recuperate; hence, heavy deadlifts will do the job once a week.
• Go full range of motion and keep form correct. Avoid jerky movements and keep them controlled.
• The stability of flat-soled shoes or lifting barefoot can be better than that of cushioned running shoes.

2. Bent Over Barbell Rows

If you want to strengthen the back and add massive muscle to the upper back region, bent-over barbell rows are the best barbell exercise.

Spacing your hands shoulder-width apart or closer targets the central inner section of the lats, whereas a wider grip targets the outer back muscles.

• A narrow grip keeps the elbows close to the body, which makes it harder to extend the shoulders and pull them away from the body. This forces the lat muscles to work harder, which strengthens them.
• The wide grip encouraged by the flared elbows helps reduce lat involvement, allowing you to target the rhomboids, traps and rear delt.

How To Do

1. Stand with a narrow stance and grab a bar with an overhand grip.
2. Bend your torso forward at an angle of 45 degrees to the floor with the knees slightly, and let the bar hang in front of you.
3. Now, use the back and raise the bar until it touches the abdominal region and not the chest region, as it reduces back muscle contraction.
4. Slowly lower the bar under control to the starting position.

Tips

• Exhale on pushing movement, and inhale when returning to the starting position.
• Hold a neutral spine throughout the movement to prevent injury.

3. Landmine Row 

If you want to add freshness and variety to your barbell back workouts and challenge yourself, try this landmine row exercise.

Landmine row training and the exercises you can perform are empowering and extremely beneficial. It’s an important part of your back workout.

The Landmine row is the classic landmine exercise. It will do an absolutely stellar job of targeting your lats, traps, posterior delts and rhomboids. This is one of the best exercises you can do for pure back thickness.

T bar rows are a tough exercise, but building a strong back is a must to develop a quality physique.

How To Do

1. With the barbell loaded, stand over the bar with a wide stance.
2. Get into a bent-over position with your spine straight and chest up.
3. Bend at the hips and keep your back arched throughout the movement.
4. Lift the bar until the bar touches your chest, keeping the back straight.
5. Now, slowly lower the bar until it nearly touches the ground.

Tips

• Avoid hunchback bending as it leads to Injury.
• Go Complete range of motion.

4. Standing Barbell Rear Delt Row

Standing barbell rear delts row is a free weight exercise that primarily targets the rear deltoid and middle back, and to a lesser degree, it also targets the biceps, shoulders, and traps.

Barbell rear delt row exercises provide versatility. The exercise helps you strengthen virtually every back muscle with a wider resistance range.

If you haven’t tried this exercise before, load the barbell with a reasonable amount of weight, prioritizing an amount that allows you to stick to proper form rather than trying to lift heavy.

How To Do

1. Stand up straight while holding a barbell using a wide (higher than shoulder width) and overhand (palms facing your body) grip.
2. With slightly bent knees, bend over at the waist so that your chest is parallel to the floor.
3. While keeping the upper arms perpendicular to the torso.
4. Pull the barbell up towards your upper chest as you squeeze the rear delt.
5. Slowly go back to the initial position as you breathe in.
6. Repeat for the recommended number of repetitions.

Tips

• Refrain from using your biceps to do the work. Focus on targeting the rear delts; the arms should only act as hooks.
• Maintaining the right posture while working out is essential.

5. Barbell Upright Row

The barbell upright row is a barbell exercise that builds stronger and bigger traps, rhomboids and rear deltoids. Many people neglect these upper back muscles. Many gym-goers don’t do these upper back exercises because they’re tricky to train and impossible to see without a mirror.

Upright Row is an excellent exercise to build huge Trapezius muscles and create that deltopectoral separation.

Shrugs and upright rows are two great exercises for building massive traps.

Barbell upright rows can be performed with three main variations of grip width:

• The close or narrow grip (half of shoulder width),
• A standard grip (shoulder-width grip)
• A wide grip (wider than the shoulder)

How To Do

1. Hold a barbell with an overhand grip and stand with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Your grip on the barbell should be wider than shoulder-width apart. Let it hang in front of you.
3. While keeping your barbell close to your body, lift the bar and get it up to chest height using your arms.
4. Allow your shoulder blades to move naturally with your shoulder joints. Pause at the top of the movement.
5. Now, lower the bar under controlled motion until it returns to its starting position.
6. Repeat the wide-grip upright row for your desired number of repetitions.

Tips

• Focus on keeping your elbows higher than your forearms
• Keep a controlled motion and avoid jerky movements.

6. Barbell Chest Supported Row

The chest-supported row exercise is an effective variation of the bent-over barbell row. As the name suggests, it’s a row where your chest is supported. It is a highly effective exercise with the added benefit of minimizing lower back strain.

In other words, this variation requires less effort to stabilize body position during the row because the chest is supported on the bench.

This row is much more effective for targeting the back muscles because it doesn’t require other muscles to stay stable throughout the movement. This exercise can target different muscles depending on how your arm is positioned and how you are holding the weight.

How To Do

1. Lie down on an incline bench with a barbell and hand extended out in front of you.
2. Slowly pull the barbell up until your elbows are just above your shoulders.
3. Once you reach the final position, hold for a count and squeeze your muscles.
4. Return to the starting position and repeat for as many reps and sets as desired.

Tips

• Keep your chest pressed down throughout the motion.
• Pull the barbell back towards the lower chest, not upwards.
• Maintain retracted shoulders and a neutral neck.
• Don’t just swing your arms. Keep controlled motion throughout the exercise.

7. Landmine Row

If you want to strengthen the back and add mass to the upper back region, then the Landmine Row is the best exercise.

The one arm bent over the row works your rear delt, rhomboids, middle traps, lats, and biceps.

This is a great exercise for adding volume to your upper back without adding extra volume to your lower back.

How To Do

1. Stand parallel to the bar with the end of the barbell on your left side.
2. Your feet should be hip-width apart. Get into a bent-over position by shooting your hip back (hinge), bending at your knees slightly, and leaning your torso forward. Your spine should be straight.
3. Grab the collar of the barbell with an overhand grip.
4. Perform a row, bringing your elbow up as high as you can. Your elbow should come to full flexion.
5. Squeeze at the top, really feeling the tension in your rear delts and upper back.
6. Slowly lower the bar back down to full elbow extension, then repeat.

Tips

• Do not use more weight than you can handle. This fatigues your spinal erectors and says goodbye to form.
• Hold a neutral spine throughout the movement to prevent injury.

Know More: Landmine Exercises For Building Muscle And Strength

8. Barbell Shrug

The Barbell shrug is one of the best exercises to build bigger, stronger trapezius muscles. This exercise can be done extremely heavily to thicken the traps, which helps you do back poses.

It is one of the best isolation exercises for the trapezius muscle. The shrug is one of the simplest and easiest exercises to perform. You need to add this barbell back exercise to strengthen your upper back and trap muscles.

A study has shown that shrugging helps relieve shoulder and neck pain. Strengthening your traps helps provide better support to your head and neck.

How To Do

1. Stand with feet placed shoulder-width apart, knee slightly bent, and core stable.
2. Grip the barbell with your hands facing downwards, in a pronated grip.
3. Raise your shoulders without bending the elbows as far as possible, getting them closer to your ears.
4. Hold the contraction and squeeze for a brief second,
5. In a controlled and stable manner, lower the weight back down to the starting position.

Tips

• While shrugging, looking slightly up may enhance the contraction.
• Don’t let the head move forward too much when you’re squeezing the traps. This can hurt the neck.
• Go full range. Only move the shoulders and keep the rest of the body steady.

9. Barbell Good Morning

It is known as a good morning because of the movement in the erector spinae, which resembles the rise out of bed to stretch.

The erectors are just like any other muscle, growing best when shortened and lengthened. 

The erector spinae muscles of the lower back work isometrically to keep the spine in an extended position, while the hamstrings and gluteus maximus work isotonically to perform hip extension.

How To Do

1. Stand holding a barbell on the back of your shoulders, grasping the Stick at each side.
2. You can also perform the exercise as in the bodyweight version.
3. Keeping your knees slightly flexed and your back and neck neutral.
4. Inhale as you flex your hips to lower your torso until it is close to, or fully, horizontal.
5. Exhale as you raise your torso back up to the starting position by extending your hips.

Tips

• Keep your back and neck neutral throughout the exercise.
• It is recommended that the lifter avoid rounding (flexing), or rotation (twisting) at any point during the movement.
• Keep the movement slow, the form strict, and the weight light.

10. Landmine Deadlift

It is the biggest muscle builder, recruiting more muscle motor units than any other exercise. This exercise can be performed using either a barbell.

You can go really heavy on a Landmine deadlift, but do this exercise with caution and technique.

How To Do

1. Stand in front of the barbell landmine with your feet about hip-width apart.
2. Remember to keep your back as straight as possible and contract your back and hamstrings.
3. Now raise the bar from the ground using your hamstrings and glutes.
4. Raise it to the point where your body is erect.
5. Do not hyperextend your body as the weight shifts to the lumbar spine.
6. Complete the lift and do not go only halfway through.
7. Now lower the bar slowly at a steady, slow pace by bending at the hips first and then at the knees, and let the weight touch the ground for a moment before you begin the next rep.

Tips

• Lower back muscles take a long time to recuperate; hence, heavy deadlifts will do the job once a week.
• Go full range of motion and keep form correct. Avoid jerky movements and keep them controlled.

Anatomy Of Back Muscles

These barbell back exercises help to strengthen the back and improve back strength. But first, you need to understand back muscle anatomy and functionality.

Your back is made up of a series of muscles that are responsible for pulling your body and keeping your spine stable.

The muscles of the back can be divided into three groups – superficial, intermediate, and deep:

• Superficial — Located just under the skin and includes the trapezius, latissimus dorsi, levator scapulae, rhomboids, and serratus posterior muscles
• Intermediate — They work to elevate and depress the rib cage and include the serratus posterior superior and inferior.
• Deep — These are attached to the vertebral column and are responsible for flexion/extension, rotation, and side bending of the back.

Superficial Back Muscles

The superficial back muscles are situated underneath the skin and superficial fascia. The muscles in this group are:

1. Upper Back Muscles

• Trapezius: a large, triangular-shaped muscle that dominates the upper back, helping in shoulder and neck movement.
• Rhomboids: These muscles are located beneath the trapezius and are crucial for scapular retraction.
• Levator Scapulae: This muscle runs from the neck’s upper vertebrae to the shoulder blades’ top.
• Infraspinatus and Supraspinatus: These are part of the rotator cuff muscles and assist in the rotation and stabilization of the shoulder joint.

2. Middle Back Muscles

• Latissimus Dorsi: The primary muscle of the middle back, responsible for adduction, extension, and medial shoulder rotation.
• Teres Major and Teres Minor: Situated around the shoulder blades, these muscles assist with arm rotation and adduction.
• Serratus Posterior Superior: This muscle assists in breathing mechanics and is located beneath the rhomboids.

3. Lower Back

• Erector Spinae: This is the main muscle group in the lower back, crucial for extending and stabilizing the spine.
• Quadratus Lumborum: Located on either side of the lumbar spine, this muscle helps with side bending.
• Serratus Posterior Inferior: Situated below the latissimus dorsi, this muscle helps in breathing mechanics. It also provides some support to the lower back.
• Multifidus: This deep muscle spans three joint segments in the lumbar spine and is important for spine stability.

Want to take your gains to the next level? Discover your daily calorie needs with our free TDEE calculator

Barbell Back Exercises Benefits

Barbell back exercise benefits can be very impressive! When performed correctly and consistently over time, the compound barbell workout can allow you to achieve large strength gains. Some barbell exercises benefits include,

• The barbell exercises are executed whilst standing. During the movement, the core has to work hard to keep the body stable and balanced.
• You only need a barbell and perhaps several weight plates to build a bigger back.
• It is a very effective upper posterior chain exercise as it increases the muscular strength of all the back muscles.
• We love variety in a workout, so any exercise with many variations is right up our street.
• Barbell exercises provide versatility and can help you strengthen virtually every muscle in the body with a wider range of resistance.

Sets and Reps For Back Barbell Workout

Training volume refers to the total amount of work you perform during a workout, including the number of sets, reps, and weight used.

Of course, the number of sets and reps will be determined based on your fitness journey, but here is a great starting point.

Sets

According to the latest scientific evidence, 12–20 weekly sets per muscle group may optimize muscle growth.

• Beginners (with a year or less of training) should aim for about 12 weekly sets.
• An Intermediate trainee (with two to four years of training) can increase the volume to 16 sets per week.
• An advanced trainee (four or more years of training) may be able to get in up to 20 weekly sets.

When a certain amount of volume stops being effective and your progress stalls, you can add sets to increase volume and use that as a driver of renewed progress. 

Reps

The best rep ranges and loads to work with.

• For muscle endurance: Aim for 15-20+ reps with moderate resistance.
• For muscle strength: 6-10 reps, with more resistance.
• For muscle hypertrophy (increased muscle size): Aim for 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps, with a moderate to heavy amount of resistance.

It’s best to start with fewer reps and sets at first, and then increase them as you get stronger.

Note: The heavier and more challenging the weight, the fewer reps you need to perform and vice versa.

Complete Back Workout With a Barbell

Effective back training should incorporate various exercises and target all the majors back muscles.

For a complete back workout and to build balanced strength, you’ll need to make sure you’re doing various back exercises to specifically target your trapezius, upper, middle, and lower back muscles.

• Shrugs and upright rows are great exercises for building trapezius muscles.
• Upper and middle barbell back exercises target the rear deltoid, rhomboids, and lats. When choosing exercises for your upper back, you should include various row exercises, such as barbell rows and rear delt rows.
• The lower back can be targeted with exercises like deadlifts and good morning exercises.

This barbell training routine for the back is designed to increase strength and muscle mass. However, the gains will be increased using primary lifts like the deadlift and bent-over Row.

Barbell Back Workout Routine

This workout targets the entire back, including the upper, middle, and lower back muscles. It can be adjusted based on your fitness level, workout frequency, and strength training goal.

Remember to start with a lightweight and practice using the correct form and technique. Don’t just do barbell exercises. Add other back exercises as needed such as bodyweight, dumbbell, and cable back exercises.

1. Beginner Back Workout Plan

2. Intermediate Back Cable Workout Plan

Advance Back Workout Plan

FAQ About Barbell Back Training

What barbell exercises work the back?

You need various movements from various angles to build a thick, wide, and muscular back. The barbell is an excellent tool for that purpose.

Many barbell exercises can be used to train the back muscles. Add the above-mentioned exercises to your back workout regime as per your fitness level.

Is train back with a barbell is effective

Barbell back workouts strengthen your back muscles from your traps to your spine.

The movements target your erector spinae, latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, serratus, and trapezius muscles, all of which are involved in achieving your back goals.” 

Conclusion

Barbell back exercises are a great way to build a strong foundation and can be useful for anyone, from beginners to bodybuilders.

Be smart: don’t limit yourself to barbell exercises. Get the benefits they offer and use other back exercises to supplement them when needed.

• Cable Back Exercises
• Dumbbell Back Exercises
• Bodyweight Back exercises

Barbells can be easily incorporated into any training program and can be particularly effective when used alongside dumbbells, machines, and cables to build the biggest, strongest back possible.

Manish Kumar

Manish is a NASM-certified fitness and nutrition coach with over 10 years of experience in weight lifting and fat loss fitness coaching. He specializes in gym-based training and has a lot of knowledge about exercise, lifting technique, biomechanics, and more.

Through “Fit Life Regime,” he generously shares the insights he’s gained over a decade in the field. His goal is to equip others with the knowledge to start their own fitness journey.