3 Dumbbell Back Workouts to Include in Your Workout, According to Personal Trainers

Trying to strengthen your back? Look no further than the dumbbell. The best dumbbell back workouts don’t need to be complex or complicated. These simple, effective and targeted exercises focus on the back of your body. Choosing a couple of back exercises to create a circuit-style workout can help you reap the benefits of these exercises, whether you’re breaking a sweat at the gym or at home.

“A strong back is the foundation to a strong body,” said Bianca Vesco, a NASM-certified personal trainer based in Nashville. “Strengthening your back improves posture, the stability of your entire body and can help to prevent pain and injury as we age.” When your back muscles are weak, paired with a lot of sitting (as many do all day), you can lose spinal mobility, “which can lead to a lot of pain and mobility issues in the future,” Vesco said.

Having a strong back can also improve exercise performance and positively impact your overall quality of life, said Ellen Thompson, NASM-certified personal trainer and head personal trainer at Blink Fitness. “Incorporating back days, or even just a few back exercises, into your training program can be the difference between seeing strength gains and seeing a physical therapist,” she said.

The best dumbbell back workouts are made up of excellent exercises that target the back muscles from different angles. Here, Vesco and Thompson share their favorite back exercises to do with dumbbells.

1. Bent-Over Row

“The bent-over row improves strength in the upper and lower back, glutes, hamstrings, lats and shoulders,” Vesco said.

The bent-over row also taps into core stability, Thompson said.

How to do it: Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand, arms by your sides, a soft bend in your knees. Hinge forward at the hips so that your torso is parallel to the floor, or as close as your mobility allows. Extend your arms straight down toward the ground, palms facing toward one another. Slowly pull the dumbbells toward your chest, elbows grazing your sides ending behind your back, so you feel your shoulder blades squeeze together. Lower the weights back to the starting position.

Do 3 sets of 8 reps with a moderately heavy weight.

2. Dumbbell Reverse Fly

“This exercise is beneficial for improving posture,” Thompson said. It targets the back of the shoulders, middle trapezius (the large muscle that runs across the bottom of the neck and shoulders) and the rhomboids (underneath the shoulder blades), she said.

How to do it: Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand, arms by your sides, a soft bend in your knees. Hinge forward at the hips so that your torso is parallel to the floor, or as close as your mobility allows, and with your arms hanging down. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, squeeze together your shoulder blades and lift your arms out to the sides. Slowly lower the weights back down.

Do 3 sets of 12 reps with a moderately light weight.

3. Overhead Farmer's Carry

“This exercise works the entire back, shoulders and scapular stabilizer muscles,” Vesco said. “Bonus points for added core work as well.”

How to do it: Grab a dumbbell in each hand. Curl the weights up to your shoulders, and then press them overhead so that your arms are extended toward the ceiling, palms facing in toward each other. Keep the shoulders down and engaged. Slowly walk forward while keeping the weights stable and avoiding hunching your shoulders up toward your ears.

Do 3 sets of 60 seconds with a moderately heavy weight.

Now that you’ve got a starter list of dumbbell back exercises, it’s time to string them together. There are a few ways to do back exercises.

“When programming back circuits, I prefer working in supersets,” Vesco said. A superset involves doing two exercises back-to-back, one being a heavy load and the other being on the lighter side.

“You could also work in a tri-set, which means doing three exercises back-to-back, for three to five sets,” she said. Think of it as a mini circuit workout with three exercises versus a more common five or six.

She also said she recommends switching from double-arm to single-arm exercises, depending on your goals, weight access and how your body is feeling. “When you add unilateral training, you have the opportunity to improve your imbalances and stability because single-side exercises require so much more effort through your core,” Vesco said.

“Weights, reps, programming should all be specific to you, the weights you have access to and your personal goals,” Vesco said. In general, if you’re looking to build strength, go for higher weight and lower reps; if you’re looking to build muscle endurance, go for lighter weight and higher reps, she said.

According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association recommendations, matching the appropriate weight with rep ranges will enable you to effectively reach your goals. For example, if you’re hoping to build strength, stick to higher loads and lower reps. Alternatively, if you’re looking to improve muscular endurance, lower the weight and increase the reps.

Words by Amy Marturana Winderl