The best bodyweight exercises for training your back muscles? Easy.
Rows and pull ups.
The former is a horizontal pulling exercise the latter a vertical pulling exercise. Include them both in your workout cycle to effectively stimulate and strengthen all the major muscles in your back.
Bodyweight Rows
The bodyweight row is great for developing a foundational level of strength in the pulling muscles of the upper back and arms. The more vertical your body the easier the exercise and vice versa.
Performance Tips:
Grip onto a secure bar (or suspension trainer)
Adopt your starting position with your arms extended
Tense your glutes and mid-section
Smoothly lift your body upwards by pulling your elbows back past your torso
Aim to move your body as one single straight line
Don’t let your shoulders hunch up or your neck jut forward as you move
Visualise squeezing your shoulder blades together on each upward phase
Pause at the top then lower yourself with control
To make the exercise harder change your start position
The closer you are to horizontal, the harder the exercise
Pull Ups
The pull up is an excellent exercise for your back, arms and mid-section. You against gravity!
Performance Tips:
Grab hold of an overhead bar or suspension trainer
Arms should be approximately shoulder width apart
Your feet should be suspended off the ground
Allow your knees to bend if you don’t have the space underneath
Keep your shoulders down
Tense your glutes and abs then pull yourself up as far past the bar or handles as possible
Imagine trying to touch your chest to the bar
Pause then lower yourself down under control until your arms are almost fully extended
Pull ups are a hard exercise. If they are beyond your current strength level you have a few options. You could hook a 41 inch looped resistance band to the bar, step your feet inside the band and use it to provide assistance during the exerise. Over time use lighter bands. Or you can jump into the top position and slowly lower yourself down. Once at the bottom, jump up and repeat.
Rows and pull ups. Comfortably the best two bodyweight exercises for your back muscles!