In my experience, coming up with an at home back workout using only dumbbells can be hard. 

It is so much easier to go to the gym and use a lat pulldown machine or the seated rows machine.

But I don’t always have time to go to the gym or I am feeling intimidated to go to the gym by myself.

It happens.

& sometimes it’s just easier to do a quick workout at home and get it over with.

The perfect workout for me for one specific muscle group is 3-4 exercises with 2 sets of each.

That’s all you really need.

Here is a back workout using only dumbbells that you can do at home.

So, let’s grab our dumbbells and get to work.

Back Exercise #1 Bent Over Dumbbell Rows

Needed:

→ 2 dumbbells

How to:

→ With your feet hip width apart, bend at the waist, keeping your back straight

→ Let your arms hang and look to the floor, keeping your neck neutral

→ With your palms facing towards you, bring the dumbbells up, staying in line with your belly button and back down.

→ Repeat.

Tips:

→ Make sure to squeeze your shoulder blades when you are raising the dumbbells.

→ Make sure to look towards the floor and keep your neck in line with your shoulders.

→ Exhale on the way up, inhale on the way down.

Targets:

→ Latissimus dorsi 

→ Middle and lower trapezius

→ Posterior deltoids

Back Exercise #2 One Arm Dumbbell Row using a Bench (or couch)

Needed:

→ One dumbbell

→ Bench/couch/bed

How to:

→ For this “how to” we will use a bench as the example but a couch or bed can be used.

→ On the side of the bench, place your closer knee on it and the other foot on the floor.

→ Put your hand (same side as your knee that is on the bench) onto the bench.

→ With your other hand, pick up the dumbbell.

→ Let your arm holding the dumbbell hang.

→ Raise the dumbbell up, bending your elbow, until it reaches your side.

→ Pause at the top, squeezing your shoulder blade and back.

→ Lower the dumbbell until your arm straightens fully.

→ Repeat. 

Tips:

→ Lower the dumbbell as far as you can without bringing it to the floor.

→ Tighten your core to stabilize the movement.

→ Make sure to squeeze your shoulder blade and back muscles when the dumbbell is raised.

→ Make sure to keep your dumbbell arm close to your body.

→ When bending your elbow, make sure it is bending upwards towards the ceiling.

→ Exhale when raising the dumbbell, inhale on the way down. 

Targets:

→ Posterior deltoid

→ Rhomboid

→ Trapezius 

Back Exercise #3 Bent Over Reverse Flys

Needed:

→ 2 dumbbells

How to:

→ With your feet hip width apart, bend at the waist, keeping your back straight

→ Let your arms hang and look to the floor, keeping your neck neutral

→ With your dumbbells in your hands, keep your palms facing towards each other.

→ Raise your arms upward until they are in line with your shoulders.

→ Pause and squeeze your shoulder blades.

→ Lower your arms and repeat.

Tips:

→ Start with a lighter dumbbell and progress from there (they are harder than they seem).

→ Keep your core tight to help keep your back straight.

→ Make sure to keep your neck in line with your back and look to the floor.

→ Exhale while raising the dumbbells, inhale while bringing them back down.

Targets:

→ Posterior deltoids

Back Exercise #4 Good Mornings

Needed:

→ 2 dumbbells (optional)

How to:

→ Start with your feet hip width apart.

→ If you want to use dumbbells, grab 2 lighter ones and hold them on your shoulders, palms facing your head.

→ Bend at the waist, keeping your back straight (your torso can move backwards as you are doing this).

→ You can keep your head up but be mindful of your neck.

→ Stand back up straight.

→ Repeat.

Tips:

→ Bend at the waist until you are in line with your hips.

→ Think about your back muscles while performing them (mind muscle connection)

→ Exhale while bending at the waist, inhale coming back up.

Targets:

→ Erector spinae

→ Lower back muscles

→ Hamstrings

→ Glutes

How many sets and repetitions should I do?

Start with 2 sets of 12 repetitions.

You can always add from there.

However, before adding reps, try it with heavier dumbbells.

12 repetitions are the perfect number for building muscle, while keeping the muscle built lean. 

Do these exercises help with lower back and side fat?

Yes. 

These exercises absolutely help with lower back and side fat.

Most people (including me at one time) think that they have to do lower back exercises specifically to lose lower back fat.

However, strengthening our upper back muscles and latissimus dorsi raises our back muscles and gets rid of our side fat. 

Conclusion

Try this back workout using only dumbbells and see how they strengthen your back muscles. 

These are the perfect at home back exercises that you can easily do in any room of your house. 

Dumbbells and a couch/bed/bench is all you need for a good back workout. 

Email [email protected] and let us know how these worked for you!