Non-Traditional Exercises For Back

3 Min Read

Back day is among peoples favorite day at the gym. Being such a large muscle group there’s so many different exercises you could incorporate into your routine. Here’s some exercises that you may not have seen before but will allow you to switch things up next time you’re in the gym.

Landmine Row

The landmine row is an easy adjustable exercise that has many benefits. For one it takes a lot of the spinal and joint impact away from a normal barbell row. You can also attach multiple types of handles, as well as do single or double arm rows…a great exercise for building your lats and upper back. If you struggle to connect with one arm dumbbell rows, try this version instead.

Forward Leaning Row

The seated row is one of the best exercises for developing a solid upper back, as well as provide a smooth contraction on each of your reps due to the exercise being on a cable. While you would normally sit quite upright to target your mid-back, traps, rhomboids etc…by slightly leaning forward on this exercise you can suddenly turn it into a fantastic lat exercise too. So if you’re looking for a change up and not a fan of pull ups/lat pulldown etc. give this one a try.

Kneeling W-Pull

The main benefit of this exercise is that it’s a great exercise for those who don’t have the strength to do pull ups yet. Pulldowns with a long bar are pretty limiting as you can only pull down so far and your head can often be in the way. By taking out the bar factor and using single handles allows the weight to travel from your sides allowing for an intense, full-range of motion squeeze not always felt with traditional pulldowns. You can even do these single armed to assess any imbalances in your lats.

Lying Cable Upright Row

While the traps allow shoulder movement and attach to the scapula, they are considered part of the back. This variation of the upright row will really isolate the movement for you and you’ll definitely feel it in your traps and shoulders. This can be done on the floor or a bench, just adjust the height of the cable system accordingly. Focus on keeping your elbows higher than your forearms, which is why the rope would be the best choice here (although you can do it with a bar too).

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