These four back exercises give you a simple gym routine for a stronger back: the seated row machine, single-arm dumbbell row, incline bench reverse fly and kettlebell gorilla row. Do 4 sets of 12 reps of each and rest 60 to 90 seconds between sets.
Below you’ll find how to do each move, which muscles it works, and an honest answer to a common question: will back exercises fix your posture?
Why Your Back Needs Its Own Training Time
Back day often gets less attention than chest or arms, partly because you can’t see your back in the mirror. Yet your back muscles do a lot of work.
They pull your arms toward your body, hold your shoulder blades in place, and help keep your spine steady when you lift. The NHS advises adults to do strengthening activities on at least two days a week that work all the major muscle groups, and the back is one of them.
The 4 Back Exercises in This Routine
Each exercise trains your back from a slightly different angle. Three are rows, where you pull a weight toward your torso. The fourth is a fly for your rear shoulders and upper back.
| Exercise | Main muscles | Sets and reps |
|---|---|---|
| Seated row machine | Lats, rhomboids, middle traps | 4 x 12 |
| Single-arm dumbbell row | Lats, rhomboids, biceps | 4 x 12 per arm |
| Incline bench reverse fly | Rear delts, middle traps, rhomboids | 4 x 12 |
| Kettlebell gorilla row | Lats, mid-back, core | 4 x 12 per arm |
Quick terms: the lats (latissimus dorsi) are the large muscles along the sides of your back. The rhomboids and middle traps sit between your shoulder blades. The rear delts are the back of your shoulders.
1. Seated Row Machine
4 sets of 12 reps. Sit tall with your chest lifted and your feet planted. Pull the handles toward your lower ribs, leading with your elbows.
Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the end of each rep. Then let the handles travel forward under control. If your gym has a plate-loaded machine instead, the Hammer Strength seated low row demo shows a similar pull.
2. Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
4 sets of 12 reps per arm. Place one knee and the same-side hand on a bench. Hinge forward until your back is flat, with a dumbbell in your free hand.
Row the dumbbell toward your hip, then lower it with control. Keep your hips and shoulders square to the floor. If your torso twists to lift the weight, it is too heavy.
For more cues, see the dumbbell single arm row exercise page.
3. Incline Bench Reverse Fly
4 sets of 12 reps. Lie chest-down on an incline bench with a light dumbbell in each hand. Let your arms hang below you with a slight bend in the elbows.
Raise the dumbbells out wide, like wings, and squeeze your rear delts at the top. Lower them slowly.
Try holding the dumbbells with your palms facing each other. In one study of trained men, this neutral grip produced more rear delt activity than a palms-down grip during a reverse fly-style exercise.
4. Kettlebell Gorilla Row
4 sets of 12 reps per arm. Stand with your feet wide and two kettlebells on the floor between them. Sit your hips back into a low hinge with a flat back.
Row one kettlebell to your waist while the other stays on the floor, then switch sides. This move is about control, so avoid jerking the weight up.
Rowing one side at a time also asks your trunk to resist twisting. A study of different rowing exercises found this was the main challenge of a one-arm cable row. Watch the kettlebell gorilla row demo for the setup.
Rest Between Sets
Rest 60 to 90 seconds between sets so you can recover and keep good form. A 2024 meta-analysis on rest periods found a small muscle-growth benefit from resting longer than 60 seconds. It found no clear extra benefit beyond 90 seconds.
Will Back Exercises Fix Your Posture?
Back exercises make your back muscles stronger. That helps you hold steady positions when you lift and carry things. But we can’t promise that four exercises will change how you stand or sit.
Posture is also less tied to pain than many people think. A review of 41 systematic reviews found no consensus that spine posture causes low back pain. So train your back to build strength, and don’t treat posture as the main goal.
If you have back or neck pain, check with a doctor or physiotherapist before you start a new routine.
How to Progress This Back Workout
Choose a weight that makes the last two or three reps of each set hard while your form stays clean. Once you can complete all 4 sets of 12 that way, add a little weight next time.
This is progressive overload: asking your muscles to do a bit more over time. Our beginner guide to progressive overload explains the main ways to do it.
More Back Workouts From 12REPS
- The 12REPS back workout: a full session with warm-up sets, five lifts and a cool-down.
- Dumbbell back workout: four moves if you only have dumbbells and a bench.
- Best back workout at the gym: five exercises using barbells, cables and machines.
- Pull day workout and pull day exercises to grow your back: for a push/pull/legs split.
Want each session set out for you? The 12REPS app builds your plan around your goal, your equipment and your time, with a trainer demo for every exercise. It also remembers what you lifted, so you always have a number to beat.
Sources
- Physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64. NHS. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/physical-activity-guidelines-for-adults-aged-19-to-64/
- Schoenfeld B, et al. Effect of hand position on EMG activity of the posterior shoulder musculature during a horizontal abduction exercise. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2013. https://scholars.nova.edu/en/publications/effect-of-hand-position-on-emg-activity-of-the-posterior-shoulder/
- Fenwick CMJ, Brown SHM, McGill SM. Comparison of different rowing exercises: trunk muscle activation and lumbar spine motion, load, and stiffness. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2009. https://lida.sport-iat.de/ta/Record/4025850?lng=en
- Singer A, et al. Give it a rest: a systematic review with Bayesian meta-analysis on the effect of inter-set rest interval duration on muscle hypertrophy. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 2024. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sports-and-active-living/articles/10.3389/fspor.2024.1429789/text
- Swain CTV, et al. No consensus on causality of spine postures or physical exposure and low back pain: A systematic review of systematic reviews. Journal of Biomechanics, 2020. https://research.monash.edu/en/publications/no-consensus-on-causality-of-spine-postures-or-physical-exposure-/
