If you’re skipping back day, you’re leaving strength and injury prevention on the table. Back training isn’t just about looking good from behind. A strong back helps enhance and maintain good posture, improves lifting power, supports your spine, and reduces the risk of pain or injury from everyday movements.
Whether you’re pulling a barbell off the floor or sitting at a desk for hours, your back needs to be strong and functional. With the 12REPS app, you can follow a structured, progressive plan that removes all the guesswork and ensures you hit every angle of your back muscles with purpose.
Why Back Training Matters
Your back is a complex group of muscles working together to stabilise your body, support your spine, and control movement. Think traps, lats, rhomboids, spinal erectors, and more.
When these muscles are weak or neglected:
- Your shoulders round forward
- You slouch more often
- Your neck takes extra strain
- Your risk of injury increases, especially during pushing or lifting movements.
But when they’re strong?
You stand taller.
You lift more safely.
You move better.
What Makes This Workout Effective
This isn’t a random list of back exercises. It’s a sequence designed to hit all areas of your back—horizontal pulls, vertical pulls, rear delts, and deep stabilisers.
You can do it at any commercial gym, or your own garage setup if you’ve got the equipment. And every move is tracked and personalised inside the 12REPS app.
No spreadsheets. No guesswork. Just open the app and follow your plan.
The Best Back Workout (Gym or Home Gym)
- Barbell Bent-Over Row – 5 sets of 10–12 reps
One of the best compound lifts for back thickness. Grip the bar just wider than shoulder-width, hinge at the hips, and row the bar towards your belly button. Keep your spine flat and core tight.
Why it works: Hits your lats, traps, and lower back all in one go.
2. Kneeling Cable Face Pull – 5 sets of 12–15 reps
Use the rope attachment on a cable machine. Set it at eye level, kneel down, and pull the rope towards your face with your elbows high. Squeeze the rear delts at the end of each rep.
Why it works: Great for posture. Strengthens rear delts and upper back muscles that keep your shoulders stable and prevent forward rounding.
3. Plate-Loaded Seated Row– 5 sets of 10–12 reps
Sit tall, brace your core, and pull the handles towards your torso. Control the eccentric (lowering) phase for better tension.
Why it works: Focuses on mid-back development and scapular retraction—vital for overall back balance.
4. Lat Pulldown– 5 sets of 10–12 reps
Use a wide grip and focus on pulling through the elbows. Control the bar up and down—don’t rush the reps.
Why it works: Targets the lats, helping you build width and a stronger V-shape.
5. Chin-Ups or Assisted Machine Chin-Ups – 4 sets of 4–5 reps (or 10–12 reps with assistance)
If you can’t do bodyweight chin-ups yet, use the assisted machine. Focus on full range and avoid swinging.
Why it works: Builds real-world pulling strength, engages lats and biceps, and rounds out your upper body.
Back Training = Long-Term Health
Most people train their chest more than their back. That’s a problem. Imbalances between push and pull movements lead to shoulder issues, poor posture, and reduced performance. This workout fixes that. It brings your body back into balance and gives your spine the support it needs, whether you’re an athlete, a desk worker, or somewhere in between.
And because the 12REPS app adapts to your level, you’re never stuck doing too little or too much. Just follow your session, log your numbers, and the app handles your progression from week to week.
Ready to Train Properly?
If you want a strong, functional back and a pain-free upper body, this is the place to start. No wasted time. No guesswork. Just focused training that works.
Build your personalised back plan, track every rep, and train with purpose—wherever you lift.
Your back will thank you for it.
