Top 15 Best Bodyweight Back Exercises + Bonus Workout!
Can you build a massive back without using any weights at all? Yes, you can! But you might need slightly more knowledge than the average gym member. With a little bit of creativity & the right exercises, you can create a workout that perfectly suits your level.
If building your back while working out at home sounds like fun, you should go through this list of bodyweight back exercises!
I've sorted the list by the three primary muscle groups around your back which are:
In each category, the exercises are sorted by the difficulty to make it even easier for you to figure out which ones to integrate into your workout.
Finally, you will find three different bodyweight back workouts from beginner to advanced and options on how to adjust them to make them suit you!
So let's get into the exercises.
List Of Bodyweight Back Exercises
Exercises For Upper Back
Thumbs Up
Lay straight on your belly, then raise both arms straight to either side. Now lift your chest off the ground and make two fists with your thumbs pointing up towards the ceiling/sky. Hold this position for 2-3 seconds and then go back to the starting position.
Hanging Shoulder Shrugs
Start in a dead-hang, and then contract your scapula, without bending your arms at all. Lower your body down slowly again and repeat the exercise, while focusing on having your legs in front of you.
Elbow Raise
Take two chairs/benches next to each other and lay on your back in between them. Now place each arm on one bench while your triceps is laying on the bench. Your forearms shouldn't touch the bench/chair.
Push yourself up to your elbows without using your legs at all, and hold the position for 1-2 seconds before slowly going back into the starting position.
If the exercise is too difficult, you can do it on the floor instead to make it less challenging for your upper back muscles. I highly recommend you to try out the elobw raise since it is probably one of the most underated bodyweight back exercises!
Reverse Snow Angels
Start lying on your stomach with your arms next to your body. Take two small weights (e.g. 1l bottle) in each hand and lift your chest off the ground.
Now move your arms in a circular shape until your shoulders are right next to your ears without letting your arms/the weights touch the floor. Slowly move back while keeping your chest above the ground.
Typewriter Pull-up
One of the most challenging but also fun exercises for your upper back are typewriter pull-ups. Start by performing a wide grip pull-up but stop the motion at the highest point, while your chin should easily be above the bar.
Now start moving from side to side, without lowering your body down. The movement will work a lot on your upper back & also your lats. Remember to go as far to one side as possible, until the opposite arm is entirely straight.
Bodyweight Lat Exercises
Pull Forwards
This is probably the best alternative if you do not have access to a pull-up bar or a low bar. Start by laying on a wood floor or any other type of floor that is slippery. Remember to wear a shirt, since you start by laying on the floor. Then move your arms all the way in front of yourself and pull yourself forward as far as you can.
Keep your elbows close to your upper body while performing the exercise, to avoid unnecessary strain on your arms. Once you reached the point where you can't pull any further, you put your arms in front of yourself once again and perform the same motion again.
Australian Pull-up
For Australian Pull-ups, also known as bodyweight rows, you are going to need a bar between hip & knee height. If you don't have access to such a bar, you can still take two high chairs and put a broomstick on top.
Lay on your back, with your chest right below the bar and grip the bar with a slightly wider grip than shoulder width. Pull yourself up until your chest touches and then slowly lower yourself down, while keeping your legs straight throughout the entire range of motion.
If your chest doesn't touch the exercise is probably too hard, but fortunately, you can make it less challenging by keeping your knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
Skin The Cat
A less common exercise for your lats and also progression for advanced elements within callisthenics such as the front & back lever is "Skin The Cat".
Begin in a dead hang, then lift your knees up to your chest. Start to rotate your entire body without bending your arms at all. The entire motion is going to be performed by your lats & scapula.
Keep moving even after you're upside down until you pretty much did a "backflip" (visualization).
In case the exercise is too easy, you can try to bring your legs further out and perform the exercise in rings so that there is no bar limiting the motion.
Chin-ups
Although often seen as a biceps exercise, chin-ups are quite useful as a lat exercise. Begin standing underneath a bar and grip it with your palms facing towards you.
Then pull yourself up as fast as you can, and hold the top position for 1sec, before lowering yourself down while straightening your arms.
Keep your legs in front of your body to make the exercise more difficult and also visually appealing.
Wide Grip Pull-up
Another excellent exercise for your lats are Wide-Grip Pull-ups; while there is one modification that has the potential to turn the exercise into one of the best lat exercises.
Instead of pulling up regularly try to slightly lean backwards during the pull-up so that your chest touches the bar from the bottom of the bar.
Think of contracting your scapula to slightly make your upper body rotate to get into this pulling position.
Try to hold the pull-up at the top of the motion to get even more out of the exercise and then slowly lower yourself down.
Getting this shape properly takes quite a lot of strength which makes it definetly one of the more advanced exercises. But if regular wide-grip pull-ups are easy for you, I recommend you to try out this variation! Overall, the wide grip pull-up is one of the best lat exercises for advanced athletes!
Lower Back Bodyweight Exercises
Good Mornings
This is one of the healthiest bodyweight back exercises, if you want to train your lower back at a relatively low intensity without putting too much strain on your spine!
Start by standing upright with your knees just slightly bent, then lower your upper body down slowly until you are at a 90-degree angle.
Move up slowly again, while engaging your lower back without bending your legs more than 10 degrees.
Without control, the exercise is going to do nothing at all for your body, which is why you have to focus on moving in control while contracting your lower back!
Arch-ups
Another excellent exercise that doesn't require any equipment is the Arch-up, begin laying on your belly while putting your arms out in front. Try to squeeze your shoulders to your ears; then start lifting both your legs and your chest so that you balance only on your stomach.
Slowly lower yourself down and repeat the exercise for a couple more times.
Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift
The single-leg Romanian deadlift shares a lot of similarities with "Good Mornings" but with the primary difference that the exercise is done standing on only one leg.
Slightly bend your leg (no more than 20 degrees!), and lift your arms. Now lower your upper body down, while the leg that is off the ground stays in alignment with your upper body.
Once you've reached/gotten close to the ground, start going up again, while keeping control throughout the entire motion.
In case the exercise is too easy, you can try standing on an unstable surface such as a pillow/balancing board/half ball to add an element of balance.
Elevated Glute Bridge
If you're looking for a healthy & vital exercise for your hip flexors, lower back but also glutes & hamstrings you should try the elevated glute bridge.
Position your legs on top of a bench at knee-height and keep your arms on the floor, while putting most of your weight on your upper back.
Now start to press your hips up, until your upper body & quads are in a straight leg. To make the lower back do more of the work, you should focus on not pressing with your heels, but instead moving your hips by engaging your lower back. If done consistently this bodyweight back exercise will strengthen your entire posterior chain!
Back Extensions
Out of this list, the Back Extension is probably the best lower back exercise exercise to strengthen your lower back, but it has the downside that you need a partner, back extension machine or a lot of creativity.
Lock your feet in place, and lay on your thighs while your upper body is above the floor. Now slowly bent down as far as you can and move your upper body up by contracting your lower back.
In case you don't have a partner/back extension machine, you can lay a gymnastics ball with your feet next to a grippy wall (wear shoes!).
Bodyweight Back Workout
Do three sets with 10-12 repetitions of each bodyweight back exercises, before moving to the next one. Remember to rest for 1-2 minutes between each set & exercise.
Beginner (No Equipment)
- Reverse Snow Angels
- Pull-Forwards
- Good Mornings
- Lying Elbow Raise
Intermediate
- Hanging Shoulder Shrugs
- Australian Pull-ups
- Thumbs Up
- Back Extension
Advanced
- Typewriter Pull-ups
- Skin The Cat (5-6 repetitions)
- Wide-Grip Pull-ups
- Back Extensions (with a heavy backpack)
Feel free to change up the exercises a little bit if necessary but focus on including activities for all muscle groups! (upper back, lats & lower back)
If you're interested in training your biceps as well you have to read this.
Conclusion:
Training your back only with your body weight requires a bit more creativity & exercise knowledge. But even with weights, there are many misconceptions. I've often heard people saying that the deadlift alone is enough to train your lower back, although, in reality, it only targets your lower back a bit.
But if you integrate some of the exercises above in your workouts, you are going to see results & improved stability even in leg exercises!
If you have any doubts or questions, you should leave a comment below! Also, show this article to your friends if they might find it helpful!
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