5 Dumbbell Back Exercises for Improved Posture

If you want to build balanced strength in your body, try adding some dumbbell back exercises to your routine. Many people tend to neglect their back when they strength train, as they don’t see them in the mirror, but weak back muscles can lead to aches and pains all over the body.

Back muscles are important for exercises you perform with the upper and lower body. You can build back strength with a variety of moves, including dumbbell moves for the upper back and lower back.

In this article, we will focus on dumbbell back exercises, including both upper back and lower back workouts with dumbbells.

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Best Dumbbell Back Exercises to Improve Posture

Here are five simple dumbbell back exercises you can add in your daily workout routine:

1) Bent Over Row

This dumbbell back exercises ia a staple workout for the lats, rhomboids, and biceps. It’s also a great option if you’re short on time and want to get in your pulling work in a push-pull routine —say, in a chest and back workout.

How to do it?

• Bend at your hips, squatting till your butt is back, and your weight is on your heels.
• Engage your core muscles; lift one dumbbell towards your chest; keep your elbows close to your body, and squeeze for two seconds at the top of the movement.
• Slowly lower the weight towards the floor by extending your arms.
• Repeat for reps before switching sides.

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2) Single-Arm Row

This is a great dumbbell back exercise for the upper body, particularly the lats and rhomboids. The core has to work hard to keep you stable during this workout.

How to do it?

• Stand with a dumbbell in your hand.
• Bend forward till your torso is angled at 45 degrees with the floor. Lift the dumbbell straight up till it reaches shoulder height.
• Let the arm drop back down slowly till it's hanging at your side again.
• Repeat for the desired number of repetitions on both sides.

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3) Bench-Supported Single Arm Row

This move is great for the lats, rhomboids, and biceps. It also helps you work on improving your balance, as you have to maintain control of the weight while using only one hand.

How to do it?

• Hold a dumbbell in one hand.
• Put your other hand on a bench in front of you, and let the weight hang at arm's length.
• Keeping your elbow tucked against your side, pull the weight to the side of your body, rotating your palm inward as you row.
• Return to the starting position.

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4) Renegade Row

It's an excellent dumbbell back exercise that forces the muscles of the core to work hard throughout the full range of motion in different ways. Renegade rows also help improve posture and balance, which is especially useful as we age.

How to do it?

• Keep your hips level, back straight, and butt tight.
• Spread your feet shoulder-width apart, and push yourself up.
• Lower yourself slowly till your chest nearly touches the floor, and push yourself back up.
• Hold the dumbbells at your side with straight arms, and row one towards your hip while pushing both dumbbells into the floor.

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5) Reverse Fly

This back dumbbell exercise focuses on the small muscle in the back of the shoulder. The rear deltoid is an important part of posture and injury prevention.

How to do the exercise?

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, and arms hanging straight down from your shoulders.
• Lift both arms out to the sides without locking your elbows, and squeeze your shoulder blades together till you feel a slight burn.
• Lower back to the starting position to complete one rep.

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Takeaway

By increasing upper back strength, you will improve your posture, decrease neck and shoulder pain, and alleviate back pain.

Having the right posture makes you look more attractive too. By keeping these muscles strong with dumbbell back exercises, you can prevent unnecessary stress on the spine, which can lead to damage, pain, and injury.

Dumbbells are all you need to work your back — they're the perfect piece of kit to incorporate in your back workout. Whether you want to exercise your upper back, lower back, or both at the same time, there's something for everyone.