7 Best Gym Exercises for Women to Get a Stronger Back

Back exercises are often ignored in the gym as women focus more on their lower body muscles, i.e., abdomen, glutes, and legs. However, back workouts are as important as any other muscle exercise and have many benefits.

Regular back exercises help improve your posture, relieve lower back pain, enhance core strength, increase muscle mass and bone density, and provide an enhanced range of mobility to prevent back pain and injuries.

As one of the largest and most important body parts, your back is responsible for almost everything. From connecting your shoulders and hips to offering you good posture and flexibility, it can make every task easier. So, for all these reasons, it is crucial to add back exercises to your workout routine and keep it strong and well-built.

We’ve compiled a list of some of the most effective gym exercises every woman can do to achieve stronger and more defined back muscles.

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The 7 Best Back Exercises for Women

1. Renegade rows

Renegade rows are a productive full-body exercise that targets the back muscles and strengthens your core.

To do this exercise:

• Take a plank position with dumbbells under your shoulders. Your feet should be at a hip distance or wider if it feels comfortable.
• Engage your core while you lift the left dumbbells off the ground and raise your elbows upwards.
• Pause and return your arms to the starting position.
• Switch sides and repeat.

2. Bent over row

Bent over row is an incredible workout that mainly targets your rhomboids and lats while strengthening your core, forearms, shoulders, and lower body all at once.

To do this exercise:

• Stand with your feet at a hip distance and hold a dumbbell in each hand.
• Shift your body weight to the heels of your feet and bend forward from your hips to allow the dumbbells to slide down your thigh muscles. Continue until the dumbbell reaches your knees.
• Keep your spine lengthened and core tight as you drive your elbows up and squeeze at the top position.
• Slowly lower the dumbbell to its initial position.

3. Lat pulldown:

Lat pulldowns are a back builder exercise that is great for building your lats and enhancing upper body strength.

To do this exercise:

• Sit straight facing a lat pulldown machine. Keep your hands at a shoulder distance on the bar above your head. Use an overhand grip.
• Tighten your core, engage your lats and pull down the bar towards your chest.
• As you do this, keep your elbows down.
• Pause for a few breaths and slowly release the bar to its starting position.

4. Seated cable row:

Seated cable rows are a great way to improve your upper body strength while also targeting all the muscles in your back.

To do this exercise:

• Sit straight on the seat of the seated cable row machine with your knees bent and feet on the footrest at a hip-width distance.
• Hold the attached V-bar with your arms straightened and your palms facing each other.
• Keeping your core engaged, drive your elbows towards your hips and pull the bar gently towards your body below your belly button.
• Hold for a few seconds, and then ease back your arms to the initial position.

5. Single-arm row:

The single-arm row is an excellent exercise that helps enhance upper back strength and corrects any possible muscular asymmetries.

To do this exercise:

• Stand straight next to a bench.
• Put your right hand and knee on the bench and place your left foot on the floor.
• Use your left hand to reach down and grab a dumbbell.
• Make sure to keep your back straight and your head neutral.
• Now row the weight to your left side until your elbow crosses your torso.
• Switch side and repeat.

6. Arnold press:

Arnold press adds extra rotation and targets all angles of your deltoid muscles. This exercise also helps stabilize almost all of your back muscles.

To do this exercise:

• Standing with your feet at a hip distance, hold dumbbells in each hand at your shoulder height with your elbows bent and palms towards each other.
• Bring your elbows wide out to your sides and rotate your hands so that your palms face forward.
• Press the weights overhead until your biceps reach your ears, and your arms are straight.
• Pause for a few breaths, then reverse the move to return to the original position.

7. Deadlift:

The deadlift is an effective compound exercise that adds muscle and strength to your entire back, hamstring, and hips.

To do this exercise:

• With your feet at hip-width distance and knees slightly bent, hold dumbbells in each hand in front of your thighs. Keep your palms facing your body.
• Press your hips back and then bend at your waist to lower the dumbbells towards the ground.
• Engage your glutes and return to the starting position.
• You can also use a barbell instead of dumbbells to perform the deadlift.

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Takeaway

These exercises target almost all the major muscles in your back, including the traps, lats, rotator cuffs, and entire muscles along your spine.

As you progress, you can challenge yourself by adding resistance and more weight to these exercises. However, be careful and stop if you ever feel pain or discomfort during any movement.