- Barbell Deadlift
- Bent-Over Barbell Deadlift
- Wide-Grip Pull-Up
- Standing T-Bar Row
- Wide-Grip Seated Cable Row
Why it's on the list: This is technically more than a back exercise—it hits the entire posterior chain from your calves to your upper traps—but it's the absolute best for overall backside development. Technique is uber-important with the deadlift, but once you nail it, you can progress to lifting monster weights that will recruit maximum muscle, release muscle-building hormones, and help you get big. There are also numerous deadlift progression programs you can follow to help you reach new personal bests. Physiologists love to prescribe the deadlift when programming for strength and conditioning because the exercise hammers your musculature and is one of the best choices to strengthen your bone structure.
Stick with the conventional deadlift on back day; other variations, like the popular sumo-style, increase the activity of muscle groups other than the back.
In your workout: If you're going heavy (sets of fewer than about 6 reps), do deadlifts first so you're fresh. If you're doing deads for repetitions, you can do them later in your workout.
Why it's on the list: This is probably the second-best back movement in terms of sheer weight you can lift. EMG research has suggested that hitting bent-over barbell rows will work the larger muscle groups of the upper and lower back equally, making this a great overall back builder. Like the deadlift, this is another technical move that requires excellent form but rewards you with a ton of muscle.
In your workout: Do bent-over rows toward the start of your back workout for heavy sets in lower rep ranges, about 6-8 or 8-10. The Smith version is a suitable substitute; it locks you in the vertical plane, but your body has to be in just the right position relative to the bar. The bent-over barbell row has a significantly greater lumbar load than many other back exercises, so it's best done early in your workout in order to save your lower back. If you're wrecked from deadlifts, it may behoove you to skip this movement.
Why it's on the list: It's always a good idea to have an overhead pulling movement in your back routine, and the pull-up is one of the best. Wide-grip pull-ups are excellent for putting emphasis on the upper lats. A closer grip may allow for a longer range of motion, but it may be possible to load the wide-grip pull-up to a greater degree because of an optimized starting joint position. The biggest challenge here for most trainers is training to failure in the right rep range for growth, which is 8-12.
If you do pull-ups early in your workout, you might have to add a weighted belt. Of course, if you find them difficult, you can always use an assisted pull-up machine or a good spotter, or switch to the wide-grip pull-down, which is a solid substitute. If your shoulders are healthy, pulling behind the head is okay.
Good form is extremely important here. In the starting position, the scapula should be retracted—pull your shoulder blades down and toward each other—prior to initiating the pull.
In your workout: Because the pull-up range of motion is so long, several light reps make great warm-up moves for the shoulder joints. Since form is so important with these, it may be best to push pull-ups toward the front of your workout to ensure proper shoulder-joint positioning.
Why it's on the list: We selected the T-bar row over a chest-supported version because you can pile on much more weight here, even though that typically translates into a bit of cheating through the knees and hips. For some, maintaining a flat back can be challenging, in which case the supported version is a better choice.
These aren't squats, so keep your legs locked in a bent angle throughout. You also typically have a choice of hand positions and width. A wider grip will put more emphasis on the lats, while a neutral grip will better target the middle back (rhomboids, teres, and traps). This exercise is probably one of the easier rows to spot.
In your workout: Do this toward the front half of your workout. Rather than slinging weight around with this movement, really focus on the stretch and contraction of the back. If you're an experienced lifter, load up with 25s instead of the 45s, and further increase range of motion by allowing a slight protraction of the scapula at the bottom of every rep. If you do this, be sure to "reset" with a flat back before initiating the next pull!
Why it's on the list: Just about everyone defaults to the close-grip bar on rows. If that sounds like you, you'll find using a wide grip on a lat bar a nice change of pace because it shifts some of the emphasis to the upper lats. Wide rows mimic some back machines, so don't do both in your workout unless you make some other kinds of changes, like grip or target rep range. You might even try flipping your grip—and going about shoulder-width apart—which better targets the lower lats as the elbows stay tighter to your sides.
In your workout: Like machines, cables are best done toward the end of your workout. Choose a weight that enables you to complete no more than about 12 reps.
Best triceps exercises
- Skullcrusher
- Close-Grip Bench Press
- Weighted Parallel-Bar Dip
- Weighted Bench Dip
- Triceps Dip Machine
Why it's on the list: The guys who literally wrote the book on how to optimize training with EMG-based exercise selection point to this as the best overall triceps activation exercise.[1] While this move—also known as a French press or lying triceps extension—doesn't necessarily isolate the lateral or long heads more than other exercises, having the arm position perpendicular to your body combines the activity of the two heads to catapult this movement to the top of the list.
In your workout: Using an EZ-bar, small barbell, or dumbbell, do 3 sets for 8-12 reps as the first or second exercise in your routine. Make sure you have a spotter to help you get the weight into position and allow for a bit more safety when you're lowering the bar toward your face—there's a reason this exercise is called a skullcrusher!
Why it's on the list: If you've read any of our previous best-exercise articles, like those for chest and back, then you already know that we love compound (multijoint) exercises because they're the best for muscle growth. Even though the bench press is usually a chest exercise, you can effectively target smaller muscle groups like your triceps and build upper-body strength with this heavy multijoint movement.
Extending the elbows during those heavy barbell presses is an arm workout in itself. Powerlifters have been doing the close-grip bench press for ages, and they're known for having some mighty large guns. One of the first EMG studies on pressing angles and muscle activation discovered that a flat bench with a narrow grip activates the long head of the triceps to a greater extent than an inclined bench.
To really torch the back of your arms, use a close grip, but keep your hands around 8-10 inches apart. Going with a closer grip doesn't put any more stress on your elbow, but it does increase the strain on your wrists. Tuck your arms in to decrease the amount of stress on your pecs and shoulders while increasing the demand on your triceps.
In your workout: Place this movement first or second in your workout. Do 3-4 sets of 6-10 reps.
Why it's on the list: This is another multijoint triceps exercise, so it's near the top of the muscle-building list—especially weighted, which makes it more ideal for building mass. Attaching a belt around your waist with plates can increase the resistance so you fail within the target rep range of 8-12 ideal for muscle growth.
To focus on the triceps, keep your body as vertical as possible. Don't lean forward, which hits your chest instead of your arms, and keep those elbows tight to your sides. Think dips won't work for you? Take a look at any male gymnast; horseshoe triceps come standard issue with all those dips!
In your workout: While there's a pretty high degree of muscle recruitment with dips, it's often best to do them later in your workouts. Start your triceps workout with big weights and presses, then use dips in the middle to flush those arms with blood. Load up your dip belt and shoot for 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps.
Why it's on the list: Another dip? Yep. EMG evidence suggests that there's substantial triceps activation during a bench dip. How can we make this move even better? By bumping up the load with added weight! Any time we increase the mechanical load, metabolic stress, and mechanical stress to a muscle fiber, we can increase the recruitment of repair proteins normally present.
This multijoint movement is similar to the machine dip, but it requires a partner to place weights across your thighs and position two flat benches the right distance apart. Dropsets are easy to do: just remove a plate to extend your set.
In your workout: Put this in the middle or at the end of your workout. If you are feeling super fatigued, this may not be the best exercise, since your shoulders could end up in a compromised position by rounding forward. Shoot for 3 sets of 8-12 reps.
Why it's on the list: This compound exercise makes it especially easy to find a weight that targets your desired goal. For example, if you're strength training, simply move the pin to a heavier load than if you're training for hypertrophy (8-12 reps). You'll likely need to strap yourself in, but this move also makes it easy to do forced reps (with a partner), dropsets, or even rest-pause sets to boost your intensity.
In your workout: Do this early or in the middle of your workout for 3-4 sets of 6-10 reps. You can also finish your upper-arm workout with this movement to flush the triceps muscles with high reps. Most trainees mess up here by failing to go to full triceps extension and stopping short of fully bending their elbows, so keep full range of motion in mind.
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