5 Effective Arm and Back Workouts For Building Muscle

If you're looking to build a toned and strong upper body, here are some of the best arm and back workouts that can speed up your fitness journey.

Well-developed lats, rhomboids, spinal erectors, lower back, and trapezius will make the back appear bigger and also contribute to the elusive 'V-taper'. Meanwhile, toned biceps, brachialis, triceps, and forearm muscles can make you appear leaner and more athletic.

Training the back via various pulling movements is essential for proper posture, shoulder health, and upper body strength. Typically, the back and biceps are trained together, as most back exercises automatically involve the biceps. However, if you're short on time, take a look at a few best arm and back workouts to build strength and size:

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Top Arm and Back Workouts For Building Muscle

Here's a look at five such workouts:

1) Seated Cable Row

Seated Cable Rows (Image via Instagram/grandslamfitness)

Including this exercise in your arm and back workouts can help target the lats, rhomboids, trapezius, rear delts, and biceps effectively. It's also a great exercise to improve posture and shoulder health.

Instructions:

• Take a seat on the row machine, and grab the handle with outstretched arms. Maintain a neutral back and slightly flexed knees. Keep your chest up and core braced.
• Keep your elbows close to the body, and pull the handle towards your abdomen while squeezing the shoulder blades together.
• Return back to the starting position. Repeat.

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2) Chin-up/Pull-up

Follow these rep ranges for optimal benefits (Image via Instagram/newqualitygroup)

Arm and back workouts should mandatorily include one of these exercises. While chin-ups put a bit more emphasis on the biceps, pull-ups involve the lats and brachialis a bit more.

Instructions:

• Grab on to a pull-up bar with an overhand grip (or underhand grip for chin-ups).
• Brace your abs, and engage your glutes for greater stability.
• Slowly lift your your chin over the bar using your upper back, lats, and arms.
• Lower yourself down slowly, and extend the arms fully before repeating.

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3) Yates Row

You simply cannot afford to miss out on this exercise while structuring your arm and back workouts. Named after legendary bodybuilder Dorian Yates, this exercise can help grow your upper back, lats, biceps, rhomboids, erector spinae, rear delts, and forearms. It even engages the delts and triceps to a certain extent.

Instructions:

• Hold a barbell slightly wider than shoulder-width using a double underhand grip.
• Keep your feet hip-width apart while bending the knees slightly.
• Bend forward at the waist while keeping your back flat and chest up.
• Pull the barbell towards your stomach by retracting the shoulder blades. Keep the elbows close to your torso.
• Return to the starting position. Repeat.

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4) Lat Pulldown

Lat pulldown (Image via Pexels)

Lat pulldowns are an excellent exercise for both beginners and advanced trainees. Add this move to your list of arm and back workouts to target the rear delts, biceps, lats, rhomboids, and triceps in one go. Using a wider grip can help target the triceps more.

Instructions:

• Sit down on the lat pulldown machine with your knees supported underneath the knee pad.
• Lean back slightly, and squeeze your scapulae back and down.
• Using a double overhand grip, pull the bar down till it reaches your chest.
• Return to the starting position. Repeat.

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5) Hammer Curl

Hammer Curls (Image via Pexels)

The hammer curl targets both heads of the biceps, as well as the brachialis and brachioradialis located in the forearm.

Add it to your arm and back workouts to develop the coveted bicep 'peak' and give the arms a more defined, thicker appearance.

Instructions:

• Stand upright with dumbbells by your side with outstretched arms.
• Using a neutral grip, bend your arms at the elbow joint, and curl the dumbbells upwards.
• Hold the contraction at the top for a second.
• Lower the dumbbell slowly to the starting position. Repeat.

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Bonus Tip: To put additional emphasis on the triceps, perform 3-5 sets of tricep overhead extensions and tricep pushdowns two to three times a week.

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Takeaway

Try out the aforementioned arm and back workout to kickstart hypertrophy and strength gain. Make sure you allow at least 48 hours of rest between each session to avoid injury and optimize muscle growth.