It’s no secret that barbells tend to be a go-to for many fitness enthusiasts. But if you’re looking to take your strength training game to the next level, you may want to start incorporating dumbbells in your exercise routine. According to the American Council on Exercise, dumbbells promote muscle growth, improve coordination and can help you target and tone specific muscles. One of the muscle groups that many people struggle with is the back, and dumbbell workouts are one of the best if strengthening this area is your fitness goal. And the good news is even if you don’t have a ton of time, these workouts will get the job done in less than 15 minutes.
Best dumbbell back exercises
These trainer-approved back exercises can be done in 15 minutes or less.
Rotating shoulder press
“This exercise improves mobility of the hip and thoracic spine while increasing strength of the deep core and shoulder muscles,” says trainer Pete McCall CSCS. How to do it
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and knees slightly bent. Hold one dumbbell in each hand so they are directly in front of your shoulders. Keep your spine long as you rotate to your right. At the end of the rotation extend your right arm straight up while pressing your feet into the ground. (Creating force in opposite directions helps increase the stretch effect while also improving strength of the connective tissue.)Pull the right arm back down and rotate to your left before extending your left arm overhead. Move slowly as you rotate from side to side. Perform 6 to 8 repetitions with each arm. Rest for 45 to 60 seconds after each set. Complete 2 sets. As your mobility and strength improve, add 2 reps (1 to each side) until you can perform 10 reps to each side without stopping.
Correct form: Keep your spine long and straight to allow for optimal motion as you rotate. Do not allow your spine to bend or slouch. Pressing your feet into the ground increases stability, which helps improve mobility and motion in the thoracic spine.
Sword draw
“This exercise stretches the muscles in the front of the chest and shoulder while increasing the strength of the upper back and shoulder muscles that can help promote good posture,” McCall explains. How to do it:
Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Hold one dumbbell in your right hand so that your right arm is straight and your right palm is resting in front of your left thigh. Press both feet into the ground to increase stability. Maintain a level pelvis and a long, tall spine as you raise your right arm across your body and out to your right side so that the weight ends up at or a little lower than shoulder height. Your right hand should move across the front of your body like you are drawing a sword from your left hip. Perform 6 to 8 repetitions with the right arm, then switch arms. Rest for 30 to 45 seconds between sets and complete 2 sets. Once you can easily perform 8 reps, add 1 rep per week until you can complete 20 reps on each side.
Correct form: Keep the weight at or below shoulder height. Keep the spine long and straight to improve ROM of the shoulder joint and avoid possible injury.
Pullover to crunch
“This exercise uses the large muscles of the upper back and abdominals along the front of the body to develop coordinated strength through both muscle groups,” says McCall. How to do it:
Lie on the ground flat on your back with your feet on the floor and knees pointed to the ceiling. Extend your arms straight up while holding one dumbbell in each hand so that your palms are facing each other. Keep your feet pressed into the floor and your elbows fully extended as you slowly lower your arms to the floor. Pause for 1 to 2 seconds, then pull both arms back to the starting position. When the weights are directly over your chest, draw your belly button into your spine as you shift your rib cage toward your pelvis and lift your back off the ground to perform a curl. Slowly lower your back down to the floor and continue to the next repetition. Perform 6 to 8 reps. As you get stronger, add 2 reps per week until you can do 18 to 20 reps.
Correct form: When performing the crunch, keep your chin tucked into your neck and focus on moving from your rib cage. Keep your elbows straight throughout the entire movement to make sure you are using your back muscles instead of your upper arms. Alternating arm bent-over row “Holding the position of the bent-over row uses the deep muscles that stabilize the spine,” says McCall. “Alternating from one arm to the other during the rowing movement challenges the muscles to work harder to maintain stability in the spine.” How to do it:
Hold one dumbbell in each hand so that your arms are hanging along your side with your palms facing in toward your body. Stand with your feet approximately hip-width apart and with a slight bend in your knees. Hinge at your hips by pushing your tailbone back and keeping a straight spine. Try to lower your trunk as low as possible, but stop before your spine starts to bend. At the lowest position, allow both hands to hang toward the floor until the elbows are fully extended. Keep your spine long, chest lifted up and your palms facing each other as you pull the right hand back toward your body. As your right hand is moving, allow your left hand to hang toward the floor, as your right arm returns to the starting position, rotate to your left as you pull back with the left elbow—there should be constantly moving from right-to-left arms. Perform 5 to 6 reps with each arm for a total of 10 to 12 repetitions. As you get stronger, add 2 reps per week until you can do 18 to 20 repetitions with both arms (9 to 10 each arm).
Correct form: To increase stability in your spine, press your feet into the floor while squeezing your hip and thigh muscles. Once you can maintain a totally straight spine during all reps, allow your shoulders and trunk to rotate each time you pull back an arm; for example, as you pull back with your right arm, rotate your trunk by pulling back on the right shoulder and turning your chest to the right side. Grip the dumbbell with your hand but focus on pulling the weight back from your elbow—this will use more of your upper-back muscles.
Rotating rows
“The large oblique muscles, both internal and external, help to rotate the trunk and spine during upright movements, while the large latissimus dorsi muscles of the upper back help pull the arms back during rows,” McCall explains. “Using these muscles together during an exercise increases overall energy expenditure.” How to do it:
Stand with your feet approximately hip- to shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent. Hold one dumbbell in each hand so that your arms are hanging along the side of your body with your palms facing in. Hinge at your hips by pushing your tailbone back and keeping a straight spine with a slight bend in your knees. Lower both hands toward the floor until your elbows are fully extended. Keep your spine ling with your chest lifted up, palms facing each other, and feet planted firmly into the floor as you pull the dumbbells back toward your belly button. Alternate between the right and left arm. As you pull the right arm back, allow your trunk to rotate slightly to your right. Let your trunk return to neutral as you return your right arm to the starting position. As you pull your left arm back, allow your trunk to rotate to your left.
Correct form: the thoracic spine (the upper part of your back) allows for rotation. To ensure proper rotational movements, keep your chest lifted and spine long as you do this exercise. As you pull with each arm, turn your shoulders and chest toward the side of the arm you are pulling with so that you are flowing from left to right during this exercise. Hold on to the dumbbells with your hands, but when pulling the weights back during the rows, think about pulling from your elbows. The latissimus dorsi muscles attach to your upper arms; focusing on them during this exercise can help increase their activation.
Dead stop row
“Adding a dead-stop to your dumbbell row cleans up a lot of technique faults, due in part because it forces you to slow down and gather yourself between each rep and may also force you to drop the weight slightly,” says Brett Durney, co-founder, personal trainer and running coach at Fitness Lab. How to do it:
Set up like you would for a regular, bench-supported single-arm row. Maintaining a neutral spine position throughout (your body should make a straight line from the head through the lumbar spine) begin the movement with the dumbbell resting on the floor. Squeeze the handle as hard as you can and row the weight up in a sawing motion- that means bringing your elbow up and back towards the hip, not just up and down. Imagine you’re pulling through your elbow as though a chain is attached from it to the ceiling. To complete the rep, return the dumbbell to the floor, coming to a complete stop. Pause for a second or two, and repeat for the desired number or reps.
For those with shorter arms, you can elevate the weight using a block or aerobics step.
Chest-supported rows
“Leaning into the bench gives you feedback in terms of your body position, making you much more aware of how you’re performing the movement,” Durney explains. “Furthermore, using the bench as a support takes your core out of the equation as a limiting factor and may help prevent lower back stress.” How to do it:
Position a bench on a slight incline (your best bet will be one up from the flat position on most benches). Lean into the bench, walking your feet up until the top of the bench lines up with the top of your chest. With a dumbbell in each hand, row your elbows up and back, in a sawing motion as explained above. Make sure you’re coming into a full extension at the bottom to ensure you’re training through a full range of motion. You want the elbows to come just past the ribs, don’t be tempted to row too high, otherwise you may end up rotating the shoulder forward, putting you in a posture we’d typically try to avoid.
Gittleson shrug
“Tightness in the upper traps is a common complaint, particularly among office workers. While stretching may provide some temporary relief, targeted resistance training offers a more long-term solution,” says Durney. “The Gittleson Shrug (so named for its inventor, noted strength coach Mike Gittleson) forces the trap to move through a greater range of motion than a typical shrug.” How to do it:
Sit on a bench, maintain an upright posture throughout, and grab the bottom of the bench just behind your hip. Allow your loaded side to dropdown. This puts an eccentric load on your loaded upper trap and also causes your unloaded upper trap to contract isometrically. Under control, shrug your loaded shoulder upwards and then return to the starting position.
The bridge
From Annalicia Niemela, founder of Exercise180, pilates instructor and holistic health coach How to do it:
Lie on your back with your knees bent, your head down, and your feet planted on the ground. Place a yoga block between your knees. With dumbbells in hand, extend your arms above your chest. On an inhale, prepare for movement. On an exhale, slowly lift your hips, peeling one vertebra at a time off the ground. Hold at the top and exhale every last bit of air out of your lungs. On your inhale, slowly bring your hips down, imprinting one vertebra at a time back into the ground. Continue moving with your breath, lifting your hips on each exhale and returning your hips back to the ground on each inhale. Be sure to keep your face relaxed your belly button pulling towards your spine as you move.
Dumbbell back and shoulder workout
This is the top workout recommended by Emily Skye, personal trainer and founder of the Emily Skye FIT program Dumbbell deadlift to bent over row Half kneeling dumbbell press (left) Half kneeling dumbbell press (right) Renegade row Triple crush Dumbbell bent-over bicep curl Dumbbell bent-over back fly
Round 1
Complete each exercise for 0:40 seconds and take 0:20 seconds rest in between exercises. Take 1 minute rest at the end of the round. How to do it:
Dumbbell deadlift to bent over row Half kneeling dumbbell press (left)Half kneeling dumbbell press (right)Renegade rowTriple CrushDumbbell bent-over bicep curlDumbbell bent-over back flyLateral raise to front raise
Round 2
Complete each exercise for 0:30 seconds and take 0:15 seconds rest in between exercises. Take 0:40 seconds rest at the end of the round. How to do it:
Dumbbell deadlift to bent over row Half kneeling dumbbell press (left)Half kneeling dumbbell press (right)Renegade rowTriple CrushDumbbell bent-over bicep curlDumbbell bent-over back flyLateral raise to front raise
Round 3
Complete each exercise for 0:20 seconds and take 0:10 seconds rest in between exercises. How to do it:
Dumbbell deadlift to bent over row Half kneeling dumbbell press (left)Half kneeling dumbbell press (right)Renegade rowTriple CrushDumbbell bent-over bicep curlDumbbell bent-over back flyLateral raise to front raise
Next, read about the 8 Best Workouts to Do If You Struggle With Back Pain
Sources
Pete McCall CSCSBrett Durney, co-founder, personal trainer and running coach at Fitness LabAnnalicia Niemela, founder of Exercise180, pilates instructor and holistic health coachEmily Skye, personal trainer and founder of the Emily Skye FIT program
