Extra back strength always helps your performance. Whether you’re an office worker or an elite athlete, a muscular back can stabilize your spine, improve your posture and fill out oversized shirts. You’ll be less prone to injury and perform better in all aspects of your life.

Here’s a specialized back workout to get you going in the right direction.

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Back Workout

Perform the grouped exercises in superset fashion.

A1. Band Pull-Apart on Foam Roller

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Sets/Reps: 3×20

The Band Pull-Apart is a staple in my clients’ programming. It’s a great warm-up for the upper back and is best used for higher rep sets.

A2. Cable Straight Arm Pulldown

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Sets/Reps: 3×10

This exercise primarily target the lats and rear deltoids, but it’s also good for the anterior core. Keep your ribcage locked down and pull the bar into your hips for every rep. This is a great way to encourage lat tension, which will help your technique during heavy Deadlifts to follow.

B1. Deficit Deadlift

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Sets/Reps: 4×4

Don’t get crazy with the height of the deficit. The width of a 45-pound plate (1-1.5 inches) is enough to reap the benefits of the movement. After a few good warm-up sets, your working sets should consist of 4 heavy sets of 4 reps. Remember, dead-start reps only! Think of each working set as 4 sets of one rep, rather than one continuous set of 4 reps. If you want to be seriously strong, touch-and-go Deadlifts are not optimal for your goals.

C1. Barbell Dead-Start Row

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Sets/Reps: 3×6-8

Don’t use momentum to row the bar to your rib cage. Avoid letting your elbows flare out to the sides.

C2. Rope Pull-Ups

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Sets/Reps: 3×8-12

These are great for grip strength and shoulder health. If you don’t have access to a thick rope, hollow-body Pull-Ups on a straight bar work just fine. Here’s a demonstration:

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Notice how I keep my legs angled out slightly in front. This keeps tension on the abs and increases the effectiveness of the exercise.

C3. Half-Kneeling Face-Pull

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Sets/Reps: 3×12-15

A very good upper-back supplementary exercise. Avoid leaning back excessively, and keep the glute squeezed in your rear leg.

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