The library

Back Exercises

Seventy-seven movements, each tagged to one back zone, the muscles it loads, and the kit it needs. Pick by what your scan says is lagging, not by what is popular.

· Written by the BackMaxx team

The short answer

The BackMaxx back exercise library holds 77 movements: 21 leading Lat Width, 21 leading Lower Back, 19 Upper Back, 8 Traps and 8 Rear Delts, plus 8 more that touch Symmetry as a secondary zone. Each one carries its equipment, difficulty, default sets, default reps and a single execution cue.

What is actually in the library

Seventy-seven movements, and every one of them carries the same eight fields: one primary zone, any secondary zones it also feeds, the muscles it loads, the equipment, whether it works at home or only in a gym, a difficulty, default sets and reps, and a single cue.

The mix leans loaded. Forty movements are weight-and-reps, 25 are bodyweight reps, nine are timed holds or stretches, two are machine-assisted, and one — the farmer carry — is scored by distance and time. Five of the 77 are stretches rather than working sets.

Nothing in here is a warmup filler entry. If a movement is on the list, at least one of the eight back muscles BackMaxx scores is tagged to it.

Which zone is behind? Start there

Zone is the first filter because it is the one your Back Score actually reports. Each movement leads exactly one zone.

ZoneWhat it changesMovements where it leads
Lat WidthThe V-taper. Width from the armpit down.21
Lower BackThe Christmas tree, and the base every heavy pull needs.21
Upper BackThickness and the 3D look from the side.19
TrapsThe frame around your neck and shoulders.8
Rear DeltsRounded shoulders from behind — the detail that pops.8
SymmetryLeft equals right. Balance reads as quality.0 lead, 8 touch it

Those counts are lopsided for a reason. Vertical pulling and hip hinging are deep categories with dozens of honest variants, so the Lat Width list runs to 21. There are only so many defensible ways to shrug or to fly, so Traps and Rear Delts stop at eight each. Symmetry has no list of its own: it is a left-versus-right comparison, carried as a secondary tag by eight unilateral and anti-rotation movements.

Filter by what you actually own

Equipment is the second filter, and it is the one that saves the most time. Eight equipment types have enough movements to browse on their own.

EquipmentMovements
Bodyweight20
Barbell12
Dumbbell10
Machine8
Cable8
Pull-up Bar6
Resistance Band6
Kettlebell4

Two towel movements and one doorway row also sit in the corpus. They are too small a set to browse, so they surface inside the zone and location lists instead.

Home or gym, decided per movement

Every movement is tagged for the places it honestly works. Seventy-four run in a gym, 46 run at home, and 43 run in both — so a home session is not a stripped-down version of the gym list, it is 46 real entries. Three movements are home-only, because a doorway or a towel is not gym kit. Thirty-one are gym-only, almost all of them cable, machine or heavy barbell work.

If you have nothing but floor space, the at-home list is where to start, and the 20 bodyweight movements are the subset that needs no anchor point at all.

Difficulty, and why most of it is beginner

Fifty of the 77 are tagged beginner, 17 intermediate, 10 advanced. That skew is deliberate. A back that scores low does not need an L-sit pull-up; it needs a chest-supported row it can do 30 clean reps of. The advanced tag is reserved for movements with a real entry requirement — weighted pull-ups, commando pull-ups, Pendlay rows off the floor.

What a movement page gives you

Each of the 77 pages carries its cue, its default sets and reps, the zone and muscle tags, and the equipment. Seventy-two of them also carry three line-art frames — start, mid-rep, finish — so you can see the range of motion instead of guessing from a still. Five movements reuse the frames of the variant they are built from: the banded straight-arm pulldown borrows the cable version’s, the kettlebell shrug borrows the dumbbell shrug’s. The art is adapted from Everkinetic under CC BY-SA 4.0, and the full credits are on the attribution page.

Choosing in about a minute

  1. Scan your back and read the six zone scores. The lowest one is your zone.
  2. Open that zone list and filter it by the equipment you have today.
  3. Take one movement where the zone leads, plus one where it appears as a secondary tag.
  4. Use the default sets and reps as written before you change anything.
  5. Re-scan in a week and check whether the zone moved.

If you would rather not assemble it yourself, the five focus blocks do steps two through four for you and fix the lead zone for three to six weeks.

Browse by what you are training

Lat Width (36) The V-taper. Width from the armpit down. Upper Back (55) Thickness and the 3D look from the side. Traps (21) The frame around your neck and shoulders. Lower Back (24) The Christmas tree, and the base every heavy pull needs. Symmetry (8) Left equals right. Balance reads as quality.

Browse by equipment

Bodyweight back exercises (20) No kit at all. Hangs, rows off a table, prone raises and holds. Barbell back exercises (12) The heavy end: rows, deadlifts, rack pulls and shrugs. Dumbbell back exercises (10) One arm at a time, and the widest movement range of any tool here. Machine back exercises (8) Fixed paths and fast load changes — the quickest way to add volume. Cable back exercises (8) Constant tension top to bottom. The best tool for the small muscles. Pull-up Bar back exercises (6) Vertical pulling, which is what lat width is actually built from. Resistance Band back exercises (6) Portable, and the only home tool that loads a pulldown. Kettlebell back exercises (4) Hinges, swings and single-arm rows from one implement.

Browse by where you train

At home (46) Bodyweight, bands, a towel and a doorway. No rack required. At the gym (74) Barbells, cables, machines and the pull-up bar. Beginner (50) Where to start if your back has never been trained directly. Advanced (10) Loaded, skill-heavy movements for a back that already has a base.

Can't do an exercise? Swap it

Pull-up alternatives 8 swaps by equipment and level. Lat Pulldown alternatives 7 swaps by equipment and level. Deadlift alternatives 8 swaps by equipment and level. Barbell Row alternatives 7 swaps by equipment and level. Seated Cable Row alternatives 7 swaps by equipment and level. Face Pull alternatives 8 swaps by equipment and level.

Alternatives for all 36 exercises →

26 head-to-head comparisons: pull-up vs chin-up, deadlift vs RDL and more →

All 77 back exercises

Active Hang illustration Active Hang Pull-up Bar · Lat Width · beginner Assisted Chin-up illustration Assisted Chin-up Machine · Lat Width · beginner Assisted Pull-up illustration Assisted Pull-up Machine · Lat Width · beginner Banded Lat Pulldown illustration Banded Lat Pulldown Resistance Band · Lat Width · beginner Child's Pose illustration Child’s Pose Bodyweight · Lat Width · beginner Chin-up illustration Chin-up Bodyweight · Lat Width · intermediate Close-Grip Lat Pulldown illustration Close-Grip Lat Pulldown Cable · Lat Width · beginner Commando Pull-up illustration Commando Pull-up Pull-up Bar · Lat Width · advanced Dead Hang illustration Dead Hang Pull-up Bar · Lat Width · beginner L-Sit Pull-up illustration L-Sit Pull-up Pull-up Bar · Lat Width · advanced Lat Pulldown illustration Lat Pulldown Cable · Lat Width · beginner Negative Pull-up illustration Negative Pull-up Pull-up Bar · Lat Width · beginner Neutral-Grip Pull-up illustration Neutral-Grip Pull-up Bodyweight · Lat Width · intermediate Pull-up illustration Pull-up Bodyweight · Lat Width · intermediate Scapular Pull-up illustration Scapular Pull-up Pull-up Bar · Lat Width · beginner Straight-Arm Pulldown illustration Straight-Arm Pulldown Cable · Lat Width · intermediate Towel Pull-up illustration Towel Pull-up Towel · Lat Width · advanced Weighted Chin-up illustration Weighted Chin-up Bodyweight · Lat Width · advanced Weighted Pull-up illustration Weighted Pull-up Bodyweight · Lat Width · advanced Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown illustration Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown Cable · Lat Width · beginner Back Extension illustration Back Extension Bodyweight · Lower Back · beginner Cat-Cow Stretch illustration Cat-Cow Stretch Bodyweight · Lower Back · beginner Deadlift illustration Deadlift Barbell · Lower Back · advanced Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift illustration Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift Dumbbell · Lower Back · beginner Dumbbell Sumo Deadlift illustration Dumbbell Sumo Deadlift Dumbbell · Lower Back · beginner Good Morning illustration Good Morning Barbell · Lower Back · advanced Kettlebell Romanian Deadlift illustration Kettlebell Romanian Deadlift Kettlebell · Lower Back · beginner Landmine Romanian Deadlift illustration Landmine Romanian Deadlift Barbell · Lower Back · intermediate Rack Pull illustration Rack Pull Barbell · Lower Back · intermediate Reverse Hyperextension illustration Reverse Hyperextension Machine · Lower Back · intermediate Romanian Deadlift illustration Romanian Deadlift Barbell · Lower Back · intermediate Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift illustration Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift Dumbbell · Lower Back · intermediate Smith Machine Romanian Deadlift illustration Smith Machine Romanian Deadlift Machine · Lower Back · beginner Sumo Deadlift illustration Sumo Deadlift Barbell · Lower Back · advanced Superman illustration Superman Bodyweight · Lower Back · beginner Superman Hold illustration Superman Hold Bodyweight · Lower Back · beginner Torso Twists illustration Torso Twists Bodyweight · Lower Back · beginner Trap Bar Deadlift illustration Trap Bar Deadlift Barbell · Lower Back · intermediate Band Pull-Apart illustration Band Pull-Apart Resistance Band · Rear Delts · beginner Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise illustration Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise Dumbbell · Rear Delts · beginner Cable Rear Delt Fly illustration Cable Rear Delt Fly Cable · Rear Delts · intermediate Cross-Body Shoulder Stretch illustration Cross-Body Shoulder Stretch Bodyweight · Rear Delts · beginner Rear Delt Fly illustration Rear Delt Fly Dumbbell · Rear Delts · beginner Reverse Pec Deck illustration Reverse Pec Deck Machine · Rear Delts · beginner Banded Face Pull illustration Banded Face Pull Resistance Band · Traps · beginner Dumbbell Shrug illustration Dumbbell Shrug Dumbbell · Traps · beginner Face Pull illustration Face Pull Cable · Traps · beginner Farmer Carry illustration Farmer Carry Dumbbell · Traps · beginner Barbell Shrug illustration Barbell Shrug Barbell · Traps · beginner Upright Row illustration Upright Row Barbell · Traps · intermediate Banded Row illustration Banded Row Resistance Band · Upper Back · beginner Barbell Row illustration Barbell Row Barbell · Upper Back · intermediate Chest Supported Row illustration Chest Supported Row Machine · Upper Back · beginner Doorway Row illustration Doorway Row Doorway · Upper Back · beginner Dumbbell Bent Over Row illustration Dumbbell Bent Over Row Dumbbell · Upper Back · beginner Inverted Row illustration Inverted Row Bodyweight · Upper Back · beginner Machine Row illustration Machine Row Machine · Upper Back · beginner Meadows Row illustration Meadows Row Barbell · Upper Back · advanced One-Arm Dumbbell Row illustration One-Arm Dumbbell Row Dumbbell · Upper Back · beginner Pendlay Row illustration Pendlay Row Barbell · Upper Back · advanced Prone T Raise illustration Prone T Raise Bodyweight · Upper Back · beginner Prone Y Raise illustration Prone Y Raise Bodyweight · Upper Back · beginner Reverse Snow Angel illustration Reverse Snow Angel Bodyweight · Upper Back · beginner Scapular Push-up illustration Scapular Push-up Bodyweight · Upper Back · beginner Seated Cable Row illustration Seated Cable Row Cable · Upper Back · beginner Single-Arm Cable Row illustration Single-Arm Cable Row Cable · Upper Back · intermediate T-Bar Row illustration T-Bar Row Machine · Upper Back · intermediate Towel Row illustration Towel Row Towel · Upper Back · beginner Bird Dog illustration Bird Dog Bodyweight · Lower Back · beginner Kettlebell Swing illustration Kettlebell Swing Kettlebell · Lower Back · intermediate Arm Circles illustration Arm Circles Bodyweight · Rear Delts · beginner World's Greatest Stretch illustration World’s Greatest Stretch Bodyweight · Lower Back · beginner Banded Straight-Arm Pulldown illustration Banded Straight-Arm Pulldown Resistance Band · Lat Width · beginner Banded Rear Delt Fly illustration Banded Rear Delt Fly Resistance Band · Rear Delts · beginner Kettlebell Shrug illustration Kettlebell Shrug Kettlebell · Traps · beginner Kettlebell Single-Arm Row illustration Kettlebell Single-Arm Row Kettlebell · Upper Back · beginner Dumbbell Upright Row illustration Dumbbell Upright Row Dumbbell · Traps · intermediate

Frequently asked questions

How many back exercises are in BackMaxx?

Seventy-seven. Twenty run on bodyweight alone, 46 work at home, 74 work in a gym, and 43 work in both. Fifty are tagged beginner, 17 intermediate and 10 advanced.

Which back exercise should I start with?

Start from the zone your scan scores lowest, then filter that list by the equipment you have today. Take one movement where the zone leads and one where it appears as a secondary tag, and use the default sets and reps as written.

Do the exercises have illustrations?

Seventy-two of the 77 carry three line-art frames each — start, mid-rep and finish. Five variants reuse the frames of the movement they are built from. The art is adapted from Everkinetic under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Are there back exercises I can do with no equipment?

Twenty movements are tagged Bodyweight, including scapular push-ups, Supermans, prone Y and T raises, reverse snow angels and bird dogs. Three more movements are home-only because they need a doorway or a towel.

Why does Symmetry have no exercises of its own?

Symmetry scores left against right rather than a muscle, so no movement can lead it. Eight movements carry it as a secondary tag, and all eight are either single-sided or anti-rotational.

Stop picking exercises at random

BackMaxx scores your back, finds the zone that is behind, and builds each session from this library around it.

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