All you need is a resistance band and these four exercises to strengthen your back without weights

It’s easy to focus on the legs, arms, and core when planning your workouts, but this means many of us end up neglecting our back muscles. 

Training this area can help you build a strong and balanced body, improve your performance on lifts like the squat and deadlift, and even prevent injury, so we think it's high time you started adding back sessions into your weekly exercise plan.

You can do this at the gym and at home with weights. Or, if you’re looking for a quick way to work your back muscles, you can try these four exercises from certified personal trainer Berenice Salazar, better known as @ladyfit (opens in new tab) on Instagram. 

The only piece of equipment you need is a resistance band. If you don’t already have one of these versatile tools, take a look at our guide to the best resistance bands (opens in new tab) to help level up your home workouts.

Maintaining good technique during these exercises is very important to ensure you’re targeting the correct muscles in your back. Make sure you retract your shoulder blades before starting each exercise and mirror Salazar’s straight spine throughout.

Watch Berenice Salazar's resistance band workout

Salazar uses a resistance band to mimic movements usually performed with cable machines you might see in the gym. For each exercise, the band adds resistance to pulling movements that engage the muscles in your back, making them a great way to build strength and muscle at home. 

You can make the first two exercises harder by moving further away from the anchor point the band is looped around. To increase the difficulty of the third and fourth movements, try moving your hands closer together. In both cases, this will increase the resistance on the band.

This session also requires good mobility, so make sure you spend some time stretching before you begin. This ten-minute mobility routine (opens in new tab) is ideal for regular warm-ups. 

As a strength-boosting session, you will also want to allow your back muscles to recover the following day. Instead, work another area of your body with the best leg workouts (opens in new tab) or boost your recovery with a low-intensity activity like trying these anti-aging yoga moves (opens in new tab).