18 Bodyweight Exercises For A Stronger Back

So, you've started to find some sort of routine with your home workouts. You’ll know that HIIT workouts are relatively easy to throw together, but not as easy to perform. Conditioning workouts tend to focus on legs, chest, abs and a token effort on triceps,  most likely from the press-ups you've been doing.

But, what if you want to focus on a specific area, like your back muscles? For too long we've been distracted by what's in front of us in the mirror, while there are gains to be made right behind us, that we can't always see.

1. Cat-Camel Stretch (AKA Happy Cat Angry Cat)

https://youtu.be/U8W_1cxge_I

1. Start with your knees under your hips, and hands under your shoulders
2. Relax your back and allow your stomach to lower towards the floor. Your hips should tilt forwards.  Hold this position for 1 - 2 seconds
3. Tuck your hip under and push your mid-back up towards the ceiling, focusing on allowing your shoulder blades to move apart. Again, hold this for 1 - 2 seconds
4. Allow your head to move naturally with the movement rather than forcing the movement through your neck

2. Prone Cobra

https://youtu.be/-H9LIts-uyE

1. Lay on your front with your arms by your side and your eyes pointing to the floor
2. Simultaneously lift your chest from the floor and externally rotate your hands and point your thumbs to the ceiling
3. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and draw them down towards your hips
4. Keep your eyes pointing at the floor and maintain the tension for 30 seconds
5. Keep your feet on the floor and try to relax your glutes

Regression - If you feel any lower back strain, keep tension in your glutes and reduce the rep duration

3. Y Raise

https://youtu.be/662kHe8S74o

1. Lie on your front with your arms extended out in a Y shape with your thumbs pointing to the ceiling
2. Keeping your chest against the floor, raise your arms and focus on pulling your shoulders back and down
3. Flexibility and strength should dictate your range of movement
4. Hold at the top for 1 - 2 seconds

Regression - Reduce your range of movement and rep range if you struggle. You can also try raising your body up from the floor by a couple of inches.

4. Plank Row

https://youtu.be/mIAxnGHLWSI

1. Start in a full plank with your legs extended back and hands under your shoulders
2. With your abs engaged, shoulders and hips locked in and pointing down, pull one hand up to your lowest rib
3. On the row, focus on squeezing the shoulders back together but minimise any rotation
4. Alternate arms but don’t rush. This is about taking your time and getting those back muscles switched on

Regression - Drop down to your knees if you need to reduce the intensity of the exercise.

5. Bird Dog 

https://youtu.be/Bd4HFO29spk

1. Start with hands under shoulders and knees under hips
2. Looking down at the floor, make sure abs are braced hard so you minimise torso rotation
3. Lift and extend the left leg back whilst reaching your right arm forward in a pressing motion
4. Prevent curvature in your lower back by keeping you hip locked in the starting position
5. Lower your arm and leg and switch sides

6. Reverse Snow Angel

https://youtu.be/h9jYKYzpiDc

1. Start in the same position as you do for the Prone Cobra and follow steps 1 to 5
2. From your Prone Cobra position raise your arms overhead
3. During this movement keep your thumbs pointing to the ceiling, your eyes pointing down and your chest lifted slightly off the floor 

7. Prone Pull

https://youtu.be/IiO7CSk8yfU

1. Start laying down on your front with your arms over your head
2. Lift your chest and arms a couple of inches from the floor
3. In a slow and controlled manner pull your elbows down towards your hips focusing on pulling your shoulder blades back and down
4. Ensure you fully extend your elbows when returning your arms overhead

8. Body Saw Plank

https://youtu.be/Ul4VUUUf-rQ

1. Start with elbows under shoulders and legs extended with feet hip-width apart
2. Slide your hands forward until your elbows are in line with your ears (this is your starting position)
3. Keeping your abs engaged drag your body forward by pulling through your elbows, then shift your bodyweight back until elbows return to ear level
4. Important to think about your back being the pulling force in this movement

9. Scapula Press Up

https://youtu.be/ZsVJaWE5H_o

1. From a press-up position with your hands just outside of your shoulders start by bracing your abs and glutes to ensure you have a good solid base.
2. Lower your sternum by relaxing your shoulder blades. It's important not to let your stomach sink and make sure your elbows stay fixed
3. Push your upper back up towards the ceiling and allow your shoulder blades to pull apart
4. You should feel the tension releasing across your upper back and to the rear of your shoulders

10. Elbow Bridge

https://youtu.be/9qqqPHaeFhQ

1. Lay on your back with your knees bent, feet flat to the floor and elbows out in-line with or slightly lower than your shoulders
2. Lift your head from the floor a small amount (this is to prevent you from pushing through the neck)
3. Push into your elbows and lift your upper back off the floor 2 - 3 inches
4. Pull your shoulders blades together and down to maximise the contraction and prevent the rear shoulders dominating the movement

11. Glute Bridge

https://youtu.be/PVNuPG9vIvw

1. Start by laying on your back with a 90-degree bend at your knees
2. Start the movement by tucking your hips under and then pushing your hips up until you can draw a straight line from your shoulders through your hips to your knees
3. The pressure should be through the heels of your feet and you should try to prevent any excessive curvature to your lower back
4. Return to the start of the movement without allowing your hips to rest on the floor

12. Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift

https://youtu.be/FWVOzeMOKSw

1. From standing hinge at your hip and at the same time extend one leg back 
2. Reach towards your toes with the opposite arm to the leg extending backwards
3. Aim to keep your hips and shoulders square to the floor to prevent any twisting

Regression - If you struggle with balance, rather than extending your leg back try resting your toes down for balance but without taking any bodyweight (see video).

13. T Press-up

https://youtu.be/nZN6MBj_FOk

1. Hands just outside your shoulders with your abs engaged (make sure you are not arching your lower back and dropping your hips)
2. Lower your chest so your shoulders are in line with your elbows or slightly lower
3. Return to the starting position by pushing through the heel of your hand and actively thinking about squeezing your chest
4. At the top rotate your entire body to face the wall and simultaneously lift the arm on the same side as your rotation
5. In this side plank position allow you ankles to touch the floor (remember, full rotation)

Regression - If you struggle with upper body strength try doing the press up on your knees and return to your toes for the rotation.

14. Dead Stop Press Up to Superman

https://youtu.be/Z-81rV7PMxE

1. Hands just outside your shoulders with your abs engaged (make sure you are not arching your lower back and dropping your hips)
2. Lower your chest to the floor and lift your hands so your weight is on your chest
3. Reach your arms overhead with your thumbs pointing to the ceiling
4. Return your hands to the floor in the bottom of a press-up position
5. Push through the heel of your hand and actively thinking about squeezing your chest

Regression - Perform the press up part of this exercise on your knees.

15. Dive Bomber Press Up

https://youtu.be/Y7mQSxAfoG0

1. Start with hands and feet hip to shoulder-width apart and your hips elevated into a pike position
2. Lower your chest towards hands by bending your elbows
3. Your chest should pass through your arms as close to your hands as possible
4. Your hips should follow the upper body and finish just above the ground
5. Reach the finish position by straightening the arms and lifting the chest
6. To return to the starting position lower your chest back down and push your hips up into a pike whilst pushing through your arms

Regression - This is an advanced exercise so do not feel disheartened if you can’t get this right. If you struggle just perform a traditional press up or for something slightly more challenging try a shoulder press-up.

16. Suspension Low Row

https://youtu.be/hVOMo8VytI8

1. Stand with your arms straight and tension in the straps, then slowly walk your feet in for the desired resistance
2. You should concentrate on driving your elbow towards your hip rather than pulling the handle into your body, this will encourage a far better muscular contraction
3. Keep your legs and hips fixed pull your shoulders back and down
4. Keep your chest lifted through this movement and make sure not to lose tension in your back at the bottom of the movement

17. Suspension High Row

https://youtu.be/4cuQJ8dJ-ZI

1. Stand with your arms straight and tension in the straps, then slowly walk your feet in for the desired resistance
2. On the row, your elbows should be positioned higher with the focus still on pulling through the elbow
3. Keep your legs and hips fixed
4. Keep your chest lifted through this movement and make sure not to lose tension in your back at the bottom of the movement

18. Suspension T and Y

https://youtu.be/2ZwZ-vRfVK0

1. Stand with your arms straight and tension in the straps, then slowly walk your feet in for the desired resistance (it will not be as far as the row)
2. Starting with the T, keep your elbows as fixed as possible pulls you arms out to the side creating a T shape 
3. Return to the start position in a controlled manner maintaining tension
4. Repeat the same movement but this time arms should move overhead creating a Y shape
5. 1 of each counts as 1 rep

Regression - Stagger your feet to allow you to apply more weight at the bottom where it’s easier and less weight at the top where it is harder (demonstrated in the video)

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