Dumbbell Back Workout: 10 Best Exercises for a Thick, Strong Back

A thick, strong back is the foundation of an impressive physique. It makes your shoulders look wider, your waist look narrower, and it keeps your posture honest. The good news is you do not need a cable stack or a barbell to build one.

Dumbbells are one of the best tools for back training. They let you load each side independently, work through a full range of motion, and hit your back from angles that machines cannot replicate. All you need is a pair of dumbbells, a bench (optional), and a plan.

This guide covers the 10 best dumbbell back exercises, breaks down the muscles you are training, and gives you a complete workout routine you can follow today. If you want a personalized plan built around your equipment and goals, the Free Workout Planner can generate one in minutes. But first, let's get into what actually works.

TL;DR

TL;DR

• 10 dumbbell exercises that target the lats, traps, rhomboids, rear delts, and erector spinae
• A complete dumbbell back workout routine with sets, reps, and rest periods
• Each exercise includes primary muscles, why it matters, and coaching cues
• You do not need a pull-up bar. Dumbbells can cover vertical and horizontal pulling with the right exercise selection
• Dumbbells build back thickness and width when you train with intent and progress over time
• Use the Free Workout Planner to build a personalized back day around your setup

Back Muscles Overview

Your back is not one muscle. It is a complex group of muscles layered on top of each other, and understanding them helps you pick exercises that leave nothing behind.

Latissimus dorsi (lats). The large, wing-shaped muscles that run from your mid-back to your upper arms. They are responsible for pulling movements and create the V-taper look. Rows and pullovers target them directly.

Trapezius (traps). The diamond-shaped muscle that runs from the base of your skull down to the mid-back. The upper traps lift your shoulders (shrugs), the mid traps pull your shoulder blades together (rows), and the lower traps stabilize the scapula during overhead movements.

Rhomboids. Sit underneath the traps, between your shoulder blades. They retract (squeeze together) and stabilize the scapula. Every rowing movement hits them when you pull your shoulder blades together at the top.

Rear deltoids. Technically a shoulder muscle, but they sit on the back of the shoulder and are trained in every back workout. Reverse flys and wide-grip rowing variations target them.

Erector spinae. The muscles that run along both sides of your spine. They keep your torso upright during bent-over exercises and are directly trained by deadlifts and good mornings.

A well-designed dumbbell back workout covers all five of these muscle groups. The 10 exercises below do exactly that.

For a broader look at back training with all equipment types, check out The Ultimate Back Workout: 12 Must-Do Back Exercises.

10 Best Dumbbell Back Exercises

1. Dumbbell One-Arm Row

Primary muscles: Lats, rhomboids, mid traps, biceps

Why it matters: The Dumbbell One-Arm Row is the single best dumbbell exercise for back thickness. The supported stance lets you go heavy without destroying your lower back, and the unilateral loading means your strong side cannot hide your weak side. If you only do one dumbbell back exercise, this is the one.

Coaching cues:

• Plant one hand and one knee on a bench (or one hand on a rack). Keep your back flat and your torso roughly parallel to the floor.
• Let the dumbbell hang straight down from your shoulder with a full stretch. Do not shrug the weight up from the start.
• Row the dumbbell toward your hip, not straight up to your chest. Think about driving your elbow toward the ceiling.
• Squeeze your shoulder blade back at the top for a full second, then lower under control. No swinging.

2. Chest-Supported Dumbbell Row

Primary muscles: Mid back, rhomboids, rear delts, lats

Why it matters: Setting your chest against an incline bench removes every opportunity to cheat. Your lower back is completely taken out of the equation, which means every ounce of effort goes into your back muscles. This is one of the best exercises for people who struggle to feel their back working during rows.

Coaching cues:

• Set an incline bench to roughly 30 to 45 degrees. Lie face down with your chest against the pad and your feet on the floor.
• Let both dumbbells hang straight down with a full stretch at the bottom.
• Row both dumbbells up and slightly back, squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top.
• Lower slowly. The eccentric stretch under load is where much of the muscle growth stimulus comes from.

3. Dumbbell Pullover

Primary muscles: Lats, chest, serratus anterior

Why it matters: The Dumbbell Pullover is unique because it stretches the lats along their full length, something no row can do. It mimics the movement pattern of a straight-arm pulldown but requires only a dumbbell and a bench. When you do not have access to a pull-up bar or cable machine, the pullover is the closest thing to a vertical pull you can get with dumbbells alone.

Coaching cues:

• Lie on a bench with your head near the edge. Hold one dumbbell with both hands above your chest, arms extended with a slight bend in the elbows.
• Lower the dumbbell in a wide arc behind your head until you feel a deep stretch through your lats and chest.
• Pull the weight back to the starting position by driving through your lats. Think about pulling from your armpits, not your hands.
• Keep your hips down and your core braced. Do not let your lower back arch excessively.

4. Renegade Row

Primary muscles: Lats, mid back, core, shoulders

Why it matters: The renegade row combines a plank with a dumbbell row, forcing your core to work overtime to resist rotation while your back does the pulling. It is as much a core exercise as a back exercise, which makes it an efficient choice when you are short on time and want to hit multiple muscle groups at once.

Coaching cues:

• Get into a push-up position with your hands gripping two dumbbells on the floor, slightly wider than shoulder width.
• Brace your core hard and row one dumbbell toward your hip while pressing the other into the floor for stability.
• Lower the dumbbell back to the floor with control, then row the other side. That is one rep.
• Keep your hips square to the floor. If they rotate more than a few degrees, the weight is too heavy. Use lighter dumbbells than you think you need.

5. Dumbbell Bent Over Row

Primary muscles: Lats, rhomboids, mid traps, erector spinae, biceps

Why it matters: The Dumbbell Bent Over Row is the bilateral version of the one-arm row. Both arms work at the same time, which means more total volume per set and a serious demand on your lower back and hamstrings to hold the hip hinge position. It builds back thickness and posterior chain strength simultaneously.

Coaching cues:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Hinge at the hips until your torso is roughly 45 to 60 degrees from the floor. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with arms hanging straight down.
• Row both dumbbells toward your hips, driving your elbows past your torso.
• Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top for a full contraction.
• Lower under control. Do not let the dumbbells drop or use momentum to swing them back up.

6. Dumbbell Shrug

Primary muscles: Upper traps

Why it matters: Shrugs isolate the upper traps, the muscle that sits on top of your shoulders and runs up to your neck. Big traps make you look powerful from the front and the back. No rowing movement targets the upper traps as directly as a shrug does, making it a necessary addition if you want complete back development.

Coaching cues:

• Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, palms facing your body.
• Shrug your shoulders straight up toward your ears as high as you can. Think about trying to touch your ears with your shoulders.
• Hold the top position for a full second, squeezing the traps hard.
• Lower slowly. Do not bounce at the bottom or roll your shoulders. Straight up and straight down is the safest and most effective path.

7. Dumbbell Reverse Fly

Primary muscles: Rear delts, rhomboids, mid traps

Why it matters: The Dumbbell Reverse Fly targets the rear delts and mid-back muscles that get overlooked in pressing-heavy programs. Weak rear delts and rhomboids lead to rounded shoulders and a forward-leaning posture. This exercise directly corrects that by strengthening the muscles that pull your shoulders back.

Coaching cues:

• Hinge at the hips with a slight knee bend, holding a light dumbbell in each hand. Let your arms hang straight down with palms facing each other.
• Raise the dumbbells out to the sides in a wide arc until your arms are roughly parallel with the floor.
• Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top. You should feel the contraction between your shoulder blades and across the back of your shoulders.
• Lower with control. Use a lighter weight than you think you need. Momentum kills this exercise.

8. Dumbbell Deadlift

Primary muscles: Erector spinae, glutes, hamstrings, traps, lats

Why it matters: The Dumbbell Deadlift is the heaviest compound movement you can do with dumbbells. It trains the entire posterior chain from your calves to your traps. The erectors work hard to keep your spine neutral under load, and the traps and lats fire to keep the dumbbells close to your body. It builds the kind of back strength that makes every other exercise in this list easier.

Coaching cues:

• Stand with feet hip-width apart, a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
• Push your hips back and lower the dumbbells along the front of your legs until they reach about mid-shin. Keep your back flat and chest up the entire time.
• Drive through your whole foot to stand back up, squeezing your glutes at the top.
• Do not round your lower back. If you cannot keep a flat back through the full range of motion, reduce the weight or limit the depth.

9. Dumbbell Seal Row

Primary muscles: Lats, rhomboids, mid traps

Why it matters: The seal row is performed lying face down on a flat bench elevated off the floor, with your arms hanging straight down. This position eliminates all momentum and lower back involvement. It is the purest back exercise you can do with dumbbells. Every rep is honest because gravity does not allow you to cheat with body English.

Coaching cues:

• Set up a flat bench on blocks, boxes, or weight plates so there is enough clearance for your arms to hang straight down while holding dumbbells.
• Lie face down on the bench with your chin just past the edge. Let the dumbbells hang with a full stretch.
• Row both dumbbells up, driving your elbows past your torso and squeezing your shoulder blades together hard at the top.
• Lower with a 2 to 3 second eccentric. The stretch at the bottom is just as valuable as the squeeze at the top.

10. Dumbbell Good Morning

Primary muscles: Erector spinae, hamstrings, glutes

Why it matters: The good morning is a hip hinge exercise that places a huge stretch on the hamstrings and a constant demand on the erector spinae to keep your spine stable. It builds the lower back strength that protects you during heavy rows and deadlifts. Think of it as armor for your spine.

Coaching cues:

• Hold one dumbbell vertically against your chest with both hands (goblet position), or hold one dumbbell behind your head across your upper traps.
• Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Push your hips straight back while keeping a slight knee bend.
• Hinge forward until you feel a deep stretch in your hamstrings. Your torso should reach roughly 45 to 60 degrees from vertical.
• Drive your hips forward to return to standing. Squeeze your glutes at the top. Keep your back flat the entire time.

Dumbbell Back Workout Routine

Here is a complete dumbbell back workout you can do in about 45 to 55 minutes. It covers lats, traps, rhomboids, rear delts, and erector spinae with a balanced mix of compound and isolation movements.

Warm up first with 5 minutes of light movement (band pull-aparts, arm circles, light dumbbell rows) and 1 to 2 warm-up sets of your first exercise at about 50 percent of your working weight.

Total volume: 21 sets covering every back muscle group. That is the upper end of the ideal range for a dedicated back day.

Session notes:

• The one-arm row is your heaviest exercise. Use a weight where the last 2 reps of each set are a genuine fight. Your back grows from heavy pulling.
• Bent over rows come second while you are still relatively fresh. Keep your torso angle consistent and do not turn it into a shrug by standing too upright.
• Pullovers hit the lats through a unique stretch that no row replicates. Focus on feeling the lats pull the weight, not your arms.
• Reverse flys use light weight. Nobody cares how much you reverse fly. Control and contraction matter more than load here.
• The deadlift comes later in the workout intentionally. You are training it for back and posterior chain development, not maximal strength. Keep the reps clean.
• The good morning finishes the session by frying whatever is left in your erectors and hamstrings. Use moderate weight and focus on the stretch.

Progression: Use double progression. Start at the low end of the rep range. Add 1 rep per set each week. When you hit the top of the range on all sets with clean form, increase the weight by 2 to 5 lbs and start back at the bottom of the rep range. For more detail, read the full Progressive Overload Guide.

Without a Pull-Up Bar

The most common concern about dumbbell-only back training is the lack of a vertical pulling movement. Pull-ups and lat pulldowns are great exercises, but you do not need them to build a wide, thick back.

Pullovers replace vertical pulling. The dumbbell pullover mimics the lat stretch and contraction of a lat pulldown. It trains shoulder extension, which is the primary function of the lats, through a full range of motion. Include it in every back workout when you do not have a bar.

High rows target the upper lats. By changing your torso angle during rows to be more upright (around 60 to 70 degrees) and pulling toward your upper chest, you shift the emphasis from mid-back to upper lats and lower traps. This partially replicates the muscle recruitment of a vertical pull.

Inverted rows under a sturdy table. If you have a strong table or a low bar, lie underneath it, grip the edge, and row your chest to the surface. This is essentially a bodyweight row and it hammers the mid-back and lats. It is free, requires no equipment beyond furniture, and works well as a superset with dumbbell rows.

Band-assisted lat pulldowns. If you have a resistance band, anchor it to a door frame or high point and perform pulldown motions. Combined with your dumbbell work, this fills the vertical pulling gap completely.

The bottom line is this: rows, pullovers, and a few creative bodyweight options give you everything you need to build a wide back without a pull-up bar. You are not at a disadvantage. You just need the right exercise selection, which the routine above already provides.

For a full program that covers every muscle group with only dumbbells, read the Full Body Dumbbell Workout guide or the Dumbbell Only Workout: Build Muscle at Home plan.

FAQ

Can you build a wide back with just dumbbells?

Yes. Back width comes from the lats, and dumbbells train the lats effectively through rows, pullovers, and deadlift variations. The lat muscle responds to tension and progressive overload, not to a specific piece of equipment. Dumbbell rows through a full range of motion, combined with pullovers for the stretch component, provide everything the lats need to grow wider. Consistency and progressive loading matter far more than your equipment choice.

How heavy should dumbbells be for back training?

For one-arm rows, most beginners start with 20 to 35 lbs (9 to 16 kg) and intermediates work with 40 to 70 lbs (18 to 32 kg). For bent over rows, lighter loads are typical because both arms work simultaneously and your lower back limits you before your lats do. The right weight is whatever allows you to complete the prescribed reps with the last 2 to 3 feeling genuinely hard while maintaining a flat back and controlled form. If you are swinging the weight, it is too heavy.

Are rows as effective as pull-ups for back development?

Rows and pull-ups train the back from different angles, and both are valuable. Rows emphasize horizontal pulling (back thickness), while pull-ups emphasize vertical pulling (back width). However, research shows that rowing movements activate the lats to a similar degree as pulldowns when performed through a full range of motion. If you only have dumbbells, prioritize heavy rows and add pullovers to cover the vertical pulling pattern. You will not leave significant gains on the table.

How many sets per week do I need for back growth?

Most research suggests 10 to 20 sets per week for the back is the optimal range for hypertrophy. Beginners can grow on the lower end (10 to 12 sets), while advanced lifters may need the higher end (16 to 20 sets). The workout routine above provides 21 sets in a single session, which is appropriate if you train back once per week. If you train back twice per week, split the volume and do 10 to 12 sets per session.

Should I do back and biceps on the same day?

It works well for most people. Your biceps are already working during every rowing and pulling exercise, so adding a few sets of direct bicep work at the end of a back session is efficient. You are essentially finishing off muscles that are already warmed up and partially fatigued. Two to three sets of curls after your back work is plenty. If you are following a push-pull-legs or upper-lower split, back and biceps naturally pair together.

Can I train back every day with dumbbells?

No. Your back muscles need 48 to 72 hours to recover from hard training. Training back every day would mean you are never fully recovered, which limits the intensity you can bring to each session and increases your risk of overuse injuries. One to two hard back sessions per week is the sweet spot for most people. If you want to train more frequently, consider a full body plan that spreads back volume across multiple days at lower per-session doses.

Plan Your Back Day

You have 10 exercises, a complete routine, and the knowledge to build a strong back with nothing but dumbbells. The only thing left is to actually do it.

Build a custom plan. The Free Workout Planner generates a personalized back workout based on your equipment, goals, and training level. Tell it you have dumbbells and it builds your plan around exactly what you have. No guesswork.

Browse pre-built routines. The Workout Routines library has dumbbell-friendly back day and pull day templates you can start following right now.

Download the app. The LoadMuscle app tracks your weights, reps, and sets, shows you exercise animations, and keeps your back day progress visible over time. It is the easiest way to stay consistent and see real results.

Explore more exercises. The full exercise library has video demos and instructions for every back movement and hundreds more.

If you want a complete program that goes beyond just back day, the Barbell Workout Guide covers how to integrate barbells and dumbbells together for maximum results. Or if dumbbells are your only tool, the Dumbbell Only Workout plan covers every muscle group in a single program.

Pick a routine. Start this week. Dumbbells are more than enough to build the back you want. Your consistency is what turns these exercises into results.