Back workout plan for the gym

A back workout for the gym: two beginner days of pulldowns and rows, about 30 minutes each.

Who it is for

Each day pairs a pull from above with a row from the front and ends with work for the rear shoulders, the reverse pec deck and the face pull. Once you train regularly, the experienced tab moves to three days and adds pull-ups, a chest-supported row and shrugs.

• You are new to the gym and want to learn the back machines one at a time
• You sit at a desk all day and want your upper back to do more work
• You already train and want pull-ups and more sets: take the 3 day tab
• You give your back its own day, next to days for chest or legs

How to lay out the week

The beginner tab has two days, for example Monday and Thursday, which leaves two or three rest days between them. Day A begins with the lat pulldown, a wide pull from above, then the seated cable row and the machine row. Day B turns the order around: the machine row comes first, then the close-grip pulldown, which most people feel lower down the lats. Each day takes just over 30 minutes. The experienced tab runs on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at about 40 minutes, and day C is built around 4 sets of pull-ups with 3 minutes of rest. If you cannot do 5 yet, use the assisted pull-up machine for those sets.

How to add weight

Most rows and pulldowns on the beginner tab sit at 10-12 reps. When every set reaches 12, move the pin one plate down the stack and start again at 10. Back machines often jump 5 to 7 kg per plate, which is a lot on a 2 or 3 set exercise; if there is no small add-on weight, take the heavier plate for fewer reps and build back up. The reverse pec deck and face pulls go up last. On the experienced tab, pull-ups run 5-10: once all four sets reach 10, hang a 2.5 kg plate from a belt.

If you use Claude or ChatGPT, you can connect it to AIm later: it reads the same log.

Warm-up

1. Two minutes on a rowing machine at an easy pace, or on a bike.
2. Ten light straight-arm pulldowns on a cable, to feel the lats before they work.
3. One set of 10 on the first machine at half your working weight, pausing with the handle at your body.

Mistakes to avoid

• Pulling with your arms. Start each rep by drawing your shoulder blades down and back, then bend the elbows.
• Swinging the torso on the cable row to move more weight. Sit tall and keep your chest still from rep to rep.
• Shrugging your shoulders toward your ears on pulldowns. Keep them low, as if tucking them into your back pockets.
• Rounding your lower back on rows. If you cannot keep it flat, the weight is too heavy.

Back exercises at the gym and what each one trains

The lat pulldown and the pull-up pull from above and work the wide muscles under your arms. Rows pull toward your belly and work the middle of the back between the shoulder blades. The reverse pec deck and the face pull train the small muscles at the back of the shoulder. Shrugs, on the experienced tab only, work the traps at the top. Both tabs cover the first three kinds every week, and the experienced tab adds the fourth.

Back machines at the gym

The beginner tab uses only machines and cables on purpose: the lat pulldown, the seated cable row, the machine row with a chest pad, the reverse pec deck and the cable face pull. A machine fixes the path, so you can think about your back instead of your balance. Set the seat so the handles line up with the middle of your chest on rows, and so your thighs are locked under the pads on the pulldown.