5 No-Equipment Back Exercises
We’re here to make back gainz, not go back to our excuses
The best way to prevent back injuries is to strengthen your back before injury happens. The aesthetics of having a toned, muscular back is coveted by nearly everyone… so why doesn’t everyone have one? We have a tendency to work the muscles we see because it’s in our sight of vision. This means the muscles we don’t see, we don’t work as much or as hard, right? On a Monday evening, you’re more likely to see men going all out on chest, shoulders, and arms rather than rows, pull ups, or any other pulling exercise. Too much focus on pushing vs pulling will end up doing more harm than good in the form of front shoulder pain, poor posture & no progress in strength.
If you’re sitting down while reading this, are you hunched over or is your back as straight and flat as a wall?
If you’re reading this while standing up, where is your phone in relation to your face? Down by your stomach or up at face level?
If you sit in a hunched position doing computer work or scroll through instagram more than face to face interactions, try these moves out. You also can’t use the “I don’t have a gym membership” excuse. These 5 no-equipment back exercises can be performed at home, the park, the office…. I think you get the point.
If you need a good analogy to inspire your friend to focus more on back instead of chest… Think about the foundation of a house. You wouldn’t build a house on sand. You’d have a strong, sturdy, reliable base to construct your home, because anything else less trustworthy will result in a collapse. The same applies to your body, the stronger your back is, the stronger your front will become.
Bonus for men: When she digs her nails into your back, it’ll feel like rocks to her instead of warm towel 😉
Good Mornings:
3 sets.
10-15 reps.
Rest 30-60s.
Dolphin Kick:
3 Sets.
5-10 Reps.
Rest 30-60s.
Reverse Snow Angels:
3 Sets.
3-5 Reps.
Rest 30-60s.
Superman/woman Holds:
1-3 sets.
3 reps with a 15-30 second hold.
Rest 30-60s.
Wall Walks (nose & toes touch the wall):
1-3 sets.
3 reps with a 15-30 second hold.
Rest 30-60s.
Send me a form video if you’d like me to check your form or in need of a modification.
Reduce Shoulder Pain with 10 Exercises: Resistance-Band Edition
Here’s a perfect shoulder routine to reduce pain significantly.
Shoulder pain sucks, you know it because you’re on this page hoping to find a solution and to that, I want to say CONGRATULATIONS!
The only piece of equipment you’ll need for these is a resistance band.
Before we get into the exercises, the majority of people I come across who suffer from shoulder pain have similar tendencies. They include:
Shoulders being internally rotated for long periods of the day, think being hunched over a desk.
A lot of pressing versus pulling, think push ups instead of rows or pull ups/downs.
Using bad form with pressing movements. For example: push ups, bench press, shoulder press, and lateral raises.
The remedy for this problem is going to explained below. I want you to learn why these exercises should reduce shoulder pain for you. The reason being most people only work the muscles they can see. If you’re not giving love to the muscles you can’t see, they become weak, jealous, and vindictive. These exercises are going to focus on opening you up, rotating your shoulders out and back. The stronger your upper back and rear delts become, the less pain you’ll have in the front of your shoulders. The better posture you’ll have, the more confident you will be and appear to people.
Banded External Rotation
(1-3 Sets. 10-20 Reps)
You want to feel this in the side of your shoulder.
Don’t let your elbow extend further away from your body as you pull the band with your hand away from the attached point.
Banded Lateral Raises
(1-3 Sets. 10-20 Reps)
You’re going to feel this in the side of your shoulder if done right, not in your traps where some people feel this movement.
Raise your arms up to shoulder height with your palms facing down, arms slightly bent at about 45 degrees in front of you.
The magic here is controlling the descent, the slower and controlled this movement is coming back to your body, the more you’re going to feel this exercise.
Banded Pass Throughs
(1-3 Sets. 10-20 Reps)
Face away from the attached point.
Palms facing in front of you.
Elbows at shoulder height.
Hands above shoulders.
Walk out to a distance where the band feels tight.
Rotate your hands forward till they’re parallel with the floor stopping at shoulder height then return back to starting position with your hands above your shoulders.
Main thing here is to not let your elbows dip as your rotate your hands forward and back.
Banded Pull Aparts (T’s)
(1-3 Sets. 10-20 Reps)
You’re going to feel this in the back of your shoulders, upper back, traps, and lats.
Arms extended in front of you, palms facing down, bring your shoulder blades down to the floor and behind you to feel a squeeze beneath your armpits.
Keep your arms extended and bring them to your sides forming a T shape.
Banded Scarecrows
(1-3 Sets. 10-20 Reps)
You’re going to feel this in the top/back part of your shoulder.
Set the band at or below shoulder height.
Keep your elbows at shoulder height.
Main thing here is to not let elbows dip.
Banded Straight Arm Lat Pulldown
(1-3 Sets. 10-20 Reps)
You’re going to feel this in your upper back, shoulders, lats, and triceps.
Grip the bands with thumbs facing up, hips shooting back, arms extended and aligned with your upper body.
As you bring your arms towards you hips, keep your shoulder blades pressed down and back squeezing the bottom of your arm pits.
Banded Y-Raise
(1-3 Sets. 10-20 Reps)
The Y to the MCA. You want to feel this in the top/back part of your shoulder, upper back and traps.
Keep your elbows slightly bent.
Your arms should finish slightly behind your body.
Be careful not to let your neck jerk forward and control your traps from shrugging.
Standing Banded High Row
(1-3 Sets. 10-20 Reps)
You’re going to feel this not only in the back of your shoulders but also your upper back and traps.
Think about opening up your chest as you pull back with your elbows as well as your shoulders.
If you don’t pull back with your shoulders, you’re going to feel this only in your arms and make the pain in the front of your shoulders worse.
Standing Banded Row
(1-3 Sets. 10-20 Reps)
You’re going to feel this in the back of your shoulder, upper back, and lats.
Palms facing each other, soft knees, pull your elbows and shoulder blades back till you feel a squeeze.
If you don’t pull back with your shoulders, you’re going to feel this only in your arms and make the pain in the front of your shoulders worse.
Standing Snow Angels
(1-3 Sets. 3-5 Reps)
You’re going to feel this throughout your whole shoulder, upper back and traps.
Standing in a T position, arms extended, palms facing in front of you.
Begin with a reverse fly, raise your arms above your head, then back down to your sides in a controlled manner
Avoid speeding up the movement and raising your traps.
If at any point, you feel pain when performing these exercises, skip it or record yourself doing it and send me a video here: abel.y.mezemer@gmail.com. I’ll be able to look at your form and make any adjustments.