If you’ve ever had back pain, guess what: you’re not alone. It frustrates you and can really have an impact on your activities.

The most important role of your back muscles is to help stabilize your spine. Back muscles provide support when twisting the torso. They also help pull your arms down and up.

Strengthening the back muscles is a way to help manage or even prevent non-specific back pain and improve the range of motion. Strengthening and stretching exercises for the lower back can help stabilize the lower spine and support the upper body.

We generally divide the back into four main regions.

1. Upper and outer lats. Develop the area that makes up your V-taper.

Best exercises: Pull up (wide grip), Bent over Barbell Row (wide grip).

2. Lower lats. Use reverse-grip moves and close-grip pullups/pulldowns to emphasize the lower lat area.

Best exercises: Reverse-Grip Pull-down, Straight-Arm Lat Pull-down

3. Middle back. Use close- and medium-grip rowing moves in which you pull the bar, dumbbell, or handle into your midsection or sides to best build back thickness.

Best exercises: One-Arm Dumbbell Row, Close-Grip Seated Cable Row

4. Lower back. Use moves in which you bend at the waist (not the hips, which work glutes and hams) to work the low-back muscles, a critical area to strengthen to prevent low-back pain.

Best exercises: Back Extension, Stiff-Legged Dead-lift.

Best Back Exercises

Pull-Up. Carries many benefits: back and arm muscle, pulling strength, and full body control. You pull yourself up until the chin passes the bar.

Deadlift. It activates your back, hamstrings, glutes, and the muscles in your hips.

Chest-Supported Row. Like all row exercises, chest-supported dumbbell rows primarily target your back muscles.

TRX Suspension Row. The TRX Row exercise is good for the strength development of the upper back. It is good for sports that require a strong back. While the TRX Row mainly works the lats and other muscles in the back, this exercise also strengthens your hand grip, shoulders, and core.

Bent-Over Row. It helps you build a thicker, wider, stronger back while also developing a bigger, stronger set of arms.

Single-Arm Dumbbell Row. The primary muscle group that worked when doing dumbbell rows is the upper back. also helps build muscle in the upper arm. That makes it good for strengthening both the biceps and triceps. It even increases strength in the core.

Inverted Row. A properly done inverted row can be one of the most efficient back exercises. 

Lat Pulldown. The lat pull-down is a cable-based exercise that’s ubiquitous in gyms around the world. This back builder is easy to learn and highly effective at building back size and strength. 

Neutral-Grip Pull down. It’s one of the best for building size and strength for your back. 

Seated Cable Row (for Lats). the majority of the tension should go to your back. While you may feel your arms, grip, and even other areas, the primary muscle group used is the lats. 

Seated Cable Row (for Upper Back). It’s done by pulling a weighted handle on a seated row machine. You can also do it on a seated cable row machine or by pulling a resistance band. This exercise will tone and strengthen your upper body.

Moving is good for your back. Exercises for lower back pain can strengthen the back, abs, and leg muscles. They help support your spine, relieving back pain. Always ask your health care professional before doing any exercise for back pain.

More research is needed, but there is some evidence to suggest that Pilates can be helpful for people who have lower back pain.