Skip to main content

This is the best back and bicep workout routine

The five best back and bicep exercises

Man doing pull-ups
Anastase Maragos / Unsplash

Achieving a sculpted upper body requires a balanced approach to strength training, and a focused back and bicep workout routine is key to achieving this goal. This workout combines the best back exercises and the best bicep exercises for a better-together workout routine that improves your overall upper body strength and bulks up your physique. 

What are the benefits of a strong back and biceps?

Showing off back muscles
Mike Jones / Pexels

A strong back and biceps contribute significantly to both aesthetics and functionality. Building a strong back helps improve posture, prevent injury, and enhance overall upper body strength, and can also reduce lower back pain. Strong biceps not only add definition to your arms but also assist in various pulling movements, improving everyday tasks like lifting and carrying.

Recommended Videos

How often should you train back and biceps for results?

Man lifting deadlift bar
Alora Griffiths / Pexels

For optimal results, aim to train your back and biceps two to three times per week. Make sure to rest for a day or two in between sessions — you should always allow a day to reset between workouts that target the same area. This frequency allows for adequate recovery while ensuring progressive overload, which is crucial for muscle growth. 

Back and bicep exercises for the ultimate workout

Fit strong man doing biceps curl with barbell in gym
Vladee / Shutterstock

Pull-ups

Pull-ups are a fundamental bodyweight exercise targeting the back and biceps. You need a pull-up bar or any place where you can hang and pull yourself up (try playground equipment if no children are using it). 

To perform a pull-up, grasp an overhead bar with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Hang with arms fully extended, then pull your body upwards until your chin clears the bar. Lower yourself back down with control. Beginners may use assistance bands or a pull-up assist machine to build strength.

Lat pulldowns

Lat pulldowns mimic pull-ups, so they target the same muscles. They are performed using a cable machine with a wide-grip bar attachment. Most people will only do these at the gym, but if your home gym has a cable machine, don’t skip this fantastic exercise!

Sit down, grip the bar wider than shoulder-width, and pull it down to chest level while leaning back slightly and keeping your chest up. Slowly return the bar to the starting position with controlled movement to engage the latissimus dorsi and biceps.

Cable rows

Cable rows are excellent for targeting the mid-back muscles. They require a cable row station, so this is another exercise you might only do at the gym, but it’s a great workout! 

Sit at a cable row station with your knees slightly bent. Grab the handles so your palms are facing each other, and pull the attachment towards your abdomen while keeping your torso upright. Slowly return to the starting position, focusing on squeezing your shoulder blades together throughout the movement.

Deadlifts

Deadlifts are a compound exercise that primarily targets the lower back, hamstrings, and glutes but also engages the biceps as secondary muscles. They’re a fantastic exercise that works a lot of different parts of your body at once, but you definitely need to understand proper form. You’ll need a large, variable-weight barbell to do this exercise. 

Stand with feet hip-width apart. With an overhand grip and your hands positioned on either side of your legs, hold the barbell and lift it by extending your hips and knees. Lower the bar back down under control to complete one repetition. Be sure never to round your back when performing this movement.

Preacher curls

Preacher curls isolate the biceps by stabilizing the upper arms, preventing cheating by swinging. This exercise requires gym equipment, so it’s difficult to do at home unless you have a great home gym setup. But it’s effective enough to be worth looking for its specific equipment!

Sit at a preacher curl bench, grasp the bar with an underhand grip, and curl the bar towards your shoulders while keeping your upper arms against the pad. Lower the bar until your elbows are fully extended, carefully keeping control. Repeat for a predetermined number of repetitions.

Dumbbell hammer curls

Hammer curls target the brachialis and brachioradialis muscles of the forearms in addition to the biceps. You’ll need dumbbells for this exercise, but you can do it at home or at the gym. 

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Hold dumbbells at your sides with palms facing each other, curling the weights towards your shoulders. Lower the dumbbells back down in a controlled manner to complete the repetition.

Optimal sets and reps to perform

Man doing lat pull-downs.
Shutterstock

For each exercise, aim to perform three to four sets of eight to 12 repetitions, adjusting the weight to ensure proper form and challenging intensity. Start with a warm-up set at a lower weight to prepare muscles and joints (make sure to warm up with stretching, too). Then, progressively increase the load as you advance through your sets.

Allow 60 to 90 seconds of rest between sets to optimize muscle recovery and maintain workout intensity. You might also want to adjust the sets and reps depending on the exercise and your skill level.

Christine VanDoren
Christine is a certified personal trainer and nutritionist with an undergraduate degree from Missouri State University. Her…
How to use the 30/30/30 method to get fit
Learn about this sustainable and healthy method
Mediterranean breakfast

Have you heard about the popular 30/30/30 method? With so many workout and diet trends, like the Atlantic diet and so many more, it can be hard to know which you should try and which don’t hold much merit. Luckily, this method is realistic and attainable for many people.

Keep reading to learn exactly how to follow the 30/30/30 method, what the potential benefits and downsides are, and more!
What is the 30/30/30 method?

Read more
When should you take creatine to optimize muscle growth? Here’s the science
Does supplementing creatine really help your muscles swell? When should you take it?
Creatine remains one of the most talked about supplements in the fitness world when it comes to boosting muscle mass and aiding muscle recovery. Some take it before workouts, and others take it after workouts or first thing in the morning. It's been on the top supplement list of athletes and fitness professionals for decades. Creatine has remained popular for so long, probably because of its multitude of evidence-based benefits, including lowering blood sugar and increasing muscle mass and strength. Most researchers and fitness professionals believe creatine is a safe and effective supplement when taken properly. Let’s look at the science on the benefits of creatine and the best time to take this supplement to optimize muscle growth. What is creatine? Creatine is a compound formed during protein metabolism and a natural supplement found in your body, especially in your muscle cells. Around half of the creatine your body stores comes from your diet, particularly seafood and red meat. Your liver and kidneys make the rest from the amino acids arginine and glycine. Your muscles use creatine to help produce energy when you’re heavy lifting or doing vigorous-intensity workouts. In 1832, French scientist and philosopher Michel Eugene Chevreul was the first man to extract creatine from meat, so he labeled his new discovery creatine like the Greek word kreas, which means meat. When is the best time to take creatine for muscle growth? The right time and amount you need depends on factors like your workouts and goals. While there is a lot of research on creatine, there isn’t a clear conclusion on whether it’s better to take creatine before or after resistance training so you can do what feels best for you. Studies do indicate that supplementing closer to your workout is optimal. Try to make sure you choose a quality supplement that’s been tested and certified by an independent third-party testing laboratory like NSF. Before exercise? The research suggests that consuming creatine before exercise can increase your strength and muscle mass, whether you take it right before exercise or several hours before. Blood flow to your muscles could remain increased for half an hour after taking creatine. After exercise? Consuming creatine immediately after exercise or several hours later has also been shown to produce similar muscle benefits in younger and older adults. Researchers conclude that exercise helps prime your muscles so they're ready to absorb more creatine. Evidence indicates that taking creatine after a workout has a more significant impact on body composition and strength than taking it before exercise, but more research is needed. Be consistent Studies suggest that supplementing creatine consistently generates the best results for muscle growth, and researchers conclude that consistency is more important than timing with regard to boosting muscle mass. What are the benefits of creatine? Here are some of the potential evidence-based benefits of supplementing creatine: Increase your muscular energy and performance. Enhance your muscle strength and mass. Lower blood sugar. Boost brain function. Boosts the formation of proteins that enhance the size of muscle fibers. Creatine can reduce myostatin levels, a molecule that hinders muscle growth. Reduce tiredness and feel more energized.

Creatine remains one of the most talked about supplements in the fitness world when it comes to boosting muscle mass and aiding muscle recovery. Some take it before workouts, and others take it after workouts or first thing in the morning. It's been on the top supplement list of athletes and fitness professionals for decades.

Creatine has remained popular for so long, probably because of its multitude of evidence-based benefits, including lowering blood sugar and increasing muscle mass and strength. Most researchers and fitness professionals believe creatine is a safe and effective supplement when taken properly. Let’s look at the science on the benefits of creatine and the best time to take this supplement to optimize muscle growth.
What is creatine?

Read more
The 7 best cross-training shoes for men: Our top picks
Discover the optimal brands for your workouts
guy sitting on bench at gym holding water flask wearing black with white sneakers

As an athlete or fitness enthusiast, you will agree that there are numerous exercises to try, all requiring different shoes. So, you should constantly choose the right shoes for each training session. But did you know that you can do all your workouts in one dependable cross-training shoe? These shoes offer convenience and cost-effectiveness for all your training.

Over the years, many cross-training shoes for men have been introduced to the market because there is so much demand for them in the fitness community. Hence, there are just too many options to choose from. That is why we have curated a list of the best cross-training shoes for men to help you make informed decisions. Let’s dive in!
What is cross-training?

Read more