No pull-ups needed — sculpt a wider back with this five-move dumbbell workout

A woman with a strong muscular back holding a pair of dumbbells — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Pull-ups are undeniably one of the best bodyweight exercises for adding shape and size to your back. However, they’re also one of the most challenging, requiring significant strength from multiple upper body muscles, as well as your core to maintain proper form. If you haven’t quite made it into the pull-up club yet, don’t worry. Oner Active Athlete Hayley Madigan has created a dumbbell-only workout that will help you build a bigger back—no gym required.

The benefits of strengthening your back are endless; it can boost your lifts in the gym (hello deadlifts), improve your posture, make everyday activities easier and can make your waist look appear smaller. But, it’s also essential for injury prevention, as Harvard Health says: “Strong back muscles provide essential support to the spine, reducing the likelihood of strains, sprains, and other injuries that can occur during lifting, bending, or twisting movements.”

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If you don’t have access to dumbbells, Hayley says you can always substitute with kettlebells. Aim to complete three rounds of all the exercises listed below (apart from one that says 'four') but, if you are limited to time, you can drop down to two. Rest for 90 seconds in between each set then, once you’ve completed all the rounds of one exercise, take a two-minute break before moving on to the next movement. Don’t forget to have a good stretch afterward. Here’s your workout:

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Gorilla row 3 x 8-10 reps per arm
Bent over wide row 3 x 12-15 reps
Single arm narrow row 4 x 8-12 reps
Seated narrow row 3 x10-12 reps
Seated reverse fly’s 3 x 12-15 reps

If you need a slightly shorter workout, then give this 15-minute back workout a go, it favours supersets so you can pack in lots of volume for more gains, but in minimal time. Alternatively, if you want a workout to target you’re entire upper body—arms, shoulders, back and chest—then save this dumbbell session for a rainy day.

Bryony is a former Staff Writer in T3’s Active vertical. She is a certified personal trainer and part-time fitness instructor. In her spare time, she could usually be found in her natural habitat – the gym – where her training combined bodybuilding and powerlifting. She used to write about accessible workouts, nutrition and innovative fitness products that could help people reach their fitness goals and take their training to the next level.