Working out your back is incredibly important to developing and maintaining a strong and healthy body. Not only does your back play a key role in supporting your posture and helping to keep your spine aligned, but a strong back can also help to protect you from injury. Here, we will outline 10 of the best exercises to help keep your back in top condition.

1. Bent-Over Row: This exercise is great for strengthening your upper back muscles and is fairly simple to perform. All you need is a 3-5 lb weight in each hand and enough room to safely squat. Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and bend your knees slightly. Then, tilt slightly forward from your hips and lower the weights toward the floor, keeping your back flat. Finally, bend your elbows slightly and use your back muscles to lift the weights back up to the start position.

2. Glute Bridge: This exercise is great for working all of your back muscles at once. Lie flat on your back with your feet flat on the floor and knees sharply bent. Raise your hips off the ground until they form a straight line with your shoulders. Squeeze your glutes and press your hips back to the starting position.

3. Push-Ups: This classic exercise works a variety of muscles in your back, chest, shoulders, and arms. To perform a proper push-up, begin by lying in a face-down position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Keeping your back straight and your core tight, slowly lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor. Slowly push away from the floor until you reach the starting position.

4. Vibrant Back Extensions: Start by lying on your stomach and stretching your arms out in front of you. Keeping your legs straight, lift your upper body off the floor as far as you can while keeping your arms in front of you. Hold for a few seconds before returning to the starting position.

5. Superman: This is another great exercise for targeting your lower back muscles. To perform this exercise, lie on your stomach with your arms and legs extended straight. Simultaneously lift your arms and legs off the ground and hold for a few seconds. Remember to keep your core engaged throughout this movement.

6. Rows: Rows are an excellent exercise for strengthening the muscles in your upper back. Begin by grabbing a barbell or a set of dumbbells with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder width. Keep your arms extended and bend your knees slightly. Pull the weights up to your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades as you do. Make sure to keep your back straight throughout the exercise.

7. Reverse Flyes: This exercise targets your posterior deltoids and can help to decrease chronic neck, shoulder, and back pain. Start by grasping a 3-10 lb dumbbell in each hand and kneeling on a bench. Begin with your arms extended and hands facing each other. Bend your elbows slightly and lift the weights up and out to a parallel position, keeping your arms straight. Then, lower the weights back to the starting position.

8. Pull-Ups: Pull-ups are a great exercise for developing back strength. To perform this exercise, grab a bar with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder width. Make sure to keep your back straight and bring your chest to the bar as you pull yourself up. Your arms should be fully extended as you lower yourself back to the starting position.

9. Barbell Shrugs: This exercise helps to strengthen the muscles in the upper back and shoulders. Start by setting a barbell at a low height in front of you and grasping the bar with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder width. Lift the barbell up towards your shoulders, keeping your arms straight and squeezing your shoulder blades as you do. Hold for a few seconds before returning to the starting position.

10. Reverse Hyperextensions: The last exercise on our list, the Reverse Hyperextension is a great way to work out your lower back and glutes. Start by lying on your stomach with your arms outstretched. Keeping your feet pressing against an exercise ball, raise your legs off the ground and squeeze your glutes as you do. Make sure to keep your legs straight as you return to the starting position.

Incorporating these 10 best back exercises into your workout routine can help to keep your back in tip-top shape and help you to stay injury free. It can also help to give you the back muscles you’ve always wanted! So, get to it and start strengthening your back today!