Not everybody has the time to work out one muscle group a day, so why not cover two or more in one gym session? You can do a chest and back workout routine to get more intensity and be more time-efficient with your workout.
The chest-and-lat pairing works like a protein-shake-and-cold-shower combo after a killer workout, providing an optimal way to train almost the entire upper body. Integrating these exercises into your weekly fitness routine may open up your schedule for doing other things.
Whether you aspire to win Mr. Olympia one day or are simply looking to get an intense, close to full coverage upper body workout, this guide should help you devise the perfect strategy for building muscles on your back and chest.
The Back and Chest Workout Pairing
If you’re new to lifting weights, you might not be sure if the chest and back pairing works. Or, if you know it works, you might not be sure if it works for you. Let’s put those doubts to bed.
An Antagonistic Pairing
Not only can you work the back and chest in one session, but they actually make for a great pairing because they’re antagonistic. What this means is that while one works, the other rests, so they’re not stressed out together and get enough recovery time.
This also lets you speed up your workout time by alternating sets for each muscle with zero or minimal rest time in between because nearly no fatigue carries over from chest to back and vice versa.
A Time-Efficient Combo
While you can work the chest and back individually, it would take longer to finish a session than if you had done check-back supersets. You’d need longer rest time in between your chest or back workouts; otherwise, you carry over the fatigue from one muscle to the next. That should have you completing the exercises for one muscle area in an hour.
On the other hand, alternating sets for the back and chest means you let one muscle area rest while you work the other. Thus, you can go through a session faster with shorter rest periods between sets.
You recover chest strength while working on your back and back strength while working on your chest. That’s optimal recovery for both groups, even when it seems like you aren’t actually resting either.
The Strength Preserving Duo
Another reason many professional bodybuilders and athletes incorporate chest-and-back exercises into their fitness routines is that they do not reduce your strength as much from the first to the second exercise.
Since these two muscle groups are antagonistic, little fatigue, if at all, carries over from one set of exercises to another. So, you may find that your load reduction from the first to the second workout won’t be that significant.
In keeping within this trend of weight shift between exercises, you preserve muscle strength and build endurance at the same time.
A Fat Obliterating Combo
Back and chest pairings tend to focus more on reps than load progression, which makes it ideal for fat loss. While the same can be said of individual back and chest workouts that focus on rep increase, the fact that there is a minimal rest period for combination exercises means more calorie-burning takes place.
Additionally, the back-and-forth from chest to back allows a more balanced workout. Some may train either body part voraciously and treat the other as an afterthought without considering the effect this would have on their aesthetic.
When everybody else takes notice of the resulting imbalance, one will find himself needing to play catch up with the area that has fallen behind. You won’t want this to happen with your back or chest.
A Harmonious Pairing
A strong chest means you can lift heavier with your back, and vice versa. For example, if you find you’re stronger at back exercises than at chest initially, you can leverage that to develop your back and become stronger at chest exercises. That is why some bodybuilders often do warm-up sets of pullups during chest days.
What Muscles Are Trained?
When training the chest and back, you’re generally working the major chest muscles (pectoralis major and minor or the pecs), major back muscles (latissimus dorsi or the lats), and the upper back muscles (trapezius, teres major, and rhomboids).
While you can certainly incorporate lower-back exercises (spinal sectors) on chest-and-back days, many lifters tend to schedule them on a separate day. That’s because these tend to include deadlift and squat variations that work the entire body and can be incredibly intense.
The push-and-pull of these exercises also activates the delts to some degree. Additionally, the arms can’t help but get involved, with the biceps assisting in pull movements for the back and the triceps helping in the press motions for the chest.
Here’s a quick overview of the primary muscles chest and back exercises target:
Pectoralis major
The pectoralis major has three heads: clavicular head, sternal head, and costal head. That means it’s responsible for three different movements.
The clavicular head lets you raise your arms to either side of the body. The sternal head allows you to bring your arms around your body’s front. Then, we have the costal head, which lets you pull downward using the arms from an overhead position.
Pectoralis minor
Beneath the pec major is the pec minor. It runs from your third and fifth ribs to your scapula or shoulder blade. It lets you draw your shoulder’s tip downward, protract the blades, and raise your ribs when you breathe air.
Latissimus dorsi
The lateral muscles begin at the thoracic spine, lower ribs, lumbar spine, and pelvis’ iliac crest and connect to the humerus, which lies right under the shoulder joint. It’s responsible for shoulder extension and arm-side movements. It also assists with inhalation.
Teres major
This tiny back muscle also plays a role in bigger back movements. It runs from the scapula’s back to the humerus and functions for arm rotation, particularly forward and backward rotation.
Trapezius
Like the pectorals, the traps are responsible for a trio of movements. They originate from under the skull’s back and spine and end at the scapula and collarbone. They let you retract, raise, and depress the shoulder blade.
Rhomboid
This rhombus-shaped muscle runs from the thoracic and cervical spine to the shoulder blade. It allows you to raise and retract the scapula.
Setting Up for a Chest and Back Workout
The first time you work the chest and back together, exercise pairings may confuse you. What’s best to pair with the bench press? What goes with dumbbell rows?
Generally, your chest and back combinations are dependent on your body goals. What do you want to achieve? In his heyday, Arnold Schwarzenegger swore by a superset routine involving little to no rest periods.
Should you adopt his routine, it would mean doing a seated cable row set immediately after a set of inclined dumbbell presses with only a minute’s rest at most in between. As previously mentioned, this is an excellent strategy for speeding up your workout and shedding more fat.
The downside, however, is that it could be too intense for beginners or those without some kind of fitness background.
According to studies, longer rest periods (at least 90 seconds) help you train with heavier loads. When you alternate between chest and back sets with more rest time in between, you maximize muscle stimulation and muscle growth. That is, if gaining muscle is your main goal.
Of course, no rule says that you should always do supersets.
You can do individual back and chest workouts in one session, doing back or chest exercises first before moving to another muscle area. It may mean more time in the gym, but that shouldn’t matter if it works for you.
It might also be a better option if you want to target a specific area of the chest or back. It could be an area with more fat than you would want or an area where you need to build more strength.
Alternating between supersets and individual workouts is also a great option. It gives you the best of both worlds, helping target weak points and underdeveloped areas and bringing an intense workout session at the same time.
As for the order of your exercises when doing them individually, it may also depend on your situation. For example, back workouts tend to activate shoulder muscles, and if you have problems there, it would be best to do back exercises first so you’re fresher when you do them.
Although this may lead to reducing your weight on chest exercises, it should allow you to get a decent back workout without further injuring your shoulders. However, where injuries are concerned, always make it a point to consult your doctor before trying anything.
The Basic Workouts
How many chest and back exercises should you do? That may depend on your goal, but the old-school workout routine dictates three to five moves for each. As such, a traditional workout routine for the back and chest may include the following exercises:
Chest
- Bench press
- Incline dumbbell press
- Dips
Back
- Bent-over row
- Seated cable row
- Chinups
You may alternate these pairings and vary your rest times between sets. You may even opt for no rest times should you want a more intense workout.
Of course, other factors determine the number of exercises to go for; there’s the time and your program.
Naturally, the less time you have to work out, the fewer exercises you can fit into a session. However, aim at least three moves for each body part to ensure a fulfilling workout.
Your program may also have a say on the number of chest and back exercises you do.
For instance, your program may require you to alternate chest-back and arms-shoulders training. If that’s your case, you’ll want to fit in more exercises per session since you won’t be able to train those parts again for another two weeks.
For optimal muscle gain, research suggests doing 10 to 20 hard sets per muscle area per week.
The 10-set minimum should do the trick if your strengths lie in these particular parts, though you will want to aim for 20 if you’re underdeveloped in these regions. Also, make sure to incorporate at least two to-failure sets for each part.
Furthermore, ensure the number of exercises aligns with the work volume you’re going for. Let’s say your aim is 20 sets for back and chest weekly; you can break that down into two separate workouts. Doing so makes the goal more achievable and reduces your risk of overtraining.
Two-Day Chest and Back Training (Supersets)
Day 1
| Chest Exercise | Back Exercise | Number of Sets |
| Incline barbell or dumbbell press | Chest-supported row | Three sets each (train to failure on last set if you can) |
| Cable fly | Straight-arm pulldown | Two sets each (train to failure on last set if possible) |
Day 2
| Barbell or dumbbell bench press | Inverted row | Three sets each (train to failure if you can manage) |
| Dips | One-arm dumbbell row | Two sets each (try to train to failure) |
As your finisher for each session, you can put in some light arm or shoulder exercises for a full upper-body workout. You can also leave it at chest and back and do your arms and shoulders on other days.
Two-Day Chest and Back Training for Underdeveloped Back
If your back is your weakness, try to increase the volume of your workout to give it more of a chance to develop. In that case, you can do 16 sets for the week, splitting it to 10 sets for Monday and six for Friday. Your program should then look like this.
Day 1
| Back or Chest Exercise | Number of Sets (train last set to failure) |
| Machine row | Three sets |
| One-arm lat pulldown | Three sets |
| Seated cable row | Two sets |
| Chinups | Two sets |
| Bench press (dumbbell) | Three sets |
| Pushups (elevated feet) | Two sets |
Day 2
| Back or Chest Exercise | Number of Sets (train last set to failure) |
| One-arm dumbbell row | Two sets |
| Wide-grip lat pulldown | Two sets |
| Dumbbell shrug | Two sets |
| Machine press | Two sets |
| Cable fly | Three sets |
Tips for Working Out Chest and Back
To get the most out of your training for chest and back, keep the following in mind:
Focus More on the Reps Rather Than Weight
Training to failure is more important than weight if your main goal is to grow muscle. Aim for lighter lifting with more repetitions than heavy lifting with fewer reps.
It’s also important to use exercises that specifically target the muscles you want to build.
For instance, machines, cable work, and dumbbells are most impactful in many cases for chest exercises. Don’t overdo the barbell press because you see everyone doing it.
Consult a Professional
If you have injury issues, consult a professional before trying out any exercise program. You can also do isolation exercises since they put less strain on the muscle.
Be Patient
Strength training is quite advanced and dangerous. You want to ease yourself into it as a beginner. You have to work your body until it’s ready for those major squats and deadlifts.
Also, don’t forget to do your warmups and cooldowns, too. Stretching is vital, and it can help reduce your risk of injury.
Vary Your Reps
Doing so reduces your risk of plateauing and lets you consistently beat those PRs. Of course, lower-range repetitions call for heavier weights, and you’ll want to work your way towards that and not jump into it.
Stretching Before Back and Chest
Before you get into those back and chest exercises, you will want to reduce the muscle tension in these areas by stretching them out. Doing so will allow you to hit better ranges of motion, which helps in blood circulation and injury prevention.
Chest Smash
This type of stretching requires you to place a roller or ball beneath your pecs, specifically under the collarbone between the breastbone and shoulder.
Press your body weight on the ball just enough to moderately put pressure on the muscle. Then, roll a tiny bit in either direction, lingering in areas that hold a bit of tension until they release.
You can also raise your arms with palms facing up and then bring them down to the hip area while simultaneously rotating your wrist. This should help increase the stretch on these muscles for the different ranges.
Do the chest smash for about one minute per side.
Lat Smash
Place a roller or ball beneath the meaty muscle under your shoulder called the lat. Then, lie on your side, applying just enough force for the muscle to feel slight pressure.
Reach overhead and in front of your body, rotating your wrist as you do so. Do a minute of the lateral smash per side and then proceed to the following.
Do two to three sets of at least five reps of the following stretching exercises.
Sky Reach To Arm Thread
Here are the steps to follow when performing this exercise:
- Position yourself on all fours, aligning your hands with your shoulders and knees with your hips. Tighten your core.
- Draw up your right arm and fold it across your chest while simultaneously twisting your right shoulder towards the ceiling. Keep your hips facing the floor the entire time.
- Do a motion reversal. Reach across your body and behind the support arm with your arm and twist as far as you can. Ideally, this should be until your right shoulder hits the floor.
- Complete your reps for one side and then move to the other. Repeat for at least one more set.
Cat-Cow
Here’s what you need to do to execute the cat-cow correctly:
- Position yourself on all fours, making sure you align your knees with your hips and your hands with your shoulders.
- Press your body to the floor, spreading apart your shoulder blades as you slope the middle of your back towards the sky. Make sure only the middle of your back moves, as the lower back should remain in a neutral position.
- Pinch together your shoulder blades as you reposition your spine to neutral.
Banded Shoulder Circles
For this exercise, follow these steps:
- In a standing position, hold an exercise band with your two hands beyond shoulder width.
- Draw down your ribs, tuck in your pelvis so it’s positioned parallel to the ground, and tighten your core.
- Holding your arms straight, reach behind your head with the elastic band as far as you can go. Reverse the motion and reach right back in front of you.
Top Back and Chest Workouts
The best chest and back workouts are ideal for the wide range of users who visit the gym. These comprise machine-based workouts and free weights for a complete and varied workout routine that keeps you from plateauing.
Of course, depending on your gym equipment at home, you may also successfully integrate these exercises into a home workout routine. Stick to dumbbell-based exercises if you don’t own machines at home.
Below are the different back and chest exercises, directions on how to do them, and their cycle of repetitions.
Pick exercise combinations based on what works for you. Also, consult your doctor before following any program if you’ve been previously injured or have doubts about your fitness.
General Directions: Follow the recommended number of repetitions for each exercise so you can go through the full cycle of repetitions and maximize muscle growth. Repetitions will change each week. Then, change your workouts every six to eight weeks.
Week 1: 12 to 15 reps per exercise
Week 2: 8 to 12 reps per exercise
Week 3: 6 to 8 reps per exercise
Repeat cycle.
After doing your warmup, start by working two to three sets per lift, increasing the weight after every set. You can go up to four to five sets on some exercises, especially if you feel like they’re easy for you.
However, note that easy means executing correctly based on the prescribed reps and volume per set.
In case you have weak points in the chest, back, or both, aim to start slow in these areas. You can pair off back and chest exercises and do supersets with minimal or no rests in between sets.
The Best Exercises
The following exercises are great for both beginner and seasoned lifters alike, though make sure to keep the reps and weights manageable if you happen to be the former.
Bench Press
Here’s how you do the bench press:
- We’re talking about the barbell bench press, so you’ll want to set the bar just above the eyes. Make sure your feet are level with the floor and your back, butt, and shoulders are touching the bench before you begin.
- Arch your back, drawing your shoulder blades backward and downward. Make sure your hands are grasping the bar just beyond shoulder width, so that when you lower the bar to your chest, a 90-degree angle is formed.
- Remove the bar from the rack and level it right above the chest area.
- Draw the weight towards your chest, tucking your elbows to the sides at a 45-degree angle. Once the bar makes contact with the chest, bring it back up to the starting position.
Incline Dumbbell Press
To do the incline dumbbell press, follow these steps:
- Set the adjustable bench so that it’s positioned at a 30- or 45-degree angle.
- Lie back on it, making sure your entire back is touching the bench. Don’t arch your back, as that would create a disconnect between a portion of your back and the bench.
- Position the dumbbells just outside shoulder width. Your elbows should be bent, and your forearms and wrists should be angled slightly so they form a v-shape.
- Press the dumbbells up, keeping your elbows pointing at 45 degrees when you do so.
- Lower them down until they’re right back to their previous position just beside the shoulders, making sure you have complete control.
Clavicular Head Fly
Follow these steps to execute the clavicula head fly correctly:
- Grab two single-grip D-handles and attach them to the two pulleys on either side of the cable station at the correct shoulder height.
- Take hold of the handles, angling your hands at 45 degrees with your palms facing each other.
- Step forward to extend your arms on either side and create tension on the cables.
- Maintaining the slight bend in your elbows and using a wide arcing movement, bring your arms together.
- Keep the weight under control as you lower it back to position, feeling the stretch in your chest as you do so.
Machine Low Row
The hammer strength low row machine is a popular piece of equipment in a lot of gyms, but in case yours doesn’t have one, try to do this exercise at a cable station or set it up using the incline bench.
Follow these steps so that you can do the machine low row exercise properly:
- Adjust the machine’s seat so that when you’re in position to do the exercise, your chest rests perfectly against the pad.
- After seating yourself on the machine, tighten your core and bend at the hips until your chest touches the pad. The point is to maintain this connection throughout the exercise.
- Put your feet on the floor, making sure your knees aren’t in the way of your arms when you begin the rowing motion.
- Bring your shoulder blades downward and together as you row those handles beyond your ribs. Be careful not to shrug your shoulders and to maintain a tucked-in chin.
Mid-Back Cable Row
So, how is mid-back cable row done? Just follow these steps:
- Set the adjustable bench to 45 degrees and place it in front of the cable station between the two facing pulleys.
- Set the pulleys at the lowest setting and attach single-grip D-handles to both.
- Position your chest facing the bench and take hold of the handles. Make sure to put enough distance between yourself and the machine to feel a satisfying back stretch.
- Pull in your core and arch your back.
- Pull in your shoulder blades backward and downward as you row those handles just beyond your chest, flaring your elbows at a 60-degree angle. Put in more control as you lower the weight.
Block Pull (Rack Pulls)
To execute the back pull to perfection, follow these steps:
- Place the bar on mats or blocks so it’s just below the bottom of the knee. Stand with your feet level with your hips.
- Bend your hips as you reach for the bar, positioning your hands right outside your knees.
- Inhale deeply and tighten your core. Pull back your shoulders and bring them downward to activate those target muscles. You may use a weightlifting strap to support your grip as the weight increases.
Make sure to align your hips, head, and spine as you execute each rep. Drive your heels downward and pull the bar up until you’re standing with fully extended hips with the bar positioned in front of your thighs. Keep the back under control as you lower it back to its position on the floor.
Successfully Building Your Chest and Back Muscles
Creating a great chest and back program for yourself is one thing, but did you know muscle growth also has a lot to do with eating right?
Make sure to fuel up with the right food before your workout, so you can execute those reps and sets tirelessly. Plus, you reduce your risk of injury.
Combine this with the ideal post-workout meal, and your muscles should be able to recover fully by the next workout. This makes for optimal muscle growth and performance.
Back and Chest Exercises FAQs
1. Can you exercise the back and the chest at the same time?
Yes, you can and you should. These are antagonistic muscles, which means when you work one, the other can rest.
The chest and the back are also major muscle groups that tend to take up a lot of time when you work them out individually, so it helps that there are programs for working them out optimally together.
2. What should be your target number of sets for chest-back exercises?
Aim for 15 to 20 sets per week if any of the muscles in these areas of your body are what you consider weak or underdeveloped. Otherwise, you may aim for 10 sets per muscle area each week divided between two workout days.
