Back and Bicep Workout At Home To Build Mass and Strength

At-home bodyweight back and biceps workout help to build strength and muscle mass in the lats, lower back, rhomboids, both heads of the biceps, and forearms.

The combination of bodyweight back and bicep exercise helps to increase your muscle strength and endurance in the back and arm.

Back and bicep is a muscle pairing as old as the Pull-ups, chin-ups and rows. The back muscle is the main targeted muscle in most pull-ups exercises, and the bicep and rear delt are crucial synergistic muscles.

Training your back and biceps together is something very common in today’s bodybuilding training routines. It doesn’t matter whether you are a beginner or an advanced lifter. You need a good workout routine to optimize your muscle gains.

Here we talk about a back and bicep workout you can do at home without equipment to build muscle mass and strength.

Benefits of Bodyweight Back and Bicep Workout At Home

There are a lot of good reasons to add bodyweight back and bicep exercises to your home workout plan.

  • A bodyweight workout at home is safer and more flexible than other types of workouts.
  • Bodyweight exercises are typically seen as beginner-friendly workouts, but with the variations and changes you can implement, you can really make them challenging for you, even if you are an advanced lifter.
  • It gives you more options, which prevents physical and mental exhaustion.
  • Bodyweight back workout allows the joints to move naturally within their range of motion by creating more joint stability.
  • Bodyweight back and bicep workout are perfect for the at-home exerciser with the limited space.

How To Train Back and Biceps Together Without Equipment

I believe that, after years of bodyweight training, you don’t need sophisticated exercises or routines to get stronger or muscular. Simplicity was and still is the key to growing muscles and strength with bodyweight fitness, but it requires a tremendous amount of work, patience, and time.

Training back and bicep in the same workout is something that has been done for decades by people. The reason for training those muscle groups together is very straightforward.

During a compound back workout, many targeted muscles work together with other Synergistic and stabilizer muscles to function. This meta-analysis found that compound exercises were more effective at building muscle mass than isolation exercises.

Like when you are doing a pull-up, the back is the main targeted muscles. However, there are many other Synergistic and stabilizer muscles acting in this motion, such as the Biceps brachiirear deltoid, traps.

10 Best Bodyweight Back and Bicep Exercises for Home Workout

Here are 10 bodyweight exercises to help you build back and biceps without iron. You can use these as part of a regular workout or as a standalone circuit.

1. Inverted Row

The inverted row also known as bodyweight rows. The inverted row is easier to perform because it puts your body in a horizontal position.

It also works the back, shoulder, and biceps muscles from a different angle and improves scapular retraction.

You could also perform the inverted row at home by lying under a chair, holding the chair’s sides, and pulling yourself up.

Inverted-Row

How To Do

  1. Adjust the height of the chair and bar so that they are slightly higher than arm’s length from the floor.
  2. Lie under the bar with your legs and body straight.
  3. Hold the bar with an overhand grip that is a little wider than shoulder width.
  4. Keeping your legs and body straight, exhale as you pull your chest up to the bar.
  5. Hold for a count of two and squeeze your back muscles.
  6. Inhale as you lower your body until your arms and shoulders are fully extended. Repeat.

Pro Tips

  • Do not allow your butt to sag. Tighten your core, and keep your body stiff from your head to your toes.
  • Do not allow your elbows to flail. Hold the bar with your hands closer together and keep your elbows at an angle to your body, like you’re doing a bench press.
  • Make sure you go down completely. Lower your body until the arms are fully extended, and then raise your body until the chest touches the bar.

2. Pull-Up

The pull-up is an upper-body strength exercise that targets your back and bicep. Pull ups are a challenge for beginners and experienced athletes.

The wide-grip pull-up is harder to perform than a standard pull-up because it places your hands further from the center of your body, making the exercise more difficult. 

It increases the strength, thickness, and width of your back, specifically your lats. The lats are what make the back wide and form the “V” in the upper back.

Wide Grip Pull Up

How To Do

  1. Using an overhand grip, grab on to a pull-up bar with your hands spaced wider than shoulder-width apart.
  2. Hang from the bar with your arms fully extended and your chest high, while exaggerating the arch in your lower back.
  3. Pull yourself up by squeezing your shoulder blades together and contracting your lats until your chin passes the bar.
  4. Hold the contraction at the top for a second before slowly lowering yourself back to the starting position.

Pro Tips

  • To decrease bicep involvement, use a thumbless grip.
  • Go full range of motion and keep form correct.
  • Avoid jerky movements and keep them controlled.
Know More: 25 Different Types Of Pull Ups And Chin Ups (Variations)

3. Superman

Superman is one of the best back exercises that you can do at home without equipment. It strengthens your upper and lowers back muscles.

If done regularly, the Superman may help alleviate back pain that is related to weak back muscles. You should add this bodyweight exercise to your back workout routine to strength the lower back. It also works on your glutes and your hamstrings.

Superman Exercise

How To Do

  1. Lie down with your stomach flat on the ground. Extend your arms in front of you, with your palms facing downwards.
  2. Lift your head, raise your arms and chest as far as possible off the ground.
  3. Lift your thighs off the ground by bending your legs. (Try to make a big “U” with your back.)
  4. At this point, you should feel your back muscles, glutes, and hamstring muscles tightening up.
  5. Hold the contraction at the top for a second and then lower yourself back to the starting position.

Pro Tips

  • Begin by holding for only 5 or 10 seconds your first time, and then work your way up to 30 seconds in future workouts.
  • Do not hold your breath. Breathe regularly.

4. Good Morning

It is known as a good morning because of the movement in the erector spinae which resembles the rise out of bed to stretch.

The erector spinae muscles of the lower back work isometrically to keep the spine in an extended position, while the hamstrings and gluteus maximus work isotonically to perform hip extension. You must add this body weight exercise to your back and bicep workout regimen at home.

To allow your lower back to adapt to the good morning exercise, start with a lightweight or with a stick and gradually add more weight.

Good Morning Exercise

How To Do

  1. Stand with a stick on the back of your shoulders and grasp it at each side.
  2. You can also do the exercise as in the bodyweight version.
  3. With your knees slightly flexed and your back and neck in a neutral position, breathe in as you slowly flex your hips, lowering your torso until it is close to or fully horizontal.
  4. Breathe out as you raise your torso back up to the starting position by extending your hips.
  5. Repeat the desired number of repetitions

Pro Tips

  • Make sure you maintain a neutral spine throughout the exercise.
  • It is recommended that the lifter avoid rounding (flexing) or rotation (twisting) at any point during the movement.
  • Keep the movement slow, the form strict, and the weight light.
Know More: 12 Best Lower Back Strengthening Exercises To At Home

5. Bird Dog

The bird dog is an exercise that is very effective for training the abdominal muscles and lower back muscles. Other muscles, such as the glutes, are also worked on. 

The bird dog is a great exercise for building a stable trunk. It owes its name to the position which alternates between sitting on hands and knees (dog) and stretching the arms and legs (bird).

A study has found that dead bug exercise was more efficient in improving core and lower back strength, endurance, and flexibility.

Bird Dog Exercise

How To Do

  1. Get into a kneeling position with your hands placed in front of your body at shoulder width.
  2. Raise one hand and the opposite knee slightly off the floor, while contracting your abs. You are now balancing on the other knee and hand.
  3. Now, extend your arm and leg as far as they will go. Try to make a straight line from your hand to your foot.
  4. Hold this position for about 10 seconds and then return to the starting position.
  5. Repeat the exercise with the other side.

Pro Tips

  • This exercise gets harder when you perform the exercise on your toes instead of your knees.
  • Don’t extend your leg or arm higher than your back. The exercise works best when you form a straight plane from your hand to your ankles.

6. Chin Up

The chin-up is a strength training exercise. This is a bodyweight exercise that can induce serious muscle growth of the biceps and back.

In this exercise, the palms are faced towards the body. Since the lifter is pulling their own bodyweight, the biceps are often exposed to loads heavier than what one can lift with a barbell.

Chin Up

How To Do

  1. Grasp a pull-up bar with an underhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart or slightly narrower.
  2. Straighten your arms, keep your knees bent and cross your lower legs.
  3. Retract your shoulder blades and pull your body up until your chin becomes aligned with the bar.
  4. Pause for one to two seconds at the top, with the biceps under maximum tension. Slowly lower to the start position.

Pro Tips

  • It is counterproductive to do half reps and focus on numbers.
  • Lower to almost full extension of the elbow, but avoid locking out completely.
Know More: Pull Ups Vs Chin Ups: The Ultimate Comparison

7. Bicep Leg Curl

The bodyweight bicep curl is a good bodyweight exercise for building arm muscle and strength. These exercises don’t require any equipment, only your bodyweight is needed.

We sometimes lack access to equipment, but that’s not an issue with the bicep leg curl, as you only require your arms and legs.

Bicep Leg Curl

How To Do

  1. Begin by sitting on a chair as close to the edge as possible. Then, place your right hand under your left thigh at the crease between your hamstrings and calves.
  2. Slowly curl your right up as high as you can. Exhale during this portion of the exercise.
  3. Hold for a couple of seconds.
  4. Then, slowly lower your leg back down, so your foot is just above the ground. Inhale during this portion of the exercise.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of reps. Repeat the exercise with your left arm.

Pro Tips

  • Try to get as much range of motion as possible.
  • You can perform a variation of the bicep leg curl lying down.

8. Towel Bicep Curls

You can perform this exercise by standing with your back against the wall and grabbing both ends of a towel while putting one foot on a sling.

Towel bicep curls bodyweight bicep exercises

How To Do

  1. Stand with your knees slightly bent, and your abs tucked in, your non-dominant arm down at your side with your palm facing forward. Put your opposite palm over your wrist.
  2. Make a fist with your working hand and execute a biceps curl with that arm while resisting it with the other.
  3. Shift the resistance on the way, so your palm pushes the working arm down. Return to the starting position.
  4. Finish your set, then repeat, with the other arm doing the work.

Pro Tips

  • Keep your core tight and your shoulders down while doing this exercise.

9. Isometric Chin Ups

The Isometric means that the muscles don’t get longer or shorter, they just stay the same shape.

Isometric holds for biceps are like holding bags of groceries in your hands with your elbows bent at 90-degrees. In this position, your biceps are fully flexed and holding the bags stationary.

Isometric Chin-ups bodyweight bicep exercises

How To Do

  1. Place your hands on the pull-up bar with your palms facing you and your hands about shoulder-distance apart.
  2. Pull yourself up until your chin is over the bar. If you are unable to do a chin-up, you can still do this exercise by using a chair or step to jump.
  3. Your chin should be above the bar. Hold for 5 seconds, then lower to 90 degrees and hold for 5 seconds, then lower again to just before the bottom.
  4. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Pro Tips

  • Keep the scapula retracted

10. Reverse Grip Push-Ups

The reverse grip push-up is a fun and great variation of the standard push-up. The exercise is done with your fingers facing your feet (your palms outward).

It’s considered the “bicep push-up” by many because of the hand position, it emphasizes a little more on your biceps than the standard push-up.

Reverse Grip Push-Ups

How To Do

  1. Get down into a press-up position with your hands placed so your fingers are pointing towards your toes.
  2. Take a big breath in and slowly start to bend your elbows. Do not let your elbows move outwards (away from your body).
  3. Lower yourself until you are about an inch from the floor. Pause the movement when you are at the bottom for a second.
  4. Push through your palms like you would try to push the floor away from yourself, extending the arms but maintaining a slight bend in the elbow.
  5. Repeat this for however many repetitions you wish to perform.

Pro Tips

  • Always make sure to do a proper warm up especially focusing on warming up and stretching your wrists
  • Keep your neck in a neutral position to avoid stressing and hurting it.
  • Take it slow and easy when lowering yourself and really explode back up.
Know More: 25 Different Types Of Push Ups (Best Variations)

Set And Reps Of Back And Bicep Workout Plan

In this context, training volume refers to how much work we’re doing for a particular body part. And the simplest way to lay out volume is in terms of sets being done.

Of course, the number of sets and reps will be determined based on goal, but here is a great starting point:

Sets

According to the latest scientific evidence, 12–20 weekly sets per muscle group may optimize muscle growth.

  • Beginners: ~10 sets per week.
  • Intermediate: ~15 sets per week.
  • Advanced: ~20 sets per week.

Reps

  • For muscle endurance: Aim for 15-20+ reps, with a moderate amount of resistance.
  • For muscle strength: 6-10 reps, with a heavier amount of resistance.
  • For muscle hypertrophy (increased muscle size): Aim for 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps, with a moderate to heavy amount of resistance.

Note: Do you remember that the biceps are involved in most back exercises? If you were to do 10-20 sets for the back each week, you would not also need 10-20 sets for the biceps because the biceps would already receive a lot of secondary volume while training the back.

Back And Bicep Workout Routine For Beginner

It’s time to share a workout routine with you. It is a beginner’s level back and bicep workout.

Below, you will find an easy-to-understand back and bicep workout routine for beginners. This workout program consists of the primary back movements and will help you out with getting a good base of muscle mass and strength.

ExerciseSetsReps
Inverted Row48-12
Pull-Up 410-12
Superman38-10
Bodyweight Curl48-10
Bird Dog38-10

Back and Biceps Workout Plan at Home Without Equipment.

ExerciseSetsReps
Inverted Row48-10
Pull-Up310-12
Superman36-8
Chin Up48-10
Towel Curl310-12

Bodyweight Back And Bicep Superset Workout Plan

  1. Inverted Row: 4 sets of 6-8 reps, superset with,
    • Chin Up: 4 sets of 6-8 reps.
  2. Bird Dog Exercise: 3 sets of 6-8 reps, superset with,
    • Towel Bicep Curls: 3 sets of 8-10 reps.
  3. Superman: 3 sets of 4-6 reps, superset with,
    •  Reverse Grip Push-Ups: 3 sets of 6-8 reps.

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Back And Bicep Training

How can I train my back and biceps at home?

All the above exercises are the best options for back and bicep bodyweight workout at home. Having a V-taper back and big Gun are accomplished through building your back and biceps, and is a sign of dominance.

How long should a back and bicep workout be

A good target length for a back and bicep workout is 45-60 minutes. This allows enough time to adequately work the major muscles of the back and biceps through compound and isolation exercises.

Can I get a strong back and biceps by working out at home?

Absolutely, With the right exercises and consistency, you can build a strong back and biceps at home. Focus on compound movements like pull-ups, rows, and chin-ups, as well as targeted bicep curls, and you’ll see results.

How often should I train my back and biceps at home?

Aim for 2-3 times per week, with at least two days of rest between sessions. Allow your muscles time to recover and grow.

Conclusion

We’ve already told you about the best bodyweight back and biceps exercises that you can do at home without equipment for building muscle mass.

I strongly urge you to make sure you do these exercises correctly because that will have a big impact on your progress.

References

  1. Paulo Gentil, Saulo Soares, and Martim Bottaro Single vs. Multi-Joint Resistance Exercises: Effects on Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy. Asian J Sports Med. 2015 Jun
  2. Strength and Conditioning Journal: October 2017 – Volume 39 – Issue 5 – p 33-35. Large and Small Muscles in Resistance Training: Is It Time for a Better Definition?
  3. J Strength Cond Res. 2020 May;34(5):1254-1263. Varying the Order of Combinations of Single- And Multi-Joint Exercises Differentially Affects Resistance Training Adaptations.

Back and Biceps Workout for Strength and Muscle

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