Ranking Best Calisthenics Back Exercise to Obtain Strength
Developing an aesthetic and strong back is something that calisthenics is known for. There are many exercises to do this, some better than others. In this article, I will be ranking the best to the mediocre calisthenic back exercises to perform for growth. From S rank, which is considered the best to the C rank, which is considered mediocre.
S Rank
So starting with any calisthenics workout(at least at the beginning of your fitness journey) you will perform a lot of pull-ups, chin-ups, neutral grip, pullups, and bodyweight rows. These are the basic foundational exercises to go from the beginner stage up to the advanced stages of your training.
Anatomy
So the back is considered the posterior chain of the body. The posterior meaning behind. The muscles you want to focus on when working the back for growth would be the latissimus dorsi, teres minor and major, rhomboid minor and major, and trapezius. The good thing about calisthenics is the exercise is typically compound exercises. Meaning that you will be working for these muscle groups without having to focus too much on exercise selection.
Pullups are a back-dominant exercise that works the latissimus dorsi, biceps, upper back muscles, and core. Increasing your ability to perform pull-ups can help to get to those more advanced exercises such as the muscle up, l-sit pullup, and human flag.
Neutral grip pullups work both the back muscles in a more even way than pullups or chin-ups can, but they're also safer than the others due to hand placement. It can help reduce the chance of wrist injury. Neutral grip pull-ups hit the brachioradialis and brachialis muscles which count for more than half of the arm's gross muscle mass. So if you're looking to build your arms this is the exercise to add.
Chin-ups are more of a bicep and lower back focus exercise. The major movers will be your biceps, abdomen, latissimus dorsi, and posterior delts. The chin-ups are a great way to progress to harder exercises such as the OAC.
The last S-rank exercise is bodyweight rows. What makes bodyweight rows unique compared to chin-ups and pullups is that it works the back muscles in a horizontal plane of field. Meaning that it provides more stimulus to the rhomboid, the mid traps, posterior delts, and erector spinae.
A Rank
A- rank exercise can help you progress with your skill training such as the front-lever and develop an overall more balanced physique.
Ice cream makers are a combination of a pull-up and a front lever. It’s a great exercise to add to your routine because it works for multiple muscle groups, the major ones being the lats, mid-back, arms, shoulders, and abs. It can help you progress toward a front lever.
This next exercise has many names, one of them being the black widow. It’s supposed to help develop the posterior delts and the mid back. You can add this to your routine in order to create a more balanced workout for the shoulders.
The front lever raise is a great exercise to add towards your progression to the front lever. It works the abs and lats by raising the body into the front-lever position.
B rank
B-rank exercises are one’s that can be useful to develop a stronger back but aren’t essential in progressing in one’s training.
For the first B rank exercise it’s going to be the bird dog. The bird dog exercise doesn’t focus on the whole back but rather on the erector spinae, abs, and glutes. It's a great exercise but isn’t essential to develop back gains.
This exercise also can help develop better posture because it targets the erector spinae as well.
The major movers in the back bride would be the lower back and the obliques, traps, and the erector spinae. Requires a lot of mobility but can help to develop better posture.
C rank
C-rank exercises are exercises that can be added to your routine but by no means are needed to progress with your back gains.
Muscle-ups are one of (if not the most) popular calisthenic exercise. You start and the bottom position of a bar and explode upwards getting your body above the bar. Muscle-ups are considered a full body exercise not only working the majority of back muscle but the pushing muscle as well.
Glute bridges are just a lower variation of the back bridge which purpose is to develop better stability within the torso. Works the lower back muscles, glutes, and core.
The great thing about calisthenics is that you don’t need that much equipment if any to get a workout in. Floor pull-ups are for those who don’t yet have an accessible pull-up bar or don’t have the strength to perform pull-ups. You use a band to replicate the pulling motion of a pull-up to hit those back muscles. Now by no means can this exercise replace a pull-up, but it can be a start for those without a pull-up bar.
Conclusion
To develop a strong back you not only have to pick the right exercises but also have to do them with good form. That means you must depress and retract the scapula before each repetition(depending on the pulling exercise) and keep your arms straight before each rep because it allows you to perform a full range of motion. For example, the muscle up is going to require you to round your back and form your body into a c-shape over the bar, while a regular requires full retraction and depression of the scapula. If you were to take only a few exercises from this routine I would recommend the pullups, chin-ups, neutral grip pullups, and rows because they will give you the most bang for your buck.
