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Calisthenics Back Workout: 11 Best Exercises

calisthenics back workout
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What Are Calisthenics Back Exercises

Calisthenics back exercises are bodyweight exercises you can do almost anywhere to get a great calisthenics back workout.

Here are 10 of the best calisthenics back exercises:

  1. Wide Grip Pullup
  2. Around The World Pullup
  3. Archer Pullup
  4. Clapping Pullup
  5. Wide To Narrow Plyo Pullup
  6. Chinup
  7. Inverted Row
  8. Inverted Chinup
  9. Headbanger Pull Up
  10. Typewriter Pullup
  11. Back Extension

1. Wide Grip Pullup

Wide pullups are great for building width in your back and targetting your lats. In order to perform the exercise, you’ll need access to a pullup bar.

How to do a wide grip pullup:

  1. Hang from a high bar with a wide grip (hands over the bar)
  2. Pull yourself upwards as you depress your scapula until your chin rises above the bar
  3. Make a short pause and lower yourself down

2. Around The World Pullup

Around the world pullup is another great calisthenics back exercise that is great for intermediate or advanced athletes who want to add variation to their routine.

How to do the around the world pullup:

  1. Grab the bar and hang from the pullup bar using the wide grip
  2. Start pulling yourself in a circle or clockwise motion. Your chin should be over the bar in the top position of the movement
  3. Alternate from clockwise to counter-clockwise movement between reps

3. Archer Pullup

Archer pullup is an advanced pullup variation that makes one side of your back do most of the work.

How to do the archer pullup:

  1. Hang from the bar using a very wide grip
  2. Begin doing the pullup to one side and keeping your other arm completely straight. Your torso and body will shift towards the side that does most of the work
  3. Pause for a second, lower yourself down and do the next rep to the other side

4. Clapping Pullup

Clapping pullups are an advanced plyometric exercise that will help you build explosive strength and power. They’re also a great exercise to use if you’re trying to build strength for muscle ups.

How to do a clapping pullup:

  1. Hang from a bar with a narrow grip
  2. Pull yourself up as quickly and explosively as you can
  3. When you’re approaching the highest point of the exercise, take your hands off the pullup bar quickly and clap your hands
  4. After the clap, grab the bar again as your start lowering down

5. Wide To Narrow Plyo Pullup

Wide to narrow plyo pullups are a great explosive calisthenics back exercise for advanced athletes. Similar to clapping pullups, it will help you build explosive power.

How to do a wide to narrow plyo pullup:

  1. Hang from the bar with a wide grip
  2. Pull yourself up as explosively as you can
  3. Once you’re about to approach the top position, shift your hands from wide to narrow grip
  4. Repeat the exercise but this time you’ll need to move your hands from a narrow grip to a wide grip

6. Chinup

Chinups are a classic bodyweight muscle-building exercise that focuses more on the biceps and a bit less on your lats. However, by using an underhand grip your lats will get a bigger stretch at the top position and will be a bit more shortened at the most contracted position.

How to do a chinup:

  1. Hang from a high bar with a shoulder width, supinated grip, and relaxed shoulders.
  2. Pull yourself upwards as you depress your scapula until your chin rises above the bar
  3. Pause for a second and lower yourself to the starting hanging position

7. Inverted Row

Inverted rows are an easier variation of a pullup that is great for beginners who want to strengthen their back muscles before they can do a pullup. However, this exercise is not just for beginners and can be integrated into an advanced calisthenics back workout routine.

How to do an inverted row:

  1. Hang from a low bar with a shoulder-width grip with your feet on the ground and your body close to parallel with the floor
  2. Straighten your body, and while keeping your body straight, retract your scapula and row your chest toward the bar by driving your elbows down until it touches
  3. Return to the starting position with straight arms while keeping your body straight

8. Inverted Chinup

Inverted chinups develop are a good exercise for beginners to build lats, biceps, and mid-back muscles.

How to do an inverted chinup:

  1. Hang from a low bar with a shoulder-width underhand grip, squeeze your glutes, and engage your core
  2. Pull yourself up until your lower chest almost touches the bar
  3. Pause for a second and return to the starting position

9. Headbanger Pull Up

Headbanger is a great upper body calisthenics exercise for the back muscles. They work primarily on your lats and mid-back muscles.

How to do a headbanger pullup:

  1. Hang from the bar with an underhand grip, shoulder-width apart
  2. Pull yourself up until your chin is over the bar and stay there
  3. Quickly push yourself away from the bar by extending your arms
  4. When your arms are extended, quickly pull yourself forward to the starting position
  5. That’s one rep. Repeat the movement again for the desired number of reps

10. Typewriter Pullup

The typewriter pullup is an advanced calisthenics exercise that works your lats, rear delts, rhomboids, traps, and biceps. By adding this exercise to your upper body routine you can introduce more variety to your training.

How to do a typewriter pullup:

  1. Hang from the bar with a wide grip
  2. Pull yourself up with your right arm while straightening your left just like you would in an archer pullup
  3. Slide yourself to your left side while holding your chin above the bar
  4. Repeat the motion for as many reps as you need

11. Back Extension

Back extension is another good exercise for your back (especially the lower back) that is often times overlooked. It can be performed anywhere and requires no equipment except for a clean surface.

This exercise will primarily work on your erector spinae muscles, your glutes and mid-back muscles.

How to do a back extension:

  1. Lay out the ground on your stomach
  2. Place your hands behind your head
  3. Bring your upper body and lower body up as close to each other as you can by engaging your lower back muscles and your glutes
  4. Make sure that you keep your legs almost straight in your knees
  5. Pause for a second and lower yourself down

FAQ

1. Is calisthenics good for back?

Calisthenics exercises are great for building strength and muscle in your back as well as helping you prevent lower back pain that is a common problem for many people these days.

2. Does calisthenics build back muscle?

Yes, there are many great calisthenics back exercises that build muscle: pullups, chinups, inverted rows, lower back extensions as well as many other variations of these exercises.

3. How do you train your lower back calisthenics?

You can use calisthenics exercises like lower back extensions or reverse plank to train your lower muscles.

Conclusion

There are many great exercises for a great calisthenics back workout. Make sure to use them wisely and incorporate them into your routine to get the best results possible.

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