30 Minutes Beginner Back Workout with Bodyweight
A 30 minutes muscle building workout targeting your back using bodyweight equipment. 3 exercises, 12 total sets, designed for beginner lifters.
30 Minutes
Duration
12
Total Sets
8-12 reps
Rep Range
~420
Est. Calories
The Workout
Start with this as your primary movement. Warm up with 2 lighter sets first.
Form cues
- Hang from a pull-up bar with a shoulder-width overhand grip and arms fully straight.
- Without bending your elbows, pull your shoulder blades down and together.
- Your body should rise two to three inches — the movement is entirely in the scapulae.
Set a bar at waist height, hang underneath it with arms extended and body straight.
Form cues
- Set a bar at waist height, hang underneath it with arms extended and body straight.
- Pull your chest to the bar by driving your elbows down and back.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together hard at the top for a one-second hold.
Finish strong — take the last set close to failure.
Form cues
- Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width with palms facing away.
- Start from a dead hang with arms fully extended and shoulders packed.
- Initiate the pull by depressing your shoulder blades — imagine pulling the bar toward your chest.
Why This Workout Works
This workout is built around the principles of muscle building training. Use moderate loads (65-80% of your 1RM) with controlled eccentrics and full range of motion. Prioritize progressive overload by adding reps before adding weight. Train each muscle group 2x per week with 10-20 hard sets per muscle per week.
Training Parameters
- Rep Range: 8-12 reps — the hypertrophy sweet spot for maximum muscle growth
- Rest Periods: 60-90 seconds — long enough for quality reps, short enough for metabolic stress
- Sets Per Exercise: 3-4 sets — optimized for muscle building
Back Training Tips
- *Initiate every pull by squeezing your shoulder blades together — think about pulling with your elbows, not your hands.
- *Use straps on heavy rows so grip fatigue does not limit back development.
- *Include both vertical pulls (pulldowns, pull-ups) and horizontal pulls (rows) in your program.
Get this back workout personalized for you
Revy's AI will analyze your training history, recovery status, and strength levels to customize every set, rep, and weight for maximum muscle building results.