RIRLift app icon RIRLift

Exercises

Back fat exercises: rows, pulldowns, rear flies and back extensions

Published October 29, 2026

Back fat, including the bulge around a bra line, comes off through overall fat loss; no exercise burns fat from your back in particular. What these exercises do is build the muscles underneath so your back looks firmer as the fat goes: lat pulldowns, assisted pull-ups and inverted rows for the lats, seated cable rows and dumbbell rows for the middle back, rear delt flies, face pulls and band pull-aparts for the upper back, and back extensions, supermans and Romanian deadlifts for the lower back. Train your back two or three times a week, about 20 hard sets in total, a few more if your home weights are light.

  1. Lat Pulldown Lats
  2. Seated Cable Row Upper Back, Lats
  3. Dumbbell Bent-Over Row Upper Back, Lats
  4. Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly Shoulders
  5. Face Pull Shoulders, Upper Back
  6. 45-Degree Back Extension Glutes, Hamstrings

Lats: the sides of your back

The lats are the wide muscles that run from under your arms down to your lower back, right where bra-line fat sits. Vertical pulls and inverted rows train them through a long range.

Lats, vertical pull

Lat Pulldown

Lats

Pulling a bar from overhead to your upper chest trains the lats, the muscles that run down the sides of your back under the bra line. It is easy to set the weight to your level and add a plate at a time.

How to do it

  1. Set the thigh pad so your legs are locked under it, then stand up and take the bar a little wider than your shoulders, palms forward.
  2. Sit down with your arms fully stretched overhead and lean back only slightly.
  3. Pull the bar to your upper chest by driving your elbows down toward your hips.
  4. Let the bar rise until your arms are straight and your shoulders lift toward your ears, then pull again.

Cues

  • Elbows to your back pockets
  • Bar to the top of the chest
  • Let the stack lift you at the top

Common mistakes

  • Leaning far back and rowing the bar to your stomach: stay nearly upright so it remains a vertical pull.
  • Stopping with the arms still bent at the top: the stretch overhead is half of what makes the pulldown work.

Swap for: Assisted Pull-Up, Single-Arm Lat Pulldown, Neutral-Grip Lat Pulldown

Build a session with Lat Pulldown
Log it in RIRLift

Lats, assisted vertical pull

Assisted Pull-Up

Lats

The machine takes away part of your body weight so you can do real pull-ups from the first session. Reduce the assistance a step at a time until you need none.

How to do it

  1. Set the machine's assistance, kneel on the pad, and take the handles overhead with your palms facing away.
  2. Hang with your arms straight and your shoulders pulled slightly down.
  3. Pull your chest toward the handles until your chin passes them, driving your elbows down to your sides.
  4. Lower all the way back to straight arms under control, then repeat.

Cues

  • Shoulders down before you pull
  • Chin over the handles
  • All the way down each rep

Common mistakes

  • Choosing so much assistance that you could do 20 easy reps: set it so 6 to 10 reps leaves 1 to 2 in reserve.
  • Stopping with bent arms at the bottom: a full hang between reps is what builds the strength for a real pull-up.

Swap for: Lat Pulldown, Chin-Up, TRX Row

Build a session with Assisted Pull-Up
Log it in RIRLift

Lats and upper back, body-weight row

Inverted Row

Upper Back, Lats

Pulling your chest up to a bar set at hip height works the lats and upper back with your own weight. Walk your feet forward to make it easier, back to make it harder.

How to do it

  1. Set a bar at about hip height, lie under it, and grip it with your hands a little wider than your shoulders.
  2. Straighten your body from heels to head, or bend your knees with feet flat for an easier version.
  3. Pull your chest up to the bar, leading with your elbows, and keep your hips in line.
  4. Lower until your arms are straight, then pull again.

Cues

  • Body stays a straight plank
  • Chest touches the bar
  • Bend your knees to make it easier

Common mistakes

  • Letting your hips sag so only your chest rises: squeeze your glutes and move as one piece.
  • Pulling the bar to your neck: aim for the bottom of your chest.

Swap for: TRX Row, Band Bent-Over Row, One-Arm Dumbbell Row

Build a session with Inverted Row
Log it in RIRLift

Rows for the middle back

Rows pull your shoulder blades together and build the thick muscles between them. Do at least one row in every back session, and load them heavier than the fly and pull-apart work.

Middle back, horizontal pull

Seated Cable Row

Upper Back, Lats

Sitting supported and rowing the handle to your stomach lets you load the middle back heavily without your lower back tiring first. Pause with your shoulder blades squeezed for a second each rep.

How to do it

  1. Sit at the cable row with your feet on the platform and knees slightly bent, holding a close-grip handle with your arms straight.
  2. Sit tall with your chest up and let the cable pull your shoulder blades forward a little.
  3. Row the handle to your lower ribs, driving your elbows back past your torso.
  4. Return it under control until your arms are straight and your shoulders reach forward, then repeat.

Cues

  • Sit tall, no rocking
  • Handle to the belly button
  • Shoulders reach at the front

Common mistakes

  • Rocking back and forth to move the stack: your torso should stay close to upright throughout.
  • Shrugging the handle up toward your neck: pull your shoulders down before the elbows bend.

Swap for: Chest-Supported Row, Single-Arm Cable Row, Barbell Row

Build a session with Seated Cable Row
Log it in RIRLift

Middle and upper back, free-weight row

Dumbbell Bent-Over Row

Upper Back, Lats

Two dumbbells and a hip hinge train both sides of the middle back at once, with your hamstrings and lower back holding the position. It is the main home row when you have a pair of dumbbells.

How to do it

  1. Take one dumbbell per hand, feet about hip-width apart, and hinge forward from the hips with soft knees until your torso is nearly level with the floor.
  2. Let the dumbbells hang straight down under your shoulders, palms turned in.
  3. Pull both dumbbells up to your lower ribs, keeping the elbows close, and hold the top for a beat.
  4. Lower to straight arms without letting your torso rise and repeat.

Cues

  • Torso angle stays locked
  • Pull to the ribs
  • Squeeze, then lower

Common mistakes

  • Letting the hinge rise until you are rowing upright: keep a mirror or phone camera to the side and stop the set when your chest climbs.
  • Yanking the dumbbells with your hips: the legs stay still and the elbows do the work.

Swap for: One-Arm Dumbbell Row, Kettlebell Gorilla Row, Band Bent-Over Row

Build a session with Dumbbell Bent-Over Row
Log it in RIRLift

Lats and middle back, single-arm row

One-Arm Dumbbell Row

Lats, Upper Back

Supporting yourself with one hand lets you row heavier with the other arm and pull your elbow further back. Driving the elbow toward your hip works the lower lats near where back fat sits.

How to do it

  1. Put one hand and the same-side knee on a bench, or your hand on a chair seat with both feet on the floor, so your back is flat.
  2. Hold a dumbbell in the other hand with your arm hanging straight.
  3. Pull your elbow back toward your hip until the dumbbell reaches your ribs.
  4. Lower it until your arm is straight again, finish all reps, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Elbow to your hip
  • Back flat as a table
  • Full stretch at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Twisting your chest open to lift the dumbbell higher: keep both shoulders level.
  • Shrugging the shoulder up toward your ear: pull the elbow back, not the shoulder up.

Swap for: Band Bent-Over Row, Dumbbell Bent-Over Row, Seated Cable Row

Build a session with One-Arm Dumbbell Row
Log it in RIRLift

Upper back and rear shoulders

These lighter moves work the backs of your shoulders and the upper back near your neck, which gives the top of your back its shape and pulls your shoulders back. They suit high reps at the end of a session.

Rear shoulders and upper back, fly

Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly

Shoulders

Folding forward and raising light dumbbells out to the sides trains the backs of your shoulders and the muscles between your shoulder blades. It gives the upper back its shape.

How to do it

  1. Sit on the end of a bench, feet together and planted, with a light dumbbell in each hand.
  2. Fold forward from the hips until your chest nearly touches your knees, and let the weights hang below your legs, palms turned in.
  3. Bend your elbows a little and lock that angle in for the whole set.
  4. Open your arms out and up in a wide arc, elbows leading, and stop when your upper arms line up with your back.
  5. Pause for a beat at the top, then take two to three seconds to bring them back down until your arms hang straight again.

Cues

  • Arms wide, like spreading wings
  • Reach for the walls, not the ceiling
  • Chest stays on your knees

Common mistakes

  • Sitting up as the weights rise: if your chest leaves your knees to finish the rep, drop to lighter dumbbells and stop where your upper arms reach your back.
  • Turning the fly into a row: if your elbows bend more and drift toward your ribs, your lats take over; keep the same small elbow bend from the first rep to the last.
  • Shrugging your shoulders toward your ears at the top: keep your neck long and think about reaching your hands toward the walls rather than the ceiling.

Swap for: Reverse Pec Deck, Band Rear Delt Fly, Rear Delt Cable Fly

Build a session with Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly
Log it in RIRLift

Rear shoulders and upper back, high pull

Face Pull

Shoulders, Upper Back

Pulling a rope toward your face with your elbows high trains the rear shoulders and upper back and turns your arms outward. Light weight and slow reps work best.

How to do it

  1. Set the pulley at or just above head height and attach a rope. Grab it with your thumbs pointing back toward you.
  2. Step back until your arms are straight and the stack lifts, then stagger your feet or sit on a bench so you can lean back slightly without swaying.
  3. Pull the middle of the rope toward your forehead by driving your elbows out and back, keeping them at shoulder height or higher.
  4. As the rope reaches your face, pull the ends apart and rotate your hands back until your fists sit beside your ears, like a double-biceps pose.
  5. Hold that position for a beat, then let your arms straighten under control until your shoulder blades slide forward again.

Cues

  • Elbows high, hands finish behind them
  • Pull the rope apart, not just back
  • Reach forward at the start of every rep

Common mistakes

  • Loading it like a row and leaning back to move the stack: drop the weight until you can hold the end position for a second without your torso rocking.
  • Letting the elbows drop below your shoulders: the pull turns into a row and your lats and biceps take the work. Raise the pulley or lighten the load.
  • Stopping when the rope touches your face: the outward rotation at the end is what the face pull adds, so finish with your fists beside your ears.

Swap for: Band Face Pull, Band Pull-Apart, Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly

Build a session with Face Pull
Log it in RIRLift

Upper back, band pull

Band Pull-Apart

Shoulders, Upper Back

Pulling a light band apart at chest height takes a minute and no gym. Several sets through the day add upper-back work if you sit at a desk.

How to do it

  1. Hold a light band at shoulder height with straight arms and hands about shoulder width.
  2. Pull your hands apart until the band touches your chest.
  3. Let the band bring your hands back slowly.

Cues

  • Squeeze the shoulder blades together at the end.
  • Keep your ribs down.

Common mistakes

  • Bending the elbows to make it easier.

Swap for: Band Face Pull, Band Scapular Retraction

Build a session with Band Pull-Apart
Log it in RIRLift

Lower back

The muscles along your spine and your glutes shape the lower back above your waistband. Back extensions train them directly, and the Romanian deadlift loads them along with your hamstrings.

Lower back and glutes, extension

45-Degree Back Extension

Glutes, Hamstrings

Bending forward over the pad and lifting back up trains the muscles along your spine and your glutes, the area just above your waistband. Hold a plate at your chest when body weight gets easy.

How to do it

  1. Set the pad so it sits just below your hip bones, then hook your heels under the foot rollers.
  2. Fold your arms over your chest and stand straight in line with the bench.
  3. Bend forward at the hips until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings.
  4. Lift your torso back to a straight line with your legs, squeezing your glutes, and stop there.

Cues

  • Hinge at the hips
  • Stop at a straight line
  • Squeeze your glutes at the top

Common mistakes

  • Arching back past a straight line at the top: the rep ends when your body is straight.
  • Setting the pad too high so it blocks your hips: you should be able to fold freely over it.

Swap for: Back Extension, Superman, Weighted Back Extension

Build a session with 45-Degree Back Extension
Log it in RIRLift

Lower back, floor extension

Superman

Lower Back

Lifting your arms, chest and legs off the floor works the same muscles as the back extension with no machine. Hold each rep for two seconds at the top.

How to do it

  1. Lie face down with your arms stretched overhead and legs straight.
  2. Raise arms, chest and legs a few inches off the floor together.
  3. Hold for a second, then lower everything together.

Cues

  • Long, not high
  • Eyes on the floor

Common mistakes

  • Cranking the head back to lift higher: keep your neck in line with your spine.

Swap for: Back Extension, Exercise Ball Back Extension, Band Good Morning

Build a session with Superman
Log it in RIRLift

Lower back, glutes and hamstrings, hinge

Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

Hamstrings, Glutes

Lowering two dumbbells down your legs with a flat back keeps the lower back muscles working to hold your spine still while the hamstrings and glutes lift. It trains the whole lower half of your back side in one lift.

How to do it

  1. Stand hip-width apart with a dumbbell in each hand resting against the front of your thighs, palms facing you.
  2. Push your hips straight back and let your torso fold forward, knees softly bent, the dumbbells brushing your legs.
  3. Lower until the dumbbells pass your knees and you feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings, with your back still flat.
  4. Drive your hips forward to stand back up, squeezing your glutes at the top, and repeat.

Cues

  • Hips back, not down
  • Dumbbells slide down your legs
  • Flat back, chin tucked

Common mistakes

  • Bending the knees into a squat so the dumbbells go lower: the depth comes from the hips, and most people stop just past the knees.
  • Rounding the lower back at the bottom: end the rep where your back stays flat, and lighten the load if that is high.

Swap for: Single-Leg RDL, Dumbbell Good Morning, Kettlebell Deadlift

Build a session with Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
Log it in RIRLift

Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in.

Session 1

Gym, two back days a week

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets23 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentLat Pulldown, Cable Row, Adjustable Cable, Hyperextension +2

You go to the gym and want to put more work into your back while you lose fat, with access to cables and machines.

Two sessions give the lats, middle back and rear shoulders about 18 hard sets a week, plus 5 for the lower back, enough for visible muscle without long sessions. Machines let you push close to failure without a spotter. Each day has 11 to 12 working sets and takes about 40 minutes, and they can be added to your leg or full-body days.

Day 1
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Lat Pulldown1 warm-up set first 3 × 8–12 1 2 min
Seated Cable Row 3 × 8–12 1 2 min
Face Pull 3 × 12–15 1 1 min
45-Degree Back Extension 2 × 10–15 2 90 s

Open Day 1 in the session builder

Day 2
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Assisted Pull-Up 3 × 6–10 1 2 min
One-Arm Dumbbell RowPer arm. 3 × 8–12 1 90 s
Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly 3 × 12–20 1 1 min
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift 3 × 8–12 2 2 min

Open Day 2 in the session builder

How to run it
Do Day 1 and Day 2 with at least two days between them. Put them at the start of an upper-body session or after legs.
How to progress
Add one plate on the pulldown and cable row when every set reaches the top of the range at 1 rep in reserve. For the assisted pull-up, reduce the assistance by one step instead.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

At home with dumbbells and a band

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets27 a week
  • Per workout~15 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Resistance Bands

You train at home with a pair of dumbbells, a light resistance band and a mat, three times a week.

Home loads are lighter, so three short back sessions bring the total to about 27 sets a week with higher reps. Rows and rear flies use the dumbbells; pull-aparts and supermans fill in the upper and lower back. Each session has 9 working sets and takes about 25 minutes.

Home back session
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Dumbbell Bent-Over Row 3 × 10–15 2 90 s
Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly 2 × 12–20 1 1 min
Band Pull-Apart 2 × 15–25 2 45 s
Superman 2 × 10–15 2 45 s
How to run it
Add it after any home workout three times a week, or do it on its own on non-consecutive days.
How to progress
Use double progression: add reps until every set reaches the top of the range at 1 to 2 reps in reserve, then use heavier dumbbells or a stronger band. Slow, 3-second lowering stretches out light dumbbells.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Lower back fat and posture

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets19 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Hyperextension, Cable Row, Barbells +1

The area above your waistband bothers you more than the bra line, you sit most of the day, and you want stronger lower back and glutes alongside a calorie deficit.

The lower back and glutes get 5 to 6 hard sets a session from hinges and extensions, while one row keeps the upper back from being left out. Two sessions a week at 2 reps in reserve build strength without leaving your lower back sore. Each day has 9 to 10 working sets and takes about 35 minutes.

Day A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift1 warm-up set first 3 × 8–12 2 2 min
45-Degree Back Extension 3 × 10–15 2 90 s
Seated Cable Row 3 × 10–12 2 90 s

Open Day A in the session builder

Day B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Superman 3 × 10–15 2 1 min
Inverted Row 3 × 6–12 2 90 s
45-Degree Back Extension 2 × 12–15 2 90 s
Band Pull-Apart 2 × 15–20 2 45 s

Open Day B in the session builder

How to run it
Train Day A and Day B twice a week with two days between. On other days, get up from your desk once an hour; walking adds to the fat loss.
How to progress
Back extensions go from body weight to holding a plate once you reach 15 reps at 2 reps in reserve. Romanian deadlifts go up 5 pounds per hand at a time.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

How do I lose fat from my back?

Eat a little less than you burn so you lose fat overall, and strength train so the muscle under it is firm when it goes.

Can you reduce back fat in 2 weeks?

Not noticeably. Two weeks of a deficit takes off a pound or two of fat spread across your whole body. Posture and a better-fitting bra change the look faster, and real change takes a few months.

Is back fat harder to lose?

It can be slower to show change than other areas, depending on where your body tends to store fat first. It still responds to the same calorie deficit as everywhere else.

What causes back fat?

Body fat in general, with genetics deciding how much of it sits on your back. Clothing that cuts in makes it more visible, and weak upper back muscles and rounded shoulders make the area look softer.

What is the best back fat exercise at home?

The dumbbell bent-over row, because it trains the most back muscle with the least equipment. Add rear delt flies and supermans to cover the upper and lower back.