The back muscles are located on the back side of your upper body and perform the opposite functions of the pectorals and abdominals. When you train your chest muscles, you push something away; when you train your back muscles, you pull something toward your chest — for example, exercises like barbell rows or chin-ups. When you lie on your back and do a crunch, you train your abdominals. To work your lower back muscles, lie on your stomach and lift your chest off the floor or perform barbell deadlifts. Find the best back exercises in the exercise section of this article. For more exercises and information about other muscle groups, check out Weight Training Main.
Latissimus Dorsi (Lats)
The latissimus dorsi is the broadest back muscle, with its upper part covered by the trapezius. Its function is to pull the arms downward or backward, such as during pull-ups or barbell rows.
Trapezius (Traps)
Named after its trapezoid shape, the trapezius muscle functions primarily to lift the shoulders. Typical exercise: Dumbbell shrugs.
Infraspinatus
The infraspinatus connects the shoulder blade to the upper arm bone and mainly rotates the arm outward. It is largely covered by the latissimus, shoulder muscles, and trapezius.
Rhomboideus Minor & Major
Named for their rhombus shape, the rhomboids connect the shoulder blade to the spine and are mostly covered by the trapezius. The rhomboideus minor is the smaller, upper muscle, and the rhomboideus major is the larger, lower muscle.
Teres Minor & Major
The teres muscles run from the bottom of the shoulder blade to the upper arm and are largely covered by the deltoids (shoulder muscles). The teres minor is the upper muscle and attaches directly to the shoulder joint, while the teres major connects to the upper part of the upper arm.
