Putting together an effective back and bicep home workout might seem challenging. Luckily, it doesn’t have to be, so long as you understand the two muscle groups and have some essential equipment.
Today’s post outlines how to put together a simple back and bicep home routine and what equipment you will need.
Let’s discuss.
Table of Contents
Main Takeaways
Why These Workouts Are Great
The great thing about training your back and bicep is that the two muscle groups are synergistic.
For example, as you do a pull-up, you train the latissimus dorsi and other back muscles, but you also work the biceps because of elbow flexion (bending of the arms). The same applies to almost all other back exercises: bent-over rows, lat pulldowns, cable rows, inverted rows, and more.
Helpful Equipment
There are plenty of bodyweight exercises for every muscle group. Still, some areas, like the back, are trickier to train, and having a few basic items goes a long way in making your sessions better.
We recommend having the following equipment for your back and bicep workouts:
- 2 sets of dumbbells based on your experience and strength level:
Beginner
Light: 5 or 8# Dumbbells
Heavy: 15 or 20# Dumbbells
Intermediate
Light: 10 or 15# Dumbbells
Heavy: 25 or 30# Dumbbells
Advanced
Light: 15 or 20# Dumbbells
Heavy: 30 or 40# Dumbbells - Home pull-up bar
Together, these items open the door for numerous fantastic exercises and combinations. Let’s see.
First, let’s take a quick look at your bicep anatomy so that you know exactly what you’re working.
An Effective Workout Plan
The first crucial requirement is to put your exercises in the correct order. Start by focusing on the largest muscles before moving to smaller ones. Large muscles require the most energy, and training them early allows you to perform better and cause a stronger growth stimulus.
Here are some excellent back exercises:
- Pull-ups (the wider your grip, the more it works your back width)
- Chin-ups
- One-arm row
- Bent-over dumbbell row
If you cannot do even one pull-up or chin-up yet, start with eccentrics. The objective is to get yourself to the top by jumping or stepping on something to get to the up position, and lowering yourself as slowly as possible.
Doing so trains the same muscles as a standard pull-up and builds the strength you need for the exercises.
Here are a few good bicep movements:
- Alternating dumbbell curls
- Dumbbell hammer curls
- Concentration curls
- Cross curls
The Workout
| Sets | Reps | |
|---|---|---|
| Pull Ups | 2 | 2-10 |
| One-arm Dumbbell Rows | 2 | 6-12 |
| Two-arm Dumbbell Rows | 2 | 6-12 |
| Alternating Dumbbell Curls | 2 | 6-12 |
| Seated Concentration Curls | 2 | 6-12 |
| Dumbbell Hammer Curls | 2 | 6-12 |
Back and Bicep Home Workout Video
Essential Considerations
It all starts with picking the right equipment because that plays a crucial role in the effectiveness and enjoyability of your workouts.
First, we recommend trying out dumbbells at the store to get the right size. Try the weights out to ensure they are the right size and feel comfortable to handle before you order them online.
Second, pick a great pull-up bar. The most practical solution is a bar that attaches to your doorway. Ensure that you have somewhere to mount it and that it is secured firmly because it will have to support your body weight. You don’t want to be doing a set of pull-ups and suddenly find yourself on the floor, gasping for air.
Aside from that, the standard workout rules apply:
- Always prioritize proper technique.
- Warm up for 5 to 10 minutes before training. (1)
- Rest enough between sets (usually 1.5 to 2 minutes). (2)
- Listen to your body and avoid exercises that lead to joint pain or discomfort.
Also make sure to check our chest and tricep workout at home, which can be done very effectively on your B-day workout. So if back and biceps are your A-day workout, then chest and triceps will fit well on your B-day workout. And you can also rotate these days week to week, which is what we cover in our 3-day split workout.
Bridging the Gap
And if you’re on a great workout path, but need a bit of oomph to get you past a plateau, you might need a strong supplement to bridge the gap. Check our TRI-PROTEIN review, and why this protein powder is on a rocket trajectory. It has 6 proteins that release in a 3-phase timed release. Truly cutting edge stuff.
If you’re focused on muscle definition without bulking up, explore this guide on building lean muscle with smart training and clean nutrition.
For a comprehensive back workout that targets the lats, check out this Lats Workout at Home to enhance your upper body strength.
Circuit training exercises offer a fast-paced, full-body workout that builds strength and burns fat efficiently in minimal time.
Strengthen your core with these highly effective pull-up bar ab exercises.
Click to return to home workouts, and also check our back exercise videos.
David Williams
A diet and fitness enthusiast, David is an ex-Army Airborne Ranger and Infantry soldier with decades of fitness and wellness experience. A West Point graduate with a degree in engineering, he focuses on technical research related to fitness, nutrition, and wellness. He loves the beach and working out, and spending time with his wife and daughters.
References
- Cronkleton, E. (2019, July 12). Warmup exercises: 6 ways to get warmed up before a workout. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/warm-up-exercises
- Topic Of The Week March 05, & Topic Of The Week March 05. (2021, March 5). What is the optimal time between sets for muscle growth? Bodybuilding.com. https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/what-is-the-optimal-time-between-sets-for-muscle-growth.html