Back and Bicep Workout Basics

Training back and biceps in the same workout is a popular training method used by beginners to advanced bodybuilders. And the advantage of this workout is that you train complimentary muscle groups.

Complementary muscles are two or more different muscle groups involved in particular exercise movements. For example, the lat pulldown works the back and bicep muscles simultaneously.

Therefore, training these muscle groups in the same workout makes sense. This way, your muscles get more time to recover when you’re training opposing muscle groups like chest and triceps.

You’ve probably heard of push days and pull days. A back and bicep workout is like a pull day, except you don’t typically work the rear delt directly. So this workout is not part of a traditional push-pull split.

Instead, working two muscle groups in one session is a common variation of the bro split workout routine. And this training style is one way to maximize workout volume for any given muscle group.

Benefits of Dumbbell Back and Bicep Workout

A back and bicep workout often involves a combination of free weights, machines, and cables. But you might not have access to all that equipment.

And that’s okay because there are actually several advantages to a dumbbell-only workout. First, you can quickly change exercises because you don’t have to wait for machines or racks to open up.

Second, many dumbbell exercises are compound movements that recruit multiple muscle groups, which is superior for building strength. In addition, they burn a ton of calories compared to machines or cables.

Lastly, dumbbells allow you to control the movement path and work each arm independently. This freedom allows you to target specific parts of your back and biceps.

• Perform a complete back and bicep workout at home with minimal equipment
• Free weights like dumbbells activate more muscle groups
• Burn more calories compared to machines or cables
• Able to work each arm independently or both simultaneously
• More body position options for targeting specific parts of the muscles

Dumbbell Back and Bicep Exercises

Now that you understand the benefits of a dumbbell back and biceps workout, let’s look at specific exercises.

Some exercises on the list involve additional equipment, such as a bench or pull-up bar. If you don’t have that stuff, it’s okay because I’ll provide enough options to get a complete dumbbell back and bicep workout.

Let’s start with dumbbell back exercises, then get into dumbbell bicep exercises.

Dumbbell Back Exercises

These dumbbell back exercises include various angles of pulling and rowing movements to build your lats and upper back.

1. Dumbbell Pullover

The dumbbell pullover is a versatile exercise that can target multiple muscle groups. Some people use this exercise to work their chest and serratus muscles, but I’m going to show you how to do it to build your lats.

First, start by lying with your back on a flat bench. Or lay perpendicular across with just your shoulders on the bench. I prefer the latter as it gives you more stretch and range of motion, plus you can lower your hips to offset a heavier dumbbell.

The next step is wrapping both hands around the inside of one end of the dumbbell. Then, with your back on the bench, raise the dumbbell to arm’s length over your chest.

Hold the dumbbell straight in front of your face with your hands on the inside of the top plate. Now slowly lower the dumbbell over your head while bending your arms slightly.

Continue lowering the weight until you feel a stretch through your lats. Then pull the dumbbell back up to the starting position by squeezing your lats.

Dumbbell Bicep Exercises

Next, we have dumbbell exercises for the biceps. Again, I’ve intentionally included exercises with various hand positions and arm angles that target different parts of the biceps.

Specifically, there are exercises best suited for working the long head or short head of the biceps. So you’ll build your biceps peak and width with these dumbbell exercises.

7. Dumbbell Curl

The traditional dumbbell curl is an excellent bicep exercise for developing the size and strength of both bicep heads. In addition, it’s a versatile exercise that you can adjust to fit your needs.

For example, you can perform the dumbbell curl with both arms simultaneously and your palms facing up. This hand position replicates the barbell or EZ bar curl.

Or you can alternate arms and rotate your wrist as you perform the curl. This supination of the hand helps activate the bicep even more. And alternating arms extends the set while burning more calories.

Finally, you can perform dumbbell curls seated or standing. Seated curls reduce momentum and put more load on the biceps. While standing curls enable you to lift heavier weights.

Dumbbell Back and Bicep Workout

I recommend including at least two or three dumbbell exercises in your next back and bicep workout. But, if you want, you could do an entire back workout with only dumbbells!

One advantage of this workout is that you can rapidly change exercises, which saves time. In addition, you can burn more calories by using compound movements and working each arm individually.

I’ve included a mix of compound and isolation exercises in the following dumbbell back and bicep workout. You’ll also notice the rep range varies from 6-15, which balances strength and hypertrophy training.

Dumbbell Back & Bicep Workout Example:

• Pull-Ups – 3 sets, as many reps as possible
• Dumbbell Pullover – 3 sets, 8-12 reps
• Single Arm Dumbbell Row – 3 sets, 6-10 reps
• Alternating Hammer Curls – 3 sets, 8-12 reps
• Concentration Curls – 3 sets, 10-15 reps
• Dumbbell Curl – down the rack, as many reps as possible

Related: Example Leg and Shoulder Workout