I don’t know about you, but I find backs, whether it’s on a woman or man, to be incredibly sexy. Unfortunately, when it comes to training your back, most women skip it. The abs, arms, and butt are much more important, right? Wrong! A strong back is essential.
Perfect Female Middle Back: Exercise Motivation and Inspiration
A strong, toned back is essential. While it’s good to work all the muscles you look at daily in the mirror, you need to train your back, too.
A strong back can reduce lower back pain, decrease injury risk, improve your posture, and make you look more balanced and proportional. Plus, the back is a huge part of your overall muscular system. Don’t skip it!
Have you ever seen the back of a female body builder? I’m not talking about the bulky bodybuilders who look like men. I’m talking about the slim and toned bikini and figure competitors. Those women know how to make a back pop. It’s time to make yours pop, too!
Best Workouts for Women: Good Routines, Great Results
The back is divided into three regions: the lower back, the middle back, and the upper back. For balance and strength, it is important to work each region of the back.
The major muscle that makes up the middle back is the rhomboids. There are two rhomboid muscles that are named after their shape – a rhombus. The rhomboid major connects the scapula (shoulder blade) to the vertebrae of the spine. It works together with the rhomboid minor muscle to keep the scapula against your thoracic wall and help you do movements like a pull-up or drawing a bow string back while playing the violin.
Many people who work desk jobs suffer from poor posture. They work in front of a computer with a slumped-forward, rounded shouldered position. This makes our rhomboids stretched out and weak, which means they need to hit a middle back workout routine, pronto! Strong rhomboids will not only help you achieve your goal of doing a pull-up, but it will also improve your posture. Win, win!
How to Get the Perfect Middle Back
Now that we understand the basic anatomy of the mid back and why it’s important to train with middle back exercises, it’s now time to find out how to train the middle back. You should aim to train your entire back two to three times a week with at least one day of rest between each session. During each of your mid back workouts, perform three to five sets of 10 to 15 repetitions for each of the mid back exercises below. This will help build muscle and strength in your middle back.
Exercises to Get a Beautiful, Toned Middle Back
Bat Wings
Before slamming your rhomboids with heavy weight mid back exercises, it is important to activate your rhomboids and learn how to use them correctly to ensure that you benefit from the other weight exercises. The bat wings exercise is a simple activation exercise that will improve your posture and wake those lazy and weak muscles up.
Grab a set of dumbbells and lie face down on a bench allowing the weights to rest on the floor. Pull the weights up towards your ribs, squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top for a count of two. Focus on bringing the weights up so your thumbs are touching your armpits. Perform four sets of five reps.
Bent Over Row
Every effective middle back workout routine should include the bent over row. This middle back exercise can be done with dumbbells, kettlebells, or a barbell. Hold a weight in each hand with feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees slightly and bend at the waist while keeping your back straight until it’s almost parallel to the floor. Tip your head up and look forward. The weights should hang down in front you with your arms perpendicular to the floor and your chest. Focus on keeping your torso still while lifting the weights to your side. Keep your elbows close to your body as you squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top. Hold for a count of two. Slowly lower the weight down to the starting position and repeat.
Seated Cable Row
Like the bent over row, the seated cable row works the middle back through a rowing movement. The seated row is an essential component for mid back workouts. For this exercise you will need a cable machine and a V-bar attachment commonly found at a gym. To start the exercise, sit on the machine and place your feet on the foot platform with your knees slightly bent. Lean over and grab the handles of the V-bar. With your arms extended, pull back until your upper body is at a 90-degree angle to your legs. This is the start position of the exercise. While keeping your torso still and your elbows as close to your body as possible, pull the handles back. Squeeze your shoulder blades together. Hold for a count of two and return to the starting position.
Trainer Tip: Keep your torso as stationary as possible during this exercises. Swinging your body forward and backwards with your arms can lead to lower back pain and injury.
A strong back means reduced back pain, better posture, and toned muscles that look great in anything. It’s time to work those muscles that you don’t see in the mirror. Include a middle back workout routine into your gym time a few times a week and you’ll sculpt yourself a mid back that’s definitely worthy of a gym selfie!

Image Source: Instagram @leamichele
1. Lea Michele
Glee actress, Lea Michele, has a great back thanks to regular yoga sessions that offer effective mid back workouts.

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2. Hilary Duff
Even with mosquito bites, Hilary’s back is fabulous.

Image Source: Instagram @therealdebramessing
3. Debra Messing
Debra Messing knows the importance of stretching your back.

Image Source: Instagram @annakendrick47
4. Anna Kendrick
Anna Kendrick isn’t a fan of working out, but she loves taking hikes out her front door in LA.

Image Source: Instagram @hilaryswank
5. Hilary Swank
Hilary Swank must be Hollywood’s most badass actress. You know mid back exercises are always on her workout list.

Image Source: Instagram @michelle_lewin
6. Michelle Lewin
Bikini competitor, Michelle Lewin, is no stranger to hard work at the gym. Just look at her back and perfect legs! We want to know what her middle back workout routine consists of!

Image Source: Instagram @realheidipowell
7. Heidi Powell
A strong back lets you do crazy things like handstands in your backyard.

Image Source: Instagram @kaceyluvi
8. Kacey Luvi
Now only if all pull-ups had that kind of view. Speaking of which, pull-ups are one of the most intense middle back exercises.

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9. Whitney Jones
Professional bikini competitor has some wise words –never compare yourself to others. It’s just you vs. you.

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10. India Paulino
India Paulino has been 2013 and 2016 Arnold Classic Ms. Bikini International and never skips her mid back workouts.

Image Source: Instagram @tamrajudge
11. Tamra Judge
Real Housewives of Orange County reality star, Tamra Judge, is proving to us that it’s never too late to achieve your dream body.

Image Source: Instagram @heidiklum
12. Heidi Klum
A toned backside always looks great in a red dress.

Image Source: Instagram @stephmahoe
13. Stephanie Mahoe
A strong middle back can relieve back pain and improve your posture.

Image Source: Instagram @ashleykfit
14. Ashley Kaltwasser
Squats and rows are great exercises that works your legs and your back!

Image Source: Instagram @nude_yogagirl
15. Nude Yoga Girl
Yoga requires great back strength.

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16. Narmin Assaria
This girl could definitely take Arnold in a pull-up contest, what do you think?

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17. Madonna
Don’t mess with this Material Girl!

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18. Ronda Rousey
MMA fighting requires real strength and determination. Just ask badass Ronda Rousey! She knows all about mid back exercises.

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19. Katrina
Bent over rows are an excellent exercise to target the middle back.

Image Source: Instagram @gabbycvdouglas
20. Gabby Douglas
Gymnastics isn’t for weak backs. She also incorporates a military diet as well.

Image Source: Instagram @kledecky
21. Katie Ledecky
Swimming requires great back strength to move effortlessly in the water.

Image Source: Instagram @missyfranklin88
22. Missy Franklin
In her spare time, Olympic swimmer Missy Franklin loves to work up a sweat in her kayak.

Image Source: Instagram @gevgevs
23. Gevvie Stone
Why bother with middle back exercises when you row for a living? Not only is Gevvie an Olympic silver medalist in rowing, but she’s a medical doctor too!

Image Source: Instagram @katehudson
24. Kate Hudson
Kate Hudson loves to workout but sometimes she can only exercises for 15 minutes a day. She dishes about her workout routines in her book, Pretty Happy: Healthy Ways to Love Your Body.

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25. Lucy Hale
Lucy Hale, or to many of us PLL fans – Aria, stays fit and healthy through yoga and running.

Image Source: Instagram @mariepurvis
26. Marie Purvis
Nike Master Trainer, Marie Purvis, helps thousands of women stay in shape every year.

Image Source: Instagram @gypsetgoddess
27. Caitlin Turner
Who says yoga isn’t tough?

Image Source: Instagram @alicematoss
28. Alice Matoss
Fitness model Alice Matoss has done her rows lately. Part of Adele’s weight loss can be attributed to her.

Image Source: Instagram @qui2health
29. Qui
Professional personal trainer Qui shares her workouts daily on Instagram.

Image Source: Instagram @allahnacarman
30. Allahna Carman
Cable machines are versatile machines that can work your whole body including your middle back.