Increase your strength, improve your posture, and give your metabolism a boost with this Back and Biceps Workout For Females! Done in just 25 minutes (at home or in the gym!), this strength workout is a simple, effective routine you perform twice per week.
"Just finished this back and bicep workout at home. It is perfect for beginners like me, simple yet challenging. Finally giving my back and biceps some attention without spending hours at the gym." - Shella
A Quick Look At The Workout
- 💭Equipment: All you need is dumbbells and a mini band
- ⏲️Duration: 25 minutes with 7 exercises
- 📖 Warm up: You can grab an upper body warm up or use one of your own
- 📋Intensity: All the exercises are low-impact and okay for beginners
- 📖 Frequency: If you want to increase strength, do this workout 2 times per week
- ⭐ Muscles used: You'll be primarily focusing on the biceps brachii, shoulders, and the larger muscle groups of the back
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS CONTENT ON
Back workouts are one of the most skipped pieces of the puzzle, especially for women. But they’re also what help you stand taller, feel stronger, and finally get rid of that tight, achy feeling through your upper body (this is where things like thoracic spine exercises and upper back exercises from women come in handy).
It’s why I prioritize them with my clients and build them into every structured plan I create, because a strong posterior chain (you can see more posterior chain exercises here) supports everything from posture to strength.
This back and biceps workout is a simple place to start, whether you’re training at home or in the gym. And if you’re ready to stop piecing workouts together and just follow a plan, this is the exact style of training used inside my 6 Weeks to Strong program.
What Equipment Do You Need?
ou only need a set of dumbbells and a mini resistance band for this back and biceps workout if you're doing it at home. If you're at the gym, use dumbbells and the lat pulldown machine.
If you’re just starting out, a pair of 10–15 lb dumbbells is a great place to begin. For smaller movements (like rear delt flys or bicep curls), you may need to go lighter in which case either use just one dumbbell in two hands or grab something from the house (full water bottles, wine bottles etc).
Focus on using a weight that feels challenging while still letting you control the movement. The same applies to this full body kettlebell workout for beginners.
Create a stronger, healthier you with minimal space and money! Check out the 4 best home workout equipment to rock your at-home fitness journey.
The Back And Biceps Workout
This workout hits your back and biceps to help you build strength, improve posture, and create more definition in your arms.
And while the focus is on pulling muscles, your entire upper body is working; your shoulders, core, and even triceps all play a role in keeping you stable and strong through each rep.
Quick reminder: form matters more than speed. Slow it down, stay in control, and make each rep count; that’s how you actually get stronger.
Short on time today? Fire up your arms with this resistance band bicep workout at home.
| 1 Arm Dumbbell Row For Lats | 10 reps per arm |
| Hammer Bicep Curls | 12 reps |
| Rest | 45 seconds x 3 sets |
| Bentover Underhand Row | 10 reps |
| Overhead Pulldown | 10 reps per arm |
| Standing Dumbbell March | 30 seconds |
| Rest | 30 seconds x 3 sets |
| Dumbbell Pullover | 12 reps |
| Bow & Arrow Row | 10 reps per arm |
| Rest | 15 seconds x2 sets |
Perform the exercises in 3 mini circuits:
- Circuit 1 (2 exercises): back-to-back, then rest 45 seconds. Repeat for 3 rounds.
- Circuit 2 (3 exercises): back-to-back, then rest 30 seconds. Repeat for 3 rounds.
- Circuit 3 (2 exercises): back-to-back with 15 seconds rest. Complete 2 rounds.
Need to do this back and biceps workout but short on time? Watch the video below and hustle to it!
PDF Printable
Below is a free workout printable to use to track your the at-home back and biceps workout (click the image). Make note of your weight and how you feel. Then, as you keep doing the workout try to make it harder!
Exercise Form Tips
Below are some tips and notes on how to perform the back and bicep exercises. Remember, going slow and focusing on engagement is the best way to get stronger. Slow down, and strive for control.
Single Arm Dumbbell Row
- Place one arm and one leg on a bench or table and keep a flat back.
- The other arm should be holding a dumbbell straight down from the shoulder and the foot flat on the floor.
- Exhale and pull the dumbbell up toward the hip while tucking your shoulder blade "into your back pocket).
- Pause briefly and reverse the movement slowly to the starting position.
Bicep Hammer Curl
- Stand upright with your core muscles engaged (so you don't swing your torso).
- Hold the dumbbells in your hands with the palms facing each other.
- One by one bring the dumbbell head to your shoulder and slowly extend the arm back down to your side.
Bentover Underhand Row
- Start in a bentover position (from a hip hinge), with feet flat on the floor roughly shoulder width apart. Keep a flat back, knees bent slightly and the dumbbells hanging down at your sides with palms facing awap from your body. Abdominal muscles engaged.
- Maintain the bentover position as you row the dumbbells up towards your chest, pinch the shoulder blades together at the top, and pause briefly.
- Reverse the movement and return the dumbbells to the starting position.
Overhead Pulldown
If performing this at a gym, you can use the lat pulldown machine instead.
- Stand tall and hold a strength band or mini loop above your head in your hands. Keep your right arm up to keep tension on the band as you pull the left arm down towards the chest, driving your elbow down into your back pocket.
- Reverse the movement and perform all repetitions on one arm before moving on to the next.
Standing Dumbbell March
- Stand tall and hold one dumbbell between your hands at chest height but with the elbows at ninety degrees (or one dumbbell in each hand).
- Engage the core and keep the ribs tucked slightly as you begin marching the legs.
- You'll feel your core fire up and your biceps should be engaged and fatiguing holding the dumbbell in the isometric position.
Dumbbell Pullover
- Lay with your back on the ground and knees bent. Tuck your ribcage down. Raise the arms up from the shoulders holding a dumbbell in each hand or one dumbbell between hands.
- Keeping the ribs down, extend the arms overhead towards the floor keeping a slight bend in the elbows.
- You should feel a stretch in the upper back and shoulders. Engage your tummy muscles to pull back on the stretch (without arching the low back) and bring the arms back to the starting position.
Bow & Arrow Row
If performing this back workout in the gym, this exercise can be done with a seated row machine.
- Grab a green mini loop and stand in a staggard archer stance (right foot back, left foot forward). Knees bent slightly, standing upright. One leg straight and the other on the ball of the foot and bent slightly. Hold the mini loop in your hands and straighten the left hand in front of you.
- Thinking of pulling back a bow as you pull the mini loop back with the right arm and bring the hand towards the chest. Make sure the shoulder is down and in. return to the starting position.
How To Make It Harder
Once this workout starts to feel easier (or you’re not feeling challenged by the last few reps), here are a few simple ways to progress the workout::
Increase your weight: The easiest win, grab heavier dumbbells for your rows and curls while still keeping good form.
Slow down your reps: Take 2–3 seconds on the way down of each movement. More time under tension = more strength gains.
Add an extra round: Turn each circuit into 4 rounds instead of 3 for more volume without changing the exercises.
You don’t need a completely new workout to see results, you just need to make your current one more challenging over time. Learn how to make workouts harder so that you can reap the benefits of progressive overload at home.
If you’re constantly wondering “should I go heavier, do more, or switch workouts?”, that’s exactly where most people get stuck. 6 Weeks to Strong takes the guesswork out of it with short, structured workouts that build week to week, so you actually see progress without overthinking it.
Fitness Tips To Help You Increase Strength
Back And Biceps Workout FAQs
Ideally, you want to challenge your larger muscle groups at the start of the workout before moving on to the smaller ones. So, work your back muscles before moving on to the biceps.
It depends on your personal goals. However, you should train your upper body at least twice per week to see an increase in strength and muscle growth. This can be done with a back and biceps workout routine on both days and adding in 1-2 pressing movements elsewhere. Or splitting with a straight upper body day.
Back and biceps are frequently paired together in a workout split as they are both used in pulling movements. Basically, it means that pairing with a back and biceps workout makes them an efficient way to train.
The most common mistakes people make when training back muscles are using their biceps instead of their back, elevating their shoulders, and moving too quickly in the exercises.
Shella says
Just finished this back and bicep workout at home. It is perfect for beginners like me, simple yet challenging. Finally giving my back and biceps some attention without spending hours at the gym.
fitasamamabear says
Ah I'm so happy you gave it a go! Keep rocking life!
Celia says
This is a great choice for me to work on correcting my posture and relieving my back pain. I'm excited to see the results and stand tall with a strong back in no time! Thanks for this great workout plan.
fitasamamabear says
Yay! It'll make such a difference.