How To Build Back Strength and Muscle Without The Deadlift (1 Simple Exercise)

Find out how to build back strength and muscle without the deadlift.

Ah, the deadlift. A compound movement that is arguably one of the best jack-of-all-trades exercises for your back and lower body.

However, some people don’t do this excellent exercise routinely. There can be many reasons for that, from injuries, discomfort, or simply lack enjoyment. Even though the deadlift is great for hypertrophy in the back, it doesn’t necessarily mean you need to do it to have strong muscles.

This is a quick guide with exercises you should do on how to build back strength and muscle without the deadlift.

How To Build Back Strength and Muscle Without The Deadlift

Zac Perna, an online coach, fitness trainer and YouTube sensation, shared a video explaining how to build back strength and muscle without the deadlift.

First of all, if you do the deadlift and see improvements on your back, then keep doing them. This is more for people who want a different approach to training their back without having to do deadlifts at all.

The best exercise Perna says you should be doing is the rack pull to get the lower lats involved and it mimics a lot of the deadlift, but takes away the hamstrings and glutes out of the movement.

He said he never enjoyed deadlifts and, even though he was hitting his heaviest loads regularly, his back didn’t really grow. The rack pull changed that and made his back bigger, wider and stronger.

Other exercises Perna says are great to build back strength and size are pulldowns and variations of it, variations of rows and seated rows. “You’ll get a good squeeze on every rep,” he says.

Now you know how to build back strength and muscle without the deadlift. If you’ve never tried rack pulls before, click on the video below to see how it’s done properly to get the best out of it.