The Best And Worst Back Exercises (Ranked By Science)

Ranking 20 back exercises on a tier list based on the latest science. This is how you should interpret my tier list:

All exercises are ranked based on muscle building potential.

S tier - My favorite. Do them if you can.
A tier - Strongly recommend.
B tier - I still do these in certain contexts. There may be better options.
C tier - There are better options for most people. Can still have value in some contexts.
D tier - Probably not a great option for most people.
F tier - Generally not recommended.

Timestamps:

0:00 - What makes an exercise S tier?
0:49 - Renegade Rows
1:40 - Deadlift
2:31 - Above-The-Knee Rack Pull
2:46 - Wide-Grip Pull-Up
3:16 - Neutral-Grip Pull-Up
3:23 - Chin-Up
3:38 - Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown
3:59 - Neutral-Grip Lat Pulldown
4:08 - Half-Kneeling 1-Arm Lat Pulldown
4:38 - Cross-Body Lat Pull-Around
4:59 - Barbell Row
5:26 - Yates Row
5:51 - Pendlay Row
6:18 - Deficit Pendlay Row
6:28 - Meadows Row
6:52 - Inverted Row
7:26 - 1-Arm Dumbbell Row
7:57 - Kroc Row
8:25 - Free-Standing Row
8:53 - Chest-Supported Row
9:22 - Cable Row
9:37 - Wide-Grip Cable Row
9:50 - Rope Face-Pull
10:37 - Cable Lat Pull-Over
11:14 - DB Lat Pull-Over

[JeffNippard]

You guys want another tier list video like this? If so, what muscle should I cover next?

[KidUncommon]

s-tier
- 3:38 wide grip pull downs
- 3:59 neutral grip pull downs
- 4:10 half-kneeling one-arm lat pulldown (cable)
- 6:28 meadows row (basically a one-armed laterally-placed landmine)
- 8:53 chest-supported row (alt., dumbbell helms rows where chest is braced against incline bench neutral grip)
- 9:22 cable row
- 9:37 wide-grip cable row

[davidalonsoillera]

This format is the best I've seen across YouTube fitness channels. It quickly sorts the workouts into ranks, showing us not just the top exercises but also the ones to avoid. It's a handy overview.

[PhnRvTjN]

S+ Tier:
08:53 Chest-Supported Row

S Tier:
03:37 Wide-Grip Pull-Down
03:58 Neutral-Grip Pull-Down
04:08 Half-Kneeling 1-Arm Pull-Down
06:28 Meadows T-Bar Row
09:22 Neutral-Grip Cable Row
09:36 Wide-Grip Cable Row

A Tier:
02:48 Wide-Grip Pull-up
03:16 Neutral-Grip Pull-Up
04:38 Cross-Body Pull-Around
06:18 Deficit Pendley Barbell Row
07:26 1-Arm Dumbbell Row
07:57 Kroc Dumbbell Row
10:14 Seated Rope Face-Pull
10:14 Lying Rope Face-Pull
10:37 Cable Pull-Over
11:14 Dumbbell Pull-Over

B Tier:
03:22 Chin-Up
05:00 Standard Barbell Row
05:51 Pendley Barbell Row
08:25 Free-Standing T-Bar Row
09:51 Standing Rope Face-Pull

C Tier:
01:41 Deadlift
05:26 Yates Barbell Row
06:52 Inverted Barbell Row

F Tier:
01:20 Dumbbell Row + Curl
01:20 Dumbbell Row + Press
01:20 Dumbbell Row + Kickback
02:31 Above-The-Knee Rack Pull

F- Tier:
00:49 Renegade Row

[seongmoon]

Excellent video! We need videos for every muscle group!

[nevik]

LOVE this new format. Praying you do this for each muscle group

[preethiganeshamoorthy]

S
• widegrip lat pull down
• neutral grip lat pull down
• one arm lat pull down
• meadows row
• chest supported rows
• cable rows
• wide grip cable row
A
• wide grip pull ups
• neutral grip pull ups
• cross body one arm lat pull down
• deficit pendlay row
• one arm db row
• kroc row
• cable lat prayers
• db pullovers
B
• chin ups
• bb row
• pentlay row
• rope face pull
C
• Deadlift
• yates row
• inverted row
• free standing t bar row
D
• above the knee rack pull
F
• renegade rows
• db row curl
. Db row press
• db row kickback

[PratikSingla]

On to week 5 and loving the program. This information is so valuable. Thanks Jeff!

[huikyle]

s-tier
- wide grip pull downs
- neutral grip pull downs
- half-kneeling one-arm lat pulldown (cable)
- meadows row (basically a one-armed laterally-placed landmine)
- chest-supported row (alt., dumbbell helms rows where chest is braced against incline bench neutral grip)
- cable row
- wide-grip cable row

a-tier
- wide grip pull ups
- neutral grip pull ups
- one-arm dumbbell row
- kroc row (loose technique version of one-arm dumbbell row)
- modified, seated rope face-pull with one foot against machine (to negate balancing requirement of conventional face-pull)
- cable lat pull-over (AKAcable lat prayers) (bend upper body on negative, drive elbows down)
- dumbbell lat pullover

[tibihobit]

bro, pull ups not being in S tier is uncomfortable

[Umahdibro]

In my 20 years of mix of casual to intermediate fitness I have never seen a better fitness channel.

[GrueTurtle]

It's been a while since I watched this channel. I like these tier list videos because it compresses a lot of information on different lifts into one video while answering the very common question of which variation or which exercise makes more sense to incorporate into a program. Makes them a good first stop when you're trying to get a general understanding of how these different lifts compare before going to other videos to get more detailed information on specific lifts.

[VulcanicCloud]

Please make videos like this for every muscle group, love how these are formatted. I feel like I'm cheering for my team scoring a point when I see an exercise I do be ranked high lol.

[guestuser]

Thanks Jeff you really blew out my back with this one

[JustBrotherGuyRick]

New follower for sure. Definitely would love to see this for every muscle group. This would create some great B to S tier routines for us gymrats throughout the year. Keep up the great content.

[islemoujsmbiste]

Thank you man I was needing for a video like this

[MSordernature]

Free standing T-bar row is my favourite exercise overall, not just for the back. While I feel that lying chest-supported rows cause too much of chest pressure due to the weight.

[erickllerenas]

Glad I’m subscribed, to get to see all the major muscles groups tier lists (hopefully). It’ll take a while, but it’ll be worth it. Thanks for the informative content as always, Jeff!

[Edward-hbqb]

It feels like just yesterday you uploaded your first collaboration with John Meadows. I remember watching it the day you uploaded it. I thought of John as your polar; he was definitely the old-school bodybuilder from the golden days. But you held him and his opinions in such high regard, and I loved it. I loved your work with him, and I visited his channel several times. So sorry for your loss.

[pass_the_tadigh]

Amazing Break Down and explanation and attention to all the small details. Thank you bro