Skip to content
Apply Now

Video5 minWith Nikkiey Stott

Gym Back Workout for Women: Cable Rows, Pulldowns and Flys

Chapters

This video is part ofStrength Training for Women266 lessons · where to start, common questions and more

In this video

This is a back-only gym workout with Nikkiey Stott, built around cables and dumbbells. It starts with a wide grip lat pulldown superset with a close grip lat pulldown, a combo Nikkiey calls one of her favorites for working the lats.

From there the focus shifts to the rhomboids with three sets of 12 cable rows, then three sets of cable pulldowns taken to failure. Nikkiey explains what failure should actually feel like: the last rep or two where you physically cannot pull or keep control of the rep.

The workout finishes with a dumbbell row into a reverse dumbbell fly, where form matters most. Keep your back straight, your core engaged and let the muscles do the work instead of swinging the weight.

Key takeaways

  • Start with a wide grip lat pulldown supersetted with a close grip lat pulldown to work the lats from two angles.
  • Move to cable rows for three sets of 12 reps to shift the focus from the lats to the rhomboids.
  • Do cable pulldowns for three sets, taking each set to failure.
  • Failure is the last rep or two where you physically cannot pull, push or maintain control of the rep.
  • Finish with a dumbbell row into a reverse dumbbell fly, one of Nikkiey's favorite exercises.
  • On the row and reverse fly, keep your back straight and your core engaged so you stay stable.
  • Let your back muscles do the work rather than swinging the weight, or nothing is happening.

Questions answered

What should training to failure feel like?

Nikkiey explains that failure is when you are at the last rep or two and physically feel like you cannot pull, push or maintain control of the rep.

Which back muscles do cable rows work?

In this workout, cable rows are used to move from targeting the lats to targeting the rhomboids, done for three sets of 12 reps.

What is a good lat pulldown superset?

Nikkiey pairs a wide grip lat pulldown with a close grip lat pulldown, which she calls one of her favorite combos and a burner for the lats.

How do I keep good form on a dumbbell row into reverse fly?

Stay very stable: keep your back nice and straight and your core engaged, and let the muscles do all of the work instead of swinging the weight.

Ask Nikkiey

Questions this video helps answer, with what Nikkiey says across everything WarriorBabe teaches.

  • Strength Training for Women

    What should training to failure feel like?

    Training to failure should feel like you physically cannot complete another rep with control. Nikkiey describes it as the last rep or two of a set, when you can't pull, push or keep control of the movement. It shouldn't look pretty. If you can breeze through the set, the weight is too light.

    Read the answer →

Full transcript

Nikkiey: What's going on, you guys? Welcome back for another workout together. Today we are going to crush a back-only workout. Make sure that you stay until the end, because the last exercise is one of my favorite exercises. Be sure to hit the subscribe button and smash the like button. Let's get right into it.

First up on deck, you guys, we've got a wide grip lat pulldown superset with a close grip lat pulldown. This is one of my favorite combos to do together, the wide grip with the close grip. It is a burner to your lat muscles in your back.

I feel like I'm gonna fly away.

Next up, we're gonna do some cable rows. So we're gonna transition from targeting the lats to now targeting the rhomboids. For this we're gonna do three sets of 12 reps.

That's a back pump if I ever felt one before.

All right, second to last exercise. We are going to do a cable pulldown until failure. Cable pulldown until failure, three sets, to failure each time.

Knowing that you're at the point of failure is when you're at the last rep or two and you physically feel like you cannot pull, push or maintain control of the rep. That is what failure should feel like.

All right, you guys, here we are, the last exercise for today's workout. It is a dumbbell row into a reverse dumbbell fly. Let's get into it. This requires you to remain very stable with your form. Your back has to be nice and straight, and your core has got to be engaged, or else you're gonna end up doing it like this. Nothing's happening there. So first, core, back. Let the muscles do all of the work.

All right, you guys, that's a wrap. That's a back day in the books. If you're somebody who wants to work your back and get rid of this back fat, definitely put this into the mix for a back day. If you're somebody who is looking to build more muscle, decrease body fat and be held accountable along your own fitness journey, check out the links in the description below. Apply for the WarriorBabe program. We've got your back on your fitness journey. Check it out, and see you next time.

Up next

Everything →

Best of Strength Training for Women

All 266 →

Free Body
Transformation Assessment

Apply now