Middle Back Exercises
97 Free Exercise DB records tag the middle back as a primary or secondary muscle. Tagged inventory and primary-muscle count are ranked separately.
52 beginner · 39 intermediate · 6 advanced, computed across all tagged exercises.
According to the Free Exercise DB corpus on PlainExercise, Middle Back ranks #12 of 18 by tagged inventory (97) and #16 by primary-muscle count (0). Shoulders is #1 of 18 by tagged inventory (335 records) at primary-count #2 (127) ≠ Quadriceps #1 primary (148 records, tagged #4 at 227).
- Middle Back ranks #12 of 18 by tagged inventory (97) and #16 by primary-muscle count (0). Shoulders is #1 of 18 by tagged inventory (335 records) at primary-count #2 (127) ≠ Quadriceps #1 primary (148 records, tagged #4 at 227).
- 97 tagged records · 0 primary-field records
- Free Exercise DB (CC0) live extract
Catalog lens
Tagged inventory is not primary-muscle count
According to the Free Exercise DB corpus on PlainExercise, Middle Back ranks #12 of 18 by tagged inventory (97) and #16 by primary-muscle count (0). Shoulders is #1 of 18 by tagged inventory (335 records) at primary-count #2 (127) ≠ Quadriceps #1 primary (148 records, tagged #4 at 227).
Tagged inventory
#12 of 18
97 tagged records. Shoulders leads tagged.
Primary-muscle count
#16 of 15
0 primary-field records. Quadriceps leads primary.
Middle Back vs all muscles by tagged exercise inventory
Where this muscle's Free Exercise DB tagged-record count sits among every muscle with at least one tag (catalog density, not training priority)
97 Top 72% more tagged exercises than 28% of 18 muscles
Muscles, banded by tagged Free Exercise DB record count
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more muscles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source Free Exercise DB · 2026-07-10
- 97
- Exercises
- 52
- Beginner-friendly
- 78
- Compound lifts
- 4
- Equipment-free
Middle Back exercises by equipment
According to the open Free Exercise DB datasets, the 97 middle back tagged records split across equipment types as below - other leads the listed set, and 4 listed records are labeled body only.
Middle Back movements by equipment
What the Middle Back Exercise Data Reveals
The PlainExercise database catalogues 97 records that tag the middle back as a primary or secondary muscle. That tagged inventory is not the primary-muscle map: According to the Free Exercise DB corpus on PlainExercise, Middle Back ranks #12 of 18 by tagged inventory (97) and #16 by primary-muscle count (0). Shoulders is #1 of 18 by tagged inventory (335 records) at primary-count #2 (127) ≠ Quadriceps #1 primary (148 records, tagged #4 at 227).. Within the listed set, 52 are tagged beginner, 39 intermediate, 6 advanced, and 0 carry no explicit level classification. Every record is sourced from the public-domain Free Exercise DB.
Context matters: this database tracks exercise taxonomy. "Primary muscle" is a source field, not a claim that a listed movement isolates the middle back. Compound lifts tagged here may recruit this muscle as a secondary mover. This page is a catalog extract, not medical or personal-training advice.
Beginner (52)
Foundational movements to learn the pattern.
- Anti-Gravity Pressbarbell · compound
- Back Flyes - With Bandsbands · compound
- Band Assisted Pull-Upother · compound
- Band Pull Apartbands · isolation
- Barbell Rear Delt Rowbarbell · compound
- Barbell Shrug Behind The Backbarbell · isolation
- Bent Over Barbell Rowbarbell · compound
- Bent Over Low-Pulley Side Lateralcable · isolation
- Bent Over One-Arm Long Bar Rowbarbell · compound
- Bent Over Two-Dumbbell Rowdumbbell · compound
- Bent Over Two-Dumbbell Row With Palms Indumbbell · compound
- Cable Rope Rear-Delt Rowscable · compound
- Cable Seated Lateral Raisecable · isolation
- Cat Stretch
- Child's Posenone (bodyweight exercise)
- Chin-Upbody only · compound
- Clean Deadliftbarbell · compound
- Close-Grip Front Lat Pulldowncable · compound
- Dumbbell Incline Rowdumbbell · compound
- Dynamic Chest Stretch
- Incline Bench Pullbarbell · isolation
- Inverted Rowcompound
- Inverted Row with Strapsother · compound
- Kneeling High Pulley Rowcable · compound
- Kneeling Single-Arm High Pulley Rowcable · compound
- Leverage High Rowmachine · compound
- Leverage Iso Rowmachine · compound
- Low Pulley Row To Neckcable · compound
- Lying Cambered Barbell Rowbarbell · isolation
- Middle Back Stretchisolation
- One Arm Lat Pulldowncable · compound
- One-Arm Dumbbell Rowdumbbell · compound
- One-Arm Long Bar Rowbarbell · compound
- Pullupsbody only · compound
- Sandbag Loadother · compound
- Scapular Pull-Upisolation
- Seated Cable Rowscable · compound
- Shotgun Rowcable · compound
- Sled Overhead Backward Walkother · compound
- Sled Rowother · compound
- Sledgehammer Swingsother · compound
- Smith Machine Bent Over Rowmachine · compound
- Smith Machine Upright Rowmachine · compound
- Spinal Stretchisolation
- Straight Bar Bench Mid Rowsbarbell · compound
- Suspended Rowother · compound
- T-Bar Row with Handlebarbell · compound
- Underhand Cable Pulldownscable · compound
- Upper Back Stretch
- Upper Back-Leg Grab
- V-Bar Pullupbody only · compound
- Wide-Grip Lat Pulldowncable · compound
Intermediate (39)
Movements that require basic strength and coordination.
- Alternating Kettlebell Rowkettlebells · isolation
- Axle Deadliftother · compound
- Barbell Deadliftbarbell · compound
- Bent Over Two-Arm Long Bar Rowbarbell · compound
- Bodyweight Mid Rowother · compound
- Clean and Pressbarbell · compound
- Deficit Deadliftbarbell · compound
- Dumbbell Lying One-Arm Rear Lateral Raisedumbbell · isolation
- Elevated Cable Rowscable · compound
- Face Pullcable · compound
- Full Range-Of-Motion Lat Pulldowncable · compound
- Gironda Sternum Chinsother · compound
- Keg Loadother · compound
- Kipping Muscle Upother · compound
- Log Liftother · compound
- London Bridgesother · compound
- Lying T-Bar Rowmachine · compound
- Middle Back Shrugdumbbell · isolation
- Muscle Upother · compound
- One-Arm Kettlebell Rowkettlebells · compound
- Pin Pressesbarbell · compound
- Power Cleanbarbell · compound
- Reverse Band Bench Pressbarbell · compound
- Reverse Grip Bent-Over Rowsbarbell · compound
- Rhomboids-SMRfoam roll
- Rocky Pull-Ups/Pulldownsother · compound
- Rope Climbother · compound
- Rowing, Stationarymachine
- Seated One-arm Cable Pulley Rowscable · compound
- Side To Side Chinsother · compound
- Sumo Deadliftbarbell · compound
- Sumo Deadlift with Bandsbarbell · compound
- Sumo Deadlift with Chainsbarbell · compound
- Two-Arm Kettlebell Rowkettlebells · compound
- V-Bar Pulldowncable · compound
- Weighted Ball Hyperextensionexercise ball · compound
- Weighted Pull Upsother · compound
- Wide-Grip Pulldown Behind The Neckcable · compound
- Wide-Grip Rear Pull-Upbody only · compound
Advanced (6)
Complex or highly loaded movements for experienced lifters.
Nationwide muscle groups with similar catalog scale
Two Free Exercise DB peer sets for Middle Back, each excluding this muscle so the neighborhoods are attribute-based, not self-containment (the exercise lists above stay the within-group path).
Similar tagged inventory
Nearest other muscles by primary+secondary tagged records (97 here).