6 Posterior Chain Exercises: Deadlifts, Back Strength & Benefits
The posterior chain functions as the body’s power engine, providing crucial biomechanical integrity during everyday movements from standing to lifting. Targeting the muscles on the back portion of the body through exercises like deadlifts and rows prevents imbalances while developing glute, hamstring, and back strength that teaches one to extend from the hip and straighten the back, combating chronic pain and poor posture.
What is Posterior Chain?
The posterior chain (PC) comprises muscles on the back side of the body that provide foundational support. From standing up and pushing through the leg to picking heavy objects from the ground and pulling things towards the body, the PC is of great importance for everyday function.
It can be broadly split into upper and lower body:
Lower Body
It includes the main hip extensors like the gluteus and hamstrings, allowing one to fully push, drive up, and extend through the hip. Typically trained via deadlifts and all other hip-hinge variations.
Upper Body
It includes all the back muscles mainly responsible for pulling motions and core stabilization, including latissimus, posterior deltoids, rhomboids, trapezius, and spinal erectors.
The posterior chain provides significant spine support and biomechanical integrity, particularly important during standing, pulling, or picking up heavier objects. It is a critical piece to stability, upright posture, and actions that emphasize driving through the hip—running, hiking, or jumping.
Key Components of the Posterior Chain
These muscle groups work as a coordinated team: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
| Muscle Group | Primary Muscles Involved | Functional Role |
|---|---|---|
| Spinal Support | Erector Spinae | Maintains upright posture |
| Hip Powerhouse | Gluteus Maximus/Medius | Drives hip extension for running/jumping |
| Knee Modulators | Biceps Femoris, Semitendinosus | Controls knee flexion and rotation |
| Lower Limb Links | Gastrocnemius, Soleus | Enforces ankle stability during pushes |
| Upper Back Anchor | Latissimus Dorsi | Transfers force during pulling motions |
Symptoms of Weak Posterior Chain
Weak posterior chain can lead to numerous muscle imbalances, strength deficits, and performance limitations. Most musculoskeletal pain, improper posture, and sports injuries are related to weak posterior chain musculature, or function.
When glutes/hamstrings underperform, spinal muscles compensate excessively—leading to increased muscle stiffness, tension, and physical deconditioning which increases chronic pain (6) (4) Restricted mobility also tends to overload the low back, increasing tension.
Neglecting posterior chain training can increase the occurrence of IT bands, hamstring strains, and achilles tendonitis, as weak glutes cause other muscles, like quadriceps, to overcompensate. (7) (8) (9) EMG studies reveal 25% activation differences in weak chains during lifts, increasing tear risks. (1) (5)
Most rehab protocols focus on restoring mobility, (10) (11) isometric work, (8) con-ecc exercises, ecc hamstring exercises, (12) and then progress onto translating that strength into real movements like deadlifts, jumps, or sprints, with an emphasis on motor control.
Typically, mobility focuses on stretching the glutes, hamstrings, and abductors, (13) while isometric work includes side planks, hip abductions, and hip bridges. (8)
The Benefits of Posterior Chain Strength
A strong posterior chain acts as the body’s power engine, driving movement, stability, and resilience. Often overlooked in favor of mirror muscles, this interconnected system (glutes, hamstrings, calves, and spinal erectors) provides structural support and promotes functionality.
The gluteus and hamstrings work synergistically to extend the hip, push off, and propel us forward. A great way to train them is step-ups, deadlifts, lunges, and hip thrusts. This movement translates into greater ability to climb stairs, jump forward, or take a longer stride. (14) (15) (16)
The hip muscles work alongside the core to absorb forces placed on the joints. Stronger hip muscles that function well can be the difference between joint overuse and joint health. The deep longitudinal sling (thoracolumbar fascia and biceps femoris) act as a tension and integrity structure that stabilizes joints during rotational movements.
Strong spinal erectors and glutes fight the gravitational pull, counteracting slouched over posture. Sitting too long leads to reduced tonus, developing gluteal amnesia. Training the hip extensors helps activate the glutes to position the pelvis properly, preventing the low-back arch that leads to NSLBP. (17) (8) (18) (19)
6 Posterior Chain Exercises
Understanding movement patterns simplifies exercise choice. Posterior chain training typically involves hip hinge or knee flexion for the lower body, or pulling motion and scapular retraction for the upper body.
Typically people engage in a posterior chain training session in a posterior-anterior chain (PAC) training split which divides training into two sessions, one for the front and one for the back part of the body.
Posterior chain strengthening exercises for the lower body include the deadlifts, single-leg deadlifts, and knee flexion. However, various alternatives that follow the same movement patterns or muscle activation can be used, including: hip thrust, hip bridges, nordic curls, or romanian deadlifts.
For the upper body, the back is the primary focus. Pulling motions like vertical pulling (pull-ups), horizontal pulling (seated row), or downward pulling (lat pull-down) are the base, then it’s unilateral exercises like single-arm rowing or supplementary exercises like face-pulls.
Deadlift
The deadlift is a compound exercise that emphasizes driving through the hips to lift a barbell from the ground to hip level. It primarily strengthens the posterior chain, improving functional strength and posture. A proper deadlift is done in a slow, controlled manner with a strong focus on squeezing the glutes and extending through the hips, while driving with the full feet down.
Muscles targeted
- Primary: Hamstrings, gluteus maximus, erector spinae
- Secondary: Quadriceps, latissimus dorsi, trapezius, and forearms
Steps to perform correctly
- Stand with your mid-foot under the barbell; feet hip-width apart
- Grip the bar just outside your knees with a shoulder-width grip
- Bend your knees until your shins touch the bar
- Keep your back straight and chest up; engage your core
- Take a deep breath, brace, and tighten your core
- Push the knees out and start slowly driving up by pushing down through your feet
- Extend through the hips and knees simultaneously
- Keep the bar close to your body (travelling in a straight line) as you stand upright
- Lock out at the top with shoulders back and hips fully extended
- Lower the bar by hinging at the hips first, slowly building up tension in the glutes while resisting the weight
- Then bending your knees once past them, lower the bar on the floor
- Reset for each repetition
Single Leg Deadlift
The SLDL is a unilateral version of the deadlift, which again emphasizes driving through the supportive leg down, extending through the hip, and activating the glutes. It is a more muscle-centric exercise that works the muscles more effectively at a lower absolute weight. The SLDL can be superior for hypertrophy, hip stability, and injury prevention.
Muscles targeted
- Primary: Hamstrings, gluteus maximus.
- Secondary: Gluteus medius/minimus (hip stabilizers), calves, core
Steps to perform correctly
- Stand with feet hip-width apart; slowly position left foot back 5-inches, resting on the toes.
- Slowly bend down by pushing your hips back slightly, focusing on developing tension in the glutes and hamstrings
- With a straight back, slowly lower until parallel to the ground, or slightly lower
- Grip the kettlebell (or dumbbell) in the opposite hand (left)
- Slowly drive through the standing leg (right) by pushing down with your foot
- Actively engaging the glutes and hamstrings
- Weight is kept at the front portion of the foot
- Focus on developing tensile stretch on the back side (glutes, hamstrings)
- Avoid twisting or rounding your spine during the movement
- Perform equal reps on both sides
Knee Flexion
Knee flexion exercises involve bending the knee against resistance (e.g., machine or stability ball), targeting hamstrings for knee stability and strength. Quite an effective isolation exercise, particularly useful for isolating the hamstrings, training for muscle growth, pre-activation, or in regaining strength in rehab protocols.
Muscles targeted
- Primary: Hamstrings (biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus)
- Secondary: Glutes, calves
Steps to perform correctly
- Adjust the seat so your knees align with the machine’s pivot point.
- Position the ankle pad just above your heels or lower calves.
- Secure yourself by gripping the handles and fastening the seat belt if available.
- Start with your legs fully extended but avoid locking your knees.
- Sit upright, brace your core, and maintain a neutral spine.
- Exhale as you bend your knees, pulling the ankle pad toward your glutes.
- Pause briefly at full contraction to engage your hamstrings.
- Inhale as you slowly return to the starting position without locking your knees.
Pull Ups
Pull-ups involve pulling yourself up on a bar using an overhand grip to strengthen upper body pulling muscles. It is a complex, compound exercise that’s relatively energy intense, but has high effect involving numerous other muscles like forearms, core, and rotating cuff muscles.
Muscles targeted
- Primary: Latissimus dorsi, biceps brachii, rhomboids.
- Secondary: Trapezius, core stabilizers, rotator cuff
Steps to perform correctly
- If unable to do one, use an elastic band as support
- Grip a pull-up bar slightly wider than shoulder-width with palms facing away from you.
- Hang with arms fully extended; engage your core and retract shoulder blades slightly.
- Pull yourself up by driving elbows down until chin clears the bar.
- Pause briefly at the top while keeping tension in your lats.
- Lower yourself slowly back to full extension without swinging or losing control.
- Maintain a neutral spine throughout; avoid shrugging shoulders upward.
- Repeat for desired reps with strict form.
Seated Horizontal Row
This exercise uses a cable or machine to pull weight horizontally towards your torso, targeting back muscles for posture improvement and pulling strength. The key is execution. Proper pulling shall be done with the shoulders kept down (depressed) and backwards (retracted) while the upper traps (neck muscles) are as relaxed as possible.
Muscles targeted
- Primary: Rhomboids, trapezius, latissimus dorsi.
- Secondary: Biceps brachii, posterior deltoids.
Steps to perform correctly
- Sit at a row machine with feet firmly planted on footrests; grab handles with an overhand or neutral grip.
- Sit upright with chest forward and shoulders retracted.
- Pull handles towards your torso by driving elbows back while squeezing shoulder blades together.
- Pause for a sec. and tighten your elbows together once handles reach just below chest level.
- Slowly extend arms back to starting position without rounding your back.
- Keep core engaged throughout for stability.
- Avoid leaning too far forward or backward during reps.
Single Arm Row
A unilateral pulling exercise performed with dumbbells that strengthens back muscles while correcting imbalances. Compared to cable rows, the unilateral row with a dumbbell is superior in coactivating muscles around the scapulae. Being a more “compound” or primal movement, it is more biomechanically optimal to activate a larger portion of shoulder stabilizers, similar as comparing pull-ups to vertical pull-down on a machine.
Muscles targeted
- Primary: Latissimus dorsi, rhomboids
- Secondary: Trapezius (mid/lower), biceps brachii, rotator cuff, pectoralis minor
Steps to perform correctly
- Place one knee and hand on a bench for support; keep other foot planted firmly on ground, at least 10-20 inches on the side.
- Position a dumbbell below your lower back
- Grip the weight and engage your core
- Start the pull by activating the scapular retractors, pulling the shoulder blade back
- Drive the elbow straight back without twisting the torso.
- Squeeze shoulder blade at top of movement before lowering weight slowly.
- Maintain a flat back throughout; avoid rounding or arching spine.
- Perform equal reps on both sides for balance.
