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The posterior chain is a hot topic in sports performance, rehab, and fitness programs. The muscles on the front side of the body are often trained the most since the front side of our body is what you see in the mirror. The muscles on the backside of the body, also known as the posterior chain, are often neglected since you can't see them! But it's the muscles of the posterior chain that help you maintain balance and posture, run faster, jump higher, and can help you take your overall performance to the next level. Read this article to learn about the best posterior chain exercises for maximizing your performance!
What Muscles Make Up the Posterior Chain?
The posterior chain refers to the muscle groups located on the backside of the body which forms a chain to create movement. The major muscles of the posterior chain include upper, middle, and lower traps, posterior deltoids, lats, rhomboids, spinal erectors, transverse abdominis, glutes, adductors, hamstrings, and calves. The main function of the posterior chain is hip extension, which is a key movement for sprinting, jumping, and strength exercises like the squat and deadlift.
The posterior chain also controls backward force, which helps to stabilize the spine and hips, keeping the body upright. Beyond exercise, having a strong posterior chain is beneficial to those who spend long hours seated at a desk, as strengthening the muscles that retract the scapula may help maintain an upright posture and help prevent back pain.
Want to learn more ways to help address your postural pain? Look no further than this video!
It's important to mention that training the muscles that attach to the front side of the body, known as the "anterior chain", isn't bad. The muscles of the anterior chain like the quads help to strengthen the knee, which is important for overall strength and performance. However, these muscles are often trained harder and heavier since it's what most people think of for weight training.
Since these muscles are often overemphasized in training, imbalances can result in the posterior chain being disproportionately weak. Imbalances may lead to injuries from overcompensation or may halt your ability to maximize your training potential. Having a strong posterior chain can help to create a balance of forces and reduce the likelihood of injuries.
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Read on to learn the best posterior chain exercises to incorporate into your fitness or rehab program to improve these imbalances and maximize your training performance.
The Deadlift
For this article, I am including variations of the deadlift like the hex bar, RDL, and sumo deadlift under this category. Each variation of the deadlift works nearly every muscle of the posterior chain, but its primary emphasis is on the glutes, hamstrings, and spinal erectors. Since the deadlift works multiple muscles of the posterior chain, it's an extremely efficient exercise for those with limited equipment or those who may be short on time. With its many variations, you can consistently rotate it in your strength training plan without ever becoming bored which offers a novel stimulus to those who like switching up their fitness programs regularly.
Learn how we often coach our clients and patients on how to perform a deadlift appropriately and safely!
Exercise 01 of 07
Exercise demonstration
Deadlift Tutorial
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Single Leg Romanian Deadlift (RDL)
The Single Leg Romanian Deadlift (RDL) is a whole-body, complete, functional exercise that can be used for rehabilitation, as well as strength and conditioning purposes alike. You get phenomenal posterior chain recruitment while working on single-leg stability, which is vital for injury prevention as well as sports performance.
Exercise 02 of 07
Exercise demonstration
Single Leg RDL
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- HOW: In a standing position, shift your weight to one leg. Apply pressure through all of your foot and slightly bend that knee. Hinge forward at the waist while keeping your back flat and kick the opposite leg back. Pull yourself back to the starting position by pushing into the ground and using your glute and hip muscles to bring your back up straight again.
- FEEL: You should feel your hamstring muscles working as you hinge forwards and back up. You should also feel your foot/ankle muscles working to balance your leg while hinging forward.
- COMPENSATION: Keep your back flat as you hinge forward at the waist, don’t twist it. Keep your hips level, don’t twist them as you kick your leg back.
While both the traditional Deadlift and Single Leg RDL are classified as hip hinge movements, the Single Leg RDL involves hinging while maintaining a slight flex in the knee whereas the traditional Deadlift hinges around both the hips and the knees. Both the Deadlift and Single Leg RDL are great exercises to help improve the strength of the hamstrings, which aid in hip extension.
We love the Single Leg RDL not only for its activation of the posterior chain but also because of the many variations that can be done with this specific movement. Try the Single Leg RDL with a pallof press below for some extra core and stability work!
Exercise 03 of 07
Exercise demonstration
Single Leg RDL - Pallof Press
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- HOW: Get a band anchored between waist and shoulder height. Hold onto the band so it is directly to the side of you, your torso should be perpendicular to the band. Balance on one foot (ideally the foot further away from the anchor), while holding the band close to your chest with both hands, perform a single leg RDL motion. As you return to starting position, drive the knee up on the side that the leg is in the air and simultaneously reach out with your arms directly in front of you as far as you can to perform a pallof press. Hold this position for a moment, then repeat.
- FEEL: This should feel like a lower body and balance exercise as well as a core exercise with the pallof press motion. If it is too challenging, you can stand on the leg that is closer to the anchor as that is a regression.
- COMPENSATION: Do not compensate with the SL RDL motion - perform a good hip hinge while maintaining a flat back. Do not lose balance, do not let the band twist/rotate your torso when you perform the pallof press.
The Hip Thrust
Like the deadlift above, this includes variations of the hip thrust like a staggered stance hip thrust, single leg hip thrust, and barbell hip thrust. The hip thrust primarily targets the gluteus maximus, but EMG activity has shown high activation for the hamstrings and adductors as well making this a great exercise for the posterior chain. This study demonstrated that barbell hip thrusts appear to be superior to squats in terms of upper gluteus maximus, lower gluteus maximus, and biceps femoris activity.
READ: HIP THRUST: HOW TO MASTER THE BEST GLUTE EXERCISE
The barbell squat takes the knee through more range of motion which makes sense why a squat activates the vastus lateralis greater than the hip thrust. It's also possible that the hip thrust can aid in improving sprint speed in athletes as shown in this systematic review.
Pull Ups
I am including variations like the chin-ups and neutral grip pull-ups in this category. The lats are the primary movers in pull-ups, and receive assistance from other muscles like the biceps, deltoids, and rhomboids. Like the deadlift, the pull-up can be an efficient exercise for those with limited equipment and time. Since it has multiple variations, it can be rotated consistently to provide novelty in a strength training program. Try the assisted pull-up below to begin to strengthen this movement pattern and be sure to check out this article to read more about how to improve your pull-ups!
Exercise 04 of 07
Exercise demonstration
Assisted Pull Up
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- HOW: Anchor a band onto the bar and place the other end under your knees or feet. Placing it under your feet with give you additional assistance in pulling yourself up. Then pull yourself up primarily pulling with the shoulder blades then moving at the shoulders and elbows. Slowly lower yourself back to starting position and repeat.
- FEEL: You will feel your back working with this exercise, primarily your lats and the muscles on the inside of your shoulder blades. You will also feel your bicep and forearm muscles assist you as you pull yourself up.
- COMPENSATION: Avoid arching the back as you lower yourself from the pull up.
Chest Supported Rows
While there are many great variations for rowing, like the single-arm dumbbell row and barbell row, my favorite variation is the chest-supported row due to its ability to isolate the back musculature without the need for stabilization at the lower back and hamstrings. This makes the chest-supported row a great exercise to perform after movements where your low back might be fatigued, such as the Deadlift or RDL.
Since the chest-supported row features added stability from the pad your chest is on, this row is very effective at targeting the muscles of your posterior chain like the lats, rhomboids, and posterior deltoids. It's also a great way to provide variation to your workouts by changing your grips, elbow position, and angle of the bench.
Exercise 05 of 07
Exercise demonstration
Prone Row - Off Table
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- HOW: Lay on your stomach on a bench or table with an arm hanging down at your side. Use your shoulder blade muscles and act like you are pulling weight off of the ground bringing your elbow up to your side, return to the starting position and repeat for the prescribed amount of reps.
- FEEL: You should feel your shoulder muscles working.
- COMPENSATION: Keep your upper trap relaxed, only use your shoulder blade muscles.
Try the high row variation to better target your mid traps!
Exercise 06 of 07
Exercise demonstration
Prone High Row - Off Table
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- FEEL: Focus here on initiating the movement with your scapular muscles by pulling the shoulder blade towards the spine.
- COMPENSATION: Avoid allowing the torso to rotate with the performance of this exercise. The motion should come from the shoulder blade and the shoulder joint.
Glute Ham Raises
The Glute Ham Raise is one of the only exercises that initiates a co-contraction of the hamstrings at the origin and insertion and brings the muscles of the lower back, glutes, hamstrings, and calves together to fire as a unit. While the Nordic Hamstring Curl is another great exercise that is very similar to the Glute Ham Raise, I like using the Glute Ham Raise more often since it's not as stressful or difficult for beginners compared to the Nordic Hamstring Curl.
Exercise 07 of 07
The Glute Ham Raise develops eccentric strength in the hamstrings, which helps prevent hamstring strains. Performing this exercise also allows for additional time under tension and a greater range of motion to produce greater demand on the muscle fibers.
The Glute Ham Raise does require a specific piece of equipment (typically called a GHD or Glute Ham Developer) and if you don't have access to it, performing a Nordic Hamstring Curl is a good alternative.
Exercise demonstration
Master The Nordic Hamstring Curl to Improve Your Hamstring Strength
The Best Posterior Chain Exercises - Closing Thoughts
- The muscles of the posterior chain can help you maintain balance and posture, run faster, jump higher, and take your overall performance to the next level
- The major muscles of the posterior chain include: upper, middle, and lower traps, posterior deltoids, lats, rhomboids, spinal erectors, transverse abdominis, glutes, adductors, hamstrings, and calves.
- Include variations of the Deadlift, Single Leg RDL, pull-ups, rows, and the Glute Ham Raise or Nordic Hamstring Curl to effectively strengthen the posterior chain.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR LOWER EXTREMITY PERFORMANCE PROGRAM
Looking for ways to level up your lower extremity strength and improve your performance? Look no further than our Lower Extremity Performance Program! Get started HERE!
About The Author
Ryan Nosak, MS, CSCS, SCCC
[P]Rehab Writer & Content Creator
Ryan was born and raised in Throop, Pennsylvania and he has worked in the world of fitness since he was 15 years old. Ryan realized he had a deep affinity for strength training and how it can alter the human mind, body, and spirit. He began his coaching career in high school by coaching his friends through strength training sessions, which inspired him to pursue a career in strength and conditioning.
Ryan spent 10 years as a Division 1 strength and conditioning coach with stops along the way at Penn State, Tennessee State, Vanderbilt, Robert Morris, Charlotte, and DePaul. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and operates his own training practice, RyNo Strength, out of Studio DelCorpo in Chicago, IL. He specializes in fat loss, body composition, strength, and sports performance training programs.
Ryan received his Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology from Penn State and a Master’s in Sport Management from Western Carolina University. In his free time, Ryan enjoys training for bodybuilding, eating at the amazing restaurants in Chicago, and spending time with his wife and dog.