where do i go to start back up on my macbook pro

By "back up" are you referring to Time Machine?

Ref: Back up your Mac with Time Machine - Apple Support

apple2021apple wrote:

can I just backup without time machine.

Sure, you can back up your Mac without using Time Machine. There are a number of third-party apps, like Carbon Copy Cloner, that can be used for this purpose.

how do I start it

Start what? Time Machine or something else?

where do I check to find my recent backup date?

It will depend on what you are using to perform the backups.

The support article I provided you should give you the details on using Time Machine.