Most gym lovers consider having a massive back as an accomplishment. It makes one look bigger and more aesthetically pleasing, as it gives the illusion of a ”V” taper.
Altogether, the back is the largest muscle group in the upper body. A strong back can compensate for the lack of other upper-body muscle groups. Suppose you want to achieve the “V” taper look but you have a blocky midsection, if you have a wide back, it will create the illusion that your waist is narrow, though in reality, it isn’t. You can google “Wesley Vissers” and see his physique. His back compensates for his waist.
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Benefits of having a strong back
A strong back not only helps in bodybuilding and other sports but also provides various benefits. Like:
Helps in maintaining posture and prevents injuries
The back muscle supports the whole posterior chain. It is directly involved in all pulling movements, from picking up the parcel or lifting furniture to pulling weights. In every movement, the back muscles play a vital role.
Having a solid back makes it easy to do these chores efficiently. In daily life, sometimes we get unwanted back pains due to a sedentary lifestyle. Sitting for hours without moving makes the posterior chain stiff, which can also reduce back flexibility. Thus, training the back becomes very important to reverse the effect.
Provides an aesthetically pleasing look
A bigger back makes you look bigger and stronger, which is what every gymgoer wants. As mentioned before, it also helps you achieve the “V” taper look and compensates for the lack of other body parts. In clothes, you look more full and muscular.
Improves Performance
In almost all exercises, you need to maintain a straight back (arch position). It may sound simple, but without a strong back, you will not be able to maintain that posture for long. Your posture will break down, which can cause injury.
In almost all compound exercises, the back is directly or indirectly involved; you must have a strong back to progress on those lifts. Also, having a strong back can provide you with different advantages in different sports. For example, in rafting, back muscles play a significant role; to raft fast, you need to have strong back muscles.
There are different muscles in the posterior chain of the body. Before we talk about back training, we need to know what muscles we need to train. The back consists of:
- Traps
- Rotator Cuffs
- Teres Major
- Lats
- Spine Erector
There are mainly two types of movements that train the back. They are:
- Pulling Movements
- Rowing Movements
When designing your back training, you must ensure that your routine consists of both pulling and rowing movements. The pulling movements mainly help widen the back, and the rowing movements help thicken the back muscle.
Best Back Building Exercises
There are a ton of back exercises you can perform. Some are optimal for muscle building, and some are not. On social media, you will see a ton of secret back-building exercises. Most of them are straight “BS.” To get more attention, fancy exercises are made, which misguide new lifters.
Remember, there is no magic formula. Every muscle is developed using basic movements done over time with progressive overload. The exercises that we chose are based on muscle engagement, ease of doing, and overall stimuli to back development.
Assisted Pull-ups
When it comes to back development, one of the best exercises is pull-ups. Pull-ups almost train your entire upper back and lats. They are also very convenient, as you will require only a bar to perform them.
However, pull-ups can be a bit challenging for beginners. Controlling or lifting your own body weight is not easy. That is why we prefer assisted pull-ups, as they can give you the support you need to maintain control throughout the exercise. Not only beginners need to incorporate assisted pull-ups; even advanced lifters can do assisted pull-ups to get a great contraction and stretch in their back muscles.
How to perform:
- If you are new, use 10–20 pounds less weight than your current body weight. If you weigh 100 pounds, then put the pin on 80 pounds.
- Stand on the machine and grab the bar wider than the shoulder width.
- Stand or kneel down (Depending on the machine) on the knee rest.
- Arch your back by pulling the shoulder blades down and tightening your core.
- Pull your body up to your chin height or chest height.
- Slowly go down by controlling the weight, and hold that position for a second.
Wide grip Lat Pulldown
Wide-grip lat pulldowns also help train your upper back and lats. They are kind of an alternate version of pull-ups.
It is a great exercise because it eliminates the lower body from the equation, and performing it seated provides more stability. Lat pulldown is a very easy exercise to learn, and when performed on a machine, the stabilization problems almost disappear.
How to perform:
- Grab the bar shoulder width or a bit further from the shoulder width length. Hold the bar with a thumbless grip for more back activation.
- Place your legs under the machine pad. Your legs should be fixed to the ground.
- Keep a slight arch in the back.
- Pull the bar straight toward your upper chest. Slightly lean backward while pulling the weight down.
- Slowly release the weight. Do not rush this part. You should move your body a bit forward to get the full stretch on the lats.
Assisted Chin-ups
Chin-ups are similar to pull-ups. However, in chin-ups, the hand position is much narrower, and you need to hold the bar in a supinated grip (palm facing toward) or in a neutral grip. Chin-ups put a good amount of tension on your lats, which helps them grow wider. They also help train your biceps.
Standard chin-ups with no support are difficult for a beginner to perform. That is why we always recommend using an assisted chin-up machine. The thumb rule for both assisted pull-ups and chin-up machines is that the higher the weight, the easier it is to perform them, and vice versa.
How to perform:
- Stand on the machine platform and grab the chin-up bar.
- Stand or kneel down (Depending on the machine) on the knee rest.
- Arch your back by pulling the shoulder blades down and tightening your core.
- Pull your body up to your chin height.
- Slowly go down by controlling the weight, and hold that position for a second.
Close grip Lat Pulldown (Underhand)
While the wide grip lat pulldown mostly trains your upper back muscles, the close grip focuses on the lats. You can use the same bar for these exercises, or there are close grip attachments that you can use if your gym has one.
How to perform:
- Grab the bar shoulder width or a bit closer to the shoulder width length. Hold the bar with a thumbless grip for more back activation.
- Place your legs under the machine pad. Your legs should be fixed to the ground.
- Keep a slight arch in the back.
- Pull the bar straight toward your lower chest area. Slightly lean backward while pulling the weight down.
- Slowly release the weight; do not rush this part. Move your body a bit forward to get the full stretch on the lats.
Chest-Supported T-bar Row
There are different rowing exercises for upper back development. The most popular upper-back rowing movements are:
- Barbell Row
- Single Arm Dumbbell Row
- Landmine Row
- Chest-supported T-Bar Row
All of them are great for back development, but we would recommend the chest-supported T-bar row above all other rows. The reason behind that is that it solves the problems that other rowing movements have. For example, both Barbell and single-hand dumbbell rows have stabilization problems, and landmine rows are hard to set up. Chest-supported T-bar rows solve this problem as they have stability, and there is no hassle of setup.
How to perform:
- Stand on the platform and rest your chest on the chest pad.
- You will usually find two handles: one straight and the other rotated inward. Grab the straight bar, as it will emphasize the upper back muscles, especially the teres major. The inward handle will emphasize the rotator cuffs and rear delts.
- Use moderate weight for this exercise.
- Unlock the bar and pull towards your chest.
- Slowly lower the weight down and get a full stretch on the bottom position.
Seated Cable Row
Seated cable rowing is an excellent exercise for developing the lower back area. Although the exercise is pretty straightforward, people still make many mistakes when performing it, primarily due to ego-lifting.
This exercise emphasizes the lower lats and spinal erectors. Always use a weight you can fully control in this exercise. Do not ego lift by swinging your body throughout the movement to lift more weight; it will cause more harm than good.
How to perform:
- Put your legs on the leg pad. Keep slightly bent on your legs.
- Grab the handle.
- Pull the weight to your belly. Do not lean back while pulling; sit straight.
- Keep your lower back fixed throughout the movement.
- Slowly release the weight and get a full stretch while keeping your lower back fixed.
You may wonder why the deadlift is missing from the list. It is a great strength-building exercise that trains the whole posterior chain.
The reason behind that is that deadlifts are not easy exercises to perform, especially for beginners. The learning curve of the deadlift is very high, as you need to maintain a strict form, which is a tough thing to maintain even for an intermediate lifter. If you do not maintain proper form or do ego lifting in the deadlift, the chances of injury are very high. For this reason, we did not include it in our list.
However, if you can perform the deadlift correctly, you can certainly add it to your routine.