Best Back Exercises To Grow A Wider And Thicker Back

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13 Best Back Exercises

Back is one of the largest muscles of the body and that’s why most people often face difficulty in training the back efficiently and effectively in a limited time range of workout. So, here’s the list of “TOP 13 BACK EXERCISES” which will help you to grow a V-Tapered back. 14 Most Effective Chest Exercises To Grow Massive Pecs

[Important Point:- There is no such thing called “BEST BACK EXERCISE” because what is best for one may not be best for another due to various reasons like injury history, flexibility, experience, etc. The only thing is that these exercises are shown in studies to activate the back muscles comparatively better, provided if you are doing the exercise with proper form.

So keep in mind, the exercises which are not counted here do not make them bad. The only thing is that they are a bit less effective. But at the end of the day, it is your way of performing an exercise which decides its effectiveness.]

A) Back Exercises for Width

1. Pull-ups

Pull-ups are one of the greatest back-builders and on top of that, it is purely a bodyweight movement which needs a lot of strength to perform. Pull-ups target your overall back pretty well, prioritising the width of your back.

Moreover, the difficulty level of pull-ups can be scaled which makes it perfect to put progressive overload on the back muscles. If you want to know completely about pull-ups, refer to these 2 blogs: (i) Pull-ups: Benefits, Technique and Beginner Guide (ii) 6 Most Effective Types of Pull-ups

2. Lat Pulldown

The lat pulldown has a similar movement pattern as of pull-ups. Just you need to:

STEP-1:- Sit on a lat pulldown machine and grab the rod with hands a bit wider than shoulder-width distance apart.

STEP-2:- Now pull the weights down towards yourself so that your elbows are extended behind your body while keeping your chest open and wide and keep your shoulder blades pressed down (Depressed) and back (Retracted).

STEP-3:- Slowly release the weights without lifting your shoulders.

Why is it one of the best back exercises?

(1) A lat-pulldown machine reduces the possibility of taking the advantage of the body’s momentum as your legs are in a fixed position.

(2) Easy to overload.

(3) Different grips may help to target different areas of the back much better.

3. Single-Arm Cable Rows (High-to-Low)

Unilateral training is extremely important to prevent muscle imbalances and to ensure a properly trained body. Single-Arm Cable rows help you to engage the lats significantly better inducing new gains. All you have to do is:

STEP-1:- Set up a cable machine in which the cable is at maximum height and use a D-handle attachment.

STEP-2:- Grab the handle and take a big step away from the machine and stand with one foot behind the body with a slight knee bend, keeping your arms up and in front of your body.

STEP-3:- Pull the handle towards yourself so that your hand touches your lower chest line and your elbows are extended behind your body and release back up slowly. Add a slight twist of your body at the end of the row.

Why is it one of the best back exercises?

(1) Single-arm movement ensures better lat activation.

(2) Easy to overload.

(3) Greater Range Of Motion (ROM) due to the use of cables.

4. Cable Pulldowns/Pushdowns/Pullovers

This exercise is one of the most often overlooked exercises but has such an immense effect on the lat growth. Straight-arm pull movement is one of the best ways to train the lats.

STEP-1:- Set up the cable machine at the maximum height and use a straight-bar handle or rope attachment.

STEP-2:- Grab the bar with an overhanded grip. Take a big step away from the machine and stand with your feet shoulder-width distance apart, knees bend and bend your body a bit forward by a slight hip hinge.

STEP-3:- Now keep your arms straight or with a very slight bend and in front of your body so that your hands are parallel to the ground.

STEP-4:- Pull the bar down and towards yourself with straight arms/very slight bend so that your arms are almost perpendicular to the ground and release slowly after.

Why is it one of the best back exercises?

(1) Straight arm movement induces lat growth immensely.

(2) Easy to progressively overload.

(3) Minimal body momentum.

5. Dumbbell Pullovers

The dumbbell pullover shares the same movement pattern just like cable pulldowns. It is a great way to train your lats and really overload them.

STEP-1:- Grab a dumbbell with both your hands and lay over a flat bench with your upper back laid on it. The feet must be in contact with the ground, knees should be bent and hips should be placed lower than parallel level to the ground.

STEP-2:- Raise your arms straight and in front of your body and initiate the movement by moving the hands behind your body with straight arms or a slight bend.

STEP-3:- Once your arms reach behind your body and become parallel to the ground, pull the weights back up again without bending your arms.

Why is it one of the best back exercises?

(1) Puts immense load on the lats.

(2) Easy to progressively overload.

(3) Provides a massive stretch on the lats.

(4) Body momentum is reduced due to upper back support by the bench.

B) Back Exercises for Thickness

6. Chest Supported Rows

Chest supported rows help you to increase the back thickness enormously and it is one of the best back exercises especially when it comes to increasing the back thickness.

STEP-1:- Lay your chest on an inclined bench set up or on a chest supported row machine with feet intact with the ground.

STEP-2:- Grab the weights and pull it up so that your elbows are extended behind the body and release it slowly.

Why is it one of the best back exercises?

(1) Body momentum cannot be used due to chest support on the bench.

(2) Better mind-muscle connection.

(3) Easy to progressively overload.

7. Bend-Over Barbell Rows/Barbell Rows

Barbell rows are another great option to grow your back thickness. All you have to do is:

STEP-1:- Stand with your feet shoulder-width distance apart and hands a bit wider than the shoulder-width distance.

STEP-2:- Grab the barbell and stand with your back bent at 15°-45°.

STEP-3:- Pull the barbell so that your elbows are extended behind the body and the barbell touches the lower chest or rib cage. And release the weights slowly.

Why is it one of the best back exercises?

(1) Easy to progressively overload.

(2) You can feel your back working much better.

8. Pendlay Rows

Explosive training is also another way of training your back muscles and to activate the fast-twitch muscle fibers. Pendlay rows help you to do that. Following are the steps you need to follow:

STEP-1:- Stand close to the barbell in a deadlift position with feet shoulder-width distance apart and hands a bit wider than that.

STEP-2:- Bend your body parallel to the ground ideally or a bit less than that. And maintain a slight arc in your lower back.

STEP-3:- Now pull the weights up so that your elbows are extended behind your body and the barbell touches your lower-chest line and lower down the weights so that it again gets back on the floor.

Why is it one of the best back exercises?

(1) Activates the fast-twitch muscle fibers.

(2) Easy to progressively overload.

9. Meadows Rows

Meadows rows are one of the best options you have as rowing exercises and to grow your back thickness. Following are its steps:

STEP-1:- Set a barbell with weights on one side and a landmine attachment on the other. If you do not have a landmine attachment, stick the other side of the barbell under a heavy dumbbell.

STEP-2:- Stand aside the weighted side of the barbell so that your feet are perpendicular to the barbell and grab the barbell.

STEP-3:- Now bend your body with a slight arc in your lower back. Your body should be bent a bit higher than parallel to the ground, almost 45°.

STEP-4:- Pull the weights up so that your elbow is extended behind your body and slowly release the weights down.

Why is it the one of the best back exercises?

(1) Prevents muscle imbalances due to unilateral movement.

(2) Better back activation due to single arm use.

(3) Easy to progressively overload.

10. Seated Cable Rows

Seated cable rows really help you to grow the back thickness. You just have to follow these simple steps:

STEP-1:- Sit on a cable row machine with a T-bar handle attachment ideally. If not, you can use a straight-bar.

STEP-2:- Grab the handle with both your hands and pull towards yourself so that your elbows are extended behind your body.

STEP-3:- Release the weights slowly and let your back protract or round-forward a bit to provide a greater stretch. But do not round a lot.

Why is it one of the best back exercises?

(1) Easy to progressively overload.

(2) Minimal body momentum.

(3) Provides greater stretch to the back.

11. Face Pulls

Face pulls are one of the most under-rated exercises to grow back thickness and helps to train the neglected parts of your back muscles like the rotator cuffs, teres major and minor and other small muscles which contribute a lot to your back thickness.

STEP-1:- Set the cable machine at your head level height or a bit higher than that and attach a rope in it.

STEP-2:- Grab the two ends of the rope so that your arms are in front of your body and take a step away from the machine and stand with your feet shoulder-width distance apart.

STEP-3:- Now pull the rope towards yourself so that your hands and elbows are perpendicular to each other. And your hands reach earlier than your elbows and slowly release the weights.

Why is it one of the best back exercises?

(1) Train the small back muscles effectively like the rotator cuffs, teres major and minor, etc., which increases the back thickness massively.

(2) Improves the posture.

(3) Easy to progressively overload.

12. Barbell Shrugs

The trapezius muscle is a vast part of the upper back and contributes massively for the thickness of the back. Shrugs are a great way to target these muscle fibres.

STEP-1:- Stand straight and grab a barbell with hands a bit wider than shoulder-width distance.

STEP-2:- Pull the shoulders upwards towards your ears while keeping the hands straight and slowly bring them down.

Why is it one of the best back exercises?

(1) Easy to progressively overload.

(2) Barbell helps to train the traps much better due to hand alignment with respect to muscle fibers of the traps.

13. Back Extensions

The most underestimated and forgotten part of the back muscle is the lower back. People do not put focus on their lower back at all as a result they limit their overall back development and cannot achieve a nice look of the back. Back extension directly targets the lower back, all you have to do is:

STEP-1:- Lay your lower body (From legs to hip level) on an elevated surface OR Get on a back extension machine, if you have access to it.

STEP-2:- Stuck your legs and start bending your body downwards and keep your hands placed behind your neck.

STEP-3:- Pull yourself back again without arching your back intentionally and massively.

Why is it one of the best back exercises?

(1) Perfectly targets the lower back muscles.

(2) Easy to progressively overload.

BONUS

14. Deadlift

Many people would definitely be surprised to see deadlift not in the list of top back exercises. But as mentioned earlier, no exercise is good or bad it is your execution which decides its value. Deadlift is definitely a great exercise for your overall back.

But it cannot be placed among the best back exercises because of various reasons like leg-muscle dominated, difficulty in performing, etc. But you can and should definitely incorporate deadlifts in your back routine. 8 Incredible Quad Exercises To Build Beefy Legs

15. Rope Climbing

Rope climbing is a fun and exciting way to train the back muscles but people often overlook and underestimate this back exercise.

Rope climbing does not only train your back in a great manner but also possess various other advantages like increased grip strength, trains the biceps up to a great degree, improves pulling strength, etc. If you have access to rope climbing, you must do it. 15 Best Abs Exercises To Develop Stronger Abs

Takeaway

Incorporating the above mentioned back exercises will help you to reap massive gains in your back muscles and make your back wider and thicker. 8 Incredible Quad Exercises To Build Beefy Legs