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5 Essential Exercises You Need For a Bigger Back

Want to know which exercises the experts use to build a muscular back? Read on to discover the essential exercises you need to do.

Building a big, strong, physically imposing back doesn’t have to take years of hard work. It’s actually much easier than you’d think, you’ve just got to know what exercises to include in your routine.

Portrait Of A Physically Fit Young Man In Modern Fitness Center

Unfortunately, not enough people know what exercises they should be doing, which means they’re stuck repeating the same old movements time and time again, without getting any real results or seeing any progress from their efforts.

If that sounds familiar, you can rest easy, because in this article we’re going to reveal the essential exercises that you must do if you want to build a bigger back.

Anatomy of the Back

The back is made up of some pretty big muscles, all of which should receive some level of attention, so before we get into which exercises are the best, let’s take a closer look at the main muscles in the back that you’ll be targeting.

  • Latissimus Dorsi (lats) are the muscles most people have heard of and are often the most popular to train. They span the length of your back and are responsible for the ‘V-Taper’ look (big shoulders and wide back with a slim waist) that so many people desire.
  • Trapezius (traps) are a huge muscle group that help to lift and move the shoulder blade, they also make you look bigger and more physically imposing (think of the wrestlers Goldberg, or Batista) which is what most people want from their gym efforts.  
  • Rhomboids are important for helping you to pull your shoulder blades together, and when trained properly, will help you to become stronger in your other lifts. They also look great when flexed.
  • Erector Spinae is important for developing a strong, stable spine as it helps your spinal joints to extend and rotate which is essential for both athletic performance and everyday movement.
  • Teres Major and minor are muscles that look great and as such, they’re an easy muscle to train to help you complete your physique. 

Essential Back Exercises

In no particular order, here is our list of the top exercises you should be doing if you’re serious about building a bigger back.

1. Deadlift

Deadlifts are one of the best exercises you can do and as they work the entire posterior chain, making them a fantastic move for building a strong, thick back.

Lifting heavy weight in the deadlift will drastically improve your strength while helping you to build the muscles that.

How to:

  1. 1
     Approach the bar with your feet shoulder-width apart, leaving around 2 inches between your shins and the bar.
  2. 2
    With an overhand grip and your arms by your side, hinge at the hips and lower yourself down to grab hold of the bar.
  3. 3
    Your knees should be bent, but not as much as when you squat. Keep your back straight, chest up and core tight through the move.
  4. 4
    Drive the hips forward as you pull the bar up to your body. Stand tall, bringing the shoulders back and the hips forward (not excessively). Hold for 2 seconds then reverse back down to the ground. 

2. Pull-ups

Pull-ups are one of the best exercises you can do for your lats and even better, they only require a bar. They allow you to lift your entire body weight while engaging every major muscle in your back, making them a fantastic exercise for building a bigger, stronger back.

How to:

  1. 1
    Approach the bar and raise your hands straight up, just outside shoulder width, with an overhand grip to grab the bar.