In this article, I am going to discuss tips for building a big back and best back exercises that are essential for building a powerful and attractive looking back. It is very important that you not only choose the right exercises when performing a back workout for mass but to also perform these exercises with the right form to target the right muscles.
Building a strong and big back is the foundation for big gains. Back is one of the largest muscle groups and having strong and fully developed back will increase your power in all compound exercises such as squat, deadlift, bench press, and barbell row. I guess that you already know the importance of compound exercises for building muscle mass.
In addition, the stronger your back muscles are, the more your opposing muscle groups (such as chest) can fully develop.
There are four main groups of muscles in your back - erector spinae, latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, and trapezius. You need to make sure you are performing the back exercises that focus on building each component of your back.
1. Deadlift
Deadlifts will develop your entire back like no other exercise. But be careful when performing deadlifts, make sure that you have learned the correct deadlift form to avoid back pain and injuries.
Deadlift is more than a back exercise, it is one of the best mass-building exercises that hit the entire posterior chain from your upper calves to your upper traps. It is the absolute best back exercise for mass and strength, so don't avoid it. I recommend performing deadlifts as your first exercise in your back workout as heavy deadlifts require much more energy than many other exercises.
Tip: Go heavy with deadlifts in a 6-8 rep range or perform drop sets.
Tip: Go heavy with deadlifts in a 6-8 rep range or perform drop sets.
2. Bent-Over Barbell Row
Bent-Over Row is probably the second-best exercise when it comes to building a thick and big back. Performing bent-over barbell rows will work larger muscle groups of the upper and lower back muscles equally which makes barbell row a great overall back builder.
Same like deadlift, bent-over barbell row requires an excellent form.
Tip: Perform bent-over rows as one of the first exercises in your back workout in lower rep ranges (6-8).
Also read: The Best Chest Workout For Mass - Build A Bigger Chest Fast
3. Pull-Up
Pull up is a great exercise for putting emphasis on the upper lats. Work your way up until you can perform 8-12 reps per one set which is the best rep range for building muscle. If you master this exercise with your own bodyweight you can start adding more weight to force your body to adapt and grow.
Don't forget to perform pull-ups with a good form. In the starting position, you should pull your shoulders down and toward each other for a better lats activation.
Tip: Do pull-ups with varying grips to hit all upper back muscles. If you are trying to hit your lower lats, a wide-grip pull-up is the best variation and close-grip chin-up is a great variation for hitting the upper lats.
4. Lat Pull-down
After performing first 3 exercises from this list which are the three best and hardest back exercises you can do lat pull-downs in a higher rep range (8-12 reps). This is also a great muscle-building back exercise.
Tip: Slow down the rep tempo, squeeze hard at the bottom of each rep, and allow a good stretch at the top.
5. Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
This exercise will be a great finisher in your workout, but you can do it anywhere from the middle to the end of your workout with a relatively higher rep range (10-12). One-arm dumbbell rows emphasize the whole lat, the upper back and trap muscles. Try to perform this exercise without using the momentum, lift the dumbbell as slowly as you can. Don't use a too much heavy dumbbell and perform it with a bad form, that can screw your back and that won't help you build a bigger back.
Here is an example of a back workout for mass that includes these five exercises:
- Deadlift, 3 sets of 6-8 reps
- Bent-over row, 3 sets of 6-8 reps
- Wide-grip pull-up, 3 sets of maximum reps
- Close-grip pull-down, 2 sets of 8-12 reps
- One-armed dumbbell row, 2 sets of 10-12 reps
Tip: Perform bent-over rows as one of the first exercises in your back workout in lower rep ranges (6-8).
Also read: The Best Chest Workout For Mass - Build A Bigger Chest Fast
3. Pull-Up
Pull up is a great exercise for putting emphasis on the upper lats. Work your way up until you can perform 8-12 reps per one set which is the best rep range for building muscle. If you master this exercise with your own bodyweight you can start adding more weight to force your body to adapt and grow.
Don't forget to perform pull-ups with a good form. In the starting position, you should pull your shoulders down and toward each other for a better lats activation.
Tip: Do pull-ups with varying grips to hit all upper back muscles. If you are trying to hit your lower lats, a wide-grip pull-up is the best variation and close-grip chin-up is a great variation for hitting the upper lats.
4. Lat Pull-down
After performing first 3 exercises from this list which are the three best and hardest back exercises you can do lat pull-downs in a higher rep range (8-12 reps). This is also a great muscle-building back exercise.
Tip: Slow down the rep tempo, squeeze hard at the bottom of each rep, and allow a good stretch at the top.
5. Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
This exercise will be a great finisher in your workout, but you can do it anywhere from the middle to the end of your workout with a relatively higher rep range (10-12). One-arm dumbbell rows emphasize the whole lat, the upper back and trap muscles. Try to perform this exercise without using the momentum, lift the dumbbell as slowly as you can. Don't use a too much heavy dumbbell and perform it with a bad form, that can screw your back and that won't help you build a bigger back.
Here is an example of a back workout for mass that includes these five exercises:
- Deadlift, 3 sets of 6-8 reps
- Bent-over row, 3 sets of 6-8 reps
- Wide-grip pull-up, 3 sets of maximum reps
- Close-grip pull-down, 2 sets of 8-12 reps
- One-armed dumbbell row, 2 sets of 10-12 reps
