Eric, it seems to me that there are a lot of big arms, shoulders and pecs out there, but completely developed backs are few and far between. What do you feel are the keys to building a wide and thick back?

Answer:

In my 20+ years of bodybuilding and personal training it has become quite apparent to me that the back (in totality) is the most complex muscle group in the entire body and the most challenging to fully develop. However, it is also the most impressive to view when the body fat is low, and all of the muscles are standing out in bold relief (think Haney, Yates, and Coleman)! There are a lot of muscles to think about when approaching back training: the lats, teres, rhomboids, posterior delts, upper/mid traps, erectors, and yes, even the muscles that lie deep within in the back (not visible to on the surface).

More so than with ANY other muscle group, the back carries with it the need to utilize many different exercises, angles, grips, and “lines of pull” in order to achieve true "completeness." Some people have width, others thickness and few show pretty good detail…but not many combine all of these attributes.

The way I approach back training is to try and stimulate every portion of my back during each workout, and do so without over training or spending three or more hours in the gym. This means not trying to do every exercise in existence at every back workout, but using a specific type of combination each time.

This is what I like to do each week, and it has literally transformed my back over the last few years from a weakness into a strong point.

3 basic angles or lines of pull:

• one vertical pulling movement (pull-ups, pull downs)
• one horizontal pulling movement (seated cable, Hammer, machine row)
• one bent over movement (barbell row, dumbbell row, T-bar row)

1 "upper lat" isolator:

• either stiff arm pull downs or pullovers (machine or dumbbell)

1 upper-trap and 1 mid-trap movement:

• upper: barbell shrug, dumbbell shrug, machine shrug
• middle: upright row (bar, cable, dumbbell), behind the back shrug/upright row

1 lower back movement:

• hyperextensions, dead lifts, rack dead lifts, good mornings, back extension machine

3 types of grips for pulling exercises:

• one exercise with close or v-handle
• one wide and overhand
• one medium and underhand

(I will change which exercise/pulling angle gets which grip each time I train)

To clarify, a typical day of back might look like this:

• machine pullover... 2 x 12-15
• WG overhand pull down... 2 x 10-12
• CG seated row... 2 x 8-10
• underhand grip barbell bent row... 2 x 6-8
• rack dead lifts... 3 x 4-6
• superset: dumbbell shrug/barbell upright row... 2 x 8-10 each

*Rear delts, which are certainly necessary for complete back development, are done on shoulder day for part of the year and back day for part of the year.

I certainly hope this helps you improve upon your own back. It made all the difference for me when I put this together a few years ago… and for my many clients as well.