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Exercises for a bigger back: width, thickness and upper back density

Published October 29, 2026

A bigger back takes three kinds of exercise. For width, pull-ups and lat pulldowns train the lats that spread out under your arms. For thickness, barbell, T-bar, chest-supported and cable rows build the middle back between your shoulder blades. For density at the top, rack pulls and shrugs load the traps and spinal muscles. Train your back twice a week with 12 to 20 hard sets: one vertical pull and one row each session, then a lighter lat isolation or shrug, stopping 1 to 2 reps short of failure on the heavy lifts.

  1. Pull-Up Lats
  2. Lat Pulldown Lats
  3. Barbell Row Upper Back, Lats
  4. T-Bar Row Upper Back, Lats
  5. Chest-Supported Row Upper Back, Lats
  6. Seated Cable Row Upper Back, Lats
  7. Rack Pull Glutes, Lower Back, Traps
  8. Straight-Arm Pulldown Lats

Vertical pulls for back width

The lats run from your upper arm down to your lower back, and pulling your elbows down from overhead trains them through their full length. These build the width you see from the front and behind. Use one per session and vary the grip between sessions.

Lats, bodyweight vertical pull

Pull-Up

Lats

Lifting your whole body from a dead hang loads the lats harder than most people can pull on a stack, and the hang at the bottom stretches them fully. If you can do 6 clean reps, make it your first back exercise of the week.

How to do it

  1. Grab the bar overhand, hands a little wider than your shoulders, and hang from fully straight arms.
  2. Pull your shoulders down away from your ears before your elbows start to bend.
  3. Drive the elbows toward your ribs until your chin passes over the bar.
  4. Lower slowly to a dead hang and pull again.

Cues

  • Shoulders down, then pull
  • Legs still and together
  • Two seconds on the way down

Common mistakes

  • Swinging the legs to cheat reps: cross your ankles and brace the abs.
  • Half reps from a bent-arm start: finish each rep at a full hang.

Swap for: Lat Pulldown, Assisted Pull-Up, Chin-Up

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Lats, cable vertical pull

Lat Pulldown

Lats

The pulldown trains the same pattern as the pull-up with a load you choose, so you can work in 10 to 15 reps and take sets close to failure. It is the main width builder for anyone who cannot yet do sets of pull-ups.

How to do it

  1. Set the thigh pad so your legs are locked under it, then stand up and take the bar a little wider than your shoulders, palms forward.
  2. Sit down with your arms fully stretched overhead and lean back only slightly.
  3. Pull the bar to your upper chest by driving your elbows down toward your hips.
  4. Let the bar rise until your arms are straight and your shoulders lift toward your ears, then pull again.

Cues

  • Elbows to your back pockets
  • Bar to the top of the chest
  • Let the stack lift you at the top

Common mistakes

  • Leaning far back and rowing the bar to your stomach: stay nearly upright so it remains a vertical pull.
  • Stopping with the arms still bent at the top: the stretch overhead is half of what makes the pulldown work.

Swap for: Pull-Up, Neutral-Grip Lat Pulldown, Single-Arm Lat Pulldown

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Lower lats, close-grip pulldown

Neutral-Grip Lat Pulldown

Lats

A close, palms-facing grip lets your elbows travel down by your sides, which puts more of the work into the lower lats and lets you use a heavier stack. Use it on the second back day so the grip and angle differ from the first.

How to do it

  1. Lock your thighs under the pads and hold the attachment with your hands inside shoulder width.
  2. Start with arms fully straight and your torso tipped back a few degrees.
  3. Pull the handle down to your upper chest, elbows pointing at the floor.
  4. Return it under control until the arms are straight again.

Cues

  • Elbows point at the floor
  • Pull to the collarbone
  • Two seconds up

Common mistakes

  • Shrugging your shoulders up at the bottom of the pull: push them down before the elbows bend.
  • Cutting the top of the rep short: let the weight lift your arms all the way.

Swap for: Lat Pulldown, Neutral-Grip Pull-Up

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Lats, isolation

Straight-Arm Pulldown

Lats

With straight arms, your biceps cannot help, so every rep is lats only. It is the right finisher after rows and pull-ups have tired your grip and arms but left the lats with work to do.

How to do it

  1. Attach a straight bar to a high pulley, take it palms down about shoulder width, and step back a couple of feet.
  2. Hinge forward slightly and hold the bar at about shoulder height with your arms long, a small fixed bend in your elbows, and brace your abs.
  3. Sweep the bar down in an arc until it reaches your thighs, squeezing your lats at the bottom.
  4. Let it rise back up under control until your arms are at shoulder height again, then repeat.

Cues

  • Arms long, elbows fixed
  • Bar to the thighs
  • Torso angle never changes

Common mistakes

  • Bending the elbows and turning it into a triceps pushdown: lighten the stack and keep the arms long.
  • Bobbing the torso up and down to move the weight: lock your hinge and move only the arms.

Swap for: Single-Arm Lat Pulldown, Dumbbell Lat Pullover, Lat Pulldown

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Lats, dumbbell stretch

Dumbbell Lat Pullover

Lats

Lowering one dumbbell behind your head while lying on a bench stretches the lats under load with no cable or bar. It is the width exercise for the home plan, between sets of pull-ups.

How to do it

  1. Lie on a flat bench with your head near one end and your feet flat on the floor.
  2. Hold one dumbbell with both hands under the top plate, arms straight above your chest.
  3. Keep your elbows softly bent and fixed, and let the dumbbell travel back behind your head in an arc. Stop once your upper arms reach the line of your body.
  4. Pull it back over your chest along the same arc, feeling the pull come from your armpits, and repeat.

Cues

  • Ribs down, no arching
  • Pull with your armpits
  • Stop when upper arms line up with your torso

Common mistakes

  • Bending the elbows more as the dumbbell goes back, which turns it into a triceps extension: fix the elbow angle and lighten the load.
  • Letting your ribcage flare to go deeper: brace your abs and stop at the point where your back wants to arch.

Swap for: Straight-Arm Pulldown, Kettlebell Pullover

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Rows for a thick middle back

Rows pull your shoulder blades together, which loads the rhomboids, middle traps and rear delts as well as the lats. They give the back depth from the side. A heavy free-weight row and a supported row in the same week cover both load and clean, high-effort sets.

Middle back and lats, heavy row

Barbell Row

Upper Back, Lats

Bent over with a barbell, you can row more weight than with anything else, and holding the position works the lower back too. It builds the most total back mass per set, so it opens a session at 2 reps in reserve.

How to do it

  1. Hold the bar at your thighs, hinge forward until your torso is near 45 degrees, back flat.
  2. Row the bar to your lower ribs with the elbows tucked near your sides.
  3. Lower to straight arms and keep the torso angle.

Cues

  • Brace before every rep
  • Bar to the belly button

Common mistakes

  • Standing taller each rep as it gets heavier: if the hinge goes, the set is over.

Swap for: Pendlay Row, Dumbbell Bent-Over Row, T-Bar Row

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Middle back, landmine row

T-Bar Row

Upper Back, Lats

With one end of the bar anchored and a handle under the other, the load stays close to your body, which is easier to hold than a free barbell. Rowing heavy plates this way builds the middle of the back between the shoulder blades.

How to do it

  1. Load the free end of a barbell sitting in a landmine and stand over the bar with your feet on either side of it.
  2. Hinge forward, put a close-grip handle under the bar near the plates and grip it with both hands, arms straight.
  3. Row the plates toward your chest, elbows tight to your torso, until they nearly touch.
  4. Lower until your arms are straight while holding your hinge, then repeat.

Cues

  • Chest up, back flat
  • Pull to the chest
  • Small plates for a longer pull

Common mistakes

  • Shrugging the weight up with your legs and back: the elbows do the pulling.
  • Big plates that hit your chest early: use 25-pound plates to get more range.

Swap for: Barbell Row, Meadows Row, Chest-Supported Row

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Middle back, supported machine row

Chest-Supported Row

Upper Back, Lats

Your chest rests on the pad, so your lower back and legs are out of the lift and every rep is pulled by the back alone. That makes it the row to take to 0 or 1 rep in reserve without form breaking down.

How to do it

  1. Set the seat so the handles are at chest height and rest your chest on the pad.
  2. Pull the handles back until your elbows pass your torso.
  3. Let the handles return until your arms are straight and your shoulders reach forward.

Cues

  • Chest stays on the pad
  • Squeeze, then reach

Common mistakes

  • Lifting your chest off the pad to move more weight: the pad is there so your back can rest.

Swap for: Machine Row, Seated Cable Row, Incline Dumbbell Row

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Middle back and lats, cable row

Seated Cable Row

Upper Back, Lats

The cable keeps tension through the whole rep and lets your shoulder blades reach forward at the end of each one for a full stretch. A V-grip handle suits most people; elbows close to your sides puts more of it into the lats.

How to do it

  1. Sit at the cable row with your feet on the platform and knees slightly bent, holding a close-grip handle with your arms straight.
  2. Sit tall with your chest up and let the cable pull your shoulder blades forward a little.
  3. Row the handle to your lower ribs, driving your elbows back past your torso.
  4. Return it under control until your arms are straight and your shoulders reach forward, then repeat.

Cues

  • Sit tall, no rocking
  • Handle to the belly button
  • Shoulders reach at the front

Common mistakes

  • Rocking back and forth to move the stack: your torso should stay close to upright throughout.
  • Shrugging the handle up toward your neck: pull your shoulders down before the elbows bend.

Swap for: Chest-Supported Row, Single-Arm Cable Row, Barbell Row

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Lats and middle back, one arm at a time

One-Arm Dumbbell Row

Lats, Upper Back

Bracing on a bench lets you row a heavy dumbbell with one arm and pull it further back than a barbell allows. Working one side at a time also shows you if one lat lags behind the other.

How to do it

  1. Put one hand and the same-side knee on a bench, or your hand on a chair seat with both feet on the floor, so your back is flat.
  2. Hold a dumbbell in the other hand with your arm hanging straight.
  3. Pull your elbow back toward your hip until the dumbbell reaches your ribs.
  4. Lower it until your arm is straight again, finish all reps, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Elbow to your hip
  • Back flat as a table
  • Full stretch at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Twisting your chest open to lift the dumbbell higher: keep both shoulders level.
  • Shrugging the shoulder up toward your ear: pull the elbow back, not the shoulder up.

Swap for: Band Bent-Over Row, Dumbbell Bent-Over Row, Seated Cable Row

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Upper and middle back, chest-supported dumbbell row

Incline Dumbbell Row

Upper Back, Lats

Lying face down on an incline bench gives you the supported row with only dumbbells. Flare your elbows a little for the upper back or keep them tight for the lats.

How to do it

  1. Set a bench to about 45 degrees and lie chest-down on it, a dumbbell in each hand, arms hanging straight toward the floor.
  2. Row the dumbbells up by driving your elbows back and slightly out, until your upper arms reach the line of your body.
  3. Squeeze your shoulder blades together for a second at the top with your chest still on the pad.
  4. Lower until your arms are straight and your shoulder blades slide forward, then repeat.

Cues

  • Chest glued to the pad
  • Elbows wide for upper back, tucked for lats
  • Full stretch between reps

Common mistakes

  • Lifting your chest off the pad to finish reps: that is your lower back joining in. Stop the set there.
  • Shrugging the dumbbells up instead of rowing them: pull the shoulder blades down and back before the elbows bend.

Swap for: Chest-Supported Row, One-Arm Dumbbell Row, Dumbbell Rear Delt Row

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Rack pulls, shrugs and back extensions

The traps and the long muscles beside your spine make a back look dense rather than just wide. Heavy holds and shrugs are what load them; one of these per session is plenty next to the rows.

Traps and spinal erectors, partial deadlift

Rack Pull

Glutes, Lower Back, Traps

Pulling from pins at knee height lets you hold more than your deadlift in your hands, which loads the traps and the muscles along your spine. Two or three sets of 5 to 8 a week adds upper back density without the fatigue of full deadlifts.

How to do it

  1. Set the bar on rack pins or blocks just below your knees.
  2. Stand close with your feet under your hips and grip the bar overhand just outside your thighs.
  3. Hinge until your back is flat and your shoulders are slightly in front of the bar.
  4. Drive your hips forward and stand up, pulling your shoulders back at the top, then lower the bar to the pins under control.

Cues

  • Shoulders ahead of the bar
  • Finish tall, shoulders back
  • Set it down, do not drop it

Common mistakes

  • Turning the top of each rep into a lean back: stand straight and let your traps hold the weight.
  • Loading so heavy the bar bends off the pins every rep: keep it to weights you can pull smoothly for the full set.

Swap for: Barbell Deadlift, Snatch-Grip Deadlift, Barbell Shrug

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Upper traps, shrug

Dumbbell Shrug

Traps

The upper traps fill the slope between neck and shoulders, and shrugs are the most direct way to load them. Dumbbells at your sides let you shrug straight up with a pause at the top.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall holding a dumbbell at each side, palms facing in, arms straight.
  2. Lift your shoulders straight up toward your ears as high as they go.
  3. Hold the top for one full second.
  4. Lower slowly until your shoulders are fully dropped, then repeat.

Cues

  • Straight up, not rolled
  • One-second hold at the top
  • Arms stay straight

Common mistakes

  • Rolling the shoulders in a circle: it adds nothing for the traps and is hard on the joint. Up and down only.
  • Bending the elbows to lift the dumbbells higher: that is your biceps helping. Lighten the load and keep the arms long.

Swap for: Incline Dumbbell Shrug, Barbell Shrug, Farmer's Walk

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Spinal erectors, loaded back extension

Weighted Back Extension

Lower Back

The two thick columns of muscle beside your spine are part of what makes a back look big from behind. Holding a plate on the extension bench trains them through a full range with far less fatigue than another heavy pull.

How to do it

  1. Set the pad so it sits just below your hip bones, lock your heels under the foot rollers, and hold a plate against your chest.
  2. Lower your torso toward the floor by bending at the hips, keeping your back flat.
  3. Rise until your body is in a straight line from heels to head, squeezing your glutes at the top.
  4. Lower slowly and repeat.

Cues

  • Hips just over the pad edge
  • Rise to a straight line
  • No arch at the top

Common mistakes

  • Overextending at the top, arching past straight: stop when your body is in line.
  • Swinging up from the bottom: take a full second to rise and two to lower.

Swap for: Back Extension, Romanian Deadlift, Good Morning

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Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in.

Session 1

Gym, two back sessions a week

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets27 a week
  • Per workout~40 min
  • EquipmentBarbells, Pull-Up Bar, Cable Row, Lat Pulldown +3

You train in a full gym on a split of four or five days and want a wider and thicker back.

Each session opens with one heavy free-weight lift, then one vertical pull, one supported row and a finisher, so width and thickness both get trained twice a week. Pull A is 14 sets and Pull B is 13, 20 sets of pulls and rows for the week, plus the rack pulls, shrugs and extensions.

Pull A: Rack pulls and pull-ups
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Rack Pull2 warm-up sets first 3 × 5–8 2 3 min
Pull-Up 3 × 6–10 1 2:30 min
Seated Cable Row 3 × 10–12 1 90 s
Straight-Arm Pulldown 3 × 12–15 0 1 min
Dumbbell Shrug 2 × 10–15 1 90 s

Open Pull A: Rack pulls and pull-ups in the session builder

Pull B: Barbell rows and pulldowns
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Barbell Row2 warm-up sets first 3 × 6–10 2 2:30 min
Neutral-Grip Lat Pulldown 3 × 8–12 1 2 min
Chest-Supported Row 3 × 10–12 0 90 s
One-Arm Dumbbell RowPer arm. 2 × 10–12 1 1 min
Weighted Back Extension 2 × 10–15 2 90 s

Open Pull B: Barbell rows and pulldowns in the session builder

How to run it
Run Pull A and Pull B as your two pull days, at least two days apart, with a leg day or rest day between them since rack pulls and rows both tire the lower back.
How to progress
Rack pulls and barbell rows earn a weight increase when every set lands at the top of the range with 2 reps still in reserve. Pull-ups move up by reps until you hit 10 for all sets, then by a small plate on a belt. The cable and machine work steps up one plate at a time.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Pull-up bar and dumbbells at home

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets26 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentPull-Up Bar, Dumbbells, Incline Bench

You train at home with a doorway or wall-mounted pull-up bar, a set of dumbbells and a bench.

The pull-up bar covers width and the dumbbells cover rows, so each day has a vertical pull, one or two rows and a pullover. Dumbbells top out lighter than a barbell, so rows run higher reps and closer to failure to make the load count. Day 1 is 13 sets and Day 2 is 13.

Day 1: Pull-ups and one-arm rows
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Pull-Up 4 × 5–10 1 2:30 min
One-Arm Dumbbell RowPer arm. 3 × 8–12 1 90 s
Dumbbell Lat Pullover 3 × 10–15 1 90 s
Dumbbell Shrug 3 × 12–15 1 1 min

Open Day 1: Pull-ups and one-arm rows in the session builder

Day 2: Incline rows and pullovers
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Incline Dumbbell Row 4 × 10–15 1 90 s
Pull-Up 3 × 6–12 2 2 min
One-Arm Dumbbell RowPer arm. 3 × 12–15 1 1 min
Dumbbell Lat Pullover 3 × 12–15 1 1 min

Open Day 2: Incline rows and pullovers in the session builder

How to run it
Do Day 1 early in the week and Day 2 three or four days later. On a day off, two easy sets of dead hangs or pull-ups keep the movement fresh without tiring you for the next session.
How to progress
Start pull-ups at whatever rep count you can manage with 1 to 2 in reserve, even if that is 3, and add a rep per set each week. For rows, go to the next dumbbell once every set reaches the top of its range per arm at the target reps in reserve.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Lower back that tires on bent-over rows

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets25 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentLat Pulldown, Seated Row Machine, Dumbbells, Cable Row +1

You train in a gym, but bent-over rows and heavy pulls from the floor leave your lower back tired or achy for days, and you still want a bigger back.

Every exercise here has your chest on a pad or your body seated, so the back muscles can be pushed to 0 or 1 rep in reserve while your lower back stays out of it. Day 1 is 14 sets and Day 2 is 11, enough for about 22 back sets a week with no hinge.

Day 1: Pulldowns and machine rows
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Lat Pulldown 4 × 8–12 1 2 min
Chest-Supported Row 4 × 8–12 1 2 min
Straight-Arm Pulldown 3 × 12–15 0 1 min
Dumbbell Shrug 3 × 12–15 1 1 min

Open Day 1: Pulldowns and machine rows in the session builder

Day 2: Close-grip pulldowns and cable rows
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Neutral-Grip Lat Pulldown 4 × 10–12 1 90 s
Seated Cable Row 4 × 10–12 1 90 s
Incline Dumbbell Row 3 × 12–15 0 1 min

Open Day 2: Close-grip pulldowns and cable rows in the session builder

How to run it
Do the two days anywhere in the week with a day between them. They also work as the back half of upper body days.
How to progress
Supported lifts are easy to load steadily: add a plate when all sets reach the top of their range at the target reps in reserve. Keep the reps strict; a supported row that needs body English to finish has gone up too fast.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

How do I get a V-shaped back?

Build the lats with pull-ups and pulldowns, which widen the top of your back, and build your side delts with lateral raises so the shoulders sit wider too. A lower body fat level makes the taper visible at the waist.

How many sets a week do I need for a bigger back?

Most lifters grow well on 12 to 20 hard sets a week split over two sessions. Start near 12 and add two sets every few weeks while your lifts keep going up.

Do I need deadlifts for a bigger back?

No. Deadlifts build the back, but rows, pull-ups and rack pulls build it with less fatigue per set. If you already deadlift for strength, keep them and drop the rack pull from Pull A.

Why is my back hard to grow?

You cannot see it while you train, so most people pull with their arms and lose the target muscle. Slow down, pause at the top of every row, and use straps so grip is not the limit.

Should I train back for width or thickness first?

Train both every week. One vertical pull and one row per session gives you both, and you can shift a few sets toward whichever looks behind.