Back workout: build width and thickness with 5 exercises

Your back is a lot of muscles. The lats give width and are trained by pulling down and in. The upper back and traps give thickness and are trained by rowing. A complete back workout does both.

The workout

1. Pull-up or lat pulldown: 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 10
2. Barbell row: 3 sets of 6 to 10
3. Chest-supported row: 3 sets of 10 to 12
4. Face pull: 2 to 3 sets of 12 to 15
5. Straight-arm pulldown: 2 sets of 12 to 15

• Pull-upLats
• Lat pulldownLats
• Barbell rowUpper back, Lats
• Chest-supported dumbbell rowUpper back
• Cable face pullRear delts
• Rope straight-arm pulldownLats

How to feel your back, not your arms

• Think about the elbows. Pull them down to your sides on pulldowns and back past your ribs on rows. The hands just hold on.
• Pause at the end for a moment with the shoulder blades squeezed.
• Use straps on heavy rows if your grip gives out before your back does.

How often and how much

About 10 to 20 hard sets a week, split over two sessions. Deadlifts and Romanian deadlifts also work the back hard, so count them if they're in your week. See how many sets per week.

Back workout at home

A pull-up bar does most of the job: pull-ups, chin-ups and hanging rows. With dumbbells, add one-arm rows and chest-supported rows on a bench. With no equipment at all, a towel row in a doorway is a start.

• Chin-upLats, Biceps
• One-arm dumbbell rowLats, Upper back
• Doorway towel rowUpper back, Lats