That’s where back training comes in.
The beauty of training your traps, lats and rear delts is that you can hit them with different rep ranges and a huge amount of different angles too.
It’s one of the most diverse and interesting muscle to target. And doing it properly will see your strength increase rapidly too.
Taking the time to fit some heavy pulls and complimenting it with some higher volume detail exercises will really help to bring out your size, strength and power.
If you want to build a natural V-taper then it’s just not possible without incorporating rows and pulls.
Here are the exercises you should try, in order to improve your upper and mid-back muscle mass.
You can do this one either on a mid- or low-row cable or by using a seated row machine.
Additionally, you can also vary the attachment and grip you use by going wide or narrow, or by using an underhand, neutral or even underhand grip too.
For the standard wide grip position, you need to sit in a tall position with your chest out proud.
Use an overhand grip with your upper arm parallel to the floor. If you’re using a cable then make sure your knees are slightly bent to protect your lower back.
Grab the bar wider than shoulder-width apart. You’re aiming for around one-and-a-half times shoulder-width to really target the mid-back.
Initiate the movement by retracting your shoulder blades together and then pulling through the arm. Keep your elbows high as you pull to your chest. You should be focusing on retracting your shoulder blades as much as possible and pulling your elbows behind your body.
Your chest should still be tall throughout.
Lower the weight under control but don’t lock your elbows between reps.
Attach a v-bar or straight bar onto a low pulley cable pulley.
Sit up tall with your back straight, chest up and knees bent. If you’re using a straight bar then grab it with an overhand grip at around shoulder width. For a v-bar make sure you use a neutral ‘handshake grip’ with your palms facing inwards.
Start with your arms fully extended in front of you and your wrists at around the height of your lowest ribs.
Keeping your body still, begin to bend your elbows and extend your shoulders until the bar comes into contact with your chest.
Your elbows should graze your waist as you pull your shoulder blades back.
Make sure that a wide bar is attached before starting this exercise.
Adjust the knee pad setting, and height of the seat where necessary. This is important to keep your body stable throughout the movement. The locked in position prevents you from being pulled upwards with heavier weights.
To reach the bar it might be necessary to start by standing up. Once the bar has been reached, chose a wide grip, this will force your back muscles to do most of the work.
You can then pull the bar and sit down, making sure your legs are secure under the knee pads.
To start, sit up tall and slightly lean back into the movement (roughly 70 degree angle). Pull the bar down focusing on using your back muscles, while keeping your core tight.
Once the bar has reached your chest, squeeze your back muscles before slowly lowering the weight back down to the starting position.
Avoid swinging your body weight back and forth to create momentum.
It’s important to let your muscles do the work.
If you find you are having to lean back to much, or swing your body to pull the weight down, lower the load so you can contract the muscles effectively throughout this exercise.
Start by choosing your weight before starting this exercise and making sure that a bar is attached to the cable before starting.
Adjust the knee pad setting, and height of the seat where necessary.
Choose an underhand grip at around shoulder-width apart, or slightly narrower. Your palms should be facing towards you, with your thumb wrapped securely around it.
Pull the bar down to your chest, focusing on your back and arm muscles, while keeping your core tight.
Once the bar has reached your chest and your elbows have brushed past your waist, squeeze your working muscles briefly before slowly lowering the weight back down to the starting position.
Slowly return to the start position with your arms fully extended, but don’t let the weight pull you upward out of your seat.
Grab a flat bench and dumbbell for this one.
Place yourself so that your left hand is on the bench with your wrist directly under your shoulder. Put your left knee on the bench too. Your right leg needs to be slightly bent and out at a wide angle to the side to give you balance and support.
Grab the dumbbell with your right arm and set yourself so that your back is parallel with the floor and your shoulders are even.
Keeping your palm facing the bench, bend at the elbow and pull the dumbbell up towards your bottom rib. Aim to pull your elbow up high, past your upper body like you were pulling the starter cord for your lawnmower.
Slowly return the weight back to the start position and complete the desired number of repetitions.
Grab a pair of dumbbells and choose a grip that has your palms facing towards your body and your thumbs facing inwards.
Bend your knees slightly and lean forward from your hips until your back is at a 45 degree angle and your shoulders are in front of the dumbbells. This is called a ‘hip hinge’.
Keep your arms straight and the dumbbells close to your shins.
Pull your shoulder blades together to start the movement and lead with the elbows, as you pull the dumbbells up towards your lower ribs.
Keep your chest facing the floor and do not change the angle of your back as this will change which muscles are involved. If you can’t maintain a good back angle then drop the weight.
Return to the start position but keep the shoulders pinned back and the arms slightly bent.
Much like with the bent over row you need to stand with your feet hip-width apart and the dumbbells by your sides for this one.
Hip hinge forward with a slight bend in your knees and lean forward until you reach a 45 degrees angle with your back.
Keep a small bend in your elbows and arc the dumbbells outwards in a vertical path until your wrists are the same height as your shoulders.
Lead with your elbows and pinch your shoulder blades at the top of the movement to target the right muscles.
Maintain the same back angle throughout and keep looking down at the floor to maintain neutral spine.
If you start to swing from your hips, the weight is too heavy.
For this one you’ll need a cable column and a straight bar.
Set the attachment at head height and grab it with an overhand grip (palms facing down) at around shoulder-width, with your arms fully extended but elbows slightly bent.
Bend your knees slightly and lean forwards until you feel a stretch in your lats.
Keep your arms fully extended and pull the bar down to your thighs in a wide arc to maximize recruitment of your lats. As the bar lowers, begin to lift your chest so that by the end of the movement you are stood completely upright. Slowly return to the start position under control.
For this one you’ll need a barbell or a straight bar attachment set at the bottom of an adjustable pulley machine.
Grab the bar somewhere around shoulder width apart. There’s nothing wrong with going a bit wider to hit the trapezius a bit more, but going too narrow can stress the shoulder joint so try to avoid a narrow grip variation.
Stand tall and bend your knees slightly.
The bar should be tight towards your body and sat pretty much at the top of your thighs, parallel with the floor.
Keeping the bar close to your body, raise it up by leading with your elbows. Throughout the whole movement your elbows should be higher than your wrists.
You’re looking at finishing with the bar somewhere around mid-chest height dependent on your grip width and range of motion.
Slowly return the bar back to thigh height, keeping it close to the body throughout.
Set the pec deck machine so that you can grip the handles at shoulder height with your arms extended and with your chest resting against the support pad.
Your elbows should be slightly bent.
Initiating the movement from your shoulder blades, begin to arc the handles around until your elbows are behind your upper body. You should be keeping tall and not let your chest move away from the support pad at any point.
Your head should remain upright, with your eyes looking forward. Your elbows should stay only slightly bent throughout the exercise.
Slowly return to the start position keeping your elbows in line with your shoulders.
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