Like many other muscles, it takes a lot of work to get a good back, especially considering that it is made up of many muscle subgroups. Certainly, it is not enough with long series of pull-ups and dumbbells, but once you understand what you are doing and what it is that has generated the best results, you will be able to get your back to develop more.

Therefore, if you want to have a broad, strong, and V-shaped back, you must perform these exercises that have proven to be highly effective in terms of the development of all the muscle groups that form the back. Bodybuilders focus on having perfect muscle definition and the back muscles are definitely part of this awesome physique you are looking for.

What are the muscles of the back?

The four muscles responsible for providing size to the back which we are interested in developing are:

• The trapezius which provides the size to the upper portion of the back.
• The rhomboids which mark the grooves that form behind the column.
• The latissimus dorsi which determines the width of the torso, creating the V shape.
• The erector of the spine whose function assumes the ability to erect us.

Of course, the back is formed by many more muscles, but in the face of our training, we will focus on those four.

How should the back be trained?

Two mistakes that people make in their back training are that they:

• Focus on inappropriate exercises: the machines and the analytical or isolation exercises are not the ones that suit us.
• Focus on high repetition work: working with many repetitions will rarely give us the volume we want to obtain.

Therefore, what really suits us is to work with high intensity (around 80% of our 1RM) and focus on compound exercises. This implies resorting to deadlifts and paddles, and to a lesser extent to wide, prone and narrow supine masts.

On the other hand, we have to understand that a wide V-shaped back but without thickness or separation between the muscles of the middle and the lower part is not what is considered more aesthetic. So it is not only focused on our bibs, but we need to work with heavy loads that allow us to make a series of between 4 and 7 repetitions.

We must also increase the load progressively because if we do not increase the amount of weight we are able to lift, we will not grow. It is also essential to take rest into account, since the greater the intensity of our series, the longer we need to recover.

What are the best back muscle workouts?

1. Deadweight

Many people are afraid of this exercise because they believe that it will be harmful to their lower back, and this may seem logical. However, research has shown just the opposite, provided that the execution technique is appropriate. Anyway, if you suffer from lower back pain, maybe this exercise is not the best because it can accentuate this pain.

2. Rowing with bar

It is a classic in back training because it works all the muscles from the trapezius to the erector of the back. If we progress in the deadlift, the lower portion of our back will not be compromised in this exercise.

3. Rowing with dumbbells

This type of paddle allows you to safely work the upper portion with a long range of motion.

4. Rowing with T bar

Many gyms include the T rowing machine inside their facilities, but you can also run it on your own by placing an Olympic bar resting on a corner of the gym along with a closed grip.

5. Dominated with wide grip

This is one of the best exercises you can do to work the middle portion of your back and especially your lats. In addition, it will work better as you are able to ballast, although as you add more ballast, we recommend performing neutral grip pulls since they will be safer for your shoulder joint.