Back Exercises for a Wider Back: How to Build a V Taper

The best back exercises for a wider back are vertical pulls (pull-ups, chin-ups and lat pulldowns), straight-arm pulldowns, and rows done with the elbows close to the body. The lats are the muscles that make your back look wide from the front and behind, and they grow best when you pull your elbows down toward your hips through a full stretch.

A wide back is half of the V taper. The other half is your shoulders and waist. Here's how to train the lats properly, which exercises to pick, and how to program them.

Width vs thickness

The lats run from your lower and mid back up to the front of your upper arm. When they grow, they flare out under the armpits and make the torso look wider. That's width. Thickness is the dense look in the middle of the back, from the rhomboids, mid traps, rear delts and spinal erectors, and it shows most from the side and in back poses. The best rear delt exercises help fill in that area where the back meets the shoulder.

You need both, but width is what changes the outline of your body. Vertical pulls and rows with a tucked elbow lean toward the lats. Wide-grip rows pulled to the upper chest lean toward the upper back. A balanced program has some of each, which is the reasoning behind mixing compound and isolation work explained in compound vs isolation exercises.

How to actually feel your lats

Many people pull with their arms and never feel their back. Try this: before each rep, let your shoulders rise fully so the lats stretch. Then start the pull by bringing the shoulder blades down, and think about driving your elbows into your back pockets. Your hands are just hooks.

A thumbless grip or lifting straps can help too, because they take the forearms out of it. You can still build grip with direct work later, as in how to get bigger forearms. Grip width matters less than people think. A shoulder-width or slightly wider grip gives a good range for most people. Very wide grips shorten the range and aren't magic for width.

The best back exercises for width

Pick two or three of these per session:

• Pull-up or chin-up: 3-4 sets of 5-10. Add weight with a belt once you can do 12 clean reps.
• Lat pulldown: 3 sets of 8-12. Easy to load and progress, great for beginners.
• Single-arm cable pulldown or row: 2-3 sets of 10-15 per arm. Lets you get a deep stretch and pull low toward the hip.
• Straight-arm pulldown: 2-3 sets of 12-15. Trains the lats with almost no biceps involvement.
• Chest-supported row: 3 sets of 8-12. Removes lower back fatigue so the back muscles do the work.
• Barbell or dumbbell row: 3 sets of 6-10 for overall back size.

Can't do a pull-up yet?

Start with lat pulldowns and build up to roughly your body weight minus 20-30%. Add slow negatives: jump to the top of the bar and lower yourself over three to five seconds, 3 sets of 3-5. Band-assisted pull-ups work too, using a thinner band as you get stronger.

Most people who practice two or three times a week get their first pull-up within a couple of months. Losing a few pounds of fat helps a lot too, since every pound comes along for the ride.

Once you can do one, use a simple ladder. Do sets of 1, 2 and 3 reps with a short rest, then repeat the ladder two or three times. When you can manage three full ladders, start doing straight sets of as many clean reps as you can, and keep the pulldown in your plan for extra volume. Clean means a dead hang at the bottom and your chin over the bar at the top, with no kicking.

Sets, reps and a sample week

Aim for 10 to 20 hard sets for the back per week, split over two sessions. The back is a big group of muscles, so it handles more volume than the arms. Keep most sets in the 6-15 rep range and end them one or two reps short of failure. Add a rep or a little weight whenever you hit the top of the range.

• Day 1: weighted pull-up 4x5-8, chest-supported row 3x8-12, straight-arm pulldown 3x12-15.
• Day 2: lat pulldown 3x8-12, single-arm cable row 3x10-15 per arm, barbell row 3x6-10, face pull 2x15.
• Example progress: a pulldown that goes from 120 lb (55 kg) to 160 lb (73 kg) for 10 reps over a year means your lats have grown.
• Order: put your heaviest vertical pull first, while your grip and focus are fresh, and save straight-arm work for the end.

Building the full V taper

A V taper is the ratio between the top of your torso and your waist. Wide lats help, but so do capped shoulders. Pair this plan with a shoulder workout for wider shoulders and you'll see the outline change faster than with either alone. The upper traps also shape the back view, and how to build traps covers how much is enough.

The waist is the third piece. Carrying less fat makes the taper sharper without adding any muscle, and how to get a six pack explains why. To see a broader back on your own photo, open the back editor.

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