Building a wide, muscular back with ideal proportions can be tricky. The back has several muscles varying in size and function, each requiring various training angles to stimulate.
By his own admission, fitness influencer Jeremy Ethier wasn’t born with great back genetics. Paired with poor training knowledge, he saw mediocre progress. However, his gains exploded after discovering three training techniques to develop back width: shoulder-width neutral grip, proper pull cues, and achieving a deep stretch.
[Related: Men’s Open Bodybuilder James Hollingshead’s Updated Training Split is Grueling on the Upper Body]
Shoulder Width, Neutral Grip = Bigger Lats
Well-developed lats can appear like wings from either side of the back; they are better seen in a lat spread pose. Wide lats create the desirable “V shape,” with a wider upper-middle back contrasting with a narrower waist. Ethier recommends training the upper and lower lats with targeted training separately.
Pulldowns are popular but most people train with too wide a grip — flaring the elbows out — and favor more of the scapula.
Ethier says to use a shoulder-width, neutral grip — palms facing each other — bringing the elbows forward and in. Use an attachment with neutral or parallel handles. V-shaped handles or a straight bar with a shoulder width, underhand grip could work, too.
[Related:: Have You Ever Seen This Trio of Lat Exercises to Build an X-Frame Physique?]
Pull with the Elbows, Don’t Forget the Stretch
Common pulldown mistakes are using too much weight and pulling mostly with the biceps and forearms. Ethier visualizes pulling his elbows down and back toward his hips in an arcing motion with his shoulders depressed.
During the eccentric, Ethier’s arms extend above his head, and his shoulders lift, stretching the lats. Recent studies show that the stretch phase — when the muscle lengthens — is significant for muscle gains. (1)
Pro tip: When you cannot pull the bar down, squeeze out as many half reps in the top or stretched position as possible. This is a research-backed muscle growth strategy. (2)(3)
1. Lat-Focused Seated Cable Row
To grow the upper lats, Ethier recommends seated cable rows, insisting most people have poor rowing technique due to their unintentional involvement of the biceps and traps.
Adopt a shoulder-width grip, with the palms facing in. Use a bar with parallel handles or a V-bar. Lean slightly forward — not upright or back — to align the tension with the upper lats and maximize the stretch.
Pull the elbows back and down toward your hips.
Be conscious of biceps involvement. Let your arms and shoulders stretch far forward as you reverse the motion.
2. Dumbbell Bent Over Row on Incline Bench
Upper-lat-focused dumbbell rows are a cable alternative. To do it, incline a bench to roughly 30 degrees. Rest one knee on the foot end and lean onto the raised end with the same side arm. Move the other leg slightly out to clear room for the movement.
Bend forward at the hips so the upper body is parallel to the floor. Brace your core, and drive your elbow up and back toward the hip. Keep the elbows close to your sides, and avoid curling the weight by keeping your forearms vertical. Lower the weight slowly.
Don’t rotate your torso during the row. When you reach failure, pump out partial reps until you can’t budge the weight.
3. Middle-Upper Back Cable Seated Row
Traps, rhomboids, and rear delts are most activated when the elbows are flared away from the body, explains Ethier. For comfortable positioning, you’ll need a dedicated lat pulldown bar or the longest straight bar attachment.
Use an overhand grip, with hands wider than shoulder width apart. This time, recline your torso slightly back. Then, pull the bar into your chest, with arms out and slightly down in an arrow shape.
Open your shoulder blades as wide as possible at the end of the rep to fully stretch out your traps.
The best alternatives are dumbbell chest chest-supported rows on an inclined bench or T-bar machine rows.
Top Up with Scapular Reps
Ethier’s last must-have technique for maximum back growth is rowing shrugs. “Once you can’t do any more half reps, rather than pulling with your arms, keep them straight with your shoulder blades open and squeeze them together, almost as if you’re doing a shrug.”
Jeremy Ethier’s Recommended Back Workout
Ethier provided the following back workout. Try it on your next back day for posterior gains. Do a proper warmup, and choose weights that challenge you in the suggested rep ranges:
- Lat-focused pulldown: 3 sets x 10-15 reps
- Lat-focused row: 3 sets x 10-15 reps
- Mid-upper back row: 3 sets x 10-15 reps
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Featured image: @jeremyethier on Instagram
The post 3 Exercises & Training Techniques for Chiseled Back Width appeared first on BarBend.
