Back in the day, training the back for width was simple. Bodybuilders focused on lots of heavy sets of exercises which targeted the outside lat muscles. It was simple, ugly, and it got the job done. Let’s check out such a routine!

Body weight chins

Start simple and heavy. You will need to complete 40 repetitions. It doesn’t matter if you can do it in 2 sets, or if takes you ten sets. Get all 40 repetitions done, and you will have given your back a foundation of muscle stimulation necessary for growth. If you are inexperienced with this movement or possess a higher body weight making them tough, just keep working through it with many small sets of low repetitions. In just a few weeks, your body will become stronger to adapt to this new workload, and you’ll graduate to some sets which are comprised of 8 to 12 repetitions of full, clean bodyweight chins.

Wide-Grip lat pulldowns

This movement comes next, as your back will already be fully pumped. This exercise lets you control the weight a bit more, and avoid the risk of injury, which will begin to arise after completing the chins. Five sets of 6 to 12 repetitions will suffice. Train with heavy weight, but keep your focus and concentration upon moving the weight slowly and intently. Don’t use your back to swing the weight up. Rather, pause at the top and bottom of each repetition to remove all momentum from the movement and challenge your back to handle the workload.

Hammer Strength Pulldown machine of your choice

Now it is time to mix things up. You’ve just completed about a hundred repetitions of standard heavy wide grip back work. It’s time to select a close-grip machine movement of your choice and get pumping. The limited arc will keep your range of motion in the perfect path. You don’t have to worry about balance or control. Just use your power to move the weight, while feeling it in your muscle bellies. Complete 5 sets of 10 to 18 repetitions.

Seated Wide-Grip cable rowing

By this point in the workout, your back should be nearly completely obliterated. The only thing left to do is sit down, grab the bar, and row for five more sets. This exercise utilizes the wide-grip bar, which will allow you to hit new muscle fibers which didn’t come into play with the first three movements. You’re pulling to your body fro the front, while the other movements involved pulling from above. This will work a whole new set of fibers and pathways in the lats. Complete 5 sets of 10 to 14 repetitions.

Your lower back training should be relegated to another day in your training week. Adding it to a day with hamstrings and calves might be a good idea. High volume low back training often results in a major pump for the hamstrings. Placing them on the same day would alleviate any issues that may arise in terms of recovery or delayed onset muscle soreness.

If you like this article, click here to share: