So you want strong, broad shoulders tying into a chiseled back, funneling down to a narrow waist? Before you hit the gym and start pounding the weights there are a few things you need to know about your back and how to blast it. First of all this: your back is comprised of three main areas: the upper back, the middle back and the lower back (spinal erectors). It’s no use only training the muscles you can see in the mirror. You’ve got to build all three parts to gain a top-notch posture and to develop a superior physique. Then you’ll not only look strong and confident, you’ll feel fantastic too.

The most impressive area of a fully developed back is the sweep of the lats: the traditional v-shape of a bodybuilder. Any movements such as pull-downs, pull-ups or chins-ups are fantastic for developing the width of the lats. The precise way that the pull-up or down movement affects the lats is determined by the angle you are working at, how wide apart your arms are and whether you are working to the front or to the rear. To develop the lower lats you need to do your back exercises with a very narrow grip. Narrow grip pull-downs as well as one-arm cable rowing and one-arm dumbbell rows are great exercises for developing the lower lats.

Not only should the lats be wide and sweeping. They should also look thick and powerful where they come together in the middle back. Back thickness is primarily achieved by doing rowing exercises, barbell rows, cable rows and so on. If you want to target the middle back, do rowing that gives you a longer range of motion in order to fully contract the area.

A really great lower back has two columns of muscle that stand out on either side of the spine. The lower back is also very unique when compared to the other major muscle groups. Its sole purpose is to act as a stabilizer, holding the body steady rather than contracting through a full range of motion. If you have a weak lower back, you should begin by doing bent over rows, starting with a relatively low weight and gradually increasing the weight as your back develops. Because the body tends to store a disproportionate amount of fat around the waist line, leanness and definition in the lower back are the visible proof that someone has worked hard to get in shape. If you do not have pre-existing problems with your lower back, deadlifts are ideal. These not only develop the lower back but strengthen it as well. If you want to start off with something a little lighter, then good mornings and hyperextensions are the alternatives for you. Now let’s look at some trisets that will bomb your back and give you perfect symmetry.

Thick Back Mass Blast Trisets

Triset 1

•Wide Grip Pull-ups to Front 6 sets of 10-12 reps (no rest)

•Pull-ups using a overhand grip (palms facing away from you) 6 sets of 10-12 reps (no rest)

•Close Grip Pull-ups reverse grip (palms facing you) 6 sets of 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Wide Grip Pull-ups

For the wide grip pull-up, you want to grip the bar on the part that is sloped. You also want your hands 6-8 inches wider than shoulder length. This will help isolate your back muscles. If your grip is too narrow, you will shift emphasis to your biceps. Any wider and you don’t put your muscles through a full range of motion. Now that your hands are in place, proceed by pulling up until your chin is even with the bar. Then bring yourself down without letting your arms lock out completely. You should be lowering yourself at a moderate pace.

Overhand Grip Pull-ups

Reach up and grab the bar with a firm overhand grip. Your hands should be roughly twice your shoulder width apart. This helps work more of your lats, rather than your biceps. Straighten your arms and let your body hang from the bar. You can keep your legs straight or bend your knees and cross your feet. Slowly pull your body up to the bar so that the top of your chest nearly touches the bar and your chin is over the bar. Try to keep your body straight without arching or swinging. As you move upwards, focus on pulling your elbows down at an angle toward your rib cage. Once your lats have completely contracted at the top, slowly lower your body to the starting position.

Close Grip Pull-ups

Grip the handles or a bar using a narrow or medium close grip and pull-up bringing your chin over the bar. Don’t cheat! Don’t sway backward. Try to concentrate on using the lats to do the movement. Draw your shoulders down and back and stick your chest out. Allow your body to go back down to the starting position in a controlled manner again until your lats are fully stretched out.

Grip Tips

Switching between the two main grips; the supinated or reverse grip (palms facing towards your body) and the pronated or overhand grip (palms facing away from your body) is important. There is also the semi-supinated grip (palms facing each other). Most people use the pronated grip exclusively and miss out on valuable benefits offered by the supinated grip. Why is the reverse grip so important when training back muscles? When pulling weights with a reverse grip, your muscle fibers get more stimulation because the muscle is targeted from a different angle, and the muscles won’t get used to the movements. Not to mention the fact that it will lengthen the lat muscles for more effective results. Other benefits from taking a reverse grip vs. an overhand grip are that you can squeeze your muscles to their max. The squeeze at the end of the movement is really important for any body part and working your back is no exception. An extra bonus when you’re applying a reverse grip is that you’ll also be blasting your biceps, adding to the total body workout.

Variations For Triset 1

Use the following variations to break up your workouts and stimulate even more muscle fibers.

Sternum Chin-ups

This variation of the chin-up involves leaning back throughout the entire movement. The lower portion of the chest should touch the bar. You can use either a supinated or pronated grip, and the grip can vary from narrow to shoulder-width. As you pull yourself to the bar, have your head lean back as far away from the bar as possible and arch your spine throughout the movement. At the upper end of the movement, your hips and legs will be at about a 45-degree angle to the floor. You should keep pulling until your collarbone passes the bar and your sternum touches it. By the time you’ve completed the concentric portion of the movement, your head will be parallel to the floor.

Towel Grip Chin-Ups

Start by draping both towels over the bar and space them so that they are approximately shoulder-width distance apart. Make sure that the ends of the towels are even so that the center of each towel is resting on the bar. Grasp the towel about 2/3rds of the way from the bottom. This way you won’t be trying to hold onto the bulkiest portion of the folded towel. This will also leave you some negotiating room if your grip starts to give way. If you grip the towels at the ends and start to slide off due to fatigue, you are going to crash. Try to pull straight up until your upper arms come into contact with your forearms. It may help to imagine that you are pulling your shoulders towards your hands. Try to avoid any unnecessary movement of the hips or legs during the movement.

Close Grip Lat Pull-Downs

With a support above your knees to offset the upward pull of the weight on your body, grasp the narrow/close-grip pull-down bar with your palms facing each other. Your body should be straight with the grip directly above your head. At the bottom of the movement, your shoulder blades should be squeezed completely together. Try to contract your back muscles. Pull the bar down as far as you can go. Exhale as you pull the bar downward and inhale as the bar raises.

Triset 2

•T-Bar Rows 6 sets of 10-12 reps (no rest)

•One Arm Dumbbell Rows 6 sets of 10-12 reps (no rest)

•Low Pulley Rows (palms facing you) 6 sets of 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

•Deadlifts 3 sets of 10, 8, 6 reps (90 second rest)

T-Bar Rows

Straddle a T-bar rowing machine with your feet firmly on the ground. Using a narrow grip, hold the T-bar slightly off the ground so your back is relatively straight and not hunched. Bend your legs slightly and keep your upper body as straight as possible, but bent over at the waist. Lift the T-bar up toward your body as you would in a normal bent-over row. Bring the weight up as high as you can, or until it touches your lower chest. There will be a little more up-and-down movement of your upper body, but don’t sway or rock to gain momentum. Your elbows should be pointing up and slightly out as you lift.

One Arm Dumbbell Rows

These develop the center of your lats. A key advantage with this exercise is that you are able to work each lat independently and get a greater range of motion. Place an appropriately weighted dumbbell on the floor. Place your right knee on the bench, lean forward and place your right hand on the front of the bench for support. Your left foot should be in line with the dumbbell and driven into the floor for added stability. With your left hand, pick up the dumbbell with your palm facing the bench. Keeping your body tight and steady, lift the dumbbell up until it is touching your pectoral. Try not to use your arm to aid in lifting the weight. Lower under control and repeat. When finished on this side switch to the other side in order to complete the set. Always remember to keep your back tight and look up.

Low Pulley Rows

Low Pulley Rows are a compound movement for the Outer Lat muscles. Performed correctly, Low Pulley Rows promote muscle strength, thickness and size. In a seated position with knees slightly bent and feet against the foot supports, grasp the pulley handles. Taking the weight from rest, slowly draw the handles towards your stomach to an erect upper body position, keeping your elbows as close to your sides as possible. For added effect, a slight arching of the back, and a hold at contraction, will give added back thickness. Care is required when returning the weight back to the start position.

Deadlifts

To start, load up a heavy bar and stand over it, with feet about shoulder width apart, and toes pointing straight forward, or very slightly out to the sides. Bend over and grab it with a reverse grip (one hand over, one under), keeping your back straight the entire time. This is the key - you MUST keep your back erect the entire time. Failure to do this could result in permanent injury. A good rule to remember is to always have your shoulders above your hips, and your hips above your knees. Begin to lift by straightening your legs (remember to keep your back straight!) and then when the bar is around knee level, start bringing your back up, all the while pushing with the legs. This should be one fluid motion, but the finished position should leave you standing up straight, arms down at your sides, and the bar across your upper thighs.

Variations For Triset 2

If you want to spice up your routine a bit, you can alternate your rows and still blast your whole back.

Seated Cable Rows

Start out seated on the row bench with the pulley grip in both hands and your feet flat on the footpads. Let the tension in the cable pull your arms into an outstretched position. Keeping your knees slightly bent and your back straight helps keep you from stressing out your lower back on this exercise. Avoid letting the weight pull you forward. Pull the handles into your upper abdomen, contracting your scapula as you bring your elbows back. You should feel the large muscles of your upper back squeeze together. Avoid pulling the pulley grips too high up on your body, this will stress your arms more than your back. Slowly return to the starting position.

Bent Over Rows

Load a straight bar up, and stand over it, feet about shoulder width apart. Bending your knees, lean over and pick the bar up with a grip a few inches wider than shoulder width. Now you are basically in the top position of a deadlift. At this point, with a slight bend in your knees, bend at the waist until your torso is at an angle anywhere from 15 to 45 degrees to the floor. From this position, with arms hanging down, you simply pull the weight up to your lower abs, then let it back down slowly. Make sure you really squeeze at the top, as this will help to really carve out the dense ripples in your back. Focus on keeping your back straight. Don’t cheat! Avoid jerking your arms. Focus on pulling your elbows back, not your hands.

Good Mornings

Lift a light barbell up to a position across your shoulders behind your neck, balancing it in this position by grasping the bar out near the plates. Stand erect and place your feet about shoulder width apart with toes angled straight ahead. Your legs should be held straight for the duration of the exercise. Slowly bend forward at the waist until your torso is slightly below a position parallel to the floor. Reverse the procedure slowly to the starting point. Tip: if you feel the bar is cutting into your spine wrap it with a towel or use a pad.

Hyperextensions

Climb onto the hyperextension bench, facing the ground, and locking your heels under the supports. Position your hands either crossed in front of you, or behind your head (just like sit-ups or crunches), whichever you find more comfortable. Bend forward slowly and controlled, don’t just let go and let your body fall over, and feel a deep stretch in your lower back. From there, raise yourself back up until your upper body is just above parallel. Don’t go any higher than this or you risk hyperextending your back.