Are you bored of doing the same back exercises? Do not worry as we have you covered this week with some of the best back exercises you can add to your schedule, especially on your Back Day! The best part being this guide will get you the best results in the form of a wide and thick back. Moreover, you will be thrilled to adopt all of them at once, but we recommend you to take it easy.
Tip for Satisfying Results
Get yourself armed with a protein shake and make sure it contains a banana and orange for that sensuous aroma and taste that peps you to go for your exercises. We have a huge range of tasty whey protein shakes from which you can take your pick.
You can always munch on protein bars if the weather is a bit cold and sipping shakes is not fun anymore. Small bites of these protein fortified bars do the trick and keep you going. Back exercises will never be the same again and we know even you will agree.
Introducing Unique Exercises that Stimulate Maximum Muscles
That’s right! All exercises are unique compared to what you have seen yet. Being unique is the first criteria for inclusion in this list so is the quality that how difficult each movement is and how much stimulation the exercise gives to the muscles. These traits will also help you decide to pair with other exercises in your schedule.
So, what are you waiting for? Let’s dive right in!
5 Unique and Best Back Exercises for a wide thick back
1. Bent-Over Barbell Deadlift
Research shows this is the great back builder. When you hit the bent-over barbell rows, it works the large muscle groups of the upper & lower back almost equally and you can easily lift heavier weights. When done regularly, this benefits you with a ton of muscle. This is no doubt the best amongst the rest to qualify for the top post.
How to Do
We recommend you to do it early in your workout so that you can save your lower back. Because if you are wrecked from deadlifts, you may tend to skip this exercise altogether.
Start your bent-over rows toward the start of your back workout for some of the heaviest sets in rep ranges of 6-8, not more. Research shows that even the Smith version can also be done instead of this as it locks you in a vertical plane, but remember that your body should be in just the right position relative to the bar. This bent-over barbell row definitely has greater lumbar loads than many other, but similar looking exercises and hence we recommended something at the start.
2. Wide-Grip Pull-Up
Every Pull-up is one of the best movement in your back routine and is the sole reason we have included in this list. For your upper Lats, wide-grip pull-ups always give excellent results. There are two ways of doing this one:
- Closing grip – This may allow you to have a long range of motion, and
- Wide-grip – may allow to load the wide-grip pull up to a great degree, thanks to an optimized starting joint position.
The challenge here for almost everyone is, that, to reach the right rep range for growth which hovers around 10-12. We admit not everyone is successful, and this is the sole reason for us to recommend you to arm yourself with a protein shake.
Additional Tips for attempting Wide-Grip Pull-Up
- Before starting, ensure you are passing through a good form. In the starting position, prior to initiating the pull, the scapula should be retracted that is, pull your shoulder blades down and toward each other for maximum benefit.
- Consider having a weighted belt if you are attempting pull-ups early. There is no harm to use an assisted pull-up machine or switch to the wide grip-pull down which also is equally effective. Healthy shoulder owners can pull behind the head and there is nothing wrong with it. Every individual has his own level of difficulty and we have suggested the alternates and you can choose which one works best for you.
How to Do
Start with several light reps as they form the best warm-up exercises and opens the pores. The sheer range of the pull-ups is so long, warm-up helps you reach new heights. Follow them with push pull-ups toward the front of your workout to ensure proper positioning of the shoulder-joint.
3. Standing T-Bar Row
With the T-bar Row (one of the easiest rows to spot) you can always pile on excessive weight compared to the chest-supported version. We also know that this version is a bit too much for the hips & knees, but to gain something you need to lose also. If you have difficulty maintaining the flat-back, no harm in selecting the supported version.
Note
Don’t take them as squats and hence pays to always keep your legs locked in bent angle throughout the exercise. In this, you can opt for any one of the two hand positions:
- A neutral grip can help you better target the rhomboids, and trips or in other words, the middle back.
- Wider grip will always put extreme emphasis on the Lats.
Choose the one which you need more.
How to Do
Focus on the stretch and contraction of your back.
Start this exercise towards the front half of your workout. Instead of slinging the weight around coupled with this movement, you should focus on stretching first and then contracting your back.
Tip for Experienced Lifters
Load up with 25s instead of the usual 45s and then subsequently increase the range of your motion by allowing contraction of your scapula. Once you do it, ensure that you reset your position with a flat back before going for the next one.
BTW, did you know that when you lift weights, have strenuous workouts your muscles tend to break down? The best insurance against these is the use of the BCAA supplement which increases your body’s protein synthesis compared to the protein breakdown rate, because of lifting weights.
4. Barbell Deadlift
Deadlift needs correct technique no doubt, but once you master it you can quickly progress to lifting huge weights that trains your muscles to the max and help you get big by releasing the much-needed muscle-building hormones!!! Wow.
This Barbell Deadlift much more than a simple exercise for your back, because it affects the entire posterior chain, right from the calves to upper traps. Moreover, it is the absolute best for the overall development of your backside. This is one more reason to include it in this list. Though we should have put it on the top, but, then every other exercise has some uniqueness attached to it and there was no choice.
We recommend you to stick with the regular deadlift on your back day. However, other variations like the ever-popular sumo style increases the activity of muscle groups including your back.
How to Do
While working out if you are lifting heavy weights in less than 7 reps, we recommend to do it first till you are fresh. However, if you are hell bent on repetitions, keep it for the last part of your schedule.
5. Close-Grip Pull-Down
For building great muscles, the closer grip allows you to have a long range of motion and extended time under tension for the Lats, which helps the overall development. Research suggests, that, just like the wide-grip pull-up, the wide-grip pull-down is similar and provides a complete exercise routine. It adds that the use of a close neutral grip does activate the Lats just like the regular grip. In essence, you are not missing out on any of the muscles and it is great news!
How to Do
If you can extend this exercise for a good 12-14 reps, we recommend to keep it towards the end of your schedule for the Back day. Else, this exercise works excellent as a warm-up for your shoulders and a few reps can get you going on your schedule easily and comfortably.
For maximum muscle building, you should slow down the rep frequency, squeeze hard at the bottom of each rep and always allow for a good stretch at the top. This will allow your muscles to grow large and within a few days time you will find the difference. Now you can afford to smile.
Conclusion
Every body looks forward for a change in routine and every unique exercise not only adds to the bodybuilding charm, the variety also pleases you. Once you have tried these exercises out, you can then decide which ones to keep and which to keep for other sessions. To lift heavier weights, you need to do these exercises as described and never rush through as this usually results in a disaster. Read thoroughly, apply carefully and come up as a winner!
