Best Back Exercises for Width and Thickness

"Back" is really a team of muscles working together. The latissimus dorsi ("lats") are the big wing-shaped muscles that create width and the coveted V-taper; they pull your arms down and back. The trapezius and rhomboids sit between and above the shoulder blades and create mid-back thickness, retracting and stabilising the scapulae. Deeper still, the erector spinae run up the spine and keep you upright under load — they're what a heavy deadlift truly tests.

The rule of thumb is simple: vertical pulls (pull-ups, pulldowns) build width, and horizontal pulls (rows) build thickness. A complete back needs both. As a bonus, every pull also trains your biceps and forearms, which is why pulling days double as arm days.

The 7 best back exercises, ranked

1. Pull-ups (and chin-ups)

Hits: the lats hardest of any move, plus biceps and mid-back. The benchmark for upper-body pulling strength.

Form cue: start from a dead hang, drive your elbows down and back, and lead with your chest to the bar rather than just your chin. Avoid swinging. Pull the shoulder blades down first.

Sets × reps: 4 × as many as you can with control (add weight once you pass ~12).

No-gym swap: a cheap doorway pull-up bar, or inverted rows under a sturdy table.

2. Lat pulldown

Hits: the lats with adjustable load — the best width-builder if you can't yet do pull-ups.

Form cue: a shoulder-width grip, lean back only slightly, and pull the bar to your upper chest while keeping your chest tall. Don't yank with momentum.

Sets × reps: 3–4 × 8–12.

No-gym swap: resistance-band lat pulldowns anchored overhead.

3. Barbell row

Hits: the entire mid-back for thickness, plus lats and erectors. A heavy mass-builder.

Form cue: hinge to about 45°, keep a flat, neutral spine, and row the bar to your lower ribs / belly button — leading with the elbows. Brace your core hard. This is a hinge under load, so the cues overlap with the deadlift.

Sets × reps: 4 × 6–10.

No-gym swap: bent-over dumbbell or backpack rows.

4. Single-arm dumbbell row

Hits: each lat individually, ironing out left/right imbalances, with a long stretch at the bottom.

Form cue: brace a hand and knee on a bench, let the dumbbell hang and stretch, then drive your elbow to your hip. Don't rotate your torso to cheat the weight up.

Sets × reps: 3 × 8–12 per arm.

No-gym swap: this is the home staple — any dumbbell, backpack or water jug works.

5. Seated cable row

Hits: mid-back and lats with constant tension and a safe, supported path. Great for feeling the squeeze.

Form cue: sit tall, pull to your stomach, and squeeze your shoulder blades together at the back — then control the stretch forward without rounding.

Sets × reps: 3 × 10–15.

No-gym swap: seated band rows with the band looped around your feet.

6. Deadlift

Hits: the entire posterior chain — erectors, lats, traps, glutes and hamstrings. The ultimate total-body pull and a back-thickness/strength multiplier.

Form cue: bar over mid-foot, neutral spine, lats tight, and push the floor away while keeping the bar dragging up your legs. Form matters enormously here — read the deadlift form guide first.

Sets × reps: 3–4 × 3–6 (heavy, low volume).

No-gym swap: single-leg Romanian deadlifts with dumbbells.

7. Face pull

Hits: the rear delts and lower traps — the small "postural" muscles that keep your shoulders healthy and balance all that pressing.

Form cue: pull a rope toward your forehead, leading with the knuckles, and externally rotate so your hands end up beside your ears. Light weight, high reps.

Sets × reps: 3 × 15–20.

No-gym swap: band face pulls or band pull-aparts.

Quick-reference: back exercises & home swaps

A sample back workout

Width plus thickness in one session. Rest 2–3 minutes after the deadlift and heavy pulls, 60–90 seconds on the rest.

1. Deadlift — 3 × 4–6 (do this first while fresh, or skip on a busy week)
2. Pull-ups or lat pulldown — 4 × 8–12 (width)
3. Barbell or single-arm row — 4 × 8–10 (thickness)
4. Seated cable row — 3 × 12–15 (squeeze)
5. Face pulls — 3 × 15–20 (shoulder health)

Where back fits in your week

Back is the centrepiece of "pull" day, trained alongside the biceps. That's one third of the push/pull/legs split. Pulling muscles balance all the pressing you do on push days — neglect your back and your posture and shoulder health suffer.

Aim for roughly 10–18 hard sets per week split across vertical and horizontal pulls, consistent with general ACSM resistance-training guidance of training each major muscle group at least twice weekly. If you train your whole body a few times a week instead, put one vertical pull and one row into each full-body session. Only own dumbbells? The dumbbell-only workout builds a strong back with rows alone.

Make it grow: progressive overload

Back is the area where people most often "go through the motions" with sloppy reps. Tight form plus rising load is what builds it. With pull-ups, the progression is obvious — add reps, then add weight with a belt once you clear about 12 clean reps.

For rows and pulldowns, add a small plate when you hit the top of your rep range with a controlled squeeze and no swinging. The full system is in our progressive overload guide, and if you're building back from scratch, see how to build muscle for the bigger picture on volume, protein and recovery.