A big back is a back developed in all aspects. It represents the third part of the body structure and it is comprised by the biggest muscles of the upper body: dorsals and trapezius. In fact, people with less developed backs seem to have only half a physique. Bodybuilders who lack back in optimal condition have nothing to do in this competition. 

Also, the back is composed of other muscular groups whose development is fundamental to any serious bodybuilder, and they are: major and minor teres, rhomboids, infraspinatus and the erectors of the spine. More than any other part of the body, the back has more muscles which require training. If you desire a truly magnificent back -wide, thick, dense and muscular- you must develop it to the fullest, both along and across it. In the same way, you have to stretch and broaden the scapulae, the bones in the back side of shoulders.

If your goal is to increase the overall mass of the body, intensively working out the big back muscles will simplify the task, for the maximum development of the dorsal and trapezius is the key to achieve the maximum volume of the upper body. The hard work of dorsals and upper back stretches the skeletal structure and, therefore, increases the amplitude, the V shape and the potential to gain a great muscular mass.

The intense training of the back also contributes to the growth of the arms, chest and deltoids because of the indirect effect. When a muscle grows as a consequence of the workout stimulus, the rest of the muscles also respond in a certain way to that stimulus.

If you have doubts about this, check out what the multiple Mr. Olympia winner Dorian Yates has achieved thanks to the fantastic development his back shows. Looking him front, he is a good bodybuilder, but there are many who outstand before him in chest, shoulders and arms. However, when looking him back, there are only a few, if any, who can compete with him. It would be bold to ensure Dorian has won many Mr. Olympia titles thanks to, in large part, his amazing back.

One of the reasons Dorian's back is so extraordinary lies in the fact that all of its parts are developed at fullest. There are no doubts Dorian has not achieve that back with just a few sets of pulls and declined rowing. He does shrugs and heavy deadlifts to assure his back to be the thickest and densest possible. Differently from many beginners, he gives the parts of his back a treatment as if they were individual muscular groups and not just as the upper body.

Now let's move to the exercises and routines you should perform to get a bigger back, the widest and thickest possible. 

MUSCLES ERECTOR SPINAE AND THE LUMBAR ZONE

Many bodybuilders miss the training of the erector spinae and lumbar zone. In the best case, they have a second-order priority. They consider those muscles have worked well enough in the squats and rowing motions. This may be some people's opinion, especially if their technique is incorrect. Ironically, many of them get better results in the lumbar zone doing squats in quadriceps. That happens because they bend too much in the descendant phase of squats, and at the end they look more like good mornings.

In rowing motions, you must always keep the back arched, since dorsals can not be correctly trained if it is rounded.

Not only this muscle's contraction is impossible, but the lower back gets exposed to injuries. The four main exercises to workout the lumbar zone are the following ones: conventional bent-legs deadlifts, straight-leg deadlifts, good mornings and hyperextensions. All of them should be performed with the back arched for security reasons. The only one which can be performed with the lumbar zone arched is the straight-leg deadlift which, at the end, is nothing but touching the tip of your toes with a bar.

Following, we give you the key points for the correct execution of each movement. 

Bent-legs deadlifts: It is neither more nor less than a power movement. It is not only one of the best exercises to strengthen and increasing the thickness of the back in existence, but, moreover, it is fantastic for the development and strength of the whole body. Despite it is considered an exercise for the lower back, deadlifts also workout legs (especially, femorals), gluteus, hips, obliques, abdominals, trapezius, neck (because of isotension), forearms, the grip and even the central zone of the back and dorsals.

Bent-legs deadlifts demand a great concentration and attention to details. The correct position of the body is essential if you want to get major results from this exercise. The incorrect execution of this exercise can lead to an injury on the lower back. The proper performance of it can lead to a major physique, strong and thick, and a dense back.

This exercise must be done according to an order. What you do not have to do is to bend at the waist, keeping legs straight and letting the back get rounded (I am sorry, but I cannot avoid remarking the importance of this aspect). Trying to lift a considerable weight in this position is a sure way of breaking your back. The best way to perform this movement consists on crouching behind the bar at the same time you keep your head up, the back arched and the hips and buttocks down. Knees must be semi-bent and the feet between hands (Note: some people do this exercise sumo style, with a large separation of legs; but that is a technique for advanced powerlifters, not for the bodybuilders in the search of muscular development).

The back must bend 45 degrees and not be parallel to the floor. The initial tension is performed by the lumbar zone. Once the bar has been lifted off the ground and in motion, the legs come into play. After that, when it passed by the knees height, it is the turn for back and hips. You should finish with arms extended in semi-upright position. Slowly go back in the high part, but without doing a hyperextension.

In general, the number of repetitions of the deadlift sets should be low: between 6 and 8 and in some cases it can be reduced to do sets of two or three repetitions.

Once or twice a month, you can do a max repetition if increasing your power is what you want. Do not do them with more frequency, because the lower back won't be fully recovered.

Use straps to enhance grip ant to avoid the bar to slide. I suggest you to increase weight and reduce the number of repetitions on each set. The last set should be the heaviest one. Deadlifts are hard for the body and the recovery capacity; therefore I suggest performing this exercise only once a week. 4 and 6 series will be enough, especially if you strive for each set. 

Hyperextensions: It is an excellent movement for the lower back. Lots of bodybuilders like it because they work largely gluteus and femorals, as the insertion of these two muscular groups. Depending on the position you use on the hyperextensions bench, you will be able to mainly workout the lower back or the gluteus and femorals. Placing the body quite forward on the bench and keeping the legs bent, you will move tension to the gluteus and femorals. If you place yourself in the rear part of the apparatus, you will workout the lumbar zone. In both cases, keep the lower back arched as the body descends. Go down only as much as the arching of the back allows you and go up until you feel the lumbar zone contracting. Don't go too far in the ascendant phase because you could hurt the erectors spinae.

Hyperextensions should be performed with a light-to-moderate weight and 10 to 15 repetition sets. If you are strong enough, hold a disc on your chest crossing arms over it. I do not recommend you to place a bar on your shoulders for the pressure it produces on the neck in the low part of the motion. If you workout your back twice a week, or twice every eight days (in depends on your routine), alternate hyperextensions with deadlifts in a heavy-light program. Do the deadlifts in the heavy day and hyperextensions in the light-to-moderate day. This will provide your back a better recovery and will avoid overtraining. 

Good mornings: Good mornings are an excellent alternative to hyperextensions, specially if you workout at home and you do not have a bench to do this last exercise. Start by placing a moderately heavy bar on your Trapezius; the lower, the better. This way, the motion becomes more comfortable regarding the thickness of Trapezius, which act like a cushion, and let you handle more weight. Make sure your feet are at shoulder's width. You can experiment with more or less separation, but bare in mind that comfort and balance are the key for this exercise. Try to keep the knees slightly bent. Good mornings with straight legs excessively load the spine. Once you have the position, go down slowly, in a softly and controlled way until your back is parallel to the floor. The arching of the back should avoid its rounding and an excessively relegation of the upper part of the body. Do not let yourself fall. Sudden movements cause high tension on the spine.

Go up in the same way: slowly, softly and in a controlled way. Focus on each repetition and feel how the lower back stretches and contracts. Unless you are in an advanced level, I recommend you to use moderate weights and a relatively high number of repetitions (about 3 or 4 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions). The most advanced bodybuilders can fulfil heavier sets of about 6 and 8 repetitions, but I do not recommend a lower number of them. Save the weight for the deadlifts day.

Straight legs deadlifts: as in hyperextensions, straight legs deadlifts can be performed to workout femorals and gluteus (with some participation of the lower back) or the lower back (with some participation of femorals and gluteus). Do this exercise with the lumbar zone arched and the stress will mainly fall on femorals and gluteus.

In order to increase the lower back work, you should allow a slight rounding of the back, but be careful. Use a refined technique. Lower the bar to the feet and softly raise yourself. If you need a major stretching, place on a platform or on the edge of a flat bench and lower the bar beyond feet's height. Perform the repetitions with concentration and control, two characteristics of a good technique. Do not just go up and down, because you could get injured,

Initial and middle level bodybuilders should fulfil sets of 10 to 15 repetitions with the third part or half their body weight. Make sure your lower back is strong enough before increasing the load. This increase should be gradually and slowly, but constant. As it happens with good mornings, 3 or 4 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions should be a good training, especially if deadlifts are combined with a heavy-light program. 

TRAPEZIUS

Trapezius is that triangular muscle covering the upper part of the back located under the neck and between the scapulaes. Is the second muscle in size of the upper part of the body, only surpassed by the dorsals.

Principally, there are three types of exercises for Trapezius that every serious bodybuilder should include in his trainings: power-snatches and high pulls, upright rowing and, of course, shrugs. Regarding Trapezius are big muscles, many champion bodybuilders prefer to train them on the deltoid's day, not in the back day. Therefore, they can apply most of the back workout to dorsals and the lumbar zone. You can also set your program that way.

Following, here we have the key points you should consider for the performance of each exercise. 

Power-snatches and high pulls: When you perform the snatches, use the same position of straight legs deadlifts. Do not forget you should keep your head up, the upper part of your back flat, arching the lower back, hips and gluteus low and feet separated at shoulder's width. Tilt your back about 45 degrees. You should be able to draw a straight line from the base of the neck to the gluteus. Do not round your back. Trapezium's stimulation is produced when lifting the bar from the ground and moving it to the shoulders with a rapid movement. As you raise the bar, the elbows force Trapezius to contribute with the shrug. When the bar is positioned at shoulder's height, lower it slowly and in a controlled way to the floor or until the arms are extended about 30 centimetres above the floor. After that, repeat until fulfilling the desired number of repetitions. 

Remember snatches are a low-repetition motion. I recommend 4 sets of 6 to 8 repetitions, starting with light weight and increasing the load in each set as you reduce repetitions. Advanced bodybuilders can do a couple of extra sets between 2 and 4 repetitions.

High pulls are another popular movement which works Trapezius intensively. The difference with upright rowing lies on the grip and the height you bring the bar to, which in this case are superiors. Many bodybuilders make the mistake of believing the bar must be moved to the chin or shoulders to stimulate Trapezius. That is wrong. Most advanced bodybuilders handle a big amount of weight and only bring the bar to the inferior part of the chest. There is no need to do more. 

Grab the bar with arms extended and slightly bent by the waist. Use a grip above with a separation of the arms similar to your shoulder's width, knees slightly bent and the lumbar zone arched. Following, raise the bar as much as possible with your utmost strength.

Think of bringing it to the chin, despite it will actually stop at the upper part of the abs and the lower part of the pectorals. The truth is this exercise path is not so big. The amount of weight and the explosive motion are the stimulation factors for Trapezius. Try to fulfil 4 sets of 6 to 10 repetitions. 

Upright rowing: It is similar to high pull, except for the grip, which is narrower (between 10 and 30 centimetres) and the weight used, which is lower, allowing the bar to reach nose's height. Some advanced bodybuilders bring the bar to the forehead, since they believe it provides better stimulation to the inferior trapeziums.

When doing this exercise, elbows should be up and backwards. You can cheat, providing that way you force Trapezius to work more. You can lean front when starting the exercise, and back when raising the bar to find a better balance. Some bodybuilders do this movement until reaching the chin, but I consider it is preferable doing it until reaching the nose. All depends on the weight you are using. Stop for one or two seconds in the highest point to experiment a better Trapezius' contraction. 

Surely, 4 sets of 6 to 20 repetitions will be enough for this exercise. Increase the weight in each set so the last one is the heaviest. Use straps or sponges to enforce the grip. 

Shrugs: Shrugs are the classical exercise for Trapezius. They can be performed with a bar, a pair of dumbbells, with one-arm with dumbbell, on a Smith machine or an apparatus especially conceived to isolate and workout Trapezius.

There is no much to say about this exercise, except recommending the use of straps or sponges to enforce the grip, keeping arms extended and trying to touch your ears with the Trapezius in each set. Some bodybuilders use a big amount of weight and do short repetitions, like bounces. It is all right for a change, but is preferable that, in most trainings, you try to cover the whole movement's path, despite it involves using less weight. You are looking for the stimulation of the Trapezius, not finding how much weight you can put up with. 

As an experiment, bend forward in order to activate different parts of the Trapezius. This technique is especially efficient with dumbbells. The curl grip acts on the lower Trapezius, but make sure you stretch and warm up biceps properly before lifting too much weight when using this technique. 

Conclusion: choose two of the four movements presented here and do four series of each in every Trapezius' session. If you consider that one exercise is perfect for your body structure, keep it on the program and change the other three ones to add some variations. Do not think you must always do conventional sets; performing supersets with shrugs and upright rowing is also very effective. Also, try doing descendant sets of shrugs with dumbbells. 

DORSALS

Dorsals ar the most glorious muscles of the back. Its spectacular development is characteristic of bodybuilders. Dorsal peculiarity lies in the fact that, when fully developed, they are visible both from front and back. Even when the state of these muscles is excellent, you can se their rounding from the side. In fact, in relaxed position, Dorian Yates' and Paul Dillett's dorsals resemble the head of a cobra. For this reason, the complete development of these muscles improves the desired V shape, because it makes the waist and hips look narrower, shoulder really wide and the trunk, bigger and thicker.

Its development is especially important for people with wide hips and prone to look square. By the means of hard and smart work, a bodybuilder can create the illusion of a narrow hip and an accentuated V shape, which contributes to show a more impressive and aesthetic physique. Dorsals are never wide enough. These muscles tend to perform most of the work in back sessions. For many bodybuilders, training dorsals equals training the back. Even the machines the gyms have reinforce this idea, but surely there are more machines to workout dorsals than any other part of the body. Fortunately, most of the exercises for dorsals also workout the teres major and minor, romboids, infraespinatus, trapezium and part of the erector spinae. Despite, on this occasion, I only addressed the issue of the dorsals, you can be sure romboids, teres and the infraspinatus will be put into action if you include in your dorsal routine chin-ups, pulls and rowing movements.

No matter how ironic it looks, in spite of having access to more machines than ever, many bodybuilders have difficulties to develop dorsals. Why? We will examine that problem.

Unless you are genetically gifted, most people consider dorsals are one of the muscular groups whose development is harder and its exercises, the most difficult to dominate. It is usual to hear bodybuilders complaining about not feeling dorsals because they cannot see them when training them. Regarding they do not feel neither see them, they find impossible to isolate, stimulate and overcharge them in order to activate its growing as a response to adaptation.

The stronger complaint of beginners is that they experiment more congestion in biceps than in dorsals. This is so often it has become a cliché. Many of them train biceps more strongly than dorsals in the exercises designed to train the last ones. They use a weight impossible to handle if you apply a rigorous technique, so the only thing they can do to lift the load is pulling with the arms. They ignore how to feel and isolate dorsals or how to shift the mechanical advantage over the dorsals in rowing exercises, chin-ups and pulls.

The technique is fundamental if you want to properly isolate and stimulate Trapezius. Use sensation as a guide. If you feel the work of the dorsals in the execution of the sets, your technique is correct. On contrary, something is going wrong. Cut off the weight a third part until you learn to experiment a good dorsal congestion.

There are dozens of excellent exercises for dorsals you can do, but I will mention the most famous ones. If there is any movement for these muscles with which you get great results, keep it in your routine. 

Wide-grip chin-ups: Surely you will have read in bodybuilders' writings as Mike Mentzer's that wide-grip chin-ups do not develop dorsals as mid or narrow grip chin-ups do. Mike has right to express his opinion, but wide-grip chin-ups are essential not only for the dorsal growing, but also for the stretching and widening of the scapulae, a major importance factor.

As it happens with all the exercises for this part of the body, you must keep the back and chest arched. Use a false grip and try to keep your hands as high as possible on the bar. The more you hold with your fingers, the bigger the participation of biceps will be. The most you hold with your palms, the bigger the dorsals' isolation will be.

Perform the repetitions softly and being focused. Each one of them must be efficient. Feel the contraction of dorsals in the high part of the motion and the stretching as you body goes down. At the end of each set, complete 6 partial repetitions from the lower point. With blocked arms, bring the body upwards and forward and feel at the same time the pain in the dorsals.

Do not count repetitions. Go on until you cannot do any complete repetition and then go straight to the partial ones. I advice you fulfil 4 sets comprising the maximum number of repetitions possible. 

Supinated-grip Chin-ups: It is a short-path motion. Supinated grip chin-ups are also an infernal training for biceps. The advantage of this exercise is that it equally works out both the lower and the most bulging zone of dorsals. Wide-grip chin-ups generate wideness, but the Supinated-grip chin-ups enlarge dorsals and create more plenitude and thickness.

The key lies on covering the whole path of the movement and achieving a great contraction in the high part of the motion. Go down in a controlled way in order to benefit from negative resistance and feel the muscular stretching along the descendant phase.

You can increase the resistance grabbing a dumbbell between your feet or using a weight belt. As you get stronger with this exercise, the size of biceps and dorsals will increase.

In principle, biceps have been warmed up with the wide-grip chin-ups, so start with the heaviest set. Do 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 20 repetitions. Reduce the weight in each set and try to do more repetitions. The structure could be the following: 1 x 6, 1 x 8, 1 x 10, 1 x 8-10. 

One-arm pulley rowing: Despite this exercise is a variation of one-arm dumbbell rowing, it has the advantage of the constant tension the pulley provides. One-arm pulley rowing is excellent for training the lower part of dorsals and to enlarge these muscles.

This exercise can be performed in several ways and each one of those has its benefits. The choice is a matter of taste. You must try out each version to see which ones better adapts to your needs, but do not forget to be long enough separate from the machine so the stack of plates never touches the base, since tension over dorsals must be constant.

Remember your goal is to isolate and train dorsals, not lifting and lowering weight. In order to get extra stimulation, let your hands turn inward when the weight forces the arm to stretch. The thumb of the hand performing the exercise should point downwards and the little finger, point upwards. Invert the position when you move your hand to the middle section and the lower part of dorsals. Bring your elbows as far back and as high as possible. The more you move your elbows back, the bigger the dorsal contraction will be. Following, go back to the starting position, feeling the stretching of the muscles at every moment.

This exercise provides better results with high-repetitions sets. I recommend you do 3 or 4 sets of 8 to 15 repetitions. Work with the right arm and, then, without resting, go on with the left arm. Alternate arms until finishing all sets for each dorsal. 

Inclined bar rowing or T bar rowing: All dorsal training must include any kind of bar rowing. I consider dorsal sessions should be structured mainly around two movements: wide-grip chin-ups and inclined rowing. These two exercises develop the wideness and thickness of dorsals. The rest is nothing but the icing on the cake.

Do I need to remind you that rowing both with conventional bar as with T bar should be performed with the lumbar zone arched? Do not let it get rounded. If you have to lower the head and the chest and round the back while you do this exercise that means the weight is excessive. It is supposed you should bring the weight to the body, not pull from it neither bringing the body close to it. Execute the motion with dorsals, not with the arms.

The feeling is the most important thing. If you notice that dorsals workout with rowing, the execution of the exercise is correct. If the biceps burn and you feel the shoulders, Trapezius and lower back, but not the dorsals, the technique is incorrect. Simple as it sounds.

Complete 4 sets and gradually increase the weight as you reduce the number of repetitions; for instance, 1 x 10, 8, 6, 5-6. 

Suggested routine: 

* Wide-grip chin-ups: 4 x maximum number of repetitions

* Inclined rowing: 1 x 10, 8, 6, .5-6

* Supinated-grip chin-ups: 1 x 6, 8, 10, 8-10

* One-arm pulley rowing: 1 x 12-15, 10-12, 8-10, 6-8

* Deadlifts: 1 x 8, 8, 6, 6

* Good mornings: 1 x 10, 8-10, 6-8

* Hyperextensions: 3 x 15-20

* The work of Trapezius is performed together with deltoids in another session.

* Snatches: 1 x 10, 8, 6, 4

* Shrugs: 1 x 10, 10, 8, 6

* Upright rowing: 4 x 6-10