Upper Back

[W13NY]

What exercise do you think would hit your upper back best to get it to "pop" more?

Example of what I mean:

 

[Torobestia]

There are a couple of different approaches one could take. Bear in mind getting a back like that requires packing on mass everywhere. You'll never see a guy with dinky arms, skinny legs, and under 90kg with an upper back like that. Thus:

-eat
-heavy deadlifts 3-6 reps
-heavy bent over barbell rows 3-6 reps
-rack pulls
These are the meat and potato exercises for packing on mass on your upper and mid back (not lats specifically).

Also, that back area consists of the upper, mid, and lower traps, as well as rear delts a bit. Therefore, other things you could do include:
-cleans
-high pulls
-front squats
-front squat shrugs

EDIT: as reminded above, kroc rows are pretty good there, too.

 

[asooneyeonig]

we can also throw in yoke work, farmers, facepulls, snatch grip deadlifts.

 

[Torobestia]

we can also throw in yoke work, farmers, facepulls, snatch grip deadlifts.

Also good

 

[Rodja]

Facepulls, seated DB cleans, snatch-grip deads

 

[rw357]

More than arms and chest, back needs you to be really thin to pop. For thickness, the best back exercise I have had the most success with bar bell rows, I use three different grips; wide/pronated, neutral/pronated, close/supinated.

 

[biscuits]

Definitely rows and heavy rack pulls with isometric lockouts squeezing the inner back

 

[lamonster14]

Heavy deads heavy deads heavy deads, i am also a fan of kroc rows, t bar rows and chins. But like the other guys said if you wanna back like that the rest of you is gonna have to be like that as well.

 

[Machmood]

Rack pulls , rack pulls, rack pulls, and ohh yea rack pulls

 

[sugardaddy69]

deadlifts, shrugs and bent over rows, weighted chins but to a lesser extent, face pulls.

all heavy no other way

kettle bell swings and snatches

 

[wrathchild281]

seated bench cable row but throw on a rope and bring to your nose with elbows high. Turn wrists in. Hits its solid better than an other ive found to date

 

[Rodja]

seated bench cable row but throw on a rope and bring to your nose with elbows high. Turn wrists in. Hits its solid better than an other ive found to date

That's a facepull variation.

 

[NLAFounder]

Whenever you are doing your back workouts concentrate on this: 'stick your chest out and keep your back flat, flex your back the whole lift, squeeze your shoulders blades together at the peak of any back lift'

That being said the best workouts to work your upper back are:
-wide grip pullups
-wide grip cable rows
-cable high rows with rope
-close grip low cable rows

Those should be your staple 4 lifts. You will see your upper back really pop if you squeeze and flex your back muscles and shoulder blades throughout each rep.