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thicker back

blaykeryan

blaykeryan

Member
I'm 5'10 215 12%bf. The last several months I've felt like I've hit a plateau,especially on my back....its weird I've lifted for 7 years and it's always been one of my main focuses,but lately it's been really hard to get pumped up like I used to...maybe it's because I moved and started my career as a police officer..but I'm hoping after I get adjusted to everything o will feel like I used to about lifting...anyway, I started a new workout tonight,hoping to improve my back thickness..what do you guys think?

Wide grip lat pulldown-4*6-12 (last set drop set)

Straight arm cable pull down (3*8-12)

Bb row 1 warm up (135) 4 *5-8 (185) good form, good stretch at the bottom

Front pull over hammer machine (3*6-12)

Bb shrugs 1 warm up (135) 2*7-10(275) 1*6 (295) i can do more weight, just focusing on form..

That's about it other than light bicep work...here's a recent pic, I'm trying to slim up a little. ,focusing on diet and intensity. .
 

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You have only one rowing movement. I would add some more. Drop the shrugs and add in seated cable row or Tbar row.

Here's my back workout 3-4 sets 8-12 reps
Pull-ups
Seated lat pull down
Seated row
Tbar row
Pulldown
Deads
 
Judging by your photo and the relativity of say your waist and shoulders etc. in comparison, your back looks pretty much in line with your overall BW.
I might guess, increasing your overall bw ie: adding more overall mass (probably in the line of diet) might help be a plat. breaker.

Next, and IMO, the heavier the work, the better. Your DL and row numbers again, looks pretty much in line with your photo.

I might guess again, your back would be thicker if you upped the weight work on the DL and rows, again adding overall mass.

Your body is always going to try to keep a balance and some form of homeostatis or normalty. Blowing up a certain body part without having the other larger structures follow suit, is tough from my experience.

Bottom line, heavy deads, squats, rows, maybe weighted chins/pull dwns. even a type of cheat row to overload the easier part of the exercise can all contribute to thicker heavier back work. The lats are not the only back muscle, as the erectors, lower lumbars, traps etc. all go into making the back larger, deeper and of course stronger. Oh and enough food of course. My back used to be one of my weakest parts, now it is my best, but it takes some work over time and sweat, I will attest to you.

As far as not getting a pump so much...!? Yes, it sounds like you have some stresses going on with the career change etc. and that of course can effect your overall energy output and hormones too. Cortisol rises under stress, and is not always a good thing when it comes to positive energy.

BTW, thanks for the law work and hope all goes well in your endeavor as an officer...!
 
PaulBlack said:
Judging by your photo and the relativity of say your waist and shoulders etc. in comparison, your back looks pretty much in line with your overall BW.
I might guess, increasing your overall bw ie: adding more overall mass (probably in the line of diet) might help be a plat. breaker.

Next, and IMO, the heavier the work, the better. Your DL and row numbers again, looks pretty much in line with your photo.

I might guess again, your back would be thicker if you upped the weight work on the DL and rows, again adding overall mass.

Your body is always going to try to keep a balance and some form of homeostatis or normalty. Blowing up a certain body part without having the other larger structures follow suit, is tough from my experience.

Bottom line, heavy deads, squats, rows, maybe weighted chins/pull dwns. even a type of cheat row to overload the easier part of the exercise can all contribute to thicker heavier back work. The lats are not the only back muscle, as the erectors, lower lumbars, traps etc. all go into making the back larger, deeper and of course stronger. Oh and enough food of course. My back used to be one of my weakest parts, now it is my best, but it takes some work over time and sweat, I will attest to you.

As far as not getting a pump so much...!? Yes, it sounds like you have some stresses going on with the career change etc. and that of course can effect your overall energy output and hormones too. Cortisol rises under stress, and is not always a good thing when it comes to positive energy.

BTW, thanks for the law work and hope all goes well in your endeavor as an officer...!
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Ya I just need to work on thickness..and rear delt work...thanks for the input man..hopefully I can get my deads up..my squat IMO isn't that great, my max is 365..Im going the natty route as of late...I want to see how far I can go without the assistance of aas
 
Rodja said:
You're only doing 185 on rows; that's your main issue as that's a low number.
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i agree with Rodja here. Gotta up those numbers man. I'm 5'7" and 165lbs, and I'm rowing over 225 and DL over 400. Toss in snatch grip DL and some Oly lifts too, help get the V shape I imagine you are looking for
 
Rodja said:
Definitely make it a point to start going he sure on these. Rest-pause would be a good option to extend out the sets.
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Will do...I'm thinking about starting p.h.a.t again.I got great strength results from it
 
blaykeryan said:
Ya I just need to work on thickness..and rear delt work...thanks for the input man..hopefully I can get my deads up..my squat IMO isn't that great, my max is 365..Im going the natty route as of late...I want to see how far I can go without the assistance of aas
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Nothing wrong with natty, I have been all my life and have not regretted it, especially after I see some older friends having had to get down from the higher cliffs they once hung out on.

No doubt rows are a huge staple exercise. Even if I slop them up some, to get some good overload and a slow negative, my back always responded well to them.
Still, I swear by the heavy deads too, to put the big thick ropes down thru the center and give you thickness and depth at the spine and the upper traps. Always makes the back look finished and hulkier.
Don't for get good food to dude, hard to increase weight without it...!
 
Youre doing a bunch of exercises for a wide back.

Switch your focus to deadlifts, clean presses, heavy rows and shrugs.
 
Well tonight I have to go to the gym at the police station...it has heavy db and a cable machine
Would 4-5 sets of heavy 1 arm db rows with lying straight arm db extensions..
Also some incline rows with some weighted pull ups be good...I did straight legged deads Sunday with legs, my legs are still sore...any other cable movements I could do?
 
blaykeryan said:
Well tonight I have to go to the gym at the police station...it has heavy db and a cable machine Would 4-5 sets of heavy 1 arm db rows with lying straight arm db extensions.. Also some incline rows with some weighted pull ups be good...I did straight legged deads Sunday with legs, my legs are still sore...any other cable movements I could do?
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I would prefer these instead of stiff arm pullovers
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You can also sit on your knees, legs crossed, and do some pulldown variation with the cable machine.

I'd say, hit up 5 sets of the heaviest dumbell rows you can muster. Then incline/prone rows, pull-ups, and a rear delt destroyer set (video below)

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All about improvising. I'm stuck lifting at my duty station and can always make something work with dumbells.
 
Sean1332 said:
I would prefer these instead of stiff arm pullovers
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You can also sit on your knees, legs crossed, and do some pulldown variation with the cable machine.

I'd say, hit up 5 sets of the heaviest dumbell rows you can muster. Then incline/prone rows, pull-ups, and a rear delt destroyer set (video below)

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All about improvising. I'm stuck lifting at my duty station and can always make something work with dumbells.
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Awesome bro, I appreciate it...will definitely throw these in
 
Working on my back currently as well, IMO rows are rows, my gym time is limited so I don't want to mess around with rows that have poor leverage and hence can only be done with light weights. So for me it's dumbbell rows, seated cable rows, chinups & deads. And yeah your deadlifts are a bit low. You might try rack pulls, You can lift a lot more weight and so build some serious mass. My partner went from merely large to monster, he routinely gets 600.
 
compudog said:
Working on my back currently as well, IMO rows are rows, my gym time is limited so I don't want to mess around with rows that have poor leverage and hence can only be done with light weights. So for me it's dumbbell rows, seated cable rows, chinups & deads. And yeah your deadlifts are a bit low. You might try rack pulls, You can lift a lot more weight and so build some serious mass. My partner went from merely large to monster, he routinely gets 600.
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Ya I've recently started the p.h.a.t routine, so I'm hitting every muscle group twice..I'm hoping my back responds well..I've done p.h.a.t last year when I was on a pro...and got great results, hopefully I will see decent results going natty this time...I will definitely try rack pulls. .
 
Do more deadlifts rows pull-ups and bench. Spend less time on the Internet.
 
Can't believe no one has mentioned rack reads from maybe 3/4 up shin. I find they are the only lift that absolutely make my back feel destroyed the next day.
 
Rack deads are money for back thickness. Also row to grow. Reverse grip bb rows with a bit more upright posture is great for the upper back.
 
Why rack dead when you can do a normal deadlift like a real man!?

Hahahaha.
 
Revival said:
Can't believe no one has mentioned rack deads from maybe 3/4 up shin. I find they are the only lift that absolutely make my back feel destroyed the next day.
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Just curious, how are you doing these, say rep, set wise and are you doing full range pulling from the floor as well?
 
Then sounds like your back is plenty big brotha! Haha. I was just givin' you a hard time.
 
PaulBlack said:
Just curious, how are you doing these, say rep, set wise and are you doing full range pulling from the floor as well?
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I havent done any real research on optimal way to program these so I can't really give a good rec but I have just been programming them like regular deads staying away from metabolic level reps. I shot for 3-6 rep range to avoid fatigue of lower back. 3 sets 5 min rests. My rack in my garage only let's me go just below the knee so I stand on some bricks.

I am not pulling from the floor right now but maybe in the future. I'm just getting back in shape after like a year lay off so I will see how it changes. I dont do barbell rows the day I do these as they take a lot of out of my lower back so I dont want to get an injury so I will add an extra chin up set on these days.
 
Revival said:
Lol if your like me your back can take a lot more than you can get off the ground.
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I was gettn ready to ask, what the he©k rack deads would benefit but im now gonna try these next time. As well as lifting from the floor for full benefit. I guess im trying to get my squat stronger to cause i know my backs stronger than that first 6" move...i believe these would enable further growth. Thanks for the idea.
I will hafta build a box or rack tho...lol my basements packed
 
lannjonny said:
I was gettn ready to ask, what the he©k rack deads would benefit but im now gonna try these next time. As well as lifting from the floor for full benefit. I guess im trying to get my squat stronger to cause i know my backs stronger than that first 6" move...i believe these would enable further growth. Thanks for the idea. I will hafta build a box or rack tho...lol my basements packed
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Believe it or not, rack pulls or block pulls can be more difficult than off the ground. Some people have sticking points just below their knees, where the bar would be set up on the rack, so it can be just as/if not more difficult. It's an akward leverage for some people. It will heavily involve your glutes. Once you've been able I blast through that point, it'll benefit your full ROM deadlift, and you'll be able to pull more from the rack because if the decreased ROM. You may want to try them off blocks, or stacked up weights, instead of the bar resting on the rack pins. The bar will have a more natural bend and liftoff from the blocks than the rack, thus making it slightly easier.

I wouldn't expect rack pulls or deadlifts to benefit the back specifically for hypertrophy purposes in the way a type of row would. It'll help give you some thick erectors though.
 
Sean1332 said:
Believe it or not, rack pulls or block pulls can be more difficult than off the ground. Some people have sticking points just below their knees, where the bar would be set up on the rack, so it can be just as/if not more difficult. It's an akward leverage for some people. It will heavily involve your glutes. Once you've been able I blast through that point, it'll benefit your full ROM deadlift, and you'll be able to pull more from the rack because if the decreased ROM. You may want to try them off blocks, or stacked up weights, instead of the bar resting on the rack pins. The bar will have a more natural bend and liftoff from the blocks than the rack, thus making it slightly easier.

I wouldn't expect rack pulls or deadlifts to benefit the back specifically for hypertrophy purposes in the way a type of row would. It'll help give you some thick erectors though.
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Appreciate that explanation..wish i would've done these yesterday. I workout for my own self because it feels good and it looks good and also because i dont wana look like a buffet grazer when im 40 . and im always looking for a little extra to help me along the way.
 
I've never understood the love of deads for back purposes. There's not enough TUT and they encompass for more than just the erectors. Now, snatch-grip deads on the other hand, would be a better option as they put the upper back at a point where it's leverage is terrible and blasts the hell out of the upper and middle traps.
 
Rodja said:
I've never understood the love of deads for back purposes. There's not enough TUT and they encompass for more than just the erectors. Now, snatch-grip deads on the other hand, would be a better option as they put the upper back at a point where it's leverage is terrible and blasts the hell out of the upper and middle traps.
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Agreed. Especially with snatch-grip, though they murder my entire posterior.

I never understood deadlifts on "back day".
 
I never understood "back-day".
 
Rodja said:
I've never understood the love of deads for back purposes. There's not enough TUT and they encompass for more than just the erectors. Now, snatch-grip deads on the other hand, would be a better option as they put the upper back at a point where it's leverage is terrible and blasts the hell out of the upper and middle traps.
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I guess if you'd neglected your back as much as i did in my younger years than you'd know why i do lots of deads now in my back workout. I always thought it sucked working back out back than, but now its turned into my favorite workout.
 
lannjonny said:
I guess if you'd neglected your back as much as i did in my younger years than you'd know why i do lots of deads now in my back workout. I always thought it sucked working back out back than, but now its turned into my favorite workout.
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However, it's very shortsighted to view deadlifts as a back exercise. A PC chain exercise, yes, but not simply a "back" exercise.
 
Rodja said:
However, it's very shortsighted to view deadlifts as a back exercise. A PC chain exercise, yes, but not simply a "back" exercise.
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Yes i understand. I am implementing it in my workout and probly always will. Because it is definitely helping me create a back that i want.
 
Rodja said:
I've never understood the love of deads for back purposes. There's not enough TUT and they encompass for more than just the erectors. Now, snatch-grip deads on the other hand, would be a better option as they put the upper back at a point where it's leverage is terrible and blasts the hell out of the upper and middle traps.
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When I do rack pulls I do a lot more sets than when I do deads off the floor, and also use heavier weight, so the volume is generally more than a regular deadlift workout. That said, my back isn't anything spectacular. My partner on the other hand has really focused on rack pulls and it shows. But he put in a lot of effort to get his pulls over 600. I kind of doubt anyone could do that without adding some muscle.
 
I've seen many a 600+lb pullers in my life and they will all have thick traps and erectors, but not as much thickness in the lats as you would think.
 
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