Train the whole back
Pull-ups, chin-ups and pulldowns work the lats very hard; rows add the middle back and rear shoulders; shrugs and face-down raises cover the traps; and hinges train the muscles along your spine.
Training guide
How to get a bigger back: build your lats, traps and upper back
Your back is a group of muscles: the lats, the widest muscles of the back, which pull your arms down and back; the traps and rhomboids, which move your shoulder blades; the rear shoulders; and the long muscles beside your spine. Building back muscle, for a bigger or wider back, comes from training all of them with pulls, rows, shrugs and hinges, eating enough, and giving it months.
Most back research measures which muscles work during an exercise, not how much they grow, so the advice on sets, reps and how often comes from studies of muscle growth in general.
This guide covers which exercises work which muscles, whether grip width matters, how many sets and how often, training at home and in the gym, working up to a pull-up, how long it takes, and when back or shoulder pain needs help. It ends with a back workout you can do at home.
The short version
Grip width matters less than people think
Lat activity was similar with wide, medium and narrow grips in the pulldown, and narrower grips were slightly stronger.
About 10 to 20 hard sets a week
Split your rows and pulls over 2 sessions. More sets grow more muscle, with diminishing returns past about 20 a week (our plans' shared notes).
Hard sets, not all-out ones
Sets of about 6 to 15 reps, stopped 1 to 3 reps short of failure, grow muscle about as well as going to failure, with light or heavy weights.
Home works
A band, a pair of dumbbells and, if you can, a pull-up bar cover every pattern; bands built strength like weights in trials.
Strength in weeks, size in months
In one small 8-week study, strength rose by 17%. Visible change takes months, and people vary a lot in how much they grow.
The back muscles
The lats
The latissimus dorsi, or lats, are the widest muscles of the back. They run from the spine, pelvis and lower ribs to the front of the upper arm, and they pull your arm down and back, or pull your body up to your hands in a chin-up. The teres major, below the shoulder blade, works with them. Our lats muscle page has the anatomy.
The traps and rhomboids
The trapezius, or traps, covers the back of the neck, the tops of the shoulders and the upper back in three parts: the upper part shrugs, the middle squeezes the shoulder blades together and the lower draws them down. The rhomboids sit under it, between your spine and shoulder blades.
The rear shoulders
The back of the deltoid pulls your arm back and out, so rows, face pulls and reverse flys train it alongside the upper back.
The muscles along your spine
The erector spinae run either side of your spine. They straighten your back and lower you under control when you bend, so hinges and back extensions train them.
What makes a back look bigger
Mostly the lats, the traps and the rear shoulders, with the muscles along your spine lower down. Your shoulders and waist shape the V too; our wider shoulders and belly fat guides cover those.
What the evidence says
Muscle activity isn't growthStrong evidence
Most back studies measure muscle activity (EMG, electromyography) during one set. That shows which muscles work, but it isn't a validated way to predict how much a muscle will grow.
Source 15
One small study of the lats growingEmerging evidence
In one small 8-week study of 18 young men new to lifting, a strength training programme raised their strength by 17%, and single muscle fibres in the lats grew. Extra protein (1.8 against 0.85 g per kg a day) made no difference.
Source 13
Pull-ups and chin-upsEmerging evidence
In 25 adults, pull-ups and chin-ups worked the lats harder than a maximal test contraction. Chin-ups used more biceps and chest, and pull-ups more of the lower traps.
Source 1
Inverted rowsEmerging evidence
In 26 adults, inverted rows worked the lats, lower traps, rear shoulders and biceps at more than 61% of their maximum. In another study, the inverted row loaded the spine least of the rows compared.
Bent-over rows load the low backEmerging evidence
The bent-over row put the most load on the low back of the rows compared, and in 15 trained men, a free-weight row worked the muscles along the spine 34% harder than a machine row.
Grip width in the pulldownEmerging evidence
Across grips from one to two shoulder widths, lat activity was similar in 15 men, and their 6-rep best was slightly higher with narrow and medium grips (about 80 kg) than wide (77 kg). In 40 trained men, 7 grips made no difference to lat activity. Palms facing away worked the lats more than palms facing you in one study. These are muscle activity studies; no trial has compared growth.
Pull to the frontEmerging evidence
A 2026 review of 23 studies found pulling the bar to the front of the chest was the most consistent factor for lat activity in the pulldown, while findings on grip width were inconsistent. The pullover worked the chest more than the lats.
Source 6
Grip in the seated rowEmerging evidence
A narrower grip, and keeping the elbows lower, went with more lat activity in the seated row. In 14 trained men, a wide grip worked the traps and the side of the shoulder more.
Squeezing hard didn't add muchEmerging evidence
Actively squeezing the shoulder blades back didn't raise middle trap or rhomboid activity in held pulls.
Source 19
The trapsEmerging evidence
In 30 adults, shrugs worked the upper traps most, and face-down raises worked the middle and lower traps most. In 12 women with neck muscle pain, a dumbbell shrug drew about as much trap activity as a maximal test contraction.
The rear shouldersEmerging evidence
Across 33 studies, pull-ups and inverted rows on suspension straps were among the exercises that worked the back of the shoulder hardest.
Source 21
Weekly setsStrong evidence
In 15 studies, each extra weekly set added a little more growth, and 10 or more sets per muscle a week did best. A 2026 analysis of 67 studies found the extra gain shrinks as sets rise.
How oftenStrong evidence
In 25 studies, training a muscle once or 3 times a week built the same muscle when the weekly sets were equal.
Source 23
Failure isn't neededStrong evidence
In 15 studies, sets stopped short of failure built almost as much muscle as sets taken to failure.
Source 9
Light or heavyStrong evidence
Light and heavy weights grew muscle alike when the sets were hard.
Bands workEmerging evidence
Across 8 studies, elastic bands built strength as well as weights and machines.
Source 11
At any ageStrong evidence
In 47 studies of adults over 50, strength on the lat pull rose by about 25%.
Source 25
How to train your back
Cover the patterns
Each week, include a vertical pull (pull-ups, chin-ups or pulldowns), a row, something for the traps and rear shoulders (shrugs, face pulls or reverse flys), and a hinge or back extension.
How many sets
About 10 to 20 hard sets of rows and pulls a week, plus a few sets for your traps and lower back (our plans' shared notes: about 10 or more sets per muscle a week, with little extra past about 20).
How often
Twice a week is a good split (our suggestion); at the same weekly sets, once or 3 times a week built muscle alike.
Source 23
Reps and effort
About 6 to 12 reps for rows and pulls and 12 to 20 for face pulls and reverse flys (our pull day workouts), and 8 to 12 for shrugs (the dumbbell shrug's own dose), stopping 1 to 3 reps short of failure.
Grip and technique
Use the grip that feels best on your shoulders, and pull to the front of your chest. Lead with your elbows and use a full range, letting your shoulder blades move with your arms; squeezing them back hard didn't add muscle activity in a study.
Progress
Add reps, then load. For pull-ups, work up a ladder: hangs, rows, band help, slow lowering, chin-ups, then pull-ups. Our first pull-up workout estimates a few weeks if you're close, and often 2 to 6 months from scratch (our editorial estimate).
At home or in the gym
At home, a band in a door anchor, a pair of dumbbells and a pull-up bar cover rows, pulls, shrugs and hinges; our back workout at home puts them together. In the gym, use pulldowns, cable rows, chest-supported rows, barbell rows and the assisted pull-up machine.
Eat enough
Follow our build muscle guide on protein and energy. In the 8-week study, extra protein above about 0.85 g per kg a day didn't add to lat growth.
Source 13
Working up to a pull-up
Doses from our pull-up progression workout; do it twice a week and move up a step when the one you're on feels solid. Our pull-up guide covers the technique.
- Hang from the bar for 20 to 30 seconds, 3 times. Leave this out after a recent shoulder dislocation.
- Scapular pull-ups: 3 sets of 8, moving only your shoulder blades.
- Inverted rows under a sturdy bar: 3 sets of 8 to 12.
- Assisted pull-ups on a machine (3 sets of 6 to 10) or with a band (2 to 4 sets of 8 to 12, the band-assisted pull-up's own dose).
- Slow negatives: 3 sets of 3 to 5, lowering for 3 to 5 seconds at first and building towards 5 to 10.
- Chin-ups, then pull-ups: 3 sets of 3 to 8.
Loading the 3D figure…
The movement on the figure: Negative pull-up
Back moves
Pick a vertical pull, a row and an upper-back move for each session, and a hinge once or twice a week; each move's guide covers the technique.
3D demoPull-upAdvanced · Pull-up bar
3D demoChin-upAdvanced · Pull-up bar
3D demoLat pulldownBeginner · A cable machine
3D demoInverted rowIntermediate · Pull-up bar
3D demoBand rowBeginner · A band + An anchor point
3D demoSupported single-arm dumbbell rowIntermediate · A dumbbell + A bench or box
3D demoChest-supported dumbbell rowBeginner · A dumbbell + A bench or box
3D demoSeated cable rowBeginner · A cable machine
3D demoBent-over barbell rowAdvanced · A barbell
3D demoFace pullIntermediate · A band
3D demoBent-over reverse flyIntermediate · A dumbbell
3D demoDumbbell shrugBeginner · A dumbbell
3D demoBack extension on a 45-degree benchIntermediate · A bench or box
3D demoDumbbell Romanian deadliftIntermediate · A dumbbellWorkouts to follow
The back workout at home needs a band and dumbbells, plus a pull-up bar if you have one; the others are for the gym, or build towards your first pull-up.
Back workout at home: dumbbells, a band and an optional bar
A back workout at home with dumbbells and a band: pull-ups or band-assisted pulls, two rows, face pulls, reverse flys, shrugs and Romanian deadlifts.
40 minIntermediate14 movesA band, Pull-up barBack workout (gym)
A gym back workout: lat pulldowns, cable rows, dumbbell rows, face pulls, back extensions and shrugs.
45 minBeginner8 movesPull-up bar, A bandPull day workout
A pull day workout for back and biceps: pull-ups, barbell rows, chest-supported rows, face pulls and curls, with sets, reps and rest.
55 minIntermediate10 movesPull-up bar, A barbellPull day workout B
Pull day B: cable rows, lat pulldowns, one-arm dumbbell rows, reverse flyes, incline curls and back extensions, with sets, reps and rest.
50 minIntermediate10 movesPull-up bar, A cable machine
Pull-up progression workout
Work up to your first pull-up: dead hangs, scapular pulls, rows, negatives and assisted pull-ups.
25 minBeginner7 movesPull-up bar, A stepFirst pull-up workout
Train for your first pull-up: hangs, shoulder-blade pulls, rows, band- or machine-assisted pull-ups, slow negatives and grip work in one session.
30 minBeginner8 movesPull-up bar, A step
Dumbbell upper body workout B
Dumbbell upper body workout B: incline presses, chest-supported rows, seated presses, lateral raises, reverse flyes, hammer curls and skull crushers.
45 minIntermediate11 movesA dumbbell, A bench or boxPlans
Splits with a pull day, and full-body plans with home options.
6 days a week
Push pull legs split (6 days a week)
A 6-day push/pull/legs plan for experienced lifters: two push, two pull and two leg days, with sets, reps, rest and lighter weeks.
6 training days55 minAdvanced5 days a week5-day workout split
A 5-day gym split that trains every muscle twice a week: upper, lower, push, pull and legs, with an honest look at the bro split.
5 training days50 minIntermediate4 days a week4-day upper/lower workout split
A 4-day upper/lower split: two upper body and two lower body gym days, each muscle trained twice a week, with sets, reps and progression.
4 training days50 minIntermediate3 days a weekCalisthenics workout plan for beginners
A 12-week calisthenics plan for beginners: three bodyweight sessions a week with push-up, pull-up, squat and dip ladders, and a bar if you have one.
3 training days40 minBeginner4 days a weekDumbbell workout plan: 4-day upper/lower split
A 4-day dumbbell-only plan for home or gym: two upper and two lower days, every set, rep and rest, and how to keep progressing when the dumbbells max out.
4 training days45 minBeginner3 days a weekResistance band workout plan: 3 full-body sessions a week, at home or away
An 8-week resistance band workout plan: three full-body sessions a week at home or away, with how to choose bands, add tension and anchor them safely.
3 training days35 minBeginnerHow long it takes
Weeks
Strength comes first: it rose by 17% in 8 weeks in one small study of the lats. Upper-body muscles grew sooner than leg muscles in a 12-week trial, and growth showed on scans from about weeks 3 to 4 in another.
Months
Visible change takes months, and people vary a lot: after the same 12 weeks of arm training, some barely changed and others grew a great deal. Track your weights and reps rather than the mirror.
Source 14
At any age
Adults over 50 gained about 25% in lat pull strength in trials.
Source 25
Warning signs: when to get help
Call 999 (911 in the US)
For back pain with numbness, tingling or weakness in both legs, loss of feeling around your genitals or bottom, or changes in bladder or bowel control; or for chest pain that comes on suddenly and doesn't go away, or spreads to your arms, neck, jaw, stomach or back.
Same day: a pop at the front of the armpit
A pop or tearing at the front of the armpit or chest during a heavy pull or press, followed by bruising or a change in shape, can be a torn chest tendon. Get help the same day from NHS 111 or an urgent treatment centre, as our pec strain guide explains.
Get help the same day (GP or NHS 111)
For back pain that's severe or getting worse quickly, or comes with feeling hot, cold and shivery; or for sudden or very bad shoulder pain, an arm you can't move, a shoulder that's changed shape or is badly swollen, or pins and needles that don't go away. In the US, contact your doctor or urgent care.
See a GP
If back pain isn't improving after a few weeks or stops you doing your daily activities, or if shoulder pain isn't improving after 2 weeks. Our guides on back pain after deadlifts and elbow pain from pull-ups cover training pain.
Very sore after slow negatives
New pull-up sets, especially slow negatives, can leave you very sore. Muscle pain far worse than the session explains, with dark, red or cola-coloured urine, needs medical help the same day, as our rhabdomyolysis guide explains.
Osteoporosis or a past spinal fracture
Keep your back long in rows and hinges and avoid rounding under load, as the UK consensus advises; our osteoporosis guide covers which moves to change.
Source 31
Myths
"A wide grip builds a wider back"Emerging evidence
In muscle activity studies, the lats worked about the same across grip widths, and narrower grips were slightly stronger. No trial has compared how much the lats grow with different grips, and muscle activity doesn't predict growth.
"Rows build thickness, pull-ups build width"Mixed evidence
No growth trial has tested this. Muscle activity studies show that rows and pulls both work the lats, and that grip and elbow position shift the emphasis within each.
"Squeeze your shoulder blades as hard as you can"Emerging evidence
Actively squeezing didn't raise middle trap or rhomboid activity in one study. Let your shoulder blades move with your arms.
Source 19
"Behind-the-neck pulldowns hit the lats better"Emerging evidence
Pulling to the front was the most consistent factor for lat activity across 23 studies.
Source 6
"Shrugs train all of your traps"Emerging evidence
Shrugs work the upper part hardest. The middle and lower parts need rows, face pulls and face-down raises.
"You need a gym for a big back"Emerging evidence
Inverted rows worked the lats and upper back hard with little load on the spine, and bands built strength like weights in trials.
"You must deadlift to build your back"Mixed evidence
No trial shows it. Deadlifts and unsupported rows work the muscles along the spine harder, but rows, pulls and back extensions also train your back.
Source 16
Read next
- Latissimus dorsi (lats)
- Trapezius (traps)
- Rhomboids
- Erector spinae
- Teres major
- How to do a pull-up
- How to do a lat pulldown
- How to do a seated cable row
- How to do bent-over rows
- How to do face pulls
- How to deadlift
- How to get wider shoulders
- How to build muscle
- Arnold split workout plan
- Chest and back workout
- Back pain after deadlifts
- Elbow pain from pull-ups
- Back exercises
- All training guides
Questions people ask
What's the best exercise for a bigger back?
There isn't one: pull-ups or pulldowns for the lats, rows for the lats and middle back, shrugs for the upper traps, and face pulls or reverse flys for the rear shoulders cover it. Do 2 or 3 of these each session.
How do I get a wider back?
Build your lats with pull-ups, pulldowns and rows. Grip width matters less than people think: lat activity was similar with wide and narrow grips. A V shape also depends on your shoulders and waist.
How do I get a thicker back?
Rows, shrugs and hinges such as Romanian deadlifts work the middle back, traps and the muscles along your spine. No trial has shown that rows build thickness and pull-ups width; both train the lats.
How many sets should I do for my back each week?
About 10 to 20 hard sets of rows and pulls a week suits most people, plus a few sets for your traps and lower back. More sets help, but the extra gain shrinks.
How often should I train my back?
Twice a week is a good split. At the same number of weekly sets, once or three times a week built muscle alike, so choose what fits your week.
Can I build a bigger back at home?
Yes. A band, a pair of dumbbells and ideally a pull-up bar cover rows, pulls, shrugs and hinges, and bands built strength like weights in trials. Our back workout at home puts it together.
Does grip width matter on lat pulldowns and rows?
Not much for the lats: narrow, medium and wide grips gave similar lat activity, and narrower grips were slightly stronger. In seated rows, a narrower grip with the elbows lower leaned more on the lats, and a wider grip more on the traps and the side of the shoulders.
How long does it take to build a bigger back?
Strength comes within weeks: it rose by 17% in 8 weeks in one small study of the lats. Visible change takes months, and people vary a lot.
How do I get bigger traps?
Shrugs work the upper traps hardest; rows, face pulls and face-down Y raises work the middle and lower parts. Use 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 shrugs with a pause at the top, plus your rows.
Do I need to deadlift for a big back?
No. Deadlifts and unsupported rows work the muscles along your spine hard, but rows, pulls and back extensions also train your back. If you deadlift, learn it well and progress slowly.
I can't do a pull-up yet. How do I train my back?
Use rows, pulldowns or band-assisted pull-ups, and practise hangs and slow lowering from the top. Our pull-up progression takes you there step by step.
Should my back hurt after a back workout?
Some muscle soreness after new exercises is normal, as our muscle soreness guide explains. Sharp pain, pain spreading down a leg, numbness or weakness is not: stop, and see a GP, or call 999 for the urgent signs.
Sources
- Youdas 2010 · Muscle activity in pull-ups and chin-ups in 25 adults (EMG study, JSCR)
- Fenwick 2009 · Trunk muscle activity and spine load in different rows (EMG study, JSCR)
- Ekstrom 2003 · Trapezius activity in ten exercises in 30 adults (EMG study, JOSPT)
- Andersen 2014 · Grip width, strength and muscle activity in the lat pulldown in 15 men (EMG study, JSCR)
- Buonsenso 2025 · Seven lat pulldown grips in 40 trained men (EMG study, J Funct Morphol Kinesiol)
- Di Fonza 2026 · Latissimus dorsi activity across common exercises: 23 studies (narrative review, J Funct Morphol Kinesiol)
- Schoenfeld 2017 · Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and muscle growth (meta-analysis, J Sports Sci)
- Pelland 2026 · Weekly sets, sessions a week, muscle growth and strength: 67 studies (meta-regression, Sports Med)
- Refalo 2023 · Training to failure or stopping short, and muscle growth: 15 studies (meta-analysis, Sports Med)
- Lopez 2021 · Training load, muscle growth and strength gain: 28 studies (network meta-analysis, MSSE)
- Lopes 2019 · Elastic bands against weights and machines for strength: 8 studies (meta-analysis, SAGE Open Med)
- Youdas 2016 · Muscle activity in the inverted row in 26 adults (EMG study, JSCR)
- Paoli 2016 · Eight weeks of training, with or without extra protein, and the latissimus dorsi in 18 young men (randomised trial, Nutrients)
- Hubal 2005 · How differently 585 people responded to 12 weeks of arm training (trial, MSSE)
- Vigotsky 2022 · Why muscle activity during a set doesn't predict muscle growth (review, Sports Med)
- Saeterbakken 2015 · Trunk muscle activity in free-weight and machine rows in 15 trained men (EMG study, Int J Sports Med)
- Lusk 2010 · Grip width and forearm position in the lat pulldown in 12 men (EMG study, JSCR)
- Padovan 2026 · Narrow and wide grips in the seated row in 14 trained men (EMG study, J Hum Kinet)
- Lehman 2004 · Back muscle activity in common lat exercises (EMG study, Dyn Med)
- Andersen 2008 · Muscle activity in five neck and shoulder exercises in 12 women (EMG study, Phys Ther)
- Rabello 2024 · Deltoid activity in common strengthening exercises: 33 studies (systematic review, J Bodyw Mov Ther)
- Currier 2026 · Resistance training for strength, muscle and performance in healthy adults: 137 reviews (ACSM position stand, MSSE)
- Schoenfeld 2019 · How many times a week to train a muscle for growth: 25 studies (meta-analysis, J Sports Sci)
- Schoenfeld 2017 · Light against heavy loads for strength and muscle: 21 studies (meta-analysis, JSCR)
- Peterson 2010 · Resistance exercise for strength in adults over 50: 47 studies (meta-analysis, Ageing Res Rev)
- Abe 2000 · Strength and muscle thickness over 12 weeks of training in 37 men and women (randomised trial, Eur J Appl Physiol)
- DeFreitas 2011 · When muscle growth starts: 25 men over 8 weeks (trial, Eur J Appl Physiol)
- NHS · Back pain
- NHS · Chest pain (past its review date: reviewed August 2023, review due August 2026)
- NHS · Shoulder pain (past its review date: reviewed May 2023, review due May 2026)
- Brooke-Wavell 2022 · Strong, steady and straight: exercise for osteoporosis (UK consensus statement, Br J Sports Med)
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. Check with a GP before starting hard training if you have a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness or breathlessness when active, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.