The amount of twisting, bending, flexing, rotationg and even sitting we do every day puts stress on our back. Kepping your back strong not only improves your quality of life and helps you avoid surgery but also completes your bodybuilding package. Nothing puts the whole picture together like a well-defined, thick back. The question now becomes — what can you do to get that thick back? Here are a few suggestions from around the internet:
David Barr, CSCS, of Muscle & Fitness, suggests these four exercises in his "Get Yoked" workout:
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Deadlifts | 4 | 6, 8, 10, 10 |
| Horizontal Shrug | 4 |
8, 10, 10, 12 |
| Incline Front Raises (1 1/2 reps) | 4 | 10 |
| Cable Rear Delt. Flyes | 4 | 10 (with ext rotation) |
The key with the "Get Yoked" workout is, of course, working your trapezius muscles, rear delts and rhomboids. Get Yoked is a simple workout that can achieve great results.
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Our next routine comes from Bobby Ashhurst of Bodybuilding.com who has a "perfect back thickening workout". Before jumping into the specifics Ashhurts details the importance of a strong, dense back for body-builders:
Physique and bodybuilding shows are often won and lost from behind. Although judges at men's physique shows aren't supposed to take our back into consideration in scoring, I credit mine for helping me to stand out against competitors who outweighed me by 20-40 pounds.
Surprisingly, Ashurst repeats only one of Barr's exercises (Deadlifts) so it's interesting to note the differing views as far as adding mass to your back.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Warm-Up (Pull-ups) | – | 100 |
| Deadlift | 5 | 5 |
| Pendlay Row | 3-4 | 6-8 |
| Dumbbell Row | 3-4 | 6-8 |
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Our last routine comes from TheRippedAthlete.com "The 4 Best Exercises for Adding Size and Thickness to Your Back" and again we see a heavy variance in recommended exercises. The one constant, however, is the deadlift.
The deadlift is perhaps the best multipurpose exercise you can do to increase muscle mass on a large list of muscles. It works almost every muscle, most notably the back, lower back and legs. It's a constant in these back workouts for a reason.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Deadlift | 3 | 6-8 |
| Bent-Over Row | 3 | 8-10 |
| T-Bar Row | 3 | 8-10 |
| One-Arm Dumbbell Row | 3 | 10-12 |
| Cable Row | 3 | 12-15 |
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There you have it, three different workouts and concepts for achieving the a more dense back. Try them all and see what works best for you or develop your own workout, either way don't get lazy on your back! It's an important part of the puzzle.
Of course you're going to need the tools to do all these workouts. Check out these great Body-Solid products that can help you achieve that perfect back:
OTB50 – Olympic Shrug Bar
(Shoulder Press, Shoulder Shrug)
http://www.bodysolid.com/Home/OTB50/Olympic_Shrug_Bar
GCA2 – Lat Pull-Up / Chin-Up Station
(Wide Grip Front Lat Pullup, Close Grip Front Lat Pullup)
http://www.bodysolid.com/Home/GCA2/Lat_Pull-Up___Chin-Up_Station
SDRS – Rubber Coated Hex Dumbbell Sets
(Dumbbell Row)
http://www.bodysolid.com/Home/SDRS/Rubber_Coated_Hex_Dumbbell_Sets
BFMG20 – Best Fitness Sportsman Gym 20
(Bent-over Row)
http://www.bodysolid.com/Home/BFMG20/Best_Fitness_Sportsman_Gym_20/Features
