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The 12-Week Best Back Workout Routines
If you’re looking for the best back workout routines to build a thick and cut back, read on. Men and women alike are attracted to those of the opposite sex who have a nice, defined back. It’s fun to go to the beach and, while people-watching, see a guy or girl who has worked very hard to sculpt a cut and “V” shaped back. With men especially, this area tends to get somewhat neglected because of the amount of time spent focusing on the chest and arms. Building a healthy and aesthetically pleasing back is not rocket science; it just takes regular effort.
There are many advantages to building solid and powerful back, such as:
- Injury reduction and postural improvement
- Increasing shoulder stabilization, which is particularly important when performing heavier lifts
- Elevating metabolic rate due to working large muscles
- Creating an even stronger balance and symmetry between the chest and back
- Indirectly targeting the arm muscles used for the pulling motions which come with back workout routines
The mistake many people make with back workout is that they focus on performing high-rep low weight isolation movements using variable resistance machines. The stimulus necessary for back muscle growth and development will come from performing multi-joint movements with heavy weights at a low rep range. The more this method of training is emphasized, the more an individual will gain mass.
The target goals for building your powerhouse back are developing:
- large and proportional trapezius muscles
- wide, thick latissimus dorsi muscles that create the V taper
- rhomboids that are thick enough to show a deep groove when flexed
- clearly separated teres and infraspinatus muscles
Back Workout Training Plan:
Week | Day | Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| 1-3 | 1 | Barbell Deadlift | 3 | 7 |
| 1 | Front Squat | 3 | 7 | |
| 1 | Wide Grip Chin-Up with Weight | 3 | 7 | |
| 1 | Decline Bench Dumbbell Pullover | 3 | 7 | |
| 1 | Hang Clean | 3 | 7 | |
| 1 | Standing T-Bar Row | 3 | 7 | |
| 1 | Incline Dumbbell Row | 3 | 7 | |
| 1 | Back Extension | 3 | 7 | |
| 4-6 | 1 | Romanian Deadlift | 3 | 6 |
| 1 | Bent Over Barbell Row | 3 | 6 | |
| 1 | Single Arm Dumbbell Row | 3 | 6 | |
| 1 | Back Extension | 3 | 6 | |
| 2 | Front Squat | 3 | 6 | |
| 2 | Inverted Row | 3 | 6 | |
| 2 | Wide Grip Pull-up with Weight | 3 | 6 | |
| 2 | Standing T-Bar Row | 3 | 6 | |
| 7-9 | 1 | Hang Clean | 3 | 5 |
| 1 | Bent Over Barbell Deadlift | 3 | 5 | |
| 1 | Wide Grip Pull-up with Weight | 3 | 5 | |
| 1 | Incline Dumbbell Row | 3 | 5 | |
| 2 | Romanian Deadlift | 3 | 5 | |
| 2 | Standing T-Bar Row | 3 | 5 | |
| 2 | Single Arm Dumbbell Row | 3 | 5 | |
| 2 | Back Extension | 3 | 5 | |
| 10-12 | 1 | Front Squat | 4 | 4 |
| 1 | Barbell Deadlift | 4 | 4 | |
| 1 | Wide Grip Chin-up with Weight | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 | Back Extension | 3 | 4 | |
| 2 | Hang Clean | 4 | 4 | |
| 2 | Bent Over Barbell Row | 4 | 4 | |
| 2 | Incline Dumbbell Row | 3 | 4 | |
| 2 | Decline Bench Dumbbell Pullover | 3 | 4 |
Here are a few other training considerations that apply to this and all other training programs:
- Spotters: Consider using a spotter with heavier lifts so you can work to full muscular failure.
- Hydration: Drink ½ ounce per pound of body weight per day to ensure optimal metabolism. Stick with water and coffee or tea as often as possible.
- Nutrition: Keep your food intake as “clean” as possible by eliminating processed packaged and canned foods. Maintain adequate protein, healthy fats, and good carbohydrate intake to best stimulate muscle growth.
- Rest between sets: As you increase your weight and decrease your reps, increase your rest time between sets to reduce injury risk.
- Sleep and recovery: Establish and maintain a consistent cycle of 7 to 9 hours of quality sleep each night. Give each muscle group at least 48 hours of rest between training sessions to allow for adequate recovery and growth.
- Stress: Allow yourself time and space to unwind and do things you enjoy on a regular basis, as this will help manage your stress. Frequent or constant psychological stress releases cortisol into the bloodstream, which interferes with immune system function, fat metabolism, and the body’s ability to build muscle.
There are a plethora of exercises you can perform that will build back muscle strength and size, to varying degrees. However, this specific mass building plan focuses primarily on free weight use because they allow for a greater range of motion and more efficient calorie-burning effects due to the activation of stabilizing muscles, including the abdominals. The sets and reps for each three-week cycle are adjustable, so you can move them up or down based on your goals. This back workout training plan will test you and will produce results if used consistently.
