Bodyweight Back Workout: How To Build A Thick And Wide Back

A bodyweight back workout can be a great alternative to free weights and machines.

While that may seem like a bold statement, hear us out.

One of the staples of bodyweight fitness is the pull-up.

Coincidentally, this exercise is also regarded as the king of all pulling movements.

If you’ve seen a calisthenics athlete, you might have noticed that they have a wide, muscular back.

And a V-taper. Let’s not forget the V-taper.

If you want similar results, we highly recommend you to consider the routine presented below.

You will be able to find a workout that suits your needs, regardless of your current fitness level.

For the beginner routine, we’ll assume that you are able to do a few pull-ups.

Truth be said, these routines are not suitable for total beginners.

Onward.

As the routine progresses, you will see changes happening in the following areas:

For the intermediate and advanced stages, we’ll offer the possibility to choose a workout based on your own body weight or weight based.

You can increase the weight by using a weighted vest, or a weights belt and plates.

Lastly, before starting, do not forget to warm up properly. 

Beginner

If you are a beginner this routine should be ideal for you.

Even if you are unable to complete it in your first try, you have something to strive towards.

We recommend you to stick to this routine until you reach the 12 repetitions mark.

How to progress:

To reach the intermediate level we recommend you to change the first exercise in the routine with the following progressions, one by one.

You should only make the change when you can do 12 proper repetitions of the given progression.

Intermediate

Once you reach the intermediate level, we can play around with progressions and/or added weight.

This is what a progression-focused routine would look like:

This is what a weighted routine would look like:

At this point, you should already know what exercises should be part of your routine and how much you should rest.

There is a huge gap to bridge between the intermediate and the advanced level.

You should start working towards achieving a front lever and the one arm pull-up (OAP), or one arm chin-up (OAC).

Advanced

This is what a progression-focused routine would look like:

This is what a weighted routine would look like:

However, if you haven’t reached it yet you have something to strive for.

This level of strength requires a lot of work, consistency, and dedication.

Some people may not be willing to dedicate that much time to training and that is just fine.

It all comes down to priorities and goals.

The more you know about the muscles of the human body, the more knowledge you can apply to your training.

Hence, in this section of the article, we’ll have a glimpse on the musculature of the back.

Knowing this information can help you better understand the movement patterns of the exercises.

Having general knowledge of this can help you spot out any imbalances or better target certain areas of your back.

The following muscles can be found in the back:

The function of the back muscles is to protect your spine, support the movement of your upper body and help you stand up straight.

Not having strong enough back muscles can lead to issues ranging from poor posture to pain, discomfort and increased chance of injury.

Latissimus dorsi

Also known as wings, the latissimus dorsi is the widest muscle in the entire body and the biggest back muscle.

The lats are responsible for the V-taper look...

As opposed to public opinion that broader shoulders give that look.

This is the muscle most abused by bodybuilders in their back training day.

However, not everyone does a great job in targeting it.

The most common mistake is doing extra wide pull-ups, which takes away from the potential range of motion.

There are lots of great exercises to target this muscle group.

However, the pull-up is the most effective of them all.

The function of the lats is to connect the spine to the upper arm while supporting the stability and strength of the trunk.

It also helps with shoulder adduction, medial rotation, and extension.

Trapezius

The trapezius is the trapezoid, flat muscle of the shoulder girdle.

This muscle extends from the back of the skull down the thoracic spine.

The superior fibers help with scapula elevation (shrugging), lateral upward rotation of the scapula, lateral flexion and rotation of the head, and neck extension.

The middle fibers help with scapula adduction.

Lastly, the inferior fibers depress and laterally rotate the scapula upward.

Rowing exercises, like front lever and inverted rows are excellent for targeting the middle and lower trapezius.

For the upper fibers we recommend any progression of the handstand push-up, squeezing as hard as you can at the top.

Erector spinae

The erector spinae is a muscle group consisting of three muscles that help straighten, flex, and extend our back.

The three muscles are:

There are multiple exercises that target the spinal erectors (erector spinae), out of which the most popular are:

Both the pull-up and the hyperextensions are part of the bodyweight back workout plan presented above.

Even though the erector spinae is not directly trained by any exercise, it is a very important stabilizer muscle that supports your body throughout any type of movement.

Rhomboid

The rhomboid has the role of holding the scapula close to the thoracic wall.

It connects the scapula to the vertebrae and is found underneath the trapezius.

This muscle is divided into two distinct fibers:

The rhomboid minor has its origin in the C7 and T1 vertebrae and inserts into the scapula.

C stands for “cervical” - neck area.

T stands for "thoracic".

The rhomboid major has its origin in the T2, T3, T4, and T5 vertebrae and inserts into the scapula.

The rhomboid has the role of retracting the scapula by pulling it towards the spine.

Additionally, it helps with scapula elevation, and rotates the scapula downwards.

This muscle group has a critical role in the proper function of the scapula.

Teres major

The teres major is a thick muscle of the shoulder girdle.

It has a close relationship with the latissimus dorsi, running parallel to the fibers of that muscle.

The teres major originates in the scapula and inserts into the back of the humerus.

This muscle helps with inward rotation, adduction, and retroversion (pulling behind) of the humerus.

The best exercises for this muscles are the lat pulldowns and bodyweight counterparts that mimic the same movement pattern - scap pulldown or front lever.

The biggest takeaway from this article is the importance of keeping balance through all the back muscles.

Almost all upper body movement goes through the shoulder,  so we have to assure that there is no imbalance between the muscles of our back, chest or shoulders.

Only with such a measure of caution can we expect longevity in our training.

As for the bodyweight back workout presented above, it was made in such a way that the integrity of your shoulders was taken care of.

Now that you have the routine and the necessary information to back it up, it’s time to start working out.

Over to you.