• Vehicles • Fashion • Recipes • Blogs • Hunt • Travels • Sport • Fun • Handmade • IT • Education
Mini-Games
x

x
zakruti.com » Sport, fitness, workout » Jeremy Ethier
The ONLY 2 Exercises That Built My Upper Back

The ONLY 2 Exercises That Built My Upper Back

FBTwitterReddit

video description

Rating: 4.0; Vote: 1
Try 2 weeks free of a personalized fitness program built for your body: Did you know there are 6 key muscles responsible for back thickness But each one has a unique function that most people’s back workouts overlook. I know because after years of doing the best back thickness exercises in my back training, my back still looked flat. But once I learned how to properly target these muscles, my back thickness and definition completely transformed. It even improved my posture. Today, I’ll break down the only 2 exercises you need in your back thickness workout plus an underrated technique that can help you build the kind of back most guys never achieve. Click below to subscribe for more videos: The first of our thick back exercises will focus on the mid and lower traps, rhomboids, and teres muscles. Usually, people will use a wide-grip barbell or Pendlay rows. While these can build an impressive back, they demand a lot from your lower back for stability. Plus, if you’ve got a longer torso like me, the increased lever makes the movement more fatiguing, especially as you get stronger. Nowadays, I’ve seen better results by training my lower back separately and isolating my mid and upper back with a stabilized low-to-high row. There are 2 things you need to get right for back thickness. First is the arm path. The sweet spot for this thick back exercise is right around 45 degrees. Next, you want to set up your pulling angle. And to hit more of the upper back muscles, you’ll want a row that goes from low to high. If you’re using a fixed pulley like me, you can replicate this by bracing your core and then leaning back slightly. You can see now how the pulling angle is as if the cable were set lower. However, you don’t want to lean back too far as this will start hitting the muscles we’ll use in the second of our thick back exercises. Once you get the angle right, lock your torso and don’t let it move. One mistake you need to fix in your back training The arm pulling mistake. You can tell if you’re an arm puller when you row if your arms move but your shoulders stay in the same position or end up rolling forward. To fix this, understand that the main role of the muscles we’re trying to hit in these thick back exercises is retraction. So, to get them to do that when you row, let them open up fully at the start of each rep. Then, start the rep by thinking about pulling back and out with your elbows, and then keep pulling back as far as you can. A cue that might also help is think about opening and pulling your chest toward the bar, as if you were doing an inverted row. Don’t have cables First, set an incline bench to about 30 degrees, usually 2 to 3 notches up from the bottom. Lay your chest on it and hang your arms down. From here, pull your elbows back in that arrow shape I mentioned earlier. Have longer arms or find this awkward with your elbows against the bench You can do a single-arm version by bending over with a side stance and supporting one hand on an incline bench. Just keep your body angled up slightly to replicate that low-to-high pulling motion, then simply pull your elbow back while keeping it angled out. But although this first move is great for building thickness in your mid-back, we need a second exercise in our back workout to make sure your upper back muscles don’t get left behind. The upper fibers of the traps lift the shoulder blade in what’s called elevation. So we still want to do a row, but one that involves more of an upward shrug motion. Now, you can simply perform the cable row from Exercise 1, but with a steeper lean back. A better option, though, is to use the same bench and dumbbell setup from earlier, but this time, use a higher angle. Around 60 degrees, which is usually 2 to 3 notches down from the top position. While standing, set your chest on the bench, then pull your elbows backbut this time, keep them flared out wider than we did in Exercise 1. It’s not quite an upright row; it’s essentially a very low-to-high row with the elbows going up and back. Think about rowing back while shrugging your shoulders up. But even with these 2 thick back exercises in your back thickness workout, your back won’t grow as fast as it could without this bonus technique. For the first of our 2 thick back exercises, after you can’t do any more full reps, take your back to true failure by keeping your arms straight and focusing on simply opening up your shoulder blades, then using your mid-back muscles to squeeze them together. You should be able to bang out at least 4 or 5 reps like this. For the second of our thick back exercises, do the same thing, but this time focus more on shrugging the weight up using your upper traps. I personally do this after every set, but start by trying it on your last set or doing a 4th set where you focus solely on this motion, and consider ramping it up from there.
Date: 2025-06-25

Comments and reviews: 20


I think the problem of rowing using your arms instead of your back is very much overemphasized. If we ignore cases where technique really breaks down (eg. rolling shoulders forward and letting the chest cave in) we can say that as long as the elbows are moving backwards the back's doing work. Where the emphasis of that work lies can be changed with technique tweaks but it certainly isn't the bicep that's pulling the elbow back.
Besides, as you progress in rowing movements this becomes even less of an issue because any meaningful advancement will be thanks to the stronger back muscles instead of the relatively weak biceps.
reply

I mean good exercises but t bar rows are rhe best for thickness and density along the erector track you just need to hold it with a close grip. Front squats help a lot too but heavy. Pedley rows but explosive with protraction. The stretch and protractiom of the shoulder is important in bavk training. Still love single arm dumbell rows too heavy. Other than that do fat blob gorilla rows they are amazing for the back. Incline seal rows too.
reply

I never had money growing upjust constant stress about bills, arguments, and being told we can't afford it. Honestly, I thought something was wrong with me, until I stumbled across Nixorus books. The moment I started reading, I felt this anger riserealizing I'd spent my entire life kept clueless about money on purpose. It literally felt like discovering a secret I wasn't meant to know. I'm still shocked no one's banned this yet.
reply

A tip that often gets neglected, which I've been preaching to my athletes for years when trying to target the upper traps, is to direct your chin towards your upper chest. Your upper traps insert at the C7 vertebra (near the base of your head. This means you can achieve a fuller range of motion (since your neck and head won't be in the way) and also get a lengthened bias by tilting your head forward.
reply

Man, I thought I knew the rules: work hard, hustle, save every cent. But I always felt stuck. Then someone casually mentioned Nixorus books in a comment somewhere, and I swearit felt like accidentally stumbling onto forbidden knowledge. It made me question every single thing I'd been taught about money, wealth, and success. Not gonna lie, I felt like I was cheating the system just by reading it.
reply

Thank you so much Jeremy! I’ve been following you since I was 15 years old and today I’m 24. You have been a great adviser for my gym journey and helped a lot. I appreciate your content and tips but specially the videos are free! Keep it up and a lot of us would agree.
I would be glad if you make for legs, glutes and calves!
reply

Kept bumping into comments about Nixorus books, everyone saying they're dangerously honest and almost banned-level info. Eventually, I caved and checked it out. They're rightthis stuff hits different. It's weirdly addictive, probably because it feels like knowledge you're not supposed to find.
reply

I kept scrolling past people swearing by Nixorus bookssaying it's stuff they don't want us seeing. I got skeptical but still tried. I'm actually annoyed I didn't read it sooner. These books literally made me rethink everything about money. Seriously worth the hype.
reply

This is a little off topic here but do you have any meal plans or recommendations for someone who does construction and doesn’t exactly have access to a microwave or something to make fresh meals with. Something to prep in the morning and take with to work
reply

love the attention to detail What also helped me limit biceps activation during back exercises is not to wrap the thumb around the handle while using an overhand grip. If this makes gripstrength a likiting factor I can only reccomend (versa)grips.
reply

At some point we need to just do the best we can, right. If I try to target every back muscle; every chest muscle, every glute muscle, I’ll be doing thirty sets per workout cuz there’s always something that works one specific muscle best
reply

Something I've been doing lately is when I can no longer fully pull a row. I leave my arms straight and just contract my back muscles and it has been a game changer
Edit: oh damn you mentioned that at the end
reply

I’m really lucky when it comes to back and traps. Very genetically gifted there. I just have to think about working it out and it grows lol. I have terrible shoulder, legs and tricep genetics though. Which is a shame
reply

A phrase that I heard from John Meadows, The Mountain Dog.
Chest and back are all in the elbows.
Move with your elbows. In your minds eye focus on moving your elbows, not your hands, and squeeze at the end.
reply

If your a tall person (6ft 4in) whats the best way to do the second exercise My chest sits over the top of the bench by like 20 cm so I can't really rest it and cos I'm 103kg I tend to push the bench forward.
reply

I do these exercises
And trust me
For Back you only need 3 exercises
Lat pull down/ pull ups
Wide grip pullover ( straight position also work )
V bar
That's all
Reach failure
reply

With your form, it looks like you need more shoulder exercises to get the full wide back. Because it looks like that is what is lacking in keeping your back from looking as wide as it can.
reply

How is the seated cable row more stable than a standing barbell row In both cases only your feet touch the ground and you have to resist the weight pulling you down with your lower back
reply

Please start doing videos for people that trains at home. Not everyone can live in a gym, but barbels and dumbells can be purchased easily in every home
Nvm you did, thank you so much
reply

The focus on correct technique is phenomenal. I saw much faster gains when I stopped ego lifting and focused on technique and muscle stretch. And I avoided injury much easier
reply
Add a review, comment






Other channel videos

12:53
What Happens After Taking Steroids For 30 Days (CONTROVERSIAL)
8:2
How to Get WIDER Biceps (Actually Works)
9:43
Targeting Belly Fat Is POSSIBLE! (New Study)
10:49
How to Build Muscle WITHOUT Bulking (NEW RESEARCH)
8:43
The ONLY 4 Ways to Build Muscle Faster
13:29
The #1 Diet to Lose Fat (FOR GOOD)
9:11
The #1 Workout That BLEW UP My Butt (3 Exercises)
23:27
How to Hack Muscle Growth in 2024 (NEW RESEARCH)
8:57
How to ACTUALLY Get Lean in 2024 (3 Simple Steps)
8:15
How to Unf ck Your Bench Press (5 Fixes)