Lat and Upper Back Workout
Two different back sessions a week for eight weeks, one led by vertical pulling for width and one by heavy rowing for thickness.
Program Overview
Back training splits neatly into two jobs. Vertical pulling, meaning pull ups and pulldowns, builds the lats and the width that gives you a V taper. Horizontal pulling, meaning rows, builds the mid back thickness you see from the side. Most people do one and neglect the other. Rather than repeating one long session twice, this program splits the week: Back A leads with vertical pulling for width, Back B leads with heavy horizontal rowing for thickness, and each finishes with the rear delt or trap work almost everyone skips. Around ten to twelve hard sets a session, so both days stay inside forty minutes. Every exercise includes a form video where one is available.
To train back alongside arms, our back and biceps workout is the pairing most people prefer. For a full pulling day inside a split, see our pull day workout.
Who Is This For?
This workout suits you if:
- You want both back width and thickness rather than just one
- Your posture could use the rear delt and trap work
- You have access to a pull up bar, a barbell, and a cable stack
- You have a few months of training experience
Slot this into a complete week. Browse our muscle building programs to build around it.
Weekly Schedule
Phase 1: Learn to Pull With Your Back (Weeks 1-4)
The hardest part of back training is feeling the back rather than the arms. Before every pull, think about driving your elbow down and back rather than pulling with your hand. Let the shoulder blade travel forward at the start of each rep and pull it back hard at the end. Back A opens with assisted chin ups so you own the full range before you take on bodyweight, and Back B opens with the barbell row while you are freshest.
Lead with the elbow, not the hand. If you only feel your biceps, slow the rep down and lighten the load.
With a band or machine assisting, pull yourself up with an underhand grip.
Pull the handle to your midsection, keeping the torso upright.
Hinged forward, raise the dumbbells out to your sides with a soft elbow bend.
Hinge forward and row the bar to your lower ribs, then lower under control.
Pull the bar down to your upper chest by driving the elbows down and back.
Hold the bar at arm's length and shrug your shoulders straight up toward your ears.
Twenty to thirty minutes of easy walking, outdoors if you can manage it.
Five to ten minutes on hips, ankles, and the upper back.
Phase 2: Add Load and Range (Weeks 5-8)
Bodyweight pull ups replace the assisted version on Back A, and the Pendlay row takes over Back B, resetting on the floor every rep so each pull starts from a dead stop with no bounce. The single arm cable row lets you rotate through a longer range than any two handed version allows.
If you cannot manage six clean pull ups, stay on the assisted version. Half reps at bodyweight are worth less than full reps with assistance.
Hang from the bar with an overhand grip and pull your chin above the bar.
Row a single handle to your side, allowing a longer range through the torso.
Hinged forward with cables crossed, open the arms wide against the resistance.
Hold a band at shoulder height and pull it apart until your arms are wide.
Row explosively from a dead stop on the floor with your torso parallel to the ground.
Pull the bar down to your upper chest by driving the elbows down and back.
Hold the bar at arm's length and shrug your shoulders straight up toward your ears.
Twenty to thirty minutes of easy walking, outdoors if you can manage it.
Five to ten minutes on hips, ankles, and the upper back.
Nutrition Guidance
Pulling volume is some of the most fatiguing work in a training week, and it recovers on protein and total calories like everything else. Our macro calculator sets your calorie and protein targets, and our recipes make hitting them easier. For more depth, read how to tell if your training is working and protein needs during menopause.
What Actually Matters Here
- Protein: 1.6 to 2.2g per kg daily. Back training involves a lot of muscle mass, so the recovery cost is higher than the session length suggests.
- Calories: Keep them where your main program has them, and do not run this block during an aggressive deficit. Use our macro calculator if you have not set that yet.
Heavy pulling is demanding work. Underfeed it and the second session of the week suffers first.
