Muscle Growth Guides

Best Back Exercises for Width and Thickness

How to train your back for width, thickness, and balanced growth using SUUPR exercises.

Back growth needs both vertical pulls for width and rows for thickness. Train back 2 times per week, progress your pulls, and stop turning every row into a lower-back swing.

The rules that matter

Use vertical pulls like pull-ups and pulldowns for lats and width.
Use rows for mid-back thickness and scapular control.
Let the shoulder blade move, but keep the torso stable enough to load the back.
Use straps if grip is limiting back work before the target muscles are done.

What changes by goal

FrequencyTwo back sessions per week is a strong default.

Weekly setsStart around 10 to 16 hard sets across lats and rows.

Exercise mixPair one vertical pull with one row pattern in most back-focused sessions.

Exercises in SUUPR

Pull UpExercise guide Lat PulldownExercise guide Barbell RowExercise guide Cable RowExercise guide Dumbbell RowExercise guide Inverted RowExercise guide

Common mistakes

Only doing pulldowns and wondering why the back lacks thickness.
Only doing rows and missing lat length and width.
Using momentum so the lower back fails before the target back muscles.

How SUUPR handles it

SUUPR can keep back training balanced by tracking which pulls and rows you actually did, not just counting a session as generic upper body.

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FAQ

Are pull-ups better than pulldowns?

Pull-ups are great, but pulldowns are easier to load, scale, and progress for many lifters.

How many back exercises per workout?

Usually two to four, depending on the session and total weekly volume.

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