How To Target EVERY Muscle in Your Back (One Exercise)

If you are looking to build not only a wider back, but a thicker back too, then there is one exercise you have to be doing. The seated cable row is a great exercises for hitting the back, but did you know that you can target different muscles in the back just by changing your grip width?

If you are trying to hit your lats, you will want to grab the bar with a narrow grip. Place your hands just inside the knurling of the bar and pull the bar towards your body. The pull point will be just above the height of your navel. When you pull the bar towards your body, you will want to keep your elbows low and tight to your body to most effectively hit the lats.

If you are looking to target your upper back muscles, like the rhomboids, middle traps, and rear delts; all you have to do is change your grip.

Instead of a narrow grip, you will want to grab just inside the bend of the bar. This wider hand position will allow you to more effectively pull the bar towards your lower chest line (around nipple height). Make sure that your elbows are high and wide so that you can get the bar to its proper pull point.

You can even allow the lats and muscles of the upper back to stretch by leaning forward as the cable attachment travels back towards the machine. We know that adding stretch tension to an exercise can generate an increase in hypertrophic gains, so allow yourself to explore that stretch. Just make sure not to round your lower back in the process – you will want to keep a slight anterior pelvic tilt throughout the movement.

Whichever version of the seated cable row you choose, you will have another exercise in your arsenal for helping to build a wider, thicker back from top to bottom.

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Jeff Cavaliere MSPT, CSCS served as both the head physical therapist and assistant strength coach for the New York Mets. Jeff earned his Masters of Physical Therapy and Bachelor’s of Physioneurobiology from the College of Health Sciences University of Connecticut Storrs. He is a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).