If you’re an ectomorph, or a hardgainer and your looking for the best hardgainer back workout to get those “wings” to pop out, or add thickness to your back, then you’re in the right place.
A great V-taper built with the best hardgainer back workout will give your body the “frame” it needs to truly stand out.
A wide set of lats are what set apart the average gym bro from aesthetic legends like Arnold, Frank Zane and more.
So, with that being said, in this article I’m going to present the best hardgainer back workout for beginners.
Without further ado, let’s jump right in!
Best Hardgainer Back Workout
The best hardgainer back workout should have clear, defined goals.
These goals are to build width, density, and mass, in as little time as possible.
This means no wasted time or adding useless exercises, and combing the best exercises for mass, AND the best exercises for aesthetics into ONE comprehensive routine.
We’re going to go extremely in-depth on all of the best tips and tricks to develop your back into a masterpiece.
The best part, is that it’s also incredibly simple once you get the fundamentals of the best hardgainer back workout down.
These fundamentals are as follows:
- Step one, is to lift HEAVY. Your back is already constantly keeping you upright all day, so to inspire muscle growth you’ll need to go heavy.
- Step two, is to develop a perfect mind-muscle connection (which I’ll show you how to do) to get a defined back that looks like a map.
- Step three, is to always have your goal in mind for what you want to look like, and adjust your workout accordingly.
That’s it. It’s really that simple when you get the basics down…
What To Focus On
We’re almost there, but before we move on we need to figure out how to train the back and why.
If you don’t know how to train it, or why you should do certain patterns and rituals, your back will end up HORRIBLY out of proportion or even worse, you’ll end up sacrificing your gains!
We’ll keep this section short, but these are the goals of the best hardgainer back workout:
- Build MASSIVE Lats
- Add Density/Thickness
- Get Back Definition
Again, it’s really simple when you think about it.
Just put in the work, keep the fundamentals in mind, and you’ll never go wrong and will reap the rewards of your effort.
Goal #1: Build MASSIVE Lats
First things first, you want massive lats. Period.
Getting wide lats is incredibly easy, ONCE YOU KNOW THE TECHNIQUE.
Wide lats and broad shoulders are universally seen as attractive and is something you want to get ASAP as a hardgainer.
Your lats are usually the first muscle (besides your arms) that will give away just how jacked you really are when you’re wearing a shirt.
Trust me, wide lats can be seen from a mile away.
I remember being in middle school, and girls would jokingly call me Dorito man when they didn’t know my name (because my body was shaped like an upside down Dorito chip… lol)
That’s why one of the goals of the best hardgainer back workout is to build massive lats, because when you get bigger lats your WHOLE BODY will look much larger as well.
Goal #2: Add Density/Thickness
The second goal to build an aesthetic back is to add some thickness. Thickness gives your back that ultra, sought-after “3D” look to it.
Thickness in the back will accentuate every single individual muscle, which can be your absolute bread and butter at pool parties…
A good example of someone with a thick, defined back would be Arnold Schwarzenegger as compared to some with a relatively less dense back, like Bruce Lee for example.
This isn’t to say Bruce Lee didn’t have a great back, certainly not.
He’s well known for his “cobra lats” but in this instnace it gets the point across between a thick back like Arnold’s and one that’s mostly width.
Luckily, as a hardgainer it’s relatively easy and beneficial to build a thick back, as a lot of the exercises involved are heavy coumpound exercises and will help to boost testosterone, meaning even more gains.
If you had to pick between the two however, and you’re an ectomorph, I would say prioritize width first.
Goal #3: Get Back Definition
Lastly, the best hardgainer back workout should be one that adds back definition.
You may think that this is similar to thickness, but it’s not…
Good back definition requires laser-like precision in attacking the muscles.
It requires you to develop good mind-muscle connection that will allow you to hit the muscles properly in order for them to POP.
With good mind-muscle connection you’ll be able to get a Christmas tree back that many lifters want, but few have…
The Best Back Workout For Hardgainers
Finally, here we are. The best hardgainer back workout that will help you get a stunning v-taper that will help give you the physique of a Greek God.
This routine will take your back from skinny and smooth, to jacked and aesthetic, especially if you combine it with the best muscle building supplements.
So, without further ado, here is the best hardgainer back workout for beginners:
- 4×8-10 Deadlifts OR Rack Pulls
- 3×12 Wide Grip Pull-Ups (Weighted, if you can)
- 3×12 T-Bar Rows OR 3×10 Barbell Rows
- 3×15 Dumbbell OR Barbell Shrugs
I decided to keep this routine down to its bare bones minimum for the most results.
If you want to get even more advanced, I would personally through in a pulldown variation after the wide grip pull-ups, to hit the Lats even more. Or another row variation for added thickness.
Tips To Get A V-Taper
We’re not done yet. Now Let’s get into the specific tips and tricks to build up that V-taper.
The first tip is to develop the V-taper in your abs AS WELL as your back.
The reason being is that a nice set of V-tapered abs will literally be your bread and butter to your physique, and is what everyone focuses on when you take off your shirt.
So take the time to sculpt some Greek God Abs.
The second tip is to work your LOWER LATS as well.
Oftentimes, people will neglect this type of training and they have more of a “Y” shaped back rather than a “V” Shape, which is what you want.
Lastly, if you’re trying to build wide lats, know this…
Generally, the wider you go on your back exercises, you’ll be targeting back width more, and the narrower you go the more you’ll be developing more back density and thickness.
Keep this in mind in your back workouts and while assessing your own individual needs/weak-points for a balanced physique.
With that being said, let’s get into the specific tips for developing a V-taper along WITH the best hardgainer back workout.
Wide Grip Pullups For A V-Taper
Drop everything else you’re doing for wide lats, and start doing wide grip pull-ups. Yeah, seriously.
Nothing builds those wings like wide grip pullups do.
I remember being in middle school and hearing about how one of my idol actors would do wide grip pullups to develop their physique, and I became obsessed.
In fact, wide grip pullups are still my go-to today, and probably one of the best fitness model secrets out there.
When I was first getting started, I installed a pull-up bar in my bedroom doorway, and made rules for myself like every time I walked in my room I had to do like 10-20 reps of wide grip pull-ups or something.
As a result, my lats EXPLODED, and were my best feature for a very long time, along with my chest.
Arnold is also a huge advocate for wide grip pull-ups, as is Frank Zane.
But the real results will come when you can start adding weight to these.
The truth is, if you can do three sets of ten reps of wide grip pull-ups with a forty-five pound weight dangling from your waist, you’ll develop wide lats, guaranteed.
I included this exercise into the best hardgainer back workout because it’s by far the best exercises to get wider lats, even better than pulldowns.
So, however you choose to do them just make sure that you ARE.
Ideally, at the beginning of your workout so you can absolutely MAXIMIZE your effort before you get fatigued with the other exercises.
Hit Your Lower Lats For A V-Taper
We talked briefly about this earlier, but I’d like to go more in-depth here.
The truth is, your lats go all the way from the bottom of your shoulders, to RIGHT ABOVE your glutes. These muscles are WAY larger than most people realize.
And the reason why is because 95% of people just focus on the upper lats.
This is how you end up with the “Y” shaped back rather than the “V” shaped one.
The best exercises for lower lats are dumbbell tripod rows, straight-arm lat pulldowns, and underhand chin-ups or pulldowns w/ a good stretch and contraction.
Although these all work to develop your lower lats, my personal favorite that I use when I am SPECIFICALLY targeting those lower lats, are the DB tripod rows.
Here’s how to do them…
Grab a bench, set it to a 30-45 degree incline, rest your off hand on the head of the bench, lean over, and row the dumbbell like your trying to start a lawn mower.
Keep your elbows close to your body and pull your elbows as far behind your back as you can, and you’ll feel a lower lat contraction that you’ve NEVER felt before.
Tips To Get A Thick & Dense Back
Next, we move on to the advanced back density/thickness tips for the best hardgainer back workout.
Where before we were focused on developing width, now we are focused on giving the back the “3D Defined” look to it with specific exercises.
This is also the section where we’ll talk about how to get a Christmas tree back, as well as how to individually target the Christmas tree back muscles.
With all that said, let’s get into it…
Rows For Back Density
To keep it simple, really any row will help to develop thickness in the back…
Cable rows, barbell rows, T-bar rows… you name it. If it has “Rows” in the name, it’ll most likely develop back density and thickness.
A row is any sort of movement where you are pulling some sort of weight towards yourself.
This then begs the question “What are the best back exercises for thickness and density?”
I’m glad you asked… For developing upper-back thickness you’re going to want barbell rows, any sort of shrug, and deadlifts/rack pulls if you want.
With mid-back thickness, you’re going to specifically want cable rows, T-bar rows, or dumbbell rows.
And finally, with lower back thickness, you’ll want to focus on deadlifts, hyperextensions, and good mornings.
How To Get The “Christmas Tree” Back
“How do I get a Christmas tree back, Matthew?” has been asked quite a few times, and we’re going to go over it briefly.
If you’re confused about what this is, feel free to move on, as I’ll have a more in-depth article on this in the future but here are the basics…
The Christmas tree back muscles are muscles that when trained properly, literally look like they form a little “Christmas tree” on your lower back.
It’s often a sign of crazy strength and overall body-leanness as only people with both get the sought-after muscles.
However, developing the Christmas tree back muscles to the point where people can see them is actually incredibly easy, and I’m going to break it down for you…
The first step, is you have to get REALLY lean. You will not be able to see the rippling muscle from the tree if you have even above 12% bodyfat.
Focus on getting lean first, then apply the next steps.
Step two is to start HAMMERING your lower lats.
We talked about this earlier, start incorporating tripod rows into your routine, and if you’re lean enough, you’ll be able to get the Christmas tree back within a week or two of consistent effort.
Step three is to develop mid/lower back thickness to make it pop out.
I’ve personally found the best exercise for this. are the T-bar rows, but you can also try some underhand barbell rows, cable rows, etc.
Again, implement the advice for a month or two, and watch your back develop into a masterpiece.
The Hardgainer Diet
Arguably the most important part of all of this is having the best diet for hardgainers.
The right diet ultimately comes down to eating WAY more than you do now.
Hardgainers are often shocked when I tell them that to grow they almost literally have to eat for breakfast what they’d normally eat in a whole DAY.
But the truth is, you have to eat more, to grow more.
So start now and if you’re just focused on putting on weight eat until you’re stuffed nearly 24/7
Make sure you’re getting at least a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight also, as this has been shown to be ideal for gaining muscle. [R]
“When Will I See Results?”
Probably the most common question in weightlifting is when you can expect to see results.
I’m not gonna waste your time and tell you what literally everyone else does and just say “it depends”
Here’s the truth… if you’re just starting out, and you follow all of the advice on this blog down to a fucking T, you can expect to put on 20 pounds of lean mass in under a year, easily.
It becomes even easier when you combine a great routine and diet, with some powerful supplements like Testogen.
If you’ve been lifting for a while and you want to get the back definition because you already have the muscle, then focus on shredding down, attacking each muscle with that mind-muscle connection, and you can literally see results within a week or two.
It all comes down to balancing consistency and effort, and if you can do both, the rewards will be yours to reap my friend.
Best Hardgainer Back Workout: In Conclusion
All in all, this is probably one of the most comprehensive blog articles of how to develop an aesthetically pleasing back for hardgainers.
I built the best hardgainer back workout with you, the reader in mind.
I remember what it was like being small and scrawny, but having big and inspirational dreams that didn’t match with my physique at the time.
So get started as soon as possible. Don’t hesitate to turn your dreams into a reality.
If you want advanced tips on how to develop v-tapered abs to go with your back or a custom diet plan, consider checking out my program “The Aesthetics Blueprint“.
As always I thoroughly hope you enjoyed this article. Feel free to hit me up with any questions comments or concerns, and I’ll get back to you guys as soon as I can.
Until next time,
-Matthew