7 Back and Shoulder Moves You Should Make

There are few things as impressive on a physique as a classic v-shaped upper body. To achieve that muscular, athletic, streamlined look, you need to give some serious attention to your back and shoulders. In this article, we describe the 7 key back and delt moves that you need to get an awesome ‘V’.

3 Key Back Training Moves 

One Arm Lat Pull-In
This exercise is an adaptation of the classic lat pull-down that provides the ideal anatomical motion to maximally hit the latissimus dorsi (lat) muscles. Set up a single high cable so that the arm forms a 30-degree angle when you grab it at arm’s length. Stand back about 7 feet from the machine, and get down into a slightly crouched position with the opposite foot to the side you are exercising forward.

Starting from a fully extended lat position pull the cable into your hip bone. Try to touch the elbow to your hip with each repetition. Alternate back and forth between sides. 

Do 4 sets of 30/15/10/8 on each arm. Increase the resistance on each set.

Scapular Retraction
This one is fantastic to hit the scapular muscles of the mid-upper back. Set up a chair between a pair of pulleys with the cables set at about the level of your hips. Position the chair about three feet back from the cables. Grab the handles and sit on the chair. Now squeeze your shoulder blades back and inwards to bring the cables in a few inches. Do not straighten your arms.

Use a relatively light weight and do 3 sets of 20 reps to zoom in on the middle part of the back.

Dumbbell Shrugs
This one targets the trapezius muscles below the neck. Stand with a pair of heavy dumbbells at arms length. Without bending at the elbows, shrug up as high as you can (think about getting your shoulders to your ears).

Perform 3 sets of 20/15/10, adding weight with each set. 

4 Key Shoulder Exercises

Smith Machine Overhead Press
Sit erect against the back pad, with your feet wide on the floor. Grasp the bar well outside shoulder width. Now press to full arm length and lower under control. Your elbows should point out and down at the bottom.

Perform 3 sets of 8 reps.

One Arm Cable Lateral raise
Stand next to a pulley that is set at hip level. Hold it at your thigh with a slight bend in the elbow. Leading with your elbow, pull the cable out in a wide arc above shoulder level. Do not straighten your arm as you raise the weight.

Perform 3 sets of 10-12 reps.

Barbell Front Raise
Stand holding a bar evenly with a palms-down grip and your thumbs wrapped around the bar. Hold it at arm’s length just above your thighs. Contract the front delts to raise the bar above your shoulders. Lower under control.

Perform 3 sets of 10-12 reps.

One Arm Bent Over Cale Lateral Raise
Bend over next to a low pulley and grab the handle with your outer hand. Keep your back flat and lock a slight bend in your elbow. In a sweeping motion, bring the handle out and up as high as you can. Do not lift your torso up throughout this motion. Lower under control but do not allow the weight stack to touch down between reps! 

Perform 3 sets of 10-12 reps.

Final Word
Perform this workout once per week. On another day, do pull-ups. Set yourself a target (i.e. 30 reps). Try to get there in as few sets as possible! Perform this regimen for 3 months and you’ll soon see that classic V shape begin to take shape.