The Only 2 TRX Exercises You Need For a Wide Back (Video Guide)

This right here is the V-taper…

The wide back, narrow waist shape that makes you look athletic with or without a shirt on.

And if you’ve been training your back hard but still can’t see it…

I found out why.

So In this post, I’m going to show you the only 2 suspension trainer moves you need for a wide back…

And exactly why the current exercises you’ve been doing aren’t building it.

First, here’s what most people don’t realise about building a wide back…

Don’t have time to read the post in full? Then watch the video below to learn the ONLY 2 TRX exercises you need for a wide back:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSOeveOHjM4

My Wide Back Transformation

For years pull-ups were my main back exercise.

My upper back got thicker, my arms grew but my lats never really developed

which kept my back looking narrow.

Then 10 years ago, I ditched the gym and switched to minimalist suspension training.

I wasn’t chasing “bigger lats”, I was just training and coaching clients.

But my lats actually started to grow for the first time.

And once I figured out why, it came down to the two specific moves I’m about to show you…

So lets start with the first move that made my lower lats finally develop and gave me the V-taper…

Exercise 1 – Lower Back (Lats)

You see the problem when you go wide, like with pull ups, your elbows flare outward,

shifting the tension onto your upper back.

Yes, the lats are still working, but they never actually get close to failure.

And that explains why after years of pull ups, your upper back might look great…

But your lats could still be underdeveloped.

Which is exactly what happened to me

Ben Pakulski, founder of Muscle Intelligence and one of the most respected muscle-building coaches out there,

taught me that if you want lats, you need a movement where you’re pulling your arms tight toward your body,

then around behind you….

Like this…

First set your straps to a short length and stand facing the anchor point with a hammer grip, elbows close to your side 

Walk your feet forward to find your working angle.

The more horizontal your body, the harder it gets.

Now before you move you need to activate your lower lats

so think about pulling your armpits toward your spine.

That’s literally what the lat is designed to do.

It doesn’t just pull back.

It pulls the upper arm down, then around behind you…

Then slowly lower yourself with control resisting gravity

But as you reach the bottom, actively push your arms forward to stretch your lats

This helps train them through a full range of motion. 

Then to pull back up, don’t think about pulling with your arms.

Instead focus on driving your elbows down and back tight alongside your body.

If you just yank with your arms, your biceps take over and your lats get nothing

At the top hold that squeeze by pulling your armpits towards your spine again.

But here’s the thing, your lats are a huge muscle.

That first move targets your lower lats, which gives you the lower sweep….

Now I’m going to show you how to hit your upper lats…

So you can really build a wide back…

Exercise 2 – Upper Back (Lats)

The upper lats run more horizontally than the lower ones,

which means a standard high row where you’re pulling level, actually misses them too.

You might have seen this version before…

Elbows up and out, driving toward the ceiling…

They’re great for mostly working your rear delts and upper traps, but that’s not what we’re here for.

So here’s the change you need to make to hit your upper lats…

Set your straps to a short length and stand facing the anchor point with your arms up and parallel to the floor

Walk your feet forward to find your working angle.

Again, the more horizontal your body, the harder it gets

Now, here’s the key change to activate your upper lats…

Instead of pulling with your elbows up and out…

Pull them down and in.

Feel your lats squeeze and then slowly lower yourself down resisting gravity…

Again at the bottom reach forward and let your shoulders come forward to get a full stretch.

Don’t cut this short, the stretch is where the growth starts.

Now drive your elbows DOWN and back toward your hips. 

That angle is what puts the upper lats in their strongest working position.

Imagine someone has placed their hands just behind your elbows…

And your job is to push back into them as you row.

Hold that squeeze at the top again.

Now, I’ve got one last bonus technique to share with you that’ll make both of these exercises two or three times more effective…

And most people skip it completely.

Your Wide Back Plan

Here’s the problem…

Your arms always give out before your lats actually hit failure. 

So once you can’t get a full rep anymore, keep going with shorter partial reps, like three to five, until the movement won’t budge.

This will help take your lats to true failure

Do 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps with those half reps at the end of every set. 

But that doesn’t mean sacrificing form…

You must ensure to focus on perfect muscle-centric technique, like we’ve talked about,

with slow and controlled range of motion, and that lats squeeze throughout

Here’s the thing though…

If you’ve got great lats on a body where everything else is lagging behind…

You’re still going to look and feel half-built.

To get the best results, you want to pair your back training with full-body muscle building…

So checkout this post next and I’ll show you the eight essential TRX moves every one needs to master to build full-body muscle, strength, and mobility…

and exactly how to do each one.

I’ve also put together a free four-week workout plan built around those moves.

It’s below, ready for you to download.

Here’s to your ftness Freedom!

Coach Adam, aka TRX Traveller