8 Exercises This Skinny Guy Used to Build Serious Back Muscle

Athlean-X’s self-proclaimed former “skinny guy” Jesse Laico has spoken on the fitness channel before about how he has struggled to build muscle. In the channel’s latest video, Laico joins Athlean-X expert Jeff Cavaliere break down the exercises he has used to grow mass specifically in his back, which have in turn had a positive effect on long-term posture problems.

First off, he recommends using a compound lift as the foundation of your back day workout. “I always deadlift no matter what kind of back day I’m doing, whether it’s a pull or a straight back or whatever,” he says. “I find that it’s great for increasing strength, and it’s allowed me to work on my posture, and it strengthens my lower back, which is really important.”

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Laico follows this with a horizontal rowing move. “I love a seated row because it allows me to get into that stretch, you have the cable down lower and it allows you to get into that stretch and really feel it in my lats. When I pull back, not only do I feel it in my upper back, but in my rear delts as well, which I think is really important because that’s a muscle that is often overlooked.”

When it comes to the barbell row, Athlean-X founder Jeff Cavaliere C.S.C.S. adds that it’s crucial you ensure you’re doing the move with the right form. “If you can learn to hinge properly and sit back into that row, that’s when you actually start to see those proper mechanics pay off in terms of being able to do the exercise without any of the negative side effects,” he says.

Another staple move Laico does on back day is the simple pullup, as well as the rocking lat pulldown, an asymmetric variation where you pull down one side at a time in a rotational movement, engaging the lats as opposed to the forearm.

In addition to the back-building staples, Laico also demonstrates some of the corrective exercises that have helped him with his chronic postural issues, such as the weighted carry, which he does in almost every workout. “I know it’s good for my grip, but it’s also better for my utter traps,” he says. He then targets his lower traps, which are crucial for posture and the biomechanics of the shoulder, with plate raises. Finally, he works on his lower back weakness with hyper rows.

“When you’ve got a strong back, everything else sort of starts to fall in line,” says Cavaliere. “When you train your back, a whole cascade of good things start to happen.”

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