The upper back contains many muscles, from large ones like the trapezius and latissimus dorsi to smaller ones like the rhomboids. The result is that the back needs to be worked with heavy weight in several different directions for full development. Although the back is complex, the exercise equipment that best works it isn't. Free weights and cables provide the flexibility to work the back from many angles and provide the resistance to force it to grow.
Barbells
Because you grip it with both hands, a barbell offers the stability required to lift heavy. This is important for the upper back because of the size of the latissimus dorsi, the largest muscles of the upper body. The barbell allows you to perform barbell rows, which Arnold Schwarzenegger explains in "The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding" is the best exercise for adding depth to the back. The barbell is also essential for performing deadlifts, which "Strength Training Anatomy" explains works every muscle on the back of your body, from your traps and lats down to your hamstrings.
Dumbbells
Though you can't work as heavy with them, dumbbells have several advantages over barbells during back exercises. They allow for a greater range of motion. Compare the stretch you get at the bottom of a dumbbell row and the contraction you get at the top with the limited movement of a barbell. Dumbbells allow you to work your arms independently, allowing you to really focus and feel the exercise and forcing both sides to develop equally. Dumbbells are also more comfortable on the joints. Barbell rows can force your wrists into painful positions, but dumbbells allow you to move naturally.
Chin-Up Bar
The chin-up bar is one of the simplest pieces of exercise equipment, but it is the best piece of equipment for widening your upper back. In the "Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding," nearly every bodybuilder interviewed either started their upper-back routine with chin-ups, or said they would if they could. Multiple Mr. Olympia winner Jay Cutler said that he needs to start with lat pull-downs because of his weight but that chin-ups are superior for building the lats. This deceptively simple bar allows you to focus on different muscles depending upon your grip. A narrow, palms-in grip will hit your biceps. A wide palms-out grip will work your lower traps. If you're one of the lucky and hardworking few who are so proportionately strong that bodyweight isn't sufficient, just hold a dumbbell between your ankles or invest in a weight belt from which to hang plates.
Lat Tower
The lat tower does offer some advantages over the chin-up bar. If you're not strong enough to perform bodyweight chin-ups, you can build your way up to it. The lat tower makes adjusting resistance quick and easy, making drop sets possible. The lat tower allows you to do pull-overs--the purest lat exercise--with constant resistance. It also allows for an even wider selection of grips, as you are limited only by the number of cable attachments available.
References
- "The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding"; Arnold Schwarzenegger; 1998
- "Strength Training Anatomy 3rd Ed."; Frederic Delavier; 2010
- "Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding"; Robert Kennedy; 2008
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