How To: Target Back Muscle Growth

It’s good to have options. And the same holds true depending on exactly which area of your back you’re trying to develop.

Most lifters don't give grip position a second thought on back day — but it's quietly influencing which muscles you're actually hitting.

It’s not complicated: where your hand goes, your elbow follows. And your elbow path is what really determines whether you're biasing your lats or your upper back and rear delts.

So what are our “missiles and guns”, and when should you use each?

“MISSILES”: Neutral Grip 

This keeps your elbow tucked closer to your side — the natural path for lat-focused pulling. Think cable rows with a neutral handle (anything where your palms are facing one another like before you clap).

This grip targets the lats, so if you want to build width and a set of wings that block out the sun, this is your go-to.

Nerd note: Supinated is a fancy way of saying “turned over”, meaning a “palm’s facing the ceiling” style grip, like when doing a bicep curl. So neutral grip is also sometimes called *semi*-supinated (halfway turned over).

Done with lats? Looking to see gains in your upper back, maybe add some thickness?

Time to switch to guns.

“GUNS”: Pronated (Overhand) Grip

This tends to flare the elbow out slightly, shifting the emphasis toward the upper back and rear delts. Your standard overhand barbell row is the classic example (palms facing the ground or your thighs).

The pronated grip activates the rear delts and upper/middle back muscles (especially the traps and rhomboids).

Here’s a quick cheat sheet for which grip targets which muscles:

To be clear: grip alone isn't the sole deciding factor. Arm path is what actually dictates the movement and muscle bias. But grip is a useful tool that naturally guides the arm path and nudges things in the right direction.

Once you're aware of it, you'll feel the difference immediately. 💪 

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