There are absolutes in weight training. What works for one won't do fuck-all for someone else. Making sweeping statements like "pull-ups don't work" is just ignorant.
"Pull-ups don't work for me" is better
The thing is that most guys aren't strong enough to perform wide grip pull ups correctly (yes, me included so I perform the machine assisted version). I believe that anyone can built a decent back once they're able to master pull ups.
