workout, gym, fitness Man flexing his back muscle, Image: Mike Jones via Pexels
It might not be the most aesthetic of muscle groups to work out, but it’s arguably the most important.
Your back is quite literally the frame that holds you up. The muscles that surround your spine are some of the most important in your entire body, responsible for stability and posture, while your lats, traps and obliques are all vital for core strength and keeping your body stable during just about every physical activity.
A strong back means you’ll inherently workout better in just about every other area, so it makes sense that you should get a proper workout in every time it’s back day.
Try these exercises on for size to make sure every part of your back is getting the intention it deserves.
Muscles worked: Erector Spinae (lower back), Trapezius (Upper Neck)
Deads are the archetypal back exercise, but they can scare a few unfamiliar people off. As Ben Booker of Second Chance Fitness says, “this is another great time to check your ego at the door, remove a plate or two, and focus on form.”
“Proper form for deadlifts is somewhere between a squat and a straight-legged deadlift,” says Josh Cox of Anytime Fitness.
Try dropping a few pounds from each side of the barbell, and relax your knees, holding your chest up and out. Stand all the way up and align your shoulders directly over yours hips and heels at the top of the motion, tightening your abs. Imagine that you’re picking up several bags of groceries. And—again—do not bend that back!”
Start with low reps to start with, and focus on it as a strength exercise. Going for high reps means you’re setting yourself up for fatigue, and in turn, poor form. This is not something you want when deadlifting.
Muscles worked: Latissimus Dorsi, Teres Major & Minor, Infraspinatus
There’s a reason that pull-ups are the ultimate exercise associated with having a wide, rippled back: because they work. They engage your Lats better than possibly any other workout, while your teres and infranatus muscles are also strengthened, providing crucial stability from your shoulder blades moving out into your upper arms.
“With each rep,” says Idalis Velazquez of IV Fitness, “you want your body to be in a straight line at the bottom, so keep your elbows extended and your shoulders relaxed slightly up towards your ears.
“While pulling, lean back slightly so you pull toward the ribcage, and focus on bringing your elbows to the torso. The performance here also suffers because people usually don’t activate the lat muscles thoroughly enough prior to starting.”
If you’re struggling with doing Pull-Ups from the outset, try this routine as recommended by Josh Cox:
“Start with three sets of “dead hangs” on the bar, maintaining that position for as long as you can. Then, do three sets of 10-12 reps of wide-grip lat pulldowns, and finish with three sets of hanging knee raises.”
Muscles worked: Lattisimus Dorsi (lower back), Rhomboids & Traps (Middle & Upper Back)
Barbell rows are largely seen as the best way to build middle and upper back strength, particularly when you pack the weight on and get your form right. However, doing them properly requires a lot of core strength as a pre requisite.
“The most common mistake I see is people pulling the barbell high to their chest, instead of low to the top of the abdomen, and back toward the hips,” says Mike Dewar of J2FIT Strength and Conditioning.
“Your starting position should look like this: spine flat but not parallel to the floor; shoulder blades pulled down toward the hips; and barbell hovering just an inch or two off the ground when your arms are fully extended.
“Be sure to initiate the row by driving your elbows toward your hips. Failure to do so will result in the lifter using the biceps and forearms to pull the weight, which can affect the degree of contraction and the range of motion in the pull.”
If you struggle with the core strength required to do a barbell row properly, Josh Cox recommends using a row machine with some kind of chest support, as pressing ahead can put a lot of undue stress on the spine.
Muscles worked: Posterior Deltoids (rear shoulders), Rhomboids & Traps (Upper Back)
If you just can’t nail your row form, reverse flys are a great way to not only build back strength, but also develop your rear delt muscles better so that they have a better chance to help you maintain good form in your rows going forward.
“It’s especially useful if you don’t have weights available that are heavy enough for a true row”, says Booker.
“Sit on the edge of a bench and lean as far forward as you can while still maintaining a flat back. Pick up the dumbbells from behind the heels and underneath your legs. With your elbows slightly bent, swing the dumbbells up by squeezing the back muscles together.”
You can just as easily do reverse flyes with a cable machine, too, while some chest fly machines are also reversible to cater for the exercise.
Muscles worked: Erector Spinae (lower back), Hamstrings & Glutes
Sort of like a deadlift, but more concentrated, back extensions make the most of not just your lower back, but also bring your hamstrings and glutes well into the picture, which as you can imagine is pretty important.
“The extension is one of the best exercises for working the lower posterior chain because it constantly engages the entire chain, which helps to develop global muscular strength,” says Devan Cline of Burn Boot Camp.
“”Firing” the body up during thoracic flexion, though—that’s the part where you lift your torso back up—causes the posterior chain to become disengaged.
“I suggest placing a light weight between the shoulder blades and forcing yourself to balance it on your back during each set. This will reduce your velocity and keep your movements controlled throughout.”
[Via GQ]
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