You want a body to die for? Then you need a great back. Plain and simple.
Here are 6 training tips to help get you there.
1. Train The Entire Back
I know this seems obvious but most people do NOT train all the back muscles, and most people are pretty much unaware of the various muscles in the back and which exercises to use to target them.
To be able to have complete back development, you need to understand back musculature. The back houses the largest muscle of your upper body: latissimus dorsi. This muscle is the main determinant of back width. It runs from the back of your hip bones up to the front of your upper arm. The lats can be divided into an upper and a lower part. This is because the uppermost fibers run horizontally, while the lower fibers run vertically. A muscle fiber orientation, coupled with the point of origin and insertion, allow you to understand a muscle's various functions. In the case of the lats, the upper fibers mainly allow you to bring your arms close to the sides of your body, while the lower fibers primarily let bring your arms towards the rear.
Assisting the lats to do the former function is a small muscle in the outer upper back region called the teres major. For this reason, this muscle is often referred to as the lat's little helper. The significance of building this muscle is that it helps increase the detail in your back. As you move towards the middle region of the back, you will notice a triangular muscle group called the trapezius. More specifically, you will find the middle and lower trapezius muscles, as the upper trapezius is a neck and shoulder muscle. The middle and lower trapezius extend from your upper to middle back and they allow you to retract your scapulae, or shoulder blades. This is the motion of squeezing your shoulder blades together. Assisting these muscles perform this action are the rhomboid major and rhomboid minor. The major is larger as the minor, hence their names. Both of these muscles lie underneath the middle and lower traps. Together, these four muscles contribute to the thickness of your back.
To work out your back entirely you need to pick a couple of exercises for each are of your back so that you can train:
Upper back (traps/ upper rhomboids). Examples: Shrugs, Pulldowns (wide grip)
Middle back (center traps/lats, lower rhomboid) Examples: Cable seated rows (AKA low pulley rows). I love this exercise because it builds muscle in my middle/center back and it brings in the tie-ins to the rear deltoids and rhomboids; heavy barbell row (Heavy bent rows will really thicken the overall back but especially the lower lats and spinal erectors. When performing these I usually suggest to put a 45lbs. plate on the ground where you will be standing, doing this will provide you with a greater range of motion while performing bent rows), single-arm dumbbell rows (This exercise provides a much fuller contraction over a greater range of motion as compared to barbell rows. This is also an ideal way to isolate and focus on each side of your back, resting one as your motor through working the other), Squat rack row starting at knee level (This exercise strengthens the erector spinae that support your spine, as well as flaring your lats), close-grip lat pulldowns, Horizontal lat pull machines.
Lower back (lumbar muscle). Example: Back extensions (are also known as hyper extensions). Hyper extensions work the lower back and also the buttocks and hamstrings. Other examples: Hip Extensions, Weighted, Bridge; Superman
Using the compound movements, which I will discuss and explain below is an efficient way to cover multiple areas of the back with one exercise at one time.
3. Focus on Basic Compound Exercises
A compound (multi-joint) exercise utilizes multiple joints with free weights. This means maximal muscle recruitment, high nervous system activation, and more of a stimulus for growth.
Compound Movements Stimulate More Growth. A major benefit of using compound, or multi-joint, exercises is the systemic stress compound, or multi-joint, exercises exert throughout the target muscles and neighboring muscle groups (in the case of squats and deadlifts, the whole body is forced to work systemically, thus producing a system-wide, or total-body, effect). This raises GH and free testosterone levels which in turn stimulates more growth to ALL areas, not just the target muscle.
This is an important point. So conversely, when systemic stress is low, our muscles fail to benefit from a hormonal cascade (a rise in GH and testosterone levels) conducive to enhanced protein synthesis and greater muscular growth.
Compound Movements are More Efficient. Another reason for emphasizing compound movements over isolation (single-joint) exercises is that compound movements work more muscles overall, thereby eliminating the need to include excessive isolation work. This saves time and maximizes efficiency in the gym. More major muscle groups can be hit with a smaller number of exercises. While many gym-goers tend to prioritize isolation work over mass building movements (for example, front raises, bent laterals and side laterals may take precedence over overhead presses and incline presses), the smart ones favor compound lifts to save time, stimulate more muscle fibers and enhance recovery.
Compound movements, with their emphasis on pushing, pulling, squatting, pressing and lifting, more closely resemble how our muscles function in real life. As such, they more effectively help us to produce practical, useful strength, which we can then be used to complete our daily tasks with greater efficiency, and compete in sports which require a solid strength foundation and an ability to coordinate multiple muscle groups simultaneously. And because the big lifts require an abundance of energy to complete, and leave us feeling exhausted and depleted, our heart is forced to work harder than when executing isolation movements, and our metabolic rate is significantly elevated. Thus our cardio respiratory systems and fat burning machinery are beneficially altered to promote overall health gains and a lean, muscular physique.
Best Compound movement working the entire back: Deadlift. This is absolutely the most complete exercise that you can imagine, because it involves a full body workout. It trains your upper body and lower body like no other exercise available. Quads, glutes, hamstrings, back, lower back, forearms, traps, rear deltoids, core…almost every muscle group is worked with this exercise. Think of deadlifts as a squat, only the barbell is in your hands instead of being on your shoulders. Plus much more. The deadlift is a heavy compound exercise that will stimulate the release of growth hormones, and force the back (and whole body) to grow. Sometimes it's even hard to explain which is the primary muscle that is worked when you execute deadlifts, because it is such a full body workout.
Deadlifts bring great results when it is performed correctly with particular care to the movement, but it's also risky because if you make a mistake and injury your back it can be painful, dangerous and long to recover.
Next Best Compound Movements:
Pull-ups. Pull up (favorite). Pull ups are very effective to increase the width of your lats and give you the classic “V-shape” look. They also work the upper back and traps if the angle is correct.
T Bar Rows. Primary muscle worked are the Lats; the secondary muscles worked include: Rear deltoids, traps, lumbar, rhomboids, quads, glutes, biceps, and Abs. T Bar rows are very effective. I feel my back all “swollen” after this back exercise. My lats especially, but the whole center of my back grows fast with rows. There are many other similar exercises that are more or less as good as this, such as heavy barbell rows, reverse grip bent-over rows. The best options you want to consider if you don't do T Bar rows would be: Bent over barbell rows, Bent over dumbbell rows, One arm dumbbell rows and One arm cable rows.
Cable Seated Row (Low Pulley Row). Cable seated row is a compound exercise where the primary muscle trained is your back, precisely lats and the middle and center of your traps.It's also known as low pulley row because you execute it at the low pulley machine, using a V-bar handle that allows you to hold it with palms facing each other. It's one of my favorite exercises to gain strength and size in my middle/center back.
Reverse Grip Bent-Over Barbell Rows. This compound movement creates tension through the entire body (the coveted systemic effect) to create a complete, massive look. Because it is difficult to perform, this movement, like most multi-joint lifts, is often passed over in favor of the easier seated rows and lat pulldowns. However, for a thick, massive back – from traps to lower lats – and full biceps development, it cannot be ignored.
3. Separate Upper and Lower Back Exercises
When training the back you should start your workout focusing on the upper portion of your back (trapezius & latissimus dorsi), then moving on to the lower part of your back. I feel that this is a very good concept that many bodybuilders are beginning to use when training the back. If you are using the deadlift in your back training I feel that these should be used in the early stages of your workout when you have the most energy to put into that compound exercise. When training upper back first, then moving on to lower back I do not feel you should use deadlifts at the end of your workout due to your energy output at this point.
When speaking of “upper back” the exercises that fall into this category are exercises that target that specific area of the back, mostly the lats and the upper middle portion of the back. So when picking exercises for the upper back you could choose from a wide range of high pulling exercises, pullovers, and pull-ups, exercises that work in this manner specifically target the upper portion of the back.
When speaking of specific “lower back” exercises you want to choose exercises that target the Christmas tree area (where the lower latissimus dorsi tie into the spinal erectors, like hyper extensions), and also the muscles that support the trunk area.
4. Use Variety
When training the back, I feel variety is key if you are using volume style training. As stated earlier, pick a core of compound exercises, than pick 1 or 2 isolation exercises for each part of your back.
5. Use Volume
If you are targeting all areas of the back, it is not unheard of to take 45 minutes to one hour and a half to work all areas of the back completely (upper, lower, mid, traps, etc.). Now if you are not trying to be a competitive bodybuilder, 12 to 16 sets in 45 minutes should do the track, however, if you r goal is to develop a massive, dense, complete back, you will need to spend more time in the gym. The back is a very large and strong muscle and as such heavy work and volume is what is needed to exhaust these muscles.
6. Keep it Intense
Bodybuilding is the process of maximizing muscle hypertrophy through the combination of weight training, sufficient caloric intake, and rest. One very important factor of this “bodybuilding triangle”: weight training is not as simple as it seems. To make the best gains in the shortest amount of time, it is important to understand a basic principle: intensity.
When it comes to bodybuilding intensity is a feel factor is a way of lifting to put out a maximum effort. Some very common ways to increase intensity include:
Increase the amount of weight you lift. This can be done per lift or per workout by increasing the overall number of total sets.
Increase the time under tension per set. The amount of time our muscles are under tension, TUT, is one of the most important triggers for muscle hypertrophy or growth. Time under tension (TUT) is a way of calculating the total amount of work you place on a muscle. When you talk about time under tension, this essentially refers to how much time the muscles are under stress. Time under tension (TUT) refers to the total time a muscle resists weight during each set. TUT, is one of the most important triggers for muscle hypertrophy or growth. As an example, a set of incline dumbbell flyes, with a 4-1-2 cadence, would mean that the dumbbells are lowered towards the chest (eccentric phase) over four seconds, then held at the bottom of the movement for one second, then pushed back up (concentric phase) over two seconds. If I performed 10 reps this would translate into a time under tension (TUT) of 70 seconds. If you increased the speed of those reps to about three seconds, then it would take you only 30 seconds to complete a 10-rep set. Although the number of reps and the amount of weight are the same, the second set might not increase your muscle mass to the same level as the first. And that’s the basis of time under tension training. Research shows that the best way to gain muscle strength is by performing 1-6 reps per set; for muscle growth (bodybuilding),
Increase the number of reps. More reps, more total work, more total poundage's and work on the muscle = more growth. Simple.
Decrease the rest periods. The rest periods between sets are another area where time plays an important role in muscle growth (hypertrophy). If you don't rest enough, then of course fatigue will hinder your performance on the next set. But resting too long isn't ideal either. The goal is sufficient, but not complete recovery. So what does sufficient mean? After looking at the research, I'm convinced that sufficient recovery occurs when rest intervals are at least two minutes in length, but generally not more than three minutes. If you are less conditioned, then when rest intervals up to 5 minutes between sets may be warranted until you bring your conditioning up. From a neuromuscular perspective, studies show that it may actually be more beneficial to take advantage of the neural excitation from the previous set than to wait for fatigue to diminish altogether. Up around the 5 minute mark, neural activation often declines to a point where carryover is more or less lost for the next set. A number of studies have shown that rest intervals of 3 minutes allow good recovery from fatigue while still taking advantage of neural excitation from the previous set. This rest interval with maximum load has shown to lead to maximal increases in testosterone and GH levels, conducive for optimal growth. There are studies that show that using this approach occasionally can result in GH increases of twenty-fold, about the same level that is released early in sleep so using this type of protocol has great potential to build muscle and reduce body fat at a high rate.
Conclusion
Using these tips are sure to add mass and quality to your back. Like any bodybuilding program, give these principles enough time to work. Periodically take pictures and get a third party assessment so you can adjust the principles to target any lagging areas (like lower back vs, traps, etc.).
About the Author Jeff Behar
Jeff Behar, MS, MBA, is a well-known health, fitness, wellness author and anti aging, champion natural bodybuilder (2014 Masters Grand Prix Champion, 2015 California State Masters Champion), and a recognized health, fitness and nutrition expert with over 30 years of experience in the health, fitness, disease prevention, nutrition, and anti-aging fields.
As a recognized health, fitness and nutrition expert, Jeff Behar's has been featured on several radio shows, TV, and in several popular bodybuilding publications such as Flex, Ironman and in several highly regarded peer reviewed scientific journals. Jeff Behar is also the CEO and founder www.MuscleMagFitness.com and www.MyBesthealthPortal.com and a Medical Commentator on exercise for The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, the worlds largest medical academy for anti-aging and regenerative medicine, provides medical professionals with the latest Anti-Aging, regenerative, functional and metabolic medicine.
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— Last Edited by Jeff Behar, MS, MBA, CIH at 2015-06-04 16:58:38 —
