My goal when performing any movement involving the back muscles is to perform the movement with full amplitude, with control of both the positive and negative phase of each movement, with control of each repetition (for example, control both the lifting and lowering of the weight). I use a weight that allows me to keep my shoulder blades retracted and train the target muscle groups.
With any exercise, proper technique and body position while performing the exercise are key to achieving maximum results, and back exercises are no exception. We've all seen someone doing the lat pulldown exercise without proper technique, just pulling the bar back and forth in a different manner. As a result of non-compliance with the technique, the effectiveness of this exercise completely disappears.
Most back exercises require the shoulder blades to be pulled back, allowing the upper and middle back muscles, as well as the latissimus dorsi, to tighten and contract with each repetition. This also allows the lower back to maintain its natural curve and avoid excessive rounding. With that said, here are a few of my core exercises that form the backbone of any back workout I do.
5 of my favorite back exercises
1 // Bent-over barbell row
Bent-over barbell rows are, without any reservations, my favorite exercise for building back mass. I've relied on this exercise for years to create powerful, bulky lats just like the ones in my upper back.
I've done several variations of this exercise. The most common option is in which the torso is tilted almost parallel to the ground, the knees are slightly bent. The head and chest do not tilt; a slight arch is maintained in the lower back (lower back).
I prefer a slightly different form of this exercise, which has become popular thanks to Dorian Yates. Instead of bending your torso nearly 90 degrees, your torso leans forward slightly more than 45 degrees. The head and chest also do not tilt, and a slight arch in the lower back (lower back) is also maintained. For me, this slight difference creates a completely different movement experience. I can really hit my lats and I can feel them working throughout the entire movement.
Another variation I like to use is a reverse bar grip. Although the palm up grip is a slight change, it allows for a completely different feel to the movement.
2 // Pull-ups
Pull-ups are by far the best exercise using your own body weight. They are great for developing the shoulder girdle (upper body) muscles as well as the lats.
Pull-ups were ignored among bodybuilders for a very long time, but recently they have increasingly begun to take their place in sets of exercises for developing back muscles. It's an indescribable feeling when you fight against the weight of your own body and gradually become stronger and stronger, being able to do more and more pull-ups in one set.
In the gym you can find devices that will provide various options for performing pull-ups. They consist of different grips when pulling up. I've found that experimenting with grips helps keep the exercise from getting too addictive and targets different areas of the back.
3 // Pulldowns to the chest with a parallel grip
To complete the training program, I add several variations of the lat pulldown exercise. But I usually don’t do them in the same complex with pull-ups. After pumping up the latissimus muscles with exercises with a barbell, dumbbells, and deadlifts on a block, the lat pulldown is a small “dessert” for them, a good finale to training the back muscles.
Having wanted to develop the muscles of the shoulder girdle, I experienced an indescribable feeling as I “made my way” through the abundance of variations of this exercise. The parallel grip lat pulldown using a deadlift holder on the pulley is one of my favorite deadlift variations. A parallel grip allows you to tense the area between the shoulder blades until it burns, help develop the pectoral muscles, and feel the coordinated work of the muscles of the shoulder girdle and latissimus dorsi.
You can also perform other types of lat pulldowns—at different angles and in other positions—for continued back muscle development. The most common row is with a wide grip, in which the hands are placed on the holder - the bar slightly wider than the shoulders.
The reverse grip (palms facing you) of the lat pull-down, using the same bar as the wide-grip row, gives a completely different sensation. In this version of the exercise, I place my hands approximately in the middle part of the bar, palms facing me.
Another option for pulling a block from above is to use a palm-facing grip. For this grip, a bar with grips is used that allows you to do this; your hands are positioned shoulder-width apart.
4 // Pulldown of the lower block to the waist
To vary my workouts, I occasionally do lat pulldowns instead of bent-over barbell rows. For me, this is an absolutely amazing way to build muscle mass, when doing this exercise I can completely concentrate on the movement and on the tension of the lats.
When performing this exercise, I prefer to keep my hands low and pull the handle toward my waist rather than toward my upper abs. This way I can feel better about doing this exercise.
5 // Shrugs (shrugs)
To increase the size and massiveness of the trapezius muscles, clearly visible when posing, the best exercises are shrugs (shrugs) with dumbbells or a barbell in your hands. I do them during my workout after doing a few of the exercises above.
I like to finish my back workouts by doing a few sets of heavy weight shrugs. This means that I take a lot of weight and start shrugging my shoulders, trying to get them to my ears. It gets the results I want, but it's incredibly hard... After a good set of shrugs, I can feel the trapezius muscles not only from my neck to my shoulders, I can feel them all the way to the middle of my upper back.
Deadlift - an exercise for the legs or for the back?
This seems to be a very frequently discussed issue. From time to time I used deadlifts at the end of my back workout. This is one of my favorite exercises. But this exercise also develops leg strength, especially in the first half of the movement. In the second half of the movement, after the legs lift the weight off the floor, the load is transferred to the back muscles, allowing the hips to rotate and assume a vertical position. This exercise certainly involves the entire body, which allows the athlete to become stronger and more robust overall.
I recently modified this exercise to focus on developing my lower back muscles. After completing the first rep, I lower the weight a little below my knees, maybe even to the middle of my shins. After that, I lift the bar back up, focusing on how the lower back muscles do their job.
This deadlift modification takes a lot of the stress off my legs and allows me to focus on working my back muscles. I can't say now how often I use this option, but it certainly allows me to pay more attention to my back.
When creating a training program, I use several of these exercises depending on the goals and purpose of each program. Variety is the key to results, and therefore, even within a separate training complex, the main goal is to work all parts of the back from different angles and in different ways.
Building up your back muscles is not that difficult. But not at all so that, if necessary, something heavier could be loaded onto it. With the right approach, back training can make your body much more attractive.
3 facts about the back that you should know
- By growing a powerful back, you can burn more fat.
- It is more difficult to pump up the back muscles than the arm muscles: the arms work harder.
- Every time you train, your lats become shorter.
The more muscles you load during training, the stronger your internal fat-burning furnace works. And what could be bigger than the latissimus dorsi, more popularly known as the “wings”? Love pull-ups - the main exercise for “wings”, and your figure will always be as close to ideal as possible. Especially if you violate the correct technique for performing traction exercises.
To focus the load specifically on the back muscles, start any deadlift with a strong contraction of the shoulder blades and only after that bend your elbows. Every time you train, your lats become shorter. Any movement of the shoulder bones involves these muscles, and under load, damaged areas of muscle tissue are gradually shortened. To stay flexible, be sure to stretch your back muscles daily, either immediately after your workout or six hours afterward.
1. Wide grip pull-ups
Hang from the bar, grasping it with a grip slightly wider than shoulder-width (A). Push your chest forward, cross your ankles and direct your gaze to the bar. Squeezing your shoulder blades together, pull yourself up and try to touch the horizontal bar with your upper chest (B). Without pausing, smoothly return to the starting position and repeat.
Important:
Ideally, the horizontal bar should touch the chest at the collarbone or below.2. Bent-over dumbbell row
Place your left knee and left palm on the bench, take a dumbbell in your right hand, straighten and slightly arch your back (A). Squeezing your shoulder blades together, pull the dumbbell towards you in an upward arc (B). After making a clear pause at the top point, return to the starting position. Repeat as many times as necessary.
Important:
Pull the dumbbell toward your waist, not toward your chest or mid-abdomen.3. Bent-over barbell row
Grab the barbell with a grip that’s slightly narrower than your usual bench press grip. Push your pelvis back and lean forward so that the bar drops to the middle of your shins (A). Pull the barbell towards you and try to touch it to your lower abdomen (B). Without pausing, return to the starting position and repeat.
Important:
To ease the strain on your lower back, keep your knees slightly bent.4. Seated Wide Grip Block Row
Sit on the machine, placing your legs slightly bent on the support, and take the long handle (A) in your hands. Arch your back and lift your head. Squeezing your shoulder blades together, pull the handle towards the middle of your abdomen (B).
Take a distinct pause and return to the starting position
Important:
do not round your back or tilt your head forward or backward.5. Retraction of the scapulae on the lower block
Sit in front of the lower block, having previously attached a long handle to it. Take the handle with a wide grip, straighten your back and raise your arms to chest level (A). Without bending your arms, simply squeeze your shoulder blades together, bringing the handle closer to you (B). Return to starting position and repeat.
Important:
You just need to bring your shoulder blades together, you don’t need to lift your shoulders up.6. Hyperextensions on a fitball
Lie on your stomach on the ball, straighten your legs and cross your arms in front of your chest (A). Go down as far as your lower back flexibility allows and return to the starting position, trying not to lose your balance (B). If the exercise seems too difficult for you, secure your legs under a fixed support.
Important:
At the top of the movement, your body should be in line with your legs.7. Seated close-grip block row
Attach the V-shaped handle to the machine, grab it, rest your feet on the support and straighten your back (A). Starting the movement by strongly contracting your shoulder blades, pull the handle towards your stomach (B). Smoothly return to the starting position and repeat the exercise the required number of times.
Important:
returning the handle to its original position, spread your shoulder blades to the side, slightly rounding the middle of your back.8. Vertical chest row
Sit on the vertical row machine and grasp the handle where it bends. Bring your chest forward and your shoulders up (A). Tightening your back muscles, lower your entire shoulder girdle down, then bend your elbows and pull the handle toward your collarbones (B). Without jerking, return to the starting position.
Important:
at the lowest point, your forearms should continue the line of the cable to which the handle is attached.Choose your workout
3 programs for every taste
Wrestler's back
Do you want a back like a professional wrestler? This means you need to sharply increase the intensity of your training. Reduce the rest time between sets to a maximum of a minute, while maintaining a high number of repetitions in each approach. This intake will force the body to produce more growth hormone, which will inevitably affect the increase in muscle size.
Instructions
- Start with either dumbbell rows (2) or barbell rows (3).
- Do 3 sets of 12 repetitions, resting 30-60 seconds between sets.
- Next, perform 3 more sets of seated wide-grip block rows (4) or seated close-grip block rows (7).
- Again, try to do 12 reps for each set, resting 30-60 seconds between sets.
- Finish your workout with a drop set of vertical rows (8): do 10 reps with the maximum weight you can handle.
- Without resting, reduce the weight by 20% and perform 10 more repetitions.
- Lower the weight again and force yourself to do the final 10 reps. The lighter the weight, the slower you need to move.
Pull-up champion
Increase your chin-up best by three to four reps in just a month. To do this, focus on the eccentric phase of the exercise - the one where you go down - this will force the back muscles to become even stronger.
Instructions
- Do as many pull-ups (1) as you can (if you can't do even one pull-up, go straight to the next step).
- Without resting, push off with your feet from the bench you previously placed under the horizontal bar and rise up, then lower down slowly and under control, spending exactly 10 seconds on the descent.
- In total, do three such slow repetitions and immediately perform close-grip rows on the block (7) for 12 repetitions. Rest for 60–90 seconds and repeat the entire sequence twice more.
- Try doing these exercises three times a week, resting at least one day between workouts.
Bulletproof Lumbar
By strengthening the spinal extensors, rear deltoids and mid-trapezius, you will not only protect your spine from any troubles, but also improve your posture. You only need two exercises.
Instructions
- At the beginning or end of the workout, do hyperextensions on the fitball (6) and immediately retract the scapulae on the lower block (5).
- Each exercise requires 12–15 repetitions.
- In total, you need to perform two similar approaches, the rest between which should not exceed 60 seconds.
- Do the exercises two to three times a week.
There is an opinion that you cannot achieve good results by training at home or on a regular sports ground. This has been mentioned more than once in sports magazines, but there are also many examples of the effectiveness of such activities. The desire to succeed in pumping up the back muscles and the inability to train in a sports club for one reason or another is a powerful incentive to achieve this goal at home.
In principle, such activities do not require special motivation, since the result speaks for itself:
- a strong back eliminates any problems with the spine, and if he is healthy, then all systems of the human body work like clockwork;
- during training of this large muscle group subcutaneous fat is burned and the amount of energy expenditure of the body increases;
- V-shape is formed due to the development of the latissimus dorsi muscles, and both men and women dream of having such a silhouette.
Working out at home is definitely effective, which has been proven by many examples. Of course, it cannot be said that there is no difference between intense home workouts and training in the gym. However, achieving visible results by training at home is an entirely achievable goal.
Why do gym sessions give more significant results? The fact is that progression and growth are determined by increasing the load on a muscle group, and this requires a regular increase in working weight. It is almost impossible to ensure that you have different types of free weights available at home that you can use for exercise. It should be noted that only experienced athletes who have been training for at least two years can constantly train with heavy weights. But at the start, in order to pump up your back and achieve a beautiful silhouette, training at home is quite enough.
Home workouts: basic principles
By adhering to the following basic rules, you can achieve significant results by training at home:
- Regularity of training– no more than twice a week. This is the best option, since fewer sessions will not allow you to achieve a noticeable effect, and more is pointless, since the muscle group needs time to recover.
- At the initial stage and until the ability to feel each tense and involved area appears, the exercises are performed in 3 approaches, each of which includes from 12 to 15 reps. Subsequently, with the acquisition of the above skill, you can proceed to training to “ refusal" - approaches are performed as many as you can and one or two more repetitions on top, which is called " with all his might».
- You can’t start training straight away with strength exercises., as this may lead to . No workout should be complete without a preliminary preparatory stage - warming up and joint warm-up.
- Due to the fact that muscles have the ability to get used to the plane and nature of the load, it is advisable alternate training programs.
- Each lesson begins with basic exercises(one or two is enough), in the process of which two or more joints are involved. At the end of the workout, do one or two isolation exercises (working one muscle, one joint).
Training program
Training program No. 1
To build the broadest muscles, several basic exercises are used, one of the most effective is the deadlift. dumbbells in an incline position. In the process of performing it, both halves of the back are worked out, while the weaker half works without the “help” of the stronger one.
Starting position: legs slightly bent at the knees, lower back arched, body lowered 90 degrees, dumbbells in hands, elbows pointing up along the body. The dumbbells are raised to the maximum connection of the shoulder blades, then slowly, stretching the muscles, lowered down to the original position.
Another effective exercise is traditional pull-ups. Hanging on the bar: straight grip, palms positioned slightly wider than the shoulder joints. Pull yourself up so that your chin is parallel to the bar, then lower yourself down, while your elbow joints should be fully straightened.
It is important that the bar is not clasped with your thumbs, otherwise a partial redistribution of the load on the biceps will occur.
It is recommended as an isolating exercise to complete the workout. Starting position: one leg is straight (supporting), the second should rest on the plane with a bent knee. Take the dumbbell in the hand that is on the side of your straight leg, resting on your other hand, with your palm located under the shoulder joint.
Performing the exercise:
- The back with an arched lower back is held parallel to the floor, the dumbbell rises up in the same plane with the body until the peak contraction of the muscle.
- Return to original position.
Training program No. 2
If we compare basic exercises in terms of their effectiveness for working out the back, then one of the best is. During its execution, the thigh biceps and buttocks are also worked out. This exercise, supplemented with work with dumbbells, is an excellent option for women and beginners. The training begins, as always, with a warm-up and warm-up.
Take starting position: back with an arched lower back, legs slightly bent at the knees and positioned shoulder-width apart, take dumbbells and lower your arms in front of you.
Performing the exercise:
- The tilt is performed slowly until the body reaches a position parallel to the floor. In this case, the dumbbells are in close proximity to the body.
- Take the starting position, the body should be fully straightened.
In order to deeply work the lower part of the latissimus muscles, they are used, which have slight differences from the classic version. The difference lies in the position of the palms on the bar - the position should be so close that the tips of the thumbs touch each other.
At the end of the workout, isolation exercises are performed. Suitable for home training, and a special exercise machine can easily be replaced with a hard sofa or other hard surface that can provide a comfortable position for the pelvis and legs.
The main task is the possibility of free movement of the body up/down and good fixation of the legs. When this issue is resolved, you need to place your palms behind the back of your head, and lower your body with an arched lower back to the lower limit, and then smoothly rise up to the maximum level with a flat back.
How to quickly achieve results?
Taking into account the following nuances and strictly adhering to the listed rules, you can significantly increase the effectiveness of home training and quickly achieve the desired results.
- At the end of each training, do not forget about. We must not forget about this point, as it is important for muscle development. Stretching also allows you to minimize the discomfort that occurs due to heavy loads.
- Increasing loads should be done by increasing the working weight, and not by increasing the number of repetitions in the approach.
- The question is fundamentally important nutrition. The diet of a training person should consist of 50% complex carbohydrates, 30% protein, and the remaining share is red fish, vegetable oils, and nuts. In building muscles, quality nutrition plays a vital role.
The effectiveness of home workouts depends on the determination and self-organization of a person, the correct approach to classes, mandatory regularity and patience.
We'll talk about which back exercises in the gym are the most effective! And so often, gym goers have the habit of working out only those areas that are visible in the mirror. As a rule, these are the pectoral and shoulder muscles, biceps, and abs.
But paying attention to your back is essential, not only to ensure symmetry between the front and back of your body, but also to improve your overall health.
A weak muscle corset can lead to poor posture and also provoke acute pain, especially when the load on the upper shoulder girdle increases.
What back muscles need to be worked regularly? The best back exercises in the gym
Doing back exercises in the gym is essential for developing a perfect V-shaped torso. After all, the signs of an ideal male figure are broad shoulders, a sculpted chest and a narrow waist. In order to achieve this effect, it is recommended to regularly work out the following spinal muscles:
- lats;
- diamond-shaped;
- trapezoidal;
- straightening the spine;
- oblique.
The exercises below can be combined into a single training complex, to which you need to devote at least two sessions per month. But it makes more sense to add one exercise at a time to your regular training plans.
Deadlift
This technically challenging exercise will work the entire posterior muscle group (from the calves to the shoulders). The effectiveness of the workout is determined by the fact that when performed correctly, 75% of the muscle mass is involved, including the latissimus and trapezius dorsi muscles.
It is very important to monitor the technique, because any mistakes can lead to serious complications, including hernia and pinched spinal nerves.
It is necessary to start working with a barbell with a minimum weight, not forgetting about the weightlifting belt. For one workout, it will be enough to perform 3 sets of 6 repetitions. After several sessions, you can increase the weight, but the number of approaches should remain the same.
Bent-over barbell row (forward and reverse grip)
If done correctly, you will be able to reach the maximum weight much faster, without fear of developing a large number of health complications. Depending on your initial physical fitness, you can lift the barbell:
- direct grip (in this case, the trapezius muscles are mainly loaded);
- reverse grip (the bar is picked up from underneath, as a result of which the latissimus muscles are worked).
Attention! Lifting a barbell on an incline puts a lot of stress on the lower back, so it’s best to do the exercise at the very beginning of your workout. It is not recommended to perform bent-over barbell lifts in combination with classic deadlifts.
Wide grip pull-ups
Many athletes have heard that pull-ups directly affect the development of the back. Indeed, pulling up is one of the best ways to develop the upper shoulder girdle and back in general.
But only pull-ups performed with a wide grip will allow you to maximally work the latissimus muscles. Pull-ups are suitable even for beginners, because it is quite difficult to make mistakes in doing them. In very rare cases, pain in the shoulder joints may occur.
But ultimately, you need to learn how to perform 82 pull-ups for 5 repetitions. There is no point in increasing the load further, as this will lead to wear and tear on the shoulder joints. If the standard number of pull-ups has been mastered, then you can add weights, but do not increase the number of approaches.
Before each approach to the horizontal bar, it is necessary to warm up the shoulder joints. And pull-ups themselves are an excellent warm-up before performing deadlifts.
T-bar row
The T-bar chest pull is one of the classic exercises that is great for those who have difficulty lifting a lot of weight during bent-over barbell lifts.
Due to the fact that the machine allows you to focus on your stomach and hips, the spine is not loaded. This means that the athlete will be able to do more repetitions and lift more weight. You can lift the T-bar:
- neutral grip (palms facing each other);
- narrow grip (palms brought together as much as possible);
- wide grip (handles spread to the sides, palms “looking” down).
The wider the grip, the better the muscle corset will be worked out. With a neutral grip, maximum attention is paid to the rhomboid muscles, and with a narrow grip, the biceps are additionally pumped.
The exercise is performed at the end of the workout, according to the system of “failure” repetitions. This means that you need to lift the T-bar as many times as you can, and after characteristic symptoms appear, add 2-3 more repetitions.
If there is no special simulator in the gym, then you can lift a regular fixed barbell, with a counterweight on the working side. In this case, it is important to ensure that your legs are bent at the knees and your abs are as tense as possible. Otherwise, you will do squats and bends with weights, which will not affect the development of your back in any way.
Lower block rows with direct and reverse grip
This exercise will pump up even the smallest back muscles. The advantage of the lower pull-down is that even women, as well as people with a minimum level of physical fitness, can perform it. The load is adjusted by increasing the weight, as well as changing the grip width of the simulator lever.
With the classic lat pulldown (direct neutral grip), the latissimus muscles are worked. If you perform the exercise with a wide handle, the load will be transferred to rather specific areas of the trapezius and rhomboid muscles.
It is better to perform the lat pulldown immediately after the deadlift. It is enough to perform 3 sets of 15 repetitions. It is very important to control the pace and spend at least four seconds holding the handle of the machine to your chest, and the same amount resting between repetitions.
If the exercise seems too easy, then it is recommended to complicate it not only by increasing the weight, but also by changing the grip. By performing lat pulldowns with a reverse grip, you can work almost all areas of the back and biceps. Athletes who have already “taken” the maximum weight when performing a classic lat pulldown often switch to a reverse grip.
Upper block pull
The lat pulldown is also considered one of the easiest and relatively safest workouts for back development. The simulator will be a solution for those people who have not yet mastered wide-grip pull-ups.
Due to the possibility of increasing the load, lat pulldowns are also suitable for those who have already achieved the standard 82 repetitions and want to develop further.
A narrow and neutral grip activates the biceps and groups of muscle fibers that are located closer to the center of the back. But a wide grip will allow you to work all areas of the latissimus muscles. Working with the upper block is great for building muscle mass.
This exercise is an excellent warm-up for the shoulder joints. It is enough to perform three sets of 12 repetitions. But if an athlete uses maximum weight, then it is better to work with the simulator after pre-warming the muscles and doing classic pull-ups.
One-arm dumbbell row
This exercise allows you to work both sides of your back while controlling the weight on your working and non-working arm. The range of motion also increases significantly. If, when performing a deadlift, the bar rises only to the level of the abs, then when working with dumbbells, you can bring your elbow beyond shoulder level.
In this case, almost all the muscles of the upper back are involved. By resting your non-working hand on the bench, the risk of incorrect work with dumbbells is significantly reduced. The torso is easy to control and fatigue does not set in as quickly, allowing you to perform more repetitions.
One-arm dumbbell lifts are usually done mid-workout. It is enough to perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions.
Hyperextension
Hyperextension is a very light exercise and is therefore suitable for women and beginners. It is quite difficult to make lifting the body more difficult, so the number of approaches can be determined using the “to failure” method. Athletes often perform hyperextensions during breaks between basic sets. The technique is quite simple:
- Fix your legs so that your hips lie completely on the bench with an inclination angle of 45 degrees;
- Cross your arms over your chest;
- Raise your back completely straight until your body is perpendicular to the floor;
- Slowly take the starting position.
You can also perform hyperextension from a classic bench or on a Roman chair.
Back recovery after training
If the entire training was devoted to the development of the back, you need to pay attention to the high-quality restoration of the body.
Firstly, it is necessary to avoid any load on the latissimus muscles, otherwise the risk of injury will increase several times. Secondly, it is advisable to visit a massage therapist who will help prevent the development of painful symptoms.
You can also drink potassium and do a few back stretching exercises (for example, pull your knees to your chest, or try to reach your feet with your palms from a sitting position).
We recommend reading an article on the topic - how to pump up your back muscles. In it, you will find additional exercises and a completely different approach to pumping up your back muscles, as well as various tips for strengthening your back.
So, did you like this article? We will be very glad to hear your opinion in the comments! Well, see you soon in new releases.
A good figure starts with a wide back and correct posture. That is why in this article we will tell you how to properly pump up your back at home and in the gym. In order to get good back muscles, you need to exercise for 20 minutes using the sets of exercises presented below.
Content
- Exercises to pump up your back at home
- Exercises to pump up your back in the gym
- How to quickly pump up your back
- Adviсe
- Video
Exercises to pump up your back at home
All guys want to have a wide, powerful back, because the back is almost half of the pumped up body. Many beginners are wondering how to pump up their back at home. Unfortunately, not everyone can regularly go to gyms and work out with professional trainers. However, the methods of pumping up the back are quite simple; standard exercises for pumping up the back at home can be used. If you have a horizontal bar, then you don’t need anything else. If there is no horizontal bar, then it is very easy to make one.
Hang from the bar, grasping it with a grip slightly wider than shoulder-width. Push your chest forward, cross your ankles and direct your gaze to the bar. Squeezing your shoulder blades together, pull yourself up and try to touch the horizontal bar with your upper chest. Without pausing, smoothly return to the starting position and repeat.
Firmly grasp the bar (straight grip, shoulder-width apart), smoothly pull your body up. Make sure that your elbows move down, slightly diverging to the sides. Your shoulders need to be relaxed. Tighten your stomach to stabilize your core. As soon as your chin is above the bar, smoothly lower yourself down until your arms are straight.
Perform as many pull-ups as you can in one set. Even if you only do five repetitions, it is important that they are complete and correct.
Exercises to pump up your back in the gym
Execution technique
Feet shoulder width apart. Take the barbell with a wide grip, place it on your trapezius and straighten up.
Initial position: the torso is straightened, the back is slightly arched in the lower back, the chest and shoulders are straightened, the lower back muscles are tense, and the legs are slightly bent at the knees.
Take a deep breath and, holding your breath, gently lean forward while moving your pelvis back. Please note: the torso tilts due to flexion of the hip joint, not the lumbar spine!
Once your torso is parallel to the floor, return to the starting position. As you lift your torso, simultaneously pull your pelvis forward.
Exhale only when you have overcome the most difficult part of the climb.
Maintain a slight arch in your lower back throughout the entire movement.
Execution technique
Place a barbell on the bottom supports of a squat rack and equip it with plates. Grab the bar with an overhand grip, shoulder-width apart, and straighten up.
Initial position: arms are fully straightened, the bar touches the hips. The lower back muscles are tense and firmly hold the natural, S-shaped curve of the spine - the back is arched at the lower back, the chest and shoulders are straightened, and the head is looking forward.
Take a deep breath and hold your breath. Bend your knees and simultaneously move your pelvis back, gently tilt your torso and lower the barbell. As you go down, be sure to keep a slight arch in your lower back. The lowest point of the exercise is determined by how far you can tilt your torso (lower) while maintaining the natural curve of your spine. Typically, at the lowest point, the torso is tilted 45–50 degrees to the vertical. Once you reach the bottom, tighten your hamstrings and pull the barbell upward as you rise out of the squat. First, you straighten your legs at the knees, then, when they are almost straightened, the movement is picked up by the buttocks and torso. The buttocks and hips are directed forward, and the torso rises from the bend.
Exhale as soon as you overcome the most difficult part of the climb. Once you are fully erect, pause and tighten your back and leg muscles even more.
Execution technique
Sit in the vertical row machine with the top block and bar in front of your chest (not directly above your head!), and adjust the leg bolsters so they press your hips firmly into the bench.
Stand up and grab the ends of the bar with an underhand grip (reverse grip) shoulder-width apart. With your arms straight, pull the bar down, sit down and place your hips under the bolsters. Straighten your torso and lift your shoulders slightly. The hips are fixed between the seat and the bolsters, the feet are on the floor. The arms are fully straightened and slightly tilted forward. The load hangs on a tensioned rope. Tighten your psoas muscles and maintain a vertical torso position until the very end of the set.
Inhale and, holding your breath, pull the bar towards your chest, pointing your elbows along your sides straight down behind your back. As soon as the bar touches your chest, pause, tighten your lats even more and try to squeeze your shoulder blades together. Exhale and smoothly return the bar to the starting position.
Earlier articles covered exercises:
- How to build muscles at home
- How to pump up your shoulders
- How to pump up your neck
How to quickly pump up your back
- Remember that intensive training of the pectoral muscles leads to the fact that the shoulders are pulled forward, which visually makes the back narrower. In addition, we spend most of the day sitting at a desk, which also does not help improve posture.
- When training their back, many people try to lift as much weight as possible, switching work from the back muscles to the muscles of the shoulders, arms and torso. remember, that first you must learn to feel the muscles of your back, and only then increase the weight.
- In order to “feel” your correct posture, stand up straight, inhale more air, push your chest forward, straighten your shoulders, move them a little back and up, keep your head straight and tense your abdominal muscles.
- While walking, try to take a position with correct posture, watch this, fix and correct yourself - time will pass, and such posture will become natural. When sitting, place both feet on the floor and try not to touch your entire back to the back of the chair.
- To achieve a "fighter's back", you should exercise more intensely than before, and also reduce the time previously allocated for rest between sets. Now rest should take no more than a minute. Each approach should contain a large number of approaches.
- During the exercise, it is very important to lower yourself correctly from a pull-up.– it is this moment that strengthens the back muscles. You will need a horizontal bar and a bench installed under it.
Video
Back training or doing spinz outdoors
A selection of video exercises - how to properly pump up your back in the gym
How to pump up your back
Back exercises
Quickly pump up your back
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