Great Back Exercises For Building Muscle
Take advantage of these great workouts and exercises to help build back muscle.
The muscles in the
back are the trapezius, rhomboids, latissimus dorsi, erector
spinae, multifidus, and quadratus lumborum.
The back isn’t only one of
the body’s biggest and strongest body parts, it’s also the most complicated in
terms of being a series of interconnected muscle groups. For the purposes of
this feature, we’re dividing the back into its four main regions:
- Upper
and outer lats
- Lower
lats
- Middle
back
- Lower back
UPPER/OUTER LATS
- Pullup (wide grip)
- Bent over Barbell Row (wide grip)
LOWER LATS
Use reverse-grip moves and close-grip pullups/pulldowns to more strongly emphasize the lower lat area. One of the few single-joint lat moves, the straight-arm pulldown, does this as well.
- Reverse-Grip Pulldown
MIDDLE BACK
Use close- and medium-grip rowing moves in which you pull
the bar, dumbbell, or handle into your midsection or sides to best build back
thickness.
LOWER BACK
Use moves in which you bend at the waist (not the hips,
which work glutes and hams) to work the low-back muscles, a critical area to
strengthen to prevent low-back pain.
BUILDING YOUR BACK WORKOUT
·
Include
one exercise that targets each area of your back in your routine.
·
To
train for mass, after your warm-up sets, do 2-3 sets in the 8-12-rep range.
·
For
strength, go heavy with low-rep sets (4-7 reps).
·
For
muscle definition and endurance, go lighter and do high-rep sets (15-25 reps).
A mass workout that
focuses on building outer lat width but still hits all areas of the back would
look something like the chart below (not including warm-up sets). Rest 1-2
minutes between each set.
|
Exercise
/ Target Area |
Sets |
Reps |
|
Pull-Up (wide grip) / Outer Lats |
3 |
12,
10, 8 |
|
Bentover
Barbell Row (wide) / Outer Lats |
3 |
8,
10, 12 |
|
Close-Grip Seated Cable Row / Middle
Back |
3 |
8,
10, 12 |
|
Reverse-Grip
Pulldown / Lower Lats |
3 |
12,
10, 8 |
|
Back Extension / Lower Back |
3 |
12,
12, 12 |
Target tip: To target those outer lats and teres major, pull the bar
high toward your upper abs.
Target tip: To focus in on those lower-lat fibers, keep your chest high and
your back arched. As you pull the bar down, bring it toward your lower chest
for a better contraction
Target tip: In the bottom position, hold the dumbbell slightly forward from
your shoulder; as you go through the rep, pull it up and back.
Target tip: Hold the peak contraction for a second or two and squeeze your
shoulder blades together for optimal stimulation.
Target tip: As opposed to the Romanian deadlift, allow your lower back to
round slightly in the bottom position.