Come train with the legend Arnold Schwarzenegger - Training & Back Tips

Creating a big, deep back requires heavy strength exercises.

The back is made up of strong, interconnected muscles such as the latissimus dorsi, teres major, rhomboids and trapezius. While specific, isolated exercises target each of these muscles, a large, deep back requires complex exercises that hit all of them. While hunches, pull-ups, and pulley pull-ups are all part of a comprehensive back workout, in this article I'll present four exercises that I believe are most effective in building back mass and depth.

Deadlifts

Deadlifts engage many different muscles, including the back, lower back and legs, and are thus highly effective in creating a strong, thick physique. Performed like this: Stand over a loaded Olympic axle with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Then squat down with your back at about a 45-degree angle and grasp the axis with an alternating grip slightly wider than shoulder width. Keep your abdomen tight and pull the weight up by pushing your legs down. Reverse the movement in a controlled manner and lower the weight back to the floor, engaging the legs as much as possible.

Lunges in front of the body

Unlike deadlifts, this exercise focuses almost exclusively on the back. Perform it by grasping the axle with an overhand grip wider than the width of your shoulders and bending at the waist so that your torso is almost parallel to the floor. Keep your knees slightly bent and the axle at arm's length. Moving only your arms, pull the axis of the lats towards your stomach (not your chest), clench your muscles hard at the top for a second and lower the weight.

T-axis extensions

Not many bodybuilders do this exercise these days, but it's always been one of my favorites. Stand with your knees slightly bent and grasp the handles of the T-Axis. Keep your torso at about 45 degrees with the floor and hold the weights at arm's length. Without moving your upper body, pull the weight to your chest, where you hold it for a moment and lower it in a controlled manner to the starting position.

One-arm pull-ups

This exercise allows you to exercise each side of your back separately. Place one knee on the bench, lean forward and brace yourself with your arm from the same side; hold the one-arm bar at arm's length with the opposite one. Keep your body steady and pull the one-armed arm to your side, then lower it back down.

If you include the routine below, consisting of strength exercises, in every second or third workout, you will add depth and size to your back!