Ensure comprehensive back development with our 9 exercises!

Your back is made up of many muscles

It's basically impossible to choose the best back exercise because the back is simply not one muscle. If you're only doing one or two stretching exercises, you're probably neglecting a lot of areas of your back. Maybe you're giving the lats a workout, but you're overlooking the rhomboids. You're destroying your traps, but forgetting the terras major and minor? What about the back shoulders? Yes, they belong in the back, too.

Different back muscles also respond differently to different loading schemes. The lats, for example, can handle higher loads, while the back shoulders respond better to higher rep counts and metabolic loading. In this article, I'll present 9 proven exercises and training methods for back size, strength, and power.

Exercises

1 - Gorilla Lunges

It's a fun variation of the lunge. It's usually done with a kettlebell, but if you only have one-handed kettlebells, place them on a pedestal so that the handles are roughly in the middle of your shins.

• Start with the kettlebells between your ankles, clench the middle of your body and pull your hips back into a stabilized position. Always pull one dumbbell in and lean into the other.
• As with Meadows pull-ups, a slight rotation of the upper back is fine as long as you are clenching and pushing into the dumbbells lying on the floor.

• This exercise will probably pump up your glutes and hamstrings in addition to your back.
• Practice 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps per side.
• Rest for 90 seconds to 2 minutes.

2 - Back shoulder press - triple set

This great variation will exercise your back shoulders and upper back at the same time. The support of the bench will not allow you to cheat using the swing.

• This is a variation for volume training.
• Choose a lighter weight as the reps will quickly pile up.
• Squeeze your shoulder blades together and lift the one-armed bar feeling away from your body, not just up.
• Practice 3 sets of 10 reps of each variation (overhand grip, neutral grip and underhand grip).
• Rest for 60 seconds.

3 - Single arm pull-ups with support

This is a fantastic exercise for back strength and endurance. It looks simple, but people make an incredible fool of it. I'm sure you often see someone pulling the single arm straight up, and then their humerus inevitably rolls forward. This is not good, and will eventually lead to pain in the front shoulder.

• Start by pulling your shoulder blades back and down, which will get your shoulder in a safe position. Try to pull the elbow behind the body and the bottom of the one-armed arm as far into the hip as possible. This will lead to a strong contraction in the lats. Get to the starting position without releasing tension in the lats.
• Practice 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps per side. Rest for 90 seconds to 2 minutes.

4 - Single arm pull-ups with symmetrical stance

This is basically the same movement as the previous exercise, but it will be hard for you in a different way.

• Without the support of the bench, you'll have to clench your mid-body even more to keep it from rotating. Compared to the version with the support, you'll be using less weight, but it will still be effective. I can promise you that.
• Practice 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps per side.
• Rest for 60 seconds.

5 - Retracting the upper pulley with "V" bracket

The pull-up is a classic exercise and the V-bracket is particularly effective. The narrower grip and higher loaded weight (versus pulling wide) is a devastating combination.

• Practice 3-5 sets of 12-15 reps.
• Rest for 90 seconds.

6 - Squats with elbow extension

This variation can be done with a landmine attachment or with a large axle that you just wedge in a corner and practice.

• Take an angle of about 45° to the axle and grip it a few inches from the end. Your elbow should be at about a 45° angle to your body when you pull it in. You'll be amazed at how devastating this is.
• Practice 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps per side.
• Rest for 1-2 minutes.

7 - Kettlebell pull-ups with a rubber band

This is the foundation of any good back workout, but the rubber takes lat involvement to a new level. Rubber training is scientifically called reactive neuromuscular training.

It's a great way to train the brain-muscle connection that you struggle to feel in your workout.

• All the rules for barbell pull-ups apply here.
• Make sure to keep constant tension in your lats.
• If you load too much, the exercise probably won't be effective. We're talking about a brutal contraction of the lats.

• Practice 2-4 sets of 6-8 repetitions.
• At the top, hold the dumbbell isometrically for 2 seconds.
• Rest 1-2 minutes.

8 - Reverse pull-ups (and variations)

Whether you have your back elevated or not, your upper back will be on fire. Pumping will be great for both underhand and overhand.

This is our favorite exercise for carving the upper back and back shoulders. At the same time, it's easy enough to make your execution look like it can be aired after 10pm.

• The hips won't be involved. You'll be clenching from the middle of your body down.
• Pull your shoulder blades together and pull your elbows back until your chest touches the centerline.
• Then return to the starting position in a controlled manner.
• Practice 3-5 sets of 12-15 reps.
• Rest for 60-90 seconds.

9 - Pull-ups with chest support

• For most back exercises, it's easy to help yourself with a swing. It won't work here. It's one of the best ways to isolate the upper back and lats. And it's very hard to go wrong with the technique.
• Compared to unassisted pull-ups, you'll be using less weight.
• Practice 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps. Rest 60-90 seconds

Watch your ego!

Most people put too much weight on their backs, and train them with lousy technique. We're not forbidding you from using heavy weights, but technique is more important.

You need to feel the muscles working.

Leave your ego at the gym door. You' ll use the time you spend there more productively and you'll look better too.

For more exercises to develop your back muscles, see our section - Exercise Database

Source: www.t-nation.com - 9 Exercises for a Complete Back
By Jason Brown
Translated by Jaromír Uhlíř