BACK to the Basics

The human back is a marvel of creation. When it’s properly developed, it can add years of quality to your life, improve your performance in sports, and even impress bodybuilding judges and fans if you’re planning to compete.

Training the back isn’t easy, and back workouts require an intense mental focus if you want to reach your potential. The back is a complicated system of muscles that cover a large percentage of your body. Your training protocol, however, is going to rely on a few simple movements done with strict attention to proper form.

That’s why we’re going back to basics to make sure your back doesn’t lag behind your other body parts.

Back Anatomy 101

The back is comprised of an intricate array of muscles that work synergistically to help you bend, twist, lift, and pull.

The trapezius muscles, or traps, cover the upper part of the back and allow you to shrug your shoulders. The rhomboids, located in the middle of your back between your spine and shoulder blades, work with the traps to squeeze your shoulder blades together. And the spinal erectors allow you to bend at the waist.

Last but not least are the latissimus dorsi, or lats, which extend down both sides of the back, starting under the armpit and tapering all the way down to the insertion point at the center of your lower back. The lats are the largest back muscles. Their complex, criss-crossing pattern of fibers allows you to pull your arms toward your body at a variety of angles.

When you realize how precise and complex the structures of the back are, it’s a little easier to understand how sometimes it just takes a sneeze or wrong turn to throw everything out of balance. That’s why it’s so important to train the back properly.

With this in mind, let’s take a look at some tried-and-true exercises for our backs and go over the specific positioning and execution required to get the most out of every rep.

Lat Pull Downs

You’ve probably done this exercise hundreds of times, but the next time you hit the gym pay close attention to your form and keep your mind on isolating the lats.

Try gripping the bar with your palms facing toward you to maximize the use of the latissismus dorsi musculature. This grip keeps your elbows in front of your body, which reduces scapular adduction and keeps the emphasis on the lats.

Position your hands about shoulder width apart and try not to grip the bar too tightly. You should think of your hands as hooks that guide the bar so you don’t involve your biceps too much in the movement.

When you pull the bar toward you, I recommend leading with the elbows instead of retracting the scapula first. There’s a lot of controversy about this, but in my opinion it doesn’t make sense to retract the scapula before initiating a back movement. Think of it this way: if you were going to pull your body up a rock or on the top of a roof, you probably wouldn’t retract your scapula first. So why train your mind to do that in the gym?

Throughout the movement, stay in an upright, seated position (do not lean back) and be sure to stick your chest out while performing each repetition.

To balance out your strength on both sides, consider performing this exercise using one arm at a time. If you’re a tennis player, pitcher, quarterback, or virtually any other type of athlete who uses one arm more than the other, you should really do the single arm version of this exercise.

Bent Over Rows

If you’re interested in gaining size and thickness in your back, the bent over row is a must. I see people butchering this exercise all the time and that can lead to major lower back problems.

As always, proper form is key. First, start with the bar on the floor close to your body and your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees slightly, about 15 or 20 degrees to activate the IT band. Never do bent over rows with straight legs — it’s a recipe for disaster.

Next, bend at the waist to about 45 degrees, keeping a slight arch or lordosis in the lumbar region of your spine. Once you’re comfortable holding that position, be sure to maintain it throughout every single rep.

Grab the bar with your palms facing your body (pronated) and slowly raise the bar toward your sternum (lower chest). Again, think of your hands as hooks and really focus on pulling with your lats. A variation of this exercise can be done by reversing your grip — simply grab the bar like you’re doing a biceps curl.

Pull Ups

Pull ups are one of the most challenging yet rewarding back exercises you can do. It’s one of my desert island favorites, and belongs in any back routine.

I like to start with a set using a palms-forward grip on the bar. Again, you’re going to want to think of your hands as hooks and really feel the contractions and extensions in your lats through the full range of motion. Go slowly and avoid swinging your body.

Quick Tip: If you are looking for some great straps to help you with your grip, try Schiek Lifting Straps.

I’ll switch the grips on my next two sets, first with my palms facing me and then with my palms facing each other. Your ability to do this last set will obviously depend on the kind of equipment you have at your gym, but most pull up stations allow you to vary your grip so you can hit the back from slightly different angles.

If you can’t perform even one complete pull up, don’t get discouraged. Try doing only negative repetitions at first. Use a stool to reach the overhead bar, grab the bar with your desired grip, and then concentrate on lowering your body as slowly as possible. Your muscles are generally better equipped to perform negative or eccentric movements, and when you do those properly you increase your ability to perform the opposite positive or concentric movements.

Cable One Arm Rows

I can feel this exercise all the way from my waist to my armpits, and it’s a great addition to a back workout. You’ll need to find your “sweet spot” as far as positioning is concerned, but once you do I guarantee you’ll love the results you’re going to get.

Attach a handle to the bottom of a cable pulley. Stand with your knees slightly bent and bend forward at the waist. Grab the handle with one hand, and brace your body with your other hand or elbow.

Pull the handle into your waist while concentrating on squeezing your back muscle on the side you’re working. Be sure to stretch and contract as far as possible to maximize every inch of the range of motion. If you have an adjustable cable, you can raise it and do the same exercise from a higher position for a different angle of attack.

I realize that I went into a lot of detail about exercises you probably already do, but that’s because it’s more difficult to make the important mind/muscle connection with the back than with any other body part, in my opinion.

Your goal when training your back is to feel each and every repetition in the back, without involving the biceps too much. Your back muscles are a lot larger than your arm muscles, and if your arms tire out first you know you’re not stimulating the muscle fibers in your back to the degree you need to achieve your goal of hypertrophy.

Doing back exercises with too much weight and with sloppy form means that you’re not going to get that thickness or dramatic V-taper you desire.

But when you do your back routine correctly, nothing’s going to stop you from growing and sculpting a back that makes it even more of a marvel of creation than it already is.