Back Workout Routines Get Wide Lats and Thick Traps With This Killer Workout!
Whether you’re trying to gain gobs of muscle mass or to just look lean and strong, nothing says “I train hard” like broad, thick back! Getting a ripped back takes time and effort, just like the other body parts. Here are some key tips and exercises for constructing great back workout routines!
The deadlift obviously works your lower back hard, since that is a primary pivot point for the movement. If you execute the deadlift properly, you will be both straightening your legs and extending your back. However, the deadlift also places HUGE stress on the lats and traps. The lats will keep the the bar close as you pull the weight upwards. They are working although you may not feel them contracting in the same was as you would on a pull-up or a row. Your traps will burn from being stretched by the weight even though there’s no finishing shrug here.
If your back workout routine involves deadlifts, be sure to do them at the beginning of your workout. The movement is hard, and after working other muscles, you’ll find it very difficult. You won’t get the full benefit if you are swinging too much weight.
If you prefer to begin your back training with pull-ups or rows there are alternative variations of the deadlift. Rack-pulls are a short deadlift with the bar in a safe position. You start with the bar around knee height and pull the bar to lockout. You can still sling some serious weight around even when your back is fatigued from other movements since the range of motion is much shorter.
For upper back exercises, pull-ups and pull-downs are the popular choice. Everyone gets excited about a wide back, but a big and thick back requires a lot of heavy rows with free weights. Getting stronger at rows tends to help your bench press strength. A row is essentially the opposite of a flat press, and getting strong at the movement gives you good stability on the bench.
One more way to row is with individual arms and a dumbbell. It’s also one that, in my opinion, most people do the wrong way. Many trainees stick with strict form and weights that are way below their capacity. Strict form is all well and good sometimes, but seriously, you don’t build a huge back with light weights! The deadlift is great for the back, but uses almost every muscle group. Is concentrating on your lats in a workout an effective way to exercise them? If you use dumbbells for exercise, take a strong stance and brace yourself with your hand on the dumbbell rack. Also, use a huge weight for higher reps.
Finally, we come to a movement that every bodybuilder, weight lifter, and athlete is familiar with. Deadlifts and rows are going to add mass mostly to your back, but you’ll never get wide, so flaring lats are proper if you don’t gain strength on vertical pulls. Unless you are an advanced bodybuilder, focus on pull-up exercises. You will eventually find pull-downs of various sorts to be better for back development, but until you’re seriously big and strong, you need to bust ass pulling your entire body to that chin bar. This part is crucial in order to see success with your back workout routines.
Find the best back workout routines at Justin Woltering’s Theaory website