Category Archives: back
Perfect Pulling Exercises for a Bigger Back
People who understand strength respect a big back. Dave Tate said when he used to powerlift competitively, he never worried about the lifters with big chests or quads – it was the guys with thick lats and spinal erectors that concerned him.
A thick, strong back is a sign of a strong lifter. The erectors, lats, rhomboids, and traps are of paramount importance for both weekend warriors and competitive lifters. We all know guys at the gym that look impressive from the front but resemble middle school kids from the rear. Don’t copy them.
Why a Big Back is Important
Training the back is crucial for strength sports as well as overall health and performance. A strong, thick back will bolster your bench, squat, and deadlift as well as support other lifts that help you get big and strong.
A thick upper back creates a nice shelf for the bar to rest when squatting, while strong lats allow a lifter to “lock in” their position on a deadlift and power through to lockout.
Your lats are also the foundation for all pressing movements. The wider and thicker your back is, the bigger the base of support you’ll have to press big weights.
Furthermore, the strength in your upper back is crucial for shoulder health. Many people focus too much on pushing movements and neglect their pulling strength. At the very least, you should perform a pulling exercise every time you perform a pushing one to balance out the body.
Shoulder specialists like T NATION’s Eric Cressey recommend as much as a 3:1 pull to push ratio when trying to bring up an athlete’s strength and correct imbalances.
Enter the Barbell Row
The barbell row (and its variations) is one of the best movements for both back size and strength. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the most butchered lifts you’ll see performed in the gym, which is a shame, as too much body English completely diminishes the barbell row’s potential benefits.
This isn’t to say that sometimes you can’t work up a little heavier and use looser form, but many take this to an extreme, performing “rows” that resemble a penguin having a seizure. The key is to keep tension on the muscles you’re trying to work, namely the upper back. Leave your ego at the door.
Finally, lifters often have horrible shoulder positioning when performing rows. Below is a great method to correct this pattern.
Pack the Shoulders
Safe and effective barbell rowing requires packing the shoulders, or actively depressing and retracting the shoulder blades. First, think of sticking your chest out and pinching a ball in between your shoulder blades. Next, try to pull your left scap to your right hip and your right scap to your left hip.
A very good way to learn this is by performing bat wings, either with your body weight or with dumbbells.
Set up a barbell in a power rack about waist height. Elevate your feet on a bench and perform an isometric inverted row. Keep your chest “proud,” while keeping your hips level. Squeeze your glutes, drive your heels into the bench, and keep your neck packed. You’re essentially in an upside down plank; learning to keep a neutral spine and packed shoulders.
Dumbbell Chest Supported Row
You can do these with dumbbells or kettlebells. What’s great about performing this movement on an incline bench is that it’s very hard to screw up. Keep your belly and head glued to the bench and stick out your chest while keeping your shoulders down and back. If your head, chest, or belly come off the bench you’re cheating, so it’s a self-correcting exercise.
A good idea is adding an isometric hold. These will teach proper shoulder positioning when performing more advanced rowing variations. To accomplish this, simply hold each rep for a one-count and notice the change in muscle recruitment in your back. The difference is quite humbling.
Bent Over Row
When performing bent over row variations, many lifters are too upright and don’t sit back enough. You want to try to get your body parallel to the floor so you’re completely bent over. This way the resistance directly opposes gravity and allows for much more efficient conditioning of the lats and upper back.
Focus on keeping your core braced to help maintain a neutral spine. Also, keep a “soft bend” in the knee, as too much knee bend will result in the bar crashing into your kneecaps.
You can perform this exercise with a pronated (overhand) or supinated (underhand) grip. With all rowing variations, it’s important to stick the chest out while pulling the shoulders down and back.
I like to perform rows with a supinated grip as it allows for more external rotation. Think of performing the movement as the opposite of a bench press and tuck the elbows in towards the body as you raise the weight.
Yates Row
This is similar to how I see most barbell rows being performed, although most times I think it’s unintentional. This is a good variation for when you want to hit the back a little differently than a traditional bent over row. Your body will be more upright and you’ll pull the bar to the lower part of the stomach. This is a very good variation when you want to move a lot of weight for high reps; just don’t use it all the time.
Dead Stop Variations
Rack Row
Many lifters don’t have enough hip mobility to keep proper position for true bent over rows. A way to work around this is by performing bent over rows in a power rack using a very low pin setting.
This variation allows the lifter to reset his back every rep to ensure his form and positioning is optimal. I also like this exercise for improving deadlift starting strength since the lifter has to lift the weight from a dead stop every rep. You can play with different heights, but usually around the lower part of the shin works well.
Pendlay Row
This is a dead stop row variation performed from the floor. It requires more hip mobility than the rack row but has the same benefits. You won’t be able to use as much weight as a regular bent over row since there’s no stretch reflex, and you must lift the weight from a dead stop every rep.
This is another great exercise for improving starting strength. I like to initiate this exercise with my quads as in a deadlift, and then row to my lower stomach. This is a great exercise to perform heavy for pure back strength.
Increase your Grip Strength
Towel Bent Rows
This is a great bang for your buck exercise to work your upper back and grip at the same time. Simply grab two towels and wrap them around the barbell where you’d normally place your hands.
This is also a great variation for people with shoulder issues. The towel allows for a neutral grip, which is a very easy position for the shoulders. It also forces the lifter to grip with more force, thereby activating more stabilizer muscles in the shoulder girdle. Lastly, it will force the lifter to use a lighter weight, which again will be a little easier on the shoulder joint.
Towel T-Bar Rows
This is a great way to perform T-bar rows when D-handles and other T-bar machines aren’t available. The towel also allows for a more natural range of motion.
Stick a barbell in the corner of two walls or inside a power rack and wrap a towel over the barbell. This movement can be performed very heavy and is a great exercise for size and strength.
Like the last variation, this will also work the grip and allow for a shoulder-friendly neutral grip.
Unilateral Movements
One-Arm Barbell Row – Staggered Stance
If your gym doesn’t have heavy dumbbells, you can perform one-arm barbell rows. This is also going to work the grip since you need to balance the barbell by gripping it in the middle. Perform them on a bench or in a staggered stance. One-arm rows are great for developing each side of the back independently and can help prevent asymmetries from developing.
One-Arm Barbell Row – Neutral Stance
One-arm barbell rows can also be performed from a neutral stance, which will work the core more since you need to resist the side from bending due to the asymmetrical load. This variation can also be performed inside a power rack with dead stop reps to increase starting strength.
Rowing Wrap Up
As you can see, there are many effective rowing variations you can add to your training. Each of these exercises can be used as a supplemental or assistance movement on your strength building days, or as a main back exercise if you’re following a body part split.
But to reap all the benefits of rowing, you must be mindful to keep your technique as clean as possible. Start by performing barbell rows with a lighter weight and master your technique before piling on the weight. You’ll be surprised how much weight you really need when you perform rows with strict form.
Here’s a summary:
- Make sure to perform a proper hip hinge.
- Sit back to get the body parallel to the floor.
- Only bend the knees slightly.
- Keep the core braced to ensure a neutral spine and to help eliminate unnecessary body English.
- Keep the chest proud and the shoulders packed to ensure shoulder health and optimal muscle recruitment.
- When in doubt, lighten the weight and really focus on the muscle being worked. If you feel it in your legs, lower back, and neck, you’re using too heavy a weight.
- Holding each rep for a one-count at the top eliminates most bad technique.
- Work the lats isometrically from time to time.
These exercises will help you set new PRs in your bench, squat, and deadlift, while making your physique an impressive sight when seen from behind. Start performing these exercises regularly – and properly – and build some wide, thick lats that would make Dorian proud!
Back-Friendly Leg Training
Back-Friendly Leg Training
I’ve dealt with back problems my entire life. By problems, I don’t mean the occasional lower back tweak, but rather serious complications that greatly affected both my training and my overall quality of life. For many, a typical training session will look something like this:
It’s basically your run-of-the-mill leg program, only in reverse. Traditional methods will have you starting with some form of heavy squat, followed by something for the posterior chain before wrapping up with single-leg exercise accessory work. Single leg training is an effective way to overload the legs without stressing the spine, making it a great option for those with back problems. You’ll start each workout by picking one exercise from the list below for 3-4 sets of 6 reps per leg.
Remember, we’re using the single-leg work as a primary exercise, so treat it accordingly. Don’t just breeze through it. Work your way up to a top set where you go as heavy as you can for 6 reps using good form. Placing single-leg work first in the training session will allow you to get much more out it. When performing it at the end of the workout in a fatigued state, stability becomes much more of a limiting factor. When fresh, stability isn’t nearly as much of an issue, allowing the focus be placed on strength. It’s best those with back issues avoid heavy spinal loading. Unfortunately, this rules out some great time-tested strength and mass builders like deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, and good mornings. If you still want to train the hip hinge pattern (you definitely should), try single-leg RDL’s, cable pull-throughs, or kettlebell swings instead. This isn’t optional because I’m a softie, but because I believe that once you become proficient with single-leg work, you won’t need it. I realize not everyone is ready to make this leap. Some find that as they first transition into single-leg training, they aren’t able to work their legs to the extent they’d like to. While this diminishes as form improves, some just love squatting and aren’t ready to part with it entirely. Another technique to use on occasion is “1.5″ reps, which I picked up from Charles Poliquin. You may want to have a fire extinguisher on hand because these burn.
If you’re feeling particularly masochistic, you can try something I got from Dan John called “Goji” front squats, using kettlebells suspended from chains. Be prepared for a roller coaster ride.
Sure, the weights will need to be lighter than you may be used to, but I assure you won’t be thinking this is easy. Those used to squatting big numbers may at first suffer a little ego bruising, but your back and legs will ultimately thank you. As a rule, I try to avoid using absolutes. I won’t push my luck and say that everyone should train like this as there are many different ways of doing things. I will say that everyone with the goal of getting bigger legs couldtrain like this – bad back or not – and get great results.
Suffice it to say, my issues weren’t the sort that a few Advil and ten minutes on the foam roller could cure. I’ll spare you the gory details, but things came to a head in 2005 after involuntarily wetting the bed several times and being forced to have surgery to repair a disk at L5-S1.
I was also an athlete and exercise junkie, but after the surgery I had a lot of trouble (and still do) running and cutting, which obviously ruled out most sports. So I turned to lifting weights for my daily endorphin fix.
My drug of choice is leg training. There’s just something satisfying about it – not necessarily fun, but satisfying. Leg day will push you to your physical limits and show you what you’re made of along the way.
It’s also a surefire way to separate the real lifters from the prima donnas. Big arms and broad shoulders are a dime a dozen, but when I see a guy with strong and muscular legs, he’s got my respect because I know he’s put the work in. There’s just no other way.
Leg day can be a slippery slope for those with back problems. On one hand, you’ve got to push it hard to see results, but most traditional leg training programs can wreak havoc on your back if you’re not ultra careful.
You don’t want to risk getting hurt, but you also don’t want to be relegated to a life of wussy training and wearing sweatpants at the beach, either. I struggled with this for a long time, and I suspect many reading this do too.
Through considerable trial and error, I’ve learned (often the hard way) how to modify leg training to not exacerbate my back problems while still training with the brutal intensity required to make progress. If what I’m saying resonates at all, this article is for you.
The Program Basics
This method has built many a big set of wheels and is no doubt effective, but if you have a preexisting back problem, it may also be setting you up for a world of hurt down the road.
In this back-friendly program, we’re still including all the same basic components of a traditional leg workout. We’re just flipping the order in which we do them.
I’ll now discuss the “whys” and go into each part of the workout with more depth.
Single Leg Work
I recommend taking 60-90 seconds rest between each leg to allow sufficient recovery (except for walking lunges, which will obviously be done in a continuous fashion), and at least two minutes between sets. If you’re doing it right, you’ll need every last second of it.
You’ll be surprised at how much weight you’ll be able to handle when you take it seriously. It may feel a little awkward at first, but the learning curve is typically very fast, so stick with it.
First Things First
For those new to single-leg training, I recommend starting with rear-foot elevated split squats because they’ll be the most stable.
Once you master those, lunges will be the next easiest to learn, followed by skater squats and single-leg squats. Be conservative with your weights the first couple times out to allow sufficient time to familiarize yourself with the movements and let your body adapt to the new stimulus.
Starting too heavy will only slow the learning process and leave you crippled with soreness. Trust me on this one.
You’ll notice I omitted step-ups. I’m not a fan of step-ups as a primary strength exercise for two reasons. First, many complain of knee pain from heavy step-ups. Second, it lends itself to heavy cheating from the back leg, especially as the weights get heavier.
If you feel strongly about step-ups and can do them pain-free with good form, certainly use them. I think most people will be better off choosing exercises from the list above.
Posterior Chain Work
I’m also not a big fan of machine leg curls. Sure, they won’t hurt your back directly, but they could indirectly contribute to low back pain by neglecting the glutes.
The glute-ham raise is my favorite alternative here because it works both the glutes and hamstrings simultaneously while putting lower amounts of stress on the spine in comparison to heavy deadlifts and good mornings.
For more on the glute-ham raise, including how to do it, check out this article. For those who don’t have access to a glute-ham bench, you can try some of these leg curl variations that are superior to machine-based alternatives.
Pick one exercise per workout and do 3-4 sets. Reps will depend on which exercise you choose. Glute-ham raises and single leg RDL’s are best done using slightly lower reps (5-8) while pull-throughs, kettlebell swings, and the various leg curl variations work better in the 8-15 rep range (swings can go as high as 20).Bilateral Finisher (Optional)
Think about it, if you gradually work to 250+ for rear-foot elevated split squats, 250+ pounds for lunges, and 100+ pounds for skater squats and single leg squats, and consume adequate amounts of protein and calories to support hypertrophy and weight gain (the most important and oft-neglected part of the equation when it comes to building muscle), your legs will have no choice but to grow.
In my case, I’ve transitioned almost exclusively to the single-leg stuff for my knee-dominant work (i.e. quad exercises), and don’t see myself turning back any time soon. I’ve gotten stronger, my legs have grown, and my back has never felt better.
Making the Leap to Single-Leg Training
For these types, placing squats at the end of the workout makes sense. My problem with bilateral squatting for back pain sufferers isn’t the bilateral movement pattern – it’s a very important pattern to learn and master – but rather the extreme spinal loading associated with heavy squatting, as well as the form breakdown that can occur as a result of heavy loads.
Doing them at the end takes care of both of these problems as it drastically reduces the amount of weight your legs will be able to handle. For those with back problems, lighter loads means less load on the spine, and it will also make it much easier to keep good form. I also prefer front squats over back squats for this reason because they require less overall load and promote a more upright torso, thereby reducing the shearing forces on the spine.
Still, with heavy front squats, the limiting factor for most will be the upper back, not the legs. Doing heavy single-leg work first fatigues the legs without fatiguing the back, so when it comes time to squat, the legs again become the limiting factor, making it safer and more efficient.
I recommend doing 2-4 sets of 6-10 reps. I usually prefer a lower rep range with front squats when they’re being performed at the beginning of the workout. Since the weights will be significantly lighter here, supporting the bar shouldn’t be a problem, and the higher rep ranges mean less load for the back and greater time under tension for the legs.
The weight you’ll use for front squats will depend largely on your proficiency with single-leg work (the better you are at it, the more it will tax you), as well as which exercises you did previously. Start light. You probably won’t be able to handle nearly as much as you think you can. (I personally use about 65-75% of what I could handle if I were fresh.)
Taking it a step further, you can even do things to consciously make the front squats harder so that less weight is required.
One way to do this is to slow down the eccentric portion of the rep.
Still not sold on the idea? It might help to think about it in bodybuilding terms as “pre-exhausting” the legs. Bodybuilders have long used leg extensions or the leg press to pre-exhaust their quads before squatting. That’s exactly what we’re doing here, only I’d argue that single-leg work trumps either of those other exercises in both safety and efficacy.
Wrap Up
Healthy individuals that enjoy heavy squatting would still be well advised to train like this periodically to deload the spine and keep it happy for the long haul. You might not think it’s important now, but you may change your tune when instead of lifting you’re stuck playing Angry Birds on your physiotherapists’ table.
Try it for yourself and see how it goes.
Building a Big, Freaky Back
Back Building Basics
Deadlifts
Chin-ups
Rows
Get Some Back, Baby!
- Deadlifting is the base. Train deads with relatively low reps and volume but with very heavy weights. Try working deadlifts in four week wave cycles.
- Chin-ups are the most effective exercise for upper back width. Try them with varying grips for relatively high reps and sets to build a complete back.
- Heavy rows are vital for adding upper back thickness. Barbell rows, old school T-bar rows, and heavy dumbbell rows are among the most effective variations.
- Try the Kroc row to take your back size and strength to a new level.
Sample workout
Week one: Work up to one heavy set of 5 reps in 4-5 sets.
Week two: Work up to one heavy set of 3 reps in 4-5 sets
Week three: Work up to a heavy single in 4-5 sets.
Week four: No deadlifting.
Repeat
Warm up. Then perform as many sets as necessary to total 100 reps, alternating each set between a wide overhand grip, a medium neutral grip, and a close neutral or underhand grip.
Work up to one all-out set (with each arm) of 20-30 reps with as heavy a dumbbell as possible. Every week strive to set a new rep PR. When able to perform 30 reps, increase the weight. Don’t do the wimpy where you keep your elbow tucked!
Building a Bodybuilder Back
by Dr. Clay Hyght
Movements vs. Muscles
When it comes to weight training, there are basically just two paradigms: training movements and training muscles.
Strength coaches would point out that the body doesn’t “think” about doing a movement (a.k.a. exercise) in order to stimulate a particular muscle. Instead, the body simply recruits the muscles needed to elicit a certain movement.
On the other hand, bodybuilding coaches see training as a way to stimulate a particular muscle. Therefore they select movements that target a particular muscle.
Which viewpoint is correct?
The answer is actually rather simple. For someone who’s an athlete whose performance depends on executing certain movements and movement patterns, their training should be based upon quickly and efficiently executing movements, particularly the movements involved in their particular sport. After all, it doesn’t matter which muscles do the movement, as long as the movement gets done.
For example, let’s say you find yourself in the octagon fighting Anderson Silva. As he throws a straight right toward your face, you couldn’t care less whether you use your abs, obliques, multifidus, or any other muscles… as long as you’re able to duck his rapidly-approaching fist before it smashes your pretty face.
If, after some combination of ducking and leaning, you could then manage to come up and counter with your own right hook to his left temple, who cares if your biceps, anterior delt, or core produced most of the power? Simply landing a shot on “The Spider” would be reason enough to be ecstatic!
On the other hand, if you’re someone who trains to look a certain way, then your progress is measured by the stimulation and adaptation of muscles, not movement execution. For that reason, the focus of your training should be on properly stimulating the appropriate muscles with the appropriate exercises.
To illustrate, pretend you’re onstage battling for the overall Mr. USA with eventual winner Mark Alvisi, among others. As the judges evaluate your physiques, they realize that your lats are rather thin and underdeveloped as compared to Mark’s.
Sure, you may have done identical amounts of vertical pulling and rowing as the new Mr. USA, but it doesn’t matter, because your lats simply aren’t up to snuff. Try again next year, buddy. Thanks for playing.
As you can see, both strength coaches and bodybuilding coaches are right. There’s a time to focus on movements, and there’s a time to focus on muscles.
But this article isn’t about uniting coaches and their methods; it’s about building a bad-ass back! One that’s not only big, but also symmetrical and aesthetic.
Warning!
Let me preface by saying that this article is about an advanced approach to back training — one that’s arguably unnecessary for most trainees.
For the vast majority of people, even physique athletes, back training with a movement-based approach is fine, even if you do train for looks more so than function. In fact, it’s far superior to the way most gym goers haphazardly train their backs.
However, once you’ve reached a certain level of development, it becomes a must to approach training — especially back training — with a muscle-oriented approach. For most, it’s the only way to build a big back that’s visually appealing and symmetrical from top to bottom and from left to right.
Sure, some genetically gifted individuals can basically just lift heavy stuff and develop a balanced, symmetrical back (those bastards!). But the vast majority of us need a far more finely tuned approach — one that addresses each individual region of the back, not just the back as a whole.
Regions of the Back
Considering “the back” as one body part like we work with chest is a misguided approach that doesn’t take into account the complexity of the back musculature.
Think about it. Referring to the entire posterior aspect of your torso as “my back” is analogous to calling your anterior torso “my front,” even though it includes your pectorals, anterior deltoids, and abdominals.
To more finely tune the description of the muscles of the back, let’s compartmentalize them into three basic regions: upper back, lats, and low back.
Upper Back
The upper back includes the upper, middle, and lower traps as well as the rhomboids, which are “deep to” the middle traps.
Although not the focus of this article, let’s move from the midline and go laterally a bit. The upper back also includes the rear delts, infraspinatus, and its little friend the teres minor, all of which lie on the lateral aspect of the upper back.
As a brief review, the middle traps and the rhomboids work primarily to retract the scapulae or bring the shoulder blades closer together toward the midline. The upper traps elevate the shoulders (as in shrugging), while the lower traps depress (or lower) the scapulae and bring the bottom part of the scapulae closer together.
Visually, it’s the upper back that’s primarily responsible for giving the back that thick, three-dimensional look needed to look great in a rear double biceps pose.
Lats
As you probably know, the lats are situated primarily on the lateral part of the posterior torso, just below what we’re calling the upper back. For sake of completion, the teres major would also fit into the lat grouping.
The general function of the lats is to adduct or abduct the humerus. In other words, the lats move the upper arm either closer to the body, or away from the body, whether in the frontal or a sagital plane.
Great lat development obviously makes your back appear wider, especially when executing a rear lat spread. But great lats also complete the look of a rear double biceps pose. After all, it just doesn’t look right to have a thick upper back with paper-thin lats that don’t jut out from the sides.
The lats are also largely responsible for the overall shape of your physique. Whether facing the front or the rear, your lats enhance your appearance by giving width to your torso while visually narrowing your waist.
Lower Back
When referring to the lower back, we’re primarily talking about the lumbar spinal erectors. However, we’re also including the lesser-known multifidus and quadratus lumborum (QL).
As a chiropractor you probably expect me to make a big deal about the lower back. However, as an NPC judge I’ll say this: Development of the lower back isn’t really that important. In fact, the coveted “Christmas tree” appearance that’s often seen in the lower back has far more to do with lat thickness and lack of body fat than development of the spinal erectors.
As a general rule, doing deadlift variations, barbell squats, and some barbell rowing will take care of your lower back in terms of strength and development. However, if pain and/or lack of lower back strength prohibit you from doing any of the aforementioned movements, then you have a low back issue that should be addressed.
Are You Upper Back Dominant or Lat Dominant?
The vast majority of us tend to either be upper back dominant or lat dominant. In order to balance out your back development, you first have to know in which category you fit. Since I’m unable to personally watch you execute a rear double biceps pose and a rear lat spread, let me give you a simple but accurate way to assess your back dominance.
Do a moderately heavy set of neutral grip cable rows on a low pulley. As fatigue starts to set in, do you feel it more in your lats or in your upper back, mostly between your shoulder blades?
If you feel the movement more in your lats and tend to have a hard time getting a really good contraction or “squeeze” in your scapular retractors, then consider yourself lat dominant. And I bet your back lacks that really impressive three-dimensional “pop” to it, although you can probably develop width relatively easily.
On the other hand, if you tend to feel low-pulley cable rows in your upper back yet have a hard time isolating and squeezing your lats, then you’re upper back dominant. If this is the case, you probably have some decent thickness to your upper back, yet have a hard time getting the width that corresponds with your thickness.
As they say, knowledge is power. Now that you know at least one of the visual (and neurological) strengths and weaknesses of your back, you can begin to train in such a way to correct this discrepancy.
Training for a Big Beautiful Back
As a general rule of thumb, your back training routine (assuming it’s part of a body part split) should be comprised of 3 to 4 exercises — not including any direct rear delt or upper trap work.
For those of you who tend to be lat dominant, make sure that the majority of your back exercises target your upper back or scapular retractors. Keep in mind there’s a good chance you won’t enjoy training in this manner because it forces you to do exercises that you’re “not good at” or don’t “feel” very well.
However, the same neuromuscular inefficiency of your upper back that causes you to not feel certain exercises very well is the precise reason why you should be doing these exercises! You can’t fix a problem if you don’t address it.
Likewise, those of you who have a hard time activating your lats should spend the majority of your back training time targeting your lats.
As for maintaining the strong point of your back, the combination of one direct exercise and the spillover stimulation that it’ll get from other exercises will be ample stimulus to maintain and even slowly improve its development.
Back Training Routine: Upper Back Emphasis
A) Rack Deadlifts
B) Medium-grip Pulldowns
C) One-arm Dumbbell Rows
D) Reverse Flyes
Rack deadlifts are a great option for those looking to thicken their upper back without putting too much stress or emphasis on the lower back.
Medium-grip pulldowns are a perfect example of how, at least for bodybuilders, a movement-based approach to training isn’t very precise. Sure, it’s a vertical pulling movement, but it targets the upper back (i.e. middle and lower traps) far more than the standard wide-grip pulldown, which emphasizes the lats more.
One-arm dumbbell rows are one of the single best compound movements for the lats, assuming you keep your humerus along the side of your torso as you approach the contracted position.
Reverse flyes (or “T raises” as many non-bodybuilders call them) are a great exercise for isolating the upper back. Just make sure to forcefully squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement as opposed to focusing on squeezing the rear delts as you would if you were doing this movement specifically as a rear delt exercise.
Note: You may have noticed that I didn’t include any set or rep schemes. That’s because the main purpose of this article is to get you to think about back training in a different way, not to spoon-feed you an exact routine.
Back Training Routine: Lat Emphasis
A) Underhand Barbell Rows
B) Wide-grip Pulldowns
C) Rack Deadlifts
D) Decline Dumbbell Pullovers
Underhand barbell rows are great for those who are upper-back dominant as they place the humerus in a position that’s more mechanically advantageous for the lats as opposed to the upper back. Just make sure to avoid raising your torso more than 45° above horizontal or you’ll end up doing more of a shrugging movement, thereby shifting the emphasis away from the lats and/or the upper middle back (upper/middle traps and rhomboids).
Wide-grip pulldowns are, at first glance, very similar to medium-grip pulldowns. However, their affect on the back is much different as they emphasize the lats as opposed to the scapular retractors. To maximize the stimulus placed on the lats, keep your torso practically vertical while keeping your elbows in vertical alignment under your wrists.
Rack deadlifts are perfect for this lat-emphasizing routine as they will serve to more-than-maintain upper back musculature while providing a good overall growth stimulus.
Decline dumbbell pullovers are one of the single best exercises for stimulating the lats, especially for individuals who typically have a hard time doing so. The movement is essentially adduction of the humerus in the sagittal plane, which is one of the purest functions of the lats. Make sure to avoid the temptation to bend your elbows too much as you near the stretched position of the movement.
Back Routine: Balanced Development
A) Pull-Ups
B) Rack Deadlifts
C) One-Arm Dumbbell Rows
D) Overhand Barbell Rows
Pull-ups tend to be a fairly balanced exercise in terms of how they spread the stress over the back musculature. I suspect this is the case because, for most people, it’s simply too difficult to do in a manner that emphasizes one part of the back over the other. Instead, you’ll naturally fall into a position that enables the upper back and the lats to contribute their fair share of the workload.
Rack deadlifts are, as mentioned previously, an incredible overall back exercise. Likewise, most people will find that doing these will give more than adequate stimulation to the spinal erectors and the upper traps.
One-arm dumbbell rows are simply one of the best (and safest) back exercises around. But again, due to the position of the humerus, they tend to not stimulate the scapular retractors enough to cause growth.
Overhand barbell rows are definitely one of the single best compound movements for the upper back. Even though they closely resemble their sibling, the underhand barbell row, they’re a very different animal indeed. Since these are done to stimulate the upper back as opposed to the lats, make sure your humerus is abducted (away from your side) at least 45° if not 60°. This places the lats in a position that’s less mechanically advantageous, thus shifting the stress to the upper back.
Intelligent Back Training
If you’re nutritionally advanced at all, then you know there’s more to food than just calories. I bet you think of a meal in terms of protein, carbs, and fat. From now on you should think of back training in a similar light.
No longer is an exercise just “a back exercise.” And if you’re a physique athlete, you should think beyond vertical pulling and rowing. Instead, a back exercise is an upper back exercise, a lat exercise, a low back exercise, or a combination thereof, depending on the predominate muscle(s) stimulated, not the movement used to do the stimulating.
Approaching your back training with this paradigm will really allow you to optimize and fine-tune your back development. And who knows, one day it may be pictures of your back that will be used to illustrate perfect back development.
Guy throwing the punch? Anderson Silva. Funny-looking red-headed kid with the star-shaped boo-boo? You.
Reverse Flyes, Arnold-Style
Reverse Flyes, Supported
About Dr. Clay Hyght
Dr. Clay’s new book, Set Your Metabolism on Fire, is more than 100 pages long, and packed with fat-burning, muscle-building information, including complete meal plans. Whether it’s because he’s a really nice guy or an idiot, he’s giving it away for free! Visit DrClay.com to get your copy before he comes to his senses.
© 1998 — 2009 Testosterone, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Big Back, Big Chest, Real Fast
by Chad Waterbury
I get bored easily.
That’s why I’ve spent the last few years augmenting my training toolbox. There’s only so much I can say about training for bigger muscles before I unleash a barrage of Hulk Hogan-style leg drops on my keyboard. I know what your muscles need to grow. But I can’t guarantee that you’ll have the time and energy to get the job done. So the ball’s in my court to make the process as user-friendly as possible.
Now that I can do more to help clients, I’ve taken on more esoteric cases. In the last few months I’ve had three interesting clients come to me for help.
First was Tracy. She was born with spina bifida, a nasty neural defect that mandated four major spinal surgeries by the age of 24.
She had lost the mind-muscle link to most of her core, hip, and lower body muscles, and this made her so weak that she couldn’t stand up from a Barca lounger unless she used her upper body strength to hoist herself up as if she was escaping a swimming pool after mistaking little Billy’s half-eaten Snickers bar for something far more ominous.
So I designed a program to strengthen and reprogram her atrophied muscles.
Second was Heidi Montag, the star of MTV’s hit reality show, The Hills. She definitely wasn’t born with any physical disadvantage, except that her butt was too flat for the Playboy centerfold shoot that’s currently on the newsstands.
Not only did she want a curvier caboose, but she also wanted to look like an athlete — not an emaciated starlet with breast implants. Her goal for the shoot was to expose powerful curves, and she needed them fast. So I designed a workout to give her, and any other female, a sexy, bikini body.
Then there was Alex. He’s the only one of the three that you can probably relate to. He had no physical limitations, and he didn’t give a rat’s ass about making his ass look better. He just wanted bigger pecs and lats so he’d look better without a shirt while he scoped out chicks along the beach.
These seem like three specific cases that all require a unique training strategy. Interestingly enough, I used the same training approach for all three clients. Whether I needed to rehabilitate injured muscles or sculpt a bikini body or add muscle to a guy’s upper body, the most important component I had to get right was their training frequency. Put simply: the more they train a movement, the faster they’ll get results.
You know that saying, “If something is worth doing, do it every day?” Well, I can tell you that this mantra does carry over to hypertrophy training. Indeed, the reason why trainers say that you need months to gain appreciable amounts of muscle is not because your body can only manufacture a few pounds of muscle each month — it’s because it takes months’ worth of workouts to see results.
So what if you could cram two or three months worth of training into three weeks? Provided you can recover from each workout, I think you’ll agree that you’ll gain muscle faster than ever before.
This is exactly what I did with Alex. He wanted a bigger chest and upper back, and he wanted it, like, yesterday. I designed a simple plan to do it. And it worked! It wasn’t easy, but it was certainly simple. He gained over two inches of chest girth in less than a month.
So I’m here to share the chest and back HFT plan that I gave him.
The Exercises
For three weeks you’ll focus on the push-up and wide-grip pull-up for the majority of your upper body work. These two exercises will take the place of all your upper body pushing and pulling requirements. If you add in exercises like the bench press or seated row, you’ll burn out in no time. You can add 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps for the lateral raise, biceps curl, face pull, and triceps extensions for three workouts each week, but it’s not necessary.
The great thing about the two primary exercises is that they require very little equipment. You’re born with everything you need for the push-up. The pull-up, on the other hand, isn’t quite as simple since you probably don’t have a pull-up bar hanging in your doorway, but the solution to that dilemma is simple: get one.
The Equipment
These days, there are a plethora of pull-up bars that can be hinged to your doorway. I won’t list all of the companies here, but I’ll just say that I have the Total Upper Body Workout Bar by Iron Gym in my place.
It only takes a few minutes to assemble and it doesn’t require any drilling. Just position one end of the apparatus over the molding around the top of a doorway in your house, and you’re good to go. (Note: if you happen to have a home that doesn’t have wood trim molding around your doorways, you’ll need to buy the version that screws into the sides of the doorway.)
The Training Parameters
Six days each week you’ll do 100 push-ups and 50 pull-ups. Why the seemingly unbalanced parameters? Because a push-up only engages about half your body weight; the pull-up uses all of your body weight. So that’s why you need twice as many push-ups to keep the strength in balance around your shoulder joints.
Again, each day, for six days a week, you’ll do 100 push-ups and 50 pull-ups. I don’t care how many sets it takes to complete either, just get them done. For example, you could do five pull-ups every hour for 10 hours. Or you could do 10 pull-ups five times per day. Or you could do 13, 8, 7, 6, 6, 5 and 5 reps over the course of three hours. In the end, it doesn’t matter.
The same is true with push-ups. 100 reps are required each day and it doesn’t matter how, or when, you get those reps.
Granted, this whole thing sounds ridiculously simple (conceptually, not in the execution), but it works. What have you go to lose?
Technique Tips
1. Your chest must touch the floor with each push-up, and you should push your shoulder blades apart at the top of each rep to engage the woefully disrespected serratus anterior. (Doing your push-ups this way will improve your shoulder health.)
2. The pull-ups are to be performed with a wider-than-shoulder width hand position with your palms facing away from you. Every rep must start from a full hang and you should touch your chest to the bar with each pull.
3. Perform each rep of each exercise as fast as possible. Don’t go to failure on any set — always keep at least one rep in the hole. This will allow you to maintain your strength throughout the day.
4. If you can do more than 30 push-ups in one set, perform each set with your feet elevated on a flat bench, chair, stool, or a stack of encyclopedias (I prefer the Encyclopedia Britannica 11th edition).
More to Know
During the first week your chest, lats, and serratus anterior muscles will be screaming in agony. No worries. By week 2 the soreness will be virtually gone since your localized muscle recovery will skyrocket to meet the demand.
Do this program for six days each week for three weeks straight. Then, refrain from any upper body pushing or pulling movements for five full days. This will allow for any supercompensation that might be lagging behind. In other words, many people get bigger during the five days off.
What can you expect? At least two inches of new girth added to your chest measurement. You’ll have trouble finding a training system that will build muscle faster!
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© 1998 — 2009 Testosterone, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Best of Back
by the editors
“I wanted my back muscles to bristle with power,” Arnold Schwarzenegger said about his preparation for his role as Conan the Barbarian. “If my back is writhing and rippling during fight scenes, the public will know that I am a rugged fighter.”
Writhing, rippling, dense layers of muscle, all tapering down into a tight waist. Arnold really nailed it.
If you think about it, a massive, symmetrical back defines a bodybuilder and avid weight trainer. For modern physique competitors, the contest is often “won from the back” as the saying goes. For regular gym rats, a good back is what separates the truly dedicated from the truly pathetic.
A great back has two main qualities: thickness and a V-taper. That means you need to do both horizontal pulling (row-type exercises) and vertical pulling (pulldown or pull-up type exercises). A common mistake among beginners is to do one but not the other. A common mistake among advanced trainers is to do both movement patterns, but overemphasize one over the other, creating imbalances and a weird, mutant-like look that prompts small children to point at you and laugh.
To help both groups, we’ve put together some of our staff’s favorite rut busters, gap fillers, and foundation builders for the back.
It’s time to get your barbarian on!
#1: The Gymnast’s Extended-Set Back Routine
Back in the 70′s, Arnold popularized a lat training program that involved doing a massive volume of pull-ups. Basically, he suggested you do 50 strict, wide-grip pull-ups, regardless of how many sets it takes. At the end, you might be getting only one or two reps per set; didn’t matter, as long as you reached 50 reps total.
Modern strength and hypertrophy experts, most of who agree that anyone worth his salt should be able to do at least 12 full-range pull-ups, have echoed this theme. But the thought of higher-volume pull-ups confounds two groups of lifters: the weak newbie and the experienced trainee with a high body weight. The good news is, both can build a powerful set of lats with this program from Charles Poliquin.
“Many athletes and bodybuilders who claim that they can never really ‘feel’ their lats will be ‘feeling’ them for several days after this program!” says Poliquin.
The idea is do as many reps as possible with one grip position, rest a little, then do another set with a new grip position, rest, and repeat several times. You start with the grip position that’s the toughest for most people. That way you’re fresh and can do more reps. As you progress through the sets you’ll fatigue, but you’ll use “easier” grip positions at which you’re naturally stronger.
Here’s how it’ll look:
1) Wide-grip pull-ups, as many reps as possible
2) Rest for ten seconds
3) Medium-grip pull-ups, as many reps as possible
4) Rest for ten seconds
5) Medium-grip chin-ups, as many reps as possible
6) Rest for ten seconds
7) Narrow-grip chin-ups, as many reps as possible
8) Rest for three minutes
9) Repeat steps 1-8 twice
Remember, a pull-up is where your palms are pronated or facing away from you. A chin-up is supinated, where your palms are facing toward you.
Even if you’re a newbie or have a high body weight and can only get three reps per position, that’ll still give you 12 total reps per extended set. As a bonus, after a few months of the gymnast’s routine, your lat spread will be so wide that you’ll be able to jump off the roof of your house and glide to the grocery store, which will save gas in this troublesome economy.
#2: Rack Pull (Partial Deadlift)
You do your pulldowns and pull-ups. You do your rows. So your back training is covered, right? Well, if you’re like most people, you’ll discover you’ve been missing something after you begin performing rack pulls. This lift builds a brutal upper back and traps!
To perform, place a bar in a power rack so that it sits just above knee level and load it up with every plate in the gym. (Okay, maybe not every plate, but you can go very heavy on this one.) Now perform just the “top” of a deadlift. Coach Christian Thibaudeau recommends that you hold for two seconds at lockout before lowering the bar back to the pins.
You may also want to take a tip from coach Mike Robertson and perform the rack pull with scapular retraction. In Mike’s version, you’ll set the pins in a power rack to a point about an inch below your kneecaps. From here, just do a top deadlift: fire your heels into the floor, thrust your hips forward, and lock out the bar with a glute squeeze.
Here’s the kicker: When you’ve locked the bar out, pull the shoulder blades together forcefully and maintain this retracted position for three seconds.
This is a phenomenal exercise for upper back thickness, forearm and grip development, and deadlift lockout strength. And while we normally don’t recommend that you overuse lifting straps or hooks, feel free to break them out on the last couple of sets of this exercise so you can really focus on the heavy load.
#3: Sternum Chin-Ups
Here’s one for advanced lifters only. Newbies need not apply!
We learned of the sternum chin-up from Poliquin, but it was first introduced by Vince Gironda many moons ago. Why haven’t you ever seen it performed in your gym? Because most people simply can’t do it. It’s that tough.
This variation of the chin-up involves leaning back throughout the entire movement.
The lower portion of the chest is what will actually touch the bar. You can use either a supinated or pronated grip, and the grip can vary from narrow to shoulder-width (the latter being more indicated for the stronger trainee).
Poliquin explains the lift: “As you pull yourself to the bar, have your head lean back as far away from the bar as possible and arch your spine throughout the movement. At the upper end of the movement, your hips and legs will be at about a 45-degree angle to the floor. You should keep pulling until your collarbone passes the bar and your sternum touches it. By the time you’ve completed the concentric (lifting) portion of the movement, your head will be parallel to the floor.”
This exercise works more than just the lats. It also creates a great overload on the scapular retractors. The beginning of the movement, however, is more like a classical chin, while the midrange resembles a pullover motion. Finally, the end position duplicates the finishing motion of a rowing movement.
In other words, yeah, you’re gonna be hurtin’ for a few days after you try this one!
#4: Face Pulls
Bill Hartman, physical therapist and strength coach: “Face pulls are the most underrated exercise in all of strength training!”
Chad Waterbury: “Face pulls and more face pulls. That’s probably what you need. It’s definitely one of the most underrated upper body exercises. When you do it correctly you’ll strengthen your rhomboids, traps, and external rotators.”
Not only do Hartman and Waterbury concur, the face pull has found its way into the programs of Poliquin, Dave Tate, Joe DeFranco, and just about every other muscle-building expert you can throw a bottle of aminos at.
Which begs the question: If you’re not doing face pulls, what the heck is wrong with you?!
We think the face pull is one of those neglected exercises that not only leads to size gains, but also acts as a corrective movement to fix those I-benched-too-much-in-my-youth issues. It’s also great for curing computer-geek posture.
Here’s how to perform the basic face pull, courtesy of Mike Robertson: “Face a pulley machine and grab the rope with an overhand grip. Pulling through the elbows, take the middle of the rope in a straight line towards the bridge of your nose. The key is to make sure you fully retract the shoulder blades at the midpoint, squeeze, and then return to the starting position.”
Lots of variations here. DeFranco likes pulls to the throat, but you can also pull to the forehead to target a slightly different area of your upper back. You can also perform them seated or standing. And while an overhand grip is standard, many prefer the neutral grip.
Whatever you choose, the face pull might be the “missing ingredient” in your recipe for a big back!
#5: Cobra Lat Pulldown
We love the big foundational movements like heavy rows and pull-ups, but every once in a while a “new” exercise comes along that really sparks fresh growth. The cobra lat pulldown we learned from Coach Thibaudeau is one of those movements.
“When you stretch a muscle you increase its activation potential. So, this exercise is a very good one for those who have problems activating and stimulating the lats,” says Thibaudeau.
Here’s how to do it: Lie down sideways on an incline bench (around 45 degrees). Grab a single handle attached to a high pulley, making sure that you fully stretch the lat at the top of the movement. Now, pull the weight so that your elbow is moving toward your hip area. Squeeze the peak contraction and return to the stretched position.
#6: Cable Pullover
Many Golden Age bodybuilders swore by the Nautilus pullover machine for building a powerful upper body. The pullover was as common as the bench press and the row. Sadly, most gyms these days don’t even have a pullover machine, and those that do pale in comparison to the old Nautilus machine.
Thibaudeau, a big fan of the older pullover machines, has struggled for years to replicate their effectiveness. Here’s what he came up with: the cable pullover.
Thibs explains it: “The set-up for this exercise is a bit tricky. You’ll have to set up a decline bench in front of a low pulley station with a triceps rope attached. Lie down on the bench so that the rope is above your head.
“The starting position has you in a fully extended position. You perform the exercise by executing a pullover motion (keeping the arms straight) focusing on your lats the whole time. Really emphasize a wide pullover arc — this will hit the lats the hardest.
You lower the weight slowly, again in a wide arc, and return to the fully stretched position. Hold the stretched position for one or two seconds to get rid of momentum and to increase hypertrophy stimulation.”
#7: Iso-Dynamic Rows
Sometimes it’s not a new-fangled exercise you need to explode your back; it’s a new technique.
One such technique is using a variation of the isometric (i.e. holding a load in place without moving it). You can recruit up to 10% more muscle fibers during an isometric contraction, and as Thibaudeau and other bodybuilding experts have noted, the back responds especially well to isometrics.
Here’s a Thibaudeau routine that turns the standard cable row into an isometric torture session:
For this movement, hold the peak contraction for a certain period of time on each rep. To adjust to the fatigue level, the duration of the hold is decreased with each rep.
Rep 1: 12 seconds
Rep 2: 9 seconds
Rep 3: 7 seconds
Rep 4: 5 seconds
Rep 5: 3 seconds
Rep 6: 1 seconds
Two or three sets of this should do nicely. And by “do nicely” we mean make you cry like a little girl in a frilly pink dress holding a lollypop.
And if you like that, you can use the exact same iso-dynamic technique for the pulldown. Ouch.
Wrap-Up
Remember, for a barbarian back, use a foundation of heavy compound exercises that target both planes of motion: vertical and horizontal pulling. Then ramp things up with new plateau-busting exercises and training techniques for ultimate back development! Crom!
Exercise Models: Andrew Barker, Tim Smith, and Christine Pendleton.
Location: Gold’s Gym, Abilene, Texas
Pull-Up: Wide-Grip and Medium-Grip
Chin-Up: Medium-Grip and Narrow-Grip
Rack Pull
Sternum Chin-Ups
Face Pull to Throat
Cobra Lat Pulldown
Cable Pullover
Iso-Dynamic Rows
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© 1998 — 2009 Testosterone, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Best of Back
by the editors
“I wanted my back muscles to bristle with power,” Arnold Schwarzenegger said about his preparation for his role as Conan the Barbarian. “If my back is writhing and rippling during fight scenes, the public will know that I am a rugged fighter.”
Writhing, rippling, dense layers of muscle, all tapering down into a tight waist. Arnold really nailed it.
If you think about it, a massive, symmetrical back defines a bodybuilder and avid weight trainer. For modern physique competitors, the contest is often “won from the back” as the saying goes. For regular gym rats, a good back is what separates the truly dedicated from the truly pathetic.
A great back has two main qualities: thickness and a V-taper. That means you need to do both horizontal pulling (row-type exercises) and vertical pulling (pulldown or pull-up type exercises). A common mistake among beginners is to do one but not the other. A common mistake among advanced trainers is to do both movement patterns, but overemphasize one over the other, creating imbalances and a weird, mutant-like look that prompts small children to point at you and laugh.
To help both groups, we’ve put together some of our staff’s favorite rut busters, gap fillers, and foundation builders for the back.
It’s time to get your barbarian on!
#1: The Gymnast’s Extended-Set Back Routine
Back in the 70′s, Arnold popularized a lat training program that involved doing a massive volume of pull-ups. Basically, he suggested you do 50 strict, wide-grip pull-ups, regardless of how many sets it takes. At the end, you might be getting only one or two reps per set; didn’t matter, as long as you reached 50 reps total.
Modern strength and hypertrophy experts, most of who agree that anyone worth his salt should be able to do at least 12 full-range pull-ups, have echoed this theme. But the thought of higher-volume pull-ups confounds two groups of lifters: the weak newbie and the experienced trainee with a high body weight. The good news is, both can build a powerful set of lats with this program from Charles Poliquin.
“Many athletes and bodybuilders who claim that they can never really ‘feel’ their lats will be ‘feeling’ them for several days after this program!” says Poliquin.
The idea is do as many reps as possible with one grip position, rest a little, then do another set with a new grip position, rest, and repeat several times. You start with the grip position that’s the toughest for most people. That way you’re fresh and can do more reps. As you progress through the sets you’ll fatigue, but you’ll use “easier” grip positions at which you’re naturally stronger.
Here’s how it’ll look:
1) Wide-grip pull-ups, as many reps as possible
2) Rest for ten seconds
3) Medium-grip pull-ups, as many reps as possible
4) Rest for ten seconds
5) Medium-grip chin-ups, as many reps as possible
6) Rest for ten seconds
7) Narrow-grip chin-ups, as many reps as possible
8) Rest for three minutes
9) Repeat steps 1-8 twice
Remember, a pull-up is where your palms are pronated or facing away from you. A chin-up is supinated, where your palms are facing toward you.
Even if you’re a newbie or have a high body weight and can only get three reps per position, that’ll still give you 12 total reps per extended set. As a bonus, after a few months of the gymnast’s routine, your lat spread will be so wide that you’ll be able to jump off the roof of your house and glide to the grocery store, which will save gas in this troublesome economy.
#2: Rack Pull (Partial Deadlift)
You do your pulldowns and pull-ups. You do your rows. So your back training is covered, right? Well, if you’re like most people, you’ll discover you’ve been missing something after you begin performing rack pulls. This lift builds a brutal upper back and traps!
To perform, place a bar in a power rack so that it sits just above knee level and load it up with every plate in the gym. (Okay, maybe not every plate, but you can go very heavy on this one.) Now perform just the “top” of a deadlift. Coach Christian Thibaudeau recommends that you hold for two seconds at lockout before lowering the bar back to the pins.
You may also want to take a tip from coach Mike Robertson and perform the rack pull with scapular retraction. In Mike’s version, you’ll set the pins in a power rack to a point about an inch below your kneecaps. From here, just do a top deadlift: fire your heels into the floor, thrust your hips forward, and lock out the bar with a glute squeeze.
Here’s the kicker: When you’ve locked the bar out, pull the shoulder blades together forcefully and maintain this retracted position for three seconds.
This is a phenomenal exercise for upper back thickness, forearm and grip development, and deadlift lockout strength. And while we normally don’t recommend that you overuse lifting straps or hooks, feel free to break them out on the last couple of sets of this exercise so you can really focus on the heavy load.
#3: Sternum Chin-Ups
Here’s one for advanced lifters only. Newbies need not apply!
We learned of the sternum chin-up from Poliquin, but it was first introduced by Vince Gironda many moons ago. Why haven’t you ever seen it performed in your gym? Because most people simply can’t do it. It’s that tough.
This variation of the chin-up involves leaning back throughout the entire movement.
The lower portion of the chest is what will actually touch the bar. You can use either a supinated or pronated grip, and the grip can vary from narrow to shoulder-width (the latter being more indicated for the stronger trainee).
Poliquin explains the lift: “As you pull yourself to the bar, have your head lean back as far away from the bar as possible and arch your spine throughout the movement. At the upper end of the movement, your hips and legs will be at about a 45-degree angle to the floor. You should keep pulling until your collarbone passes the bar and your sternum touches it. By the time you’ve completed the concentric (lifting) portion of the movement, your head will be parallel to the floor.”
This exercise works more than just the lats. It also creates a great overload on the scapular retractors. The beginning of the movement, however, is more like a classical chin, while the midrange resembles a pullover motion. Finally, the end position duplicates the finishing motion of a rowing movement.
In other words, yeah, you’re gonna be hurtin’ for a few days after you try this one!
#4: Face Pulls
Bill Hartman, physical therapist and strength coach: “Face pulls are the most underrated exercise in all of strength training!”
Chad Waterbury: “Face pulls and more face pulls. That’s probably what you need. It’s definitely one of the most underrated upper body exercises. When you do it correctly you’ll strengthen your rhomboids, traps, and external rotators.”
Not only do Hartman and Waterbury concur, the face pull has found its way into the programs of Poliquin, Dave Tate, Joe DeFranco, and just about every other muscle-building expert you can throw a bottle of aminos at.
Which begs the question: If you’re not doing face pulls, what the heck is wrong with you?!
We think the face pull is one of those neglected exercises that not only leads to size gains, but also acts as a corrective movement to fix those I-benched-too-much-in-my-youth issues. It’s also great for curing computer-geek posture.
Here’s how to perform the basic face pull, courtesy of Mike Robertson: “Face a pulley machine and grab the rope with an overhand grip. Pulling through the elbows, take the middle of the rope in a straight line towards the bridge of your nose. The key is to make sure you fully retract the shoulder blades at the midpoint, squeeze, and then return to the starting position.”
Lots of variations here. DeFranco likes pulls to the throat, but you can also pull to the forehead to target a slightly different area of your upper back. You can also perform them seated or standing. And while an overhand grip is standard, many prefer the neutral grip.
Whatever you choose, the face pull might be the “missing ingredient” in your recipe for a big back!
#5: Cobra Lat Pulldown
We love the big foundational movements like heavy rows and pull-ups, but every once in a while a “new” exercise comes along that really sparks fresh growth. The cobra lat pulldown we learned from Coach Thibaudeau is one of those movements.
“When you stretch a muscle you increase its activation potential. So, this exercise is a very good one for those who have problems activating and stimulating the lats,” says Thibaudeau.
Here’s how to do it: Lie down sideways on an incline bench (around 45 degrees). Grab a single handle attached to a high pulley, making sure that you fully stretch the lat at the top of the movement. Now, pull the weight so that your elbow is moving toward your hip area. Squeeze the peak contraction and return to the stretched position.
#6: Cable Pullover
Many Golden Age bodybuilders swore by the Nautilus pullover machine for building a powerful upper body. The pullover was as common as the bench press and the row. Sadly, most gyms these days don’t even have a pullover machine, and those that do pale in comparison to the old Nautilus machine.
Thibaudeau, a big fan of the older pullover machines, has struggled for years to replicate their effectiveness. Here’s what he came up with: the cable pullover.
Thibs explains it: “The set-up for this exercise is a bit tricky. You’ll have to set up a decline bench in front of a low pulley station with a triceps rope attached. Lie down on the bench so that the rope is above your head.
“The starting position has you in a fully extended position. You perform the exercise by executing a pullover motion (keeping the arms straight) focusing on your lats the whole time. Really emphasize a wide pullover arc — this will hit the lats the hardest.
You lower the weight slowly, again in a wide arc, and return to the fully stretched position. Hold the stretched position for one or two seconds to get rid of momentum and to increase hypertrophy stimulation.”
#7: Iso-Dynamic Rows
Sometimes it’s not a new-fangled exercise you need to explode your back; it’s a new technique.
One such technique is using a variation of the isometric (i.e. holding a load in place without moving it). You can recruit up to 10% more muscle fibers during an isometric contraction, and as Thibaudeau and other bodybuilding experts have noted, the back responds especially well to isometrics.
Here’s a Thibaudeau routine that turns the standard cable row into an isometric torture session:
For this movement, hold the peak contraction for a certain period of time on each rep. To adjust to the fatigue level, the duration of the hold is decreased with each rep.
Rep 1: 12 seconds
Rep 2: 9 seconds
Rep 3: 7 seconds
Rep 4: 5 seconds
Rep 5: 3 seconds
Rep 6: 1 seconds
Two or three sets of this should do nicely. And by “do nicely” we mean make you cry like a little girl in a frilly pink dress holding a lollypop.
And if you like that, you can use the exact same iso-dynamic technique for the pulldown. Ouch.
Wrap-Up
Remember, for a barbarian back, use a foundation of heavy compound exercises that target both planes of motion: vertical and horizontal pulling. Then ramp things up with new plateau-busting exercises and training techniques for ultimate back development! Crom!
Exercise Models: Andrew Barker, Tim Smith, and Christine Pendleton.
Location: Gold’s Gym, Abilene, Texas
Pull-Up: Wide-Grip and Medium-Grip
Chin-Up: Medium-Grip and Narrow-Grip
Rack Pull
Sternum Chin-Ups
Face Pull to Throat
Cobra Lat Pulldown
Cable Pullover
Iso-Dynamic Rows
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© 1998 — 2009 Testosterone, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
>Best of Back
>
by the editors
“I wanted my back muscles to bristle with power,” Arnold Schwarzenegger said about his preparation for his role as Conan the Barbarian. “If my back is writhing and rippling during fight scenes, the public will know that I am a rugged fighter.”
Writhing, rippling, dense layers of muscle, all tapering down into a tight waist. Arnold really nailed it.
If you think about it, a massive, symmetrical back defines a bodybuilder and avid weight trainer. For modern physique competitors, the contest is often “won from the back” as the saying goes. For regular gym rats, a good back is what separates the truly dedicated from the truly pathetic.
A great back has two main qualities: thickness and a V-taper. That means you need to do both horizontal pulling (row-type exercises) and vertical pulling (pulldown or pull-up type exercises). A common mistake among beginners is to do one but not the other. A common mistake among advanced trainers is to do both movement patterns, but overemphasize one over the other, creating imbalances and a weird, mutant-like look that prompts small children to point at you and laugh.
To help both groups, we’ve put together some of our staff’s favorite rut busters, gap fillers, and foundation builders for the back.
It’s time to get your barbarian on!
#1: The Gymnast’s Extended-Set Back Routine
Back in the 70′s, Arnold popularized a lat training program that involved doing a massive volume of pull-ups. Basically, he suggested you do 50 strict, wide-grip pull-ups, regardless of how many sets it takes. At the end, you might be getting only one or two reps per set; didn’t matter, as long as you reached 50 reps total.
Modern strength and hypertrophy experts, most of who agree that anyone worth his salt should be able to do at least 12 full-range pull-ups, have echoed this theme. But the thought of higher-volume pull-ups confounds two groups of lifters: the weak newbie and the experienced trainee with a high body weight. The good news is, both can build a powerful set of lats with this program from Charles Poliquin.
“Many athletes and bodybuilders who claim that they can never really ‘feel’ their lats will be ‘feeling’ them for several days after this program!” says Poliquin.
The idea is do as many reps as possible with one grip position, rest a little, then do another set with a new grip position, rest, and repeat several times. You start with the grip position that’s the toughest for most people. That way you’re fresh and can do more reps. As you progress through the sets you’ll fatigue, but you’ll use “easier” grip positions at which you’re naturally stronger.
Here’s how it’ll look:
1) Wide-grip pull-ups, as many reps as possible
2) Rest for ten seconds
3) Medium-grip pull-ups, as many reps as possible
4) Rest for ten seconds
5) Medium-grip chin-ups, as many reps as possible
6) Rest for ten seconds
7) Narrow-grip chin-ups, as many reps as possible
8) Rest for three minutes
9) Repeat steps 1-8 twice
Remember, a pull-up is where your palms are pronated or facing away from you. A chin-up is supinated, where your palms are facing toward you.
Even if you’re a newbie or have a high body weight and can only get three reps per position, that’ll still give you 12 total reps per extended set. As a bonus, after a few months of the gymnast’s routine, your lat spread will be so wide that you’ll be able to jump off the roof of your house and glide to the grocery store, which will save gas in this troublesome economy.
#2: Rack Pull (Partial Deadlift)
You do your pulldowns and pull-ups. You do your rows. So your back training is covered, right? Well, if you’re like most people, you’ll discover you’ve been missing something after you begin performing rack pulls. This lift builds a brutal upper back and traps!
To perform, place a bar in a power rack so that it sits just above knee level and load it up with every plate in the gym. (Okay, maybe not every plate, but you can go very heavy on this one.) Now perform just the “top” of a deadlift. Coach Christian Thibaudeau recommends that you hold for two seconds at lockout before lowering the bar back to the pins.
You may also want to take a tip from coach Mike Robertson and perform the rack pull with scapular retraction. In Mike’s version, you’ll set the pins in a power rack to a point about an inch below your kneecaps. From here, just do a top deadlift: fire your heels into the floor, thrust your hips forward, and lock out the bar with a glute squeeze.
Here’s the kicker: When you’ve locked the bar out, pull the shoulder blades together forcefully and maintain this retracted position for three seconds.
This is a phenomenal exercise for upper back thickness, forearm and grip development, and deadlift lockout strength. And while we normally don’t recommend that you overuse lifting straps or hooks, feel free to break them out on the last couple of sets of this exercise so you can really focus on the heavy load.
#3: Sternum Chin-Ups
Here’s one for advanced lifters only. Newbies need not apply!
We learned of the sternum chin-up from Poliquin, but it was first introduced by Vince Gironda many moons ago. Why haven’t you ever seen it performed in your gym? Because most people simply can’t do it. It’s that tough.
This variation of the chin-up involves leaning back throughout the entire movement.
The lower portion of the chest is what will actually touch the bar. You can use either a supinated or pronated grip, and the grip can vary from narrow to shoulder-width (the latter being more indicated for the stronger trainee).
Poliquin explains the lift: “As you pull yourself to the bar, have your head lean back as far away from the bar as possible and arch your spine throughout the movement. At the upper end of the movement, your hips and legs will be at about a 45-degree angle to the floor. You should keep pulling until your collarbone passes the bar and your sternum touches it. By the time you’ve completed the concentric (lifting) portion of the movement, your head will be parallel to the floor.”
This exercise works more than just the lats. It also creates a great overload on the scapular retractors. The beginning of the movement, however, is more like a classical chin, while the midrange resembles a pullover motion. Finally, the end position duplicates the finishing motion of a rowing movement.
In other words, yeah, you’re gonna be hurtin’ for a few days after you try this one!
#4: Face Pulls
Bill Hartman, physical therapist and strength coach: “Face pulls are the most underrated exercise in all of strength training!”
Chad Waterbury: “Face pulls and more face pulls. That’s probably what you need. It’s definitely one of the most underrated upper body exercises. When you do it correctly you’ll strengthen your rhomboids, traps, and external rotators.”
Not only do Hartman and Waterbury concur, the face pull has found its way into the programs of Poliquin, Dave Tate, Joe DeFranco, and just about every other muscle-building expert you can throw a bottle of aminos at.
Which begs the question: If you’re not doing face pulls, what the heck is wrong with you?!
We think the face pull is one of those neglected exercises that not only leads to size gains, but also acts as a corrective movement to fix those I-benched-too-much-in-my-youth issues. It’s also great for curing computer-geek posture.
Here’s how to perform the basic face pull, courtesy of Mike Robertson: “Face a pulley machine and grab the rope with an overhand grip. Pulling through the elbows, take the middle of the rope in a straight line towards the bridge of your nose. The key is to make sure you fully retract the shoulder blades at the midpoint, squeeze, and then return to the starting position.”
Lots of variations here. DeFranco likes pulls to the throat, but you can also pull to the forehead to target a slightly different area of your upper back. You can also perform them seated or standing. And while an overhand grip is standard, many prefer the neutral grip.
Whatever you choose, the face pull might be the “missing ingredient” in your recipe for a big back!
#5: Cobra Lat Pulldown
We love the big foundational movements like heavy rows and pull-ups, but every once in a while a “new” exercise comes along that really sparks fresh growth. The cobra lat pulldown we learned from Coach Thibaudeau is one of those movements.
“When you stretch a muscle you increase its activation potential. So, this exercise is a very good one for those who have problems activating and stimulating the lats,” says Thibaudeau.
Here’s how to do it: Lie down sideways on an incline bench (around 45 degrees). Grab a single handle attached to a high pulley, making sure that you fully stretch the lat at the top of the movement. Now, pull the weight so that your elbow is moving toward your hip area. Squeeze the peak contraction and return to the stretched position.
#6: Cable Pullover
Many Golden Age bodybuilders swore by the Nautilus pullover machine for building a powerful upper body. The pullover was as common as the bench press and the row. Sadly, most gyms these days don’t even have a pullover machine, and those that do pale in comparison to the old Nautilus machine.
Thibaudeau, a big fan of the older pullover machines, has struggled for years to replicate their effectiveness. Here’s what he came up with: the cable pullover.
Thibs explains it: “The set-up for this exercise is a bit tricky. You’ll have to set up a decline bench in front of a low pulley station with a triceps rope attached. Lie down on the bench so that the rope is above your head.
“The starting position has you in a fully extended position. You perform the exercise by executing a pullover motion (keeping the arms straight) focusing on your lats the whole time. Really emphasize a wide pullover arc — this will hit the lats the hardest.
You lower the weight slowly, again in a wide arc, and return to the fully stretched position. Hold the stretched position for one or two seconds to get rid of momentum and to increase hypertrophy stimulation.”
#7: Iso-Dynamic Rows
Sometimes it’s not a new-fangled exercise you need to explode your back; it’s a new technique.
One such technique is using a variation of the isometric (i.e. holding a load in place without moving it). You can recruit up to 10% more muscle fibers during an isometric contraction, and as Thibaudeau and other bodybuilding experts have noted, the back responds especially well to isometrics.
Here’s a Thibaudeau routine that turns the standard cable row into an isometric torture session:
For this movement, hold the peak contraction for a certain period of time on each rep. To adjust to the fatigue level, the duration of the hold is decreased with each rep.
Rep 1: 12 seconds
Rep 2: 9 seconds
Rep 3: 7 seconds
Rep 4: 5 seconds
Rep 5: 3 seconds
Rep 6: 1 seconds
Two or three sets of this should do nicely. And by “do nicely” we mean make you cry like a little girl in a frilly pink dress holding a lollypop.
And if you like that, you can use the exact same iso-dynamic technique for the pulldown. Ouch.
Wrap-Up
Remember, for a barbarian back, use a foundation of heavy compound exercises that target both planes of motion: vertical and horizontal pulling. Then ramp things up with new plateau-busting exercises and training techniques for ultimate back development! Crom!
Exercise Models: Andrew Barker, Tim Smith, and Christine Pendleton.
Location: Gold’s Gym, Abilene, Texas
Pull-Up: Wide-Grip and Medium-Grip
Chin-Up: Medium-Grip and Narrow-Grip
Rack Pull
Sternum Chin-Ups
Face Pull to Throat
Cobra Lat Pulldown
Cable Pullover
Iso-Dynamic Rows
<!– –>
© 1998 — 2009 Testosterone, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
