In muscle training, some training methods train the back muscles, and some training methods train the chest muscles. Each method also has a good training effect. What about back muscle training? I believe some people still know the classic moves. So, what are the top ten classic movements for back muscle training? Let’s find out together below.
1. Wide-grip pull-ups
It can effectively develop Back width. It is the most effective exercise for developing the latissimus dorsi muscles (especially the upper part). Wide-grip overhand pull-ups also develop the teres major, a smaller muscle near the upper part of the lats.
Use an overhand grip, wider than shoulder width, with arms relaxed and hanging. At the bottom, squeeze your lats and mid-back and use your elbows to pull your body up. Lean your body slightly so that your back is curved backwards, which will help optimize your movement trajectory. You can pull up until your chin is above the bar or your chest touches the bar. Squeeze and hold for a second, then lower your body in a controlled manner until you are fully suspended.
2. Sternum Pull-ups
Sternum pull-ups have been around for a while, but I’m not sure how many people have incorporated them into their training plans. There are two reasons: 1. They don’t know this movement; 2. Sternal pull-ups are difficult. The sternum pull-up is a great move (especially for busy people) because it combines the value of a pull-up with a row.
The initial movement is the same as the standard backhand pull-up. Use an underhand grip, shoulder-width apart, and hang. Squeeze your lats and mid-back muscles and use your elbows to pull your body up. Halfway through, actively lean back to nearly horizontal so that the next half of the movement is closer to a rowing motion. Stretch at the bottom and fully squeeze the mid-back muscles at the top. This movement stimulates almost all the muscles in the upper back.
3. Dumbbell Rowing
No one who wants to increase back thickness should ignore dumbbell rowing. This action is not difficult, and as long as you focus enough, you can quickly increase the training weight. Using dumbbells compared to a barbell not only helps develop unilateral strength, but also increases the range of motion because dumbbells can be closer to the body than a barbell.
Once, a volleyball player I coached said that she already knew how to do dumbbell rows. I asked her to demonstrate it and she said, "It's like starting a lawn mower.""She put her other knee on the bench and did the ugliest row I've ever seen! She used every muscle in the movement except her mid-back and lats." "She rotates her spine and uses inertia to complete her movements. I wonder why she doesn't have a herniated disc problem."
I do the dumbbell row a little differently than most people do. Stand about two feet behind a stable object and place your free hand on the object. Let the dumbbells hang and stretch your back muscles. Use your elbows to pull the weight up until it's close to your lower abdomen. Squeeze your mid-back and return to the starting point. Since both feet are on the ground, the body is more stable, and greater stability means more weight, and more weight means faster growth.
4. V-grip row
This is one of my favorite hybrid exercises, it’s a combination of a bent-over row (heavy weight) and a V-grip row. Refers to the value of cable rowing). Because heavy weights can be used in bent-over rowing, the V-shaped grip rowing movement trajectory is closer to the body, increasing the range of motion. Place one end of the barbell against a wall and place the V-shaped grip underneath the other end of the barbell. Use smaller plates to increase your range of motion.
The action is similar to the bent-over rowing, except that when using a V-shaped handle, you use an opposite grip. Bend your knees slightly and keep your chest up throughout the movement. Fully extend your arms at the lowest point, use your elbows to pull the weight up until it is close to your belly button, and squeeze your back. Then let the weight fall in a controlled manner and return to the starting point.
5. Deadlift
The deadlift is the best movement to develop the lower back muscles: on the one hand, it can develop the erector spinae; on the other hand, the heavy deadlift can Great impact on anabolism. To develop the erector spinae, traditional deadlifts with a narrow stance are more effective; sumo deadlifts develop the entire posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings, erector spinae, etc.).
I’m sure every reader has heard of someone who injured their back while deadlifting. The deadlift is like the squat in this regard: if your form isn't standard or you use too much weight, you risk injury. The problem is that after many people hear about these types of accidents, they decide to give up on those heavy-weight basic movements that actually improve strength and muscle. Deadlifts and squats are probably the two most powerful exercises for developing strength.
To develop your back muscles, I recommend doing traditional deadlifts. Place your feet close together so that your shins are two to three inches behind the bar. When leaning over, the tibia will naturally move forward and lightly touch the bar. Keep your weight on your heels and lift your chest. If you don't lift your chest, your lower back is likely to round, potentially causing injury.
Take a deep breath, keep your abdomen and lower back stable, push your heels on the ground, and pull the weight back with your shoulders. You can think of lifting your chest and squeezing your glutes as you pull the weight up and back. Start with light weights to perfect your technique, then gradually go heavier.
6. Goat push-up
Goat push-up is a pure lower back training exercise, which means that this action of extending the trunk places most of the load on the erector spinae muscles.
Here’s how to do it. Lie on your stomach on a Roman chair, with the tops of your hips passing the midpoint of the chair and your torso hanging perpendicular to your legs. Squeeze your erector spinae muscles and raise your upper body until your upper body is in line with your lower limbs, or slightly higher. Squeeze at the top, hold for a moment, and then lower your body in a controlled manner back to the starting point. To use weights, hold a barbell plate against your chest or hold a dumbbell in each hand behind your head.
7. Squats
What did you say? Squats are not back exercises? I will say this: Even if squats are not the best exercise for developing (back) strength and muscle, they are at least in the top 3.
I trained a few times at the Western Barbell Club under Dave Tate and Louis Simmons. The athletes there all have well-developed, thick back muscles. These guys can squat 800 pounds, 900 pounds, and even over 1,000 pounds. Think about it, if your back could support that much weight, how developed would your back muscles be? Not to mention squatting heavy weights.
Squats use a lot of muscles, have a great anabolic effect, and help increase bone density.
8. Wall Slide
Most of you have probably never heard of this move. This exercise is not designed to develop muscle size, but it is a valuable training exercise that targets the small and neglected muscles of the back.
We are focusing on the scapular retractors (middle trapezius and rhomboids) and scapular depressors (lower trapezius) at this time. If these muscles are weak or unrecruited, it can cause the shoulders to slump forward. This posture is most common among patients with upper body pain and dysfunction. Their chest muscles are too tight and their mid-back muscles are weak, which will lead to injury sooner or later. This simple training action can help you improve your posture and athletic ability.
Stand upright with your upper back and butt against the wall, and move your feet about 18 inches forward. Raise your arms so that your upper arms are parallel to the ground and your forearms are perpendicular to the ground. Lean your elbows and hands against the wall. Next, pull your elbows back and down.
9. Push-ups
Push-ups are an action we often do. First, we need to lie on the ground and use our hands and feet to support our body. At this time, the body is parallel to the ground, and the elbows of our hands are above the sides of our shoulders. At the beginning of the action, we bend our elbows and press down while our body goes down, then get up again and repeat this action. Push-ups are generally done in a group of 30 to 50, and we can decide according to our actual situation.
10. Wrestling bridge push-up
First of all, we need to lie flat on the yoga mat, support our feet on the ground, and use our head to support the weight of the upper body backwards. It is somewhat similar to lowering the waist; then at this time, you need to use your handsPush the ground hard with your feet so that our waist can be pushed up and our buttocks can be lifted off the mat, so that our body appears in a bridge shape. Try our best to persist in this movement until our limit, usually 20 to 60 seconds in a group. You may not stick to it for long at first, but as you increase the number of exercises, you will naturally become familiar with the movements.