Your BACK defines your physique. It gives you that much sought after V-taper, which helps to make your waist look smaller. I don’t know anyone that doesn’t want that. However, many people have a hard time developing their backs because you can’t see it. It is sometimes hard to train what you can not see. Here are my TOP 3 TIPS for building a big back AND a FULL BACK DAY workout with full video of the workout.
TIP 1: SQUEEZE
Most of the time the reason you can’t grow your back is because you can’t feel it. Lighten up the weight a tad and really focus on holding the peak contraction and really squeeze every rep. If you can’t feel your back working you are probably performing the movement incorrectly. Sometimes you need to check your ego at the door for you to see some actual muscle growth.
TIP 2: VARIETY
In this workout I give you a variety of different angles and different grips. Changing just hand placement on the bar or the angle of your torso can completely change the muscles targeted. Make sure your back day workout involves pulling from a high plane, middle plane, and low plane and then obviously changing up your grips from close to wide, neutral, underhand…etc. Variety is key.
TIP 3: VISUALIZE
Your mind is just as important when lifting as your body. Because you can’t see your back working you have to imagine it working instead. Visualizing the muscles that are suppose to be working can really help that mind muscle connection. Sometimes even just having your workout partner tap on the muscle being worked can really help you focus all your energy to that muscle.
THE WORKOUT:
1. SS* Reverse Incline DB Wide Row / Reverse Incline DB Reverse Fly
- 4 x 8-10
- 4 x 12-15
- NOTE: If you do not have a seal bench, just do Reverse Incline DB Wide Row and Reverse Incline DB Reverse Fly. (seen in video)
2. SS* Seated Lat Pulldown / Standing Underhand High Row (from lat pull station)
- 4 x 12/10/8/8
- 4 x 8-10
- NOTE: For the Standing High Row, you stay at the lat pulldown station, stand up with one foot on ground and one foot up on the seat for stability and you are just perform a high row, pulling towards your chest at an angle
3. Single Arm DB Row
- 4 x 12/10/8/6 (each arm)
4. SS* SS* Forward Lean Seated Cable Row (neutral grip) / Seated Cable Row (upright)
- 4 x 8-10
- 4 x 8-10
- NOTE: The Forward Lean Seated Cable Row you will round forward keeping your chest down and keeping elbows close to your sides as you row back. This will really target your lats. Keeping the same weight, you will then sit upright. Still let your shoulders stretch forward, but keep chest up and squeeze shoulder blades together.
- 4 x 8-10
- 4 x 8-10
- 4 x 8-10
