Back training: which exercises and programs should you choose?

THE bodybuilding and bodybuilding in general are more complex sports than it seems at first glance. This is a reality demonstrated for all muscle groups, pectorals, shoulders and even muscles that can only be worked in isolation like the biceps and triceps. For a muscle group as complex as the back muscles, this is even more true given that the muscles of the back are particularly numerous, with very different attachment angles from each other. You will easily admit that it may not be as simple to develop the latissimus dorsi as the rhomboids, smaller muscles that will undergo much less stress related to training , due to their size. However, complete development of the back muscles requires that all the muscles be equally developed, one as the other. This is also a truth for all muscle groups…

However, when it comes to training your back muscles, the problem becomes even more acute because a wide, thick back is generally difficult for many bodybuilders to achieve. You should therefore bear in mind that developing your back is one of the most difficult muscle groups to work on. Developing a wide, thick back takes years, even decades. However, there are simple training solutions available, as long as bodybuilders practice simple, effective, and varied exercises...

Achieving a perfectly developed back is often a difficult goal to achieve.

A well-developed back is based on two major criteria: on the one hand, a broad back with a well-extended latissimus dorsi and on the other hand, a back with thickness from the moment the dorsal width is sufficient. Physiologically, it is not possible to obtain a well-developed back if it is not wide. Then, all back exercises are based on two basic movements: pulling exercises and rowing. Generally speaking, most practitioners or coaches will tell you that pulling works the width of the back while rowing gives you thickness. This is above all a consideration too generalizing to be accurate.

The pulley bar row works the width of the back muscles, but not only that...

In reality, the high pulley bar row gives the impression of working the width of the latissimus dorsi because the vertical position of the movement plays a large part in this false impression. The high pulley bar row will also give you thickness while rows also work the width of the latissimus dorsi. Physiologically speaking, it is not possible to seriously discuss this exercise argument working only the width or thickness of a muscle group as complex as the lats. At the end of the article, however, I will give you a tip for targeting the small muscles of the back such as the rhomboids, serratus anterior and other small fibers. These small muscles necessary for strength and postural balance are, when well developed, the sign of a complete, thick and wide back.

The high pulley back row, the basic exercise of a classic back workout

Any training program of the back includes this back pulling exercise. This bodybuilding device has the advantage of mimicking the pull-up exercise while providing the flexibility of a load that can be modified according to the strength of the practitioner. Let's come back to the execution of pull-ups by specifying that a bar pull-up performed completely assumes that the lats are contracted to the point that the shoulder blades follow the contraction movement of the lats by moving towards each other. For the back pull-up exercise, the same principle is at work, which means that your shoulder blades must come together as much as possible when the bar is at the level of the upper pectoral, with the lats contracted. If you respect this obvious fact, this means that you are pulling the load with the back muscles, without involving the biceps.

The barbell pulldown should work the back muscles, not the biceps...

Too many bodybuilding beginners confuse barbell rows with a biceps exercise, resulting in zero muscle growth for the lats. The important thing here is to contract your lats as much as possible and then follow the movement of the bar back to its initial position while retaining the weight moved. During this exercise, take into account the movement of the shoulder blades to be sure to contract your lats, leaving the biceps with a minimal load. If you are working your lats correctly, this means that your shoulder blades are coming together as you bring the bar towards you. If this is not the case, then you are wasting your time and energy for nothing. Aside from the barbell row, multiple rowing exercises will complement this type of pulling exercise.

Rowing exercises to work the back muscles in depth

Naturally, the same principle of bringing the shoulder blades together should be applied with rowing exercises in order to achieve maximum muscle contraction. Obviously, the only real difference between a pulling movement and a rowing movement is the spatial orientation of the exercise, vertical for pulls and horizontal for rows. If you think about it and assume that the lats are the exact opposite of the pectorals physiologically and mechanically, you will also understand that working the pectorals with your back on the bench allows for maximum effectiveness of pectoral development exercises. Theoretically, the opposite also applies to the back, but it would be particularly problematic to work the back muscles by having your torso pressed against a bench. However, this logic also explains why the T bar row is so effective, as opposed to a classic rowing machine exercise. Naturally, you will need to add a number of warm-up sets before performing the actual exercises. From there, we could already get a training regimen based on these exercises:

1. High pulley pull 3 to 4 sets of 8/12 repetitions

2. Rowing machine (or low pulley) 4 to 5 sets of 10/12 repetitions

3. Rowing T Bar 4 sets of 10/12 repetitions

It would then be a question of varying the grip of the hands to differently direct the muscular stress brought about by the load, for example by performing a bar pull with hands together (or close together) in pronation:

4. High pulley pull with close hands in pronation 3 sets of 8/12 repetitions

By adding a rowing exercise with a resistance band, you can target the small muscles of the back

If you've followed everything up to this point, you have the basic outline of an excellent lat workout program with these four exercises. However, there's no guarantee that you'll achieve maximum recruitment of muscle fibers related to the small back muscles, even with good will. However, there is a very simple way to stimulate the rhomboids and serratus muscles with a little thought. Here too, the physiology and biomechanics of the human body will come to our aid. Take the example of the low pulley row and the handle you use to perform this exercise.

Pulley bar rowing to gain thickness in the back

This is generally composed of two pulling rectangles placed on either side of the central axis with a spacing of approximately 30 to 45°. This type of handle is particularly suitable for performing rowing, allowing optimal muscular stress on the back muscles, on either side of your back. This handle results in a global and symmetrical work of the back muscles but nothing can tell us if the stress placed on the small muscles will be sufficient. However, it is quite obvious that you cannot do rowing by pulling on the cable alone, at the risk of injuring your hands. In this case, an elastic band will offer you a particularly appropriate muscle work option. Indeed, with With the elastic bands , it will be easier for you to modify the working angles by varying the position of your hands. They will help you to vary the angles of attack as well as to continue the rowing exercises when you start to run out of energy ...

With a central pull point, you will focus muscle stress on the small back muscles more adequately

For this 5th exercise, you will attach an elastic band to a fixed support while performing a rowing exercise, again respecting the principle of bringing the shoulder blades together in order to obtain maximum contraction of the back muscles. Keeping your hands together while performing your rowing will allow you to avoid the separation angle required by the pulley by focusing the stress on the middle and lower parts of the trapezius muscles while accentuating it on the small intermediate muscles, located precisely in the middle of the back. This also explains why it is as difficult to work them as much as the latissimus dorsi, for example. This combination of rowing exercises with a handle and with elastic bands will allow you to obtain a more complete work of the back muscles and all the small muscles of the back. Over time, you will gain strength and muscle mass, but you will also need to be patient.

All that's left for us to do is advise you to check these principles in the weight room and tell us if these few common sense tips have helped you to get a broad and massive back...

YAM Nutrition