Despite its impressive size, the back often tops the list of lagging muscles in growth and development. Usually men devote much more time to pumping the front of the body, because it is she who immediately catches the eye. However, sooner or later comes the realization that it is necessary to harmoniously develop your whole body. So, it's time to get acquainted with the best exercises for the back in the gym. The scientific side of sports does not stand still, outdated training methods have long been supplanted by modern exercises, the effectiveness of which was confirmed in the course of special studies. For beginners, the question often arises: "How to swing your back in the gym?", Because many do not even know where to start. But before starting training, we suggest understanding the biomechanics of muscles.
Anatomical features of the back
The back takes the second place in volume after the legs, and is a very large plexus of muscle fibers. The more muscle, the more load it requires. And this is true, because you need to pay attention to each segment of this muscle group. If you approach from an anatomical point of view, the back consists of two muscle layers: superficial muscles and deep. We are only interested in the first, because it is they who form the relief of our body. These include:
- rhomboid muscles (located under the shoulder blades);
- wings (widest);
- trapeze
- extensors (spinal columns).
All these muscles consist of short transverse fibers, which means that for detailed study they need to be very stretched. Thus, traction exercises for the back should prevail in your program. In the gym, this is quite possible, because you can do anything from pull-ups to comprehensive training in a crossover. However, in practice, not everything is so cloudless, pumping the back is a rather complicated and very specific process.
What prevents the back from growing?
A man diligently attends training, fulfills all the instructions of the trainer, and his back does not grow. What could be the reason? Effective training can be prevented even by minor details. And here's what you should pay special attention to:
- Amplitude of motion. The back is far from biceps, short and strong jerks here do not achieve any result. Such an anatomical giant requires maximum stretching of the fibers and a large amplitude. All movements must be performed smoothly, not for a second breaking the “brain-muscle” connection.
- Performing standard exercises for the back in the gym, people do not really think about biomechanics and muscle work. For example, most often we pull the weight not with our backs, but with our biceps. And this means that the first 3-4 approaches will be absolutely ineffective for the target muscle. And only after our arms are overworked, working muscles are already connected.
- Incorrect distribution of forces. To train your back, it is better to set aside a separate day, or do it together with your hands or other light exercises. Do not train your back after the base, especially if you are doing deadlift. This exercise greatly overloads the extensors and arms, which means that the effectiveness of subsequent exercises will be practically zero. Since almost all the energy has been used up.
The best exercises for the back: reviews of athletes
First of all, it is necessary to understand that the back is a complex anatomical group consisting of several independent departments. This means that there is no universal exercise for the back. You will have to spend a lot of time in the gym, because each segment of the muscles deserves special attention. Judging by the posts on sports forums, there are top best exercises for each muscle group.
The broadest muscles. If you believe the reviews, then there is nothing better for working out the wings than pull-ups, especially if you use a wide grip. This exercise has alternatives:
- draft rod, dumbbell or T-bar in the slope;
- vertical and horizontal blocks in the crossover;
- Hammer
What do people say? Which of these exercises is most effective? After analyzing the reviews, we can draw the following conclusions:
- pull-ups and all kinds of traction are more aimed at increasing muscle mass, especially if you perform them with a decent weight;
- Crossover exercises work great for muscle relief and allow you to work out even the smallest muscle segments.
Trapezoid. If we talk about trapeze, then the choice is very small. The recipe is one - shrugs. Do them with a barbell or with dumbbells, it doesn’t matter. The main thing is to quickly reach the working scales. Judging by the reviews, only stepping over the mark of 80-90 kg can count on a good result.
Extensors. Here the basic exercise is deadlift. What could be better and more efficient? But the vertebral columns need not only to swing, but also to strengthen, so several approaches of hyperextension at the beginning of the training will not harm anyone.
Features of the technique of exercises for the back: recommendations for beginners
If you are a beginner in bodybuilding, be sure to contact the instructor, he will give you detailed recommendations for training. Exercises for the back in the gym do not differ in complex technique, however, some nuances should be taken into account:
- Learn to turn off the biceps, otherwise it will "steal" a significant part of the load in all exercises. To do this, thoroughly study the biomechanics of each exercise and learn how to feel the muscles. Do some trial approaches without weight, delve into the process, and then proceed to the full training.
- A set of exercises for the back in the gym should begin with the upper segments of the muscles, and end with the lower. This will form a V-shaped silhouette of your body.
- When working with heavy weight, watch the position of the hands. Do not roll or twist them out. Stretched or torn tendons - will put an end to sports for the next 2 years.
Now, we will consider in detail the best exercises for pumping the back.
"Kill" the broadest pull-ups
All types of training are divided into basic and auxiliary. Exercises on the back belong to the first, because a huge number of muscle groups are involved, and several joints are also involved. The best basic exercise for the back is pull-ups, but do not get angry at the many variations of this exercise, just follow the technique:
- Pullups are performed with weights. Only a lot of weight will lead to a set of muscle mass.
- The grip is mostly wide. The emphasis is on the growth of wings, triceps can be trained in other ways.
- You need to pull up behind your head, that is, touch the crossbar with the back of your head. So you remove all the load from the ubiquitous biceps.
- To form the lower part of the latissimus muscles, you can perform the exercise with a narrow back grip.
Vertical block - an exercise for beginners
An alternative exercise for back training in the gym, which is suitable for those who are not quite ready to go on pull-ups. Instead of a crossover, you can use pull-ups in a gravitron, but this simulator is rarely available. However, this exercise has its advantages:
- a great way to isolated training without the inclusion of stabilizer muscles;
- traction of the vertical block can be used both as a warm-up and for “finishing” the muscles;
- if you fix the body well and not lean back, you can work out all three sections of the latissimus muscles in one fell swoop, especially the upper and middle bundles.
Basic Training - Inclined draft
If you do not take into account pull-ups, then this is perhaps the best exercise on the back in the gym. Description of the technique:
- Starting position: the body is located at an angle of 70 degrees to the floor, the legs are shoulder-width apart and slightly bent at the knees. Hands hold the bar with a reverse grip in the free hang.
- To begin the exercise, pull the projectile to the chest, while your elbows must slide along the body. Catch peak muscle contraction and temporarily pause arm movement.
- Performing the negative phase of the exercise, you can breathe, hands lower slowly to the bottom, but do not relax the muscles to the end.
This type of training works well for the middle segment of the widest, namely it is responsible for the total muscle volume.
Isolated Workout - One Dumbbell Deadlift
What back exercises in the gym are more geared toward relief? From a large list, it is best to give preference to the traction of one dumbbell in emphasis on the bench. By working out each “wing” individually, we engage more fibers in the work and make the muscles work in a new way. And as you know, the more diverse the load, the stronger and faster will be the return in growth and increase in volumes. The technique of the exercise is quite simple:
- Starting position: one leg and arm rest against a bench, the other in a free hang holds a dumbbell. The back is straight, the pelvis is laid back, the buttocks are tense.
- In the positive part of the training, the dumbbell is attracted to the chest, the shoulder blades are reduced, and the elbow is firmly pressed against the body.
- Lowering the projectile follows a similar path.
Horizontal block - strengthen the spinal column
When analyzing the best exercises for the back in the gym, do not forget about pumping the extensors. These muscles are extremely important, because they hold our body in an upright position and take on huge loads to at least partially ease the fate of the spine. A bit about technology:
- Choose a handle: a straight neck increases the load on the upper and middle parts of the back, the forked handle works on the lower sections.
- Starting position: legs rest on the platform, arms extended forward and hold the handle. The back is straight, the body is slightly tilted back. The blades are pressed against each other.
- To complete the exercise, begin to pull your hands to your stomach, while maintaining maximum tension throughout the body. The elbows should go back as far as possible. The hull should be motionless throughout the approach.
- Returning to the starting position, do not completely relax the muscles of the hands, try to work inside the amplitude.
Deadlift
Great basic back exercise in the gym. Without it, not a single workout for mass is possible, because only traction involves such a huge amount of muscle in work. The technique of the exercise has long been familiar to everyone, but if you choose the type of traction for pumping your back, then you should give preference to dead traction or the Romanian variation of the exercise. It is in these modifications of the exercise that the weight of the bar rises due to the work of the extensors of the back, with minimal involvement of the legs and buttocks.
T-bar pull
Another good exercise for the back in the gym. The technique of the exercise is carried out by analogy with the traditional draft rod in the slope. However, despite similar biomechanics, this type of training has a number of advantages:
- a shorter amplitude allows you to keep the muscles in peak contraction, which means we get a fundamentally new type of load;
- a narrow grip makes the exercise more energy intensive, because the lower parts of the back muscles are connected to the work.
When compiling a program for training your back, remember the complexity of the training. Only the combined use of several exercises will lead you to the desired result.