Back Workout

Your Back Muscles

You should know the muscles on your back to make effective back workouts. There are three major muscle groups on your back. On each side of your back you have what is called the latissimus dorsi. These muscles help you rotate, extend and pull your arms toward the torso. Next, you have the erector spinae which is responsible for the extension, flexion, and rotation of the upper body. It is made of three muscles from behind your neck to the fanny.

The last muscle group is called the rhomboids, which are otherwise known as the posture muscles. This major muscle group aids in the elevation, rotation, and retraction of your shoulder blades. Understanding all three of these muscle groups will aid in choosing the right back exercises.

Why do Back Workouts

Some body builders make the mistake of neglecting back workouts. However, the simple fact that the back muscles are part of all the activities you do everyday is enough reason to pay attention to them. These muscles should be strong enough to support you in all you the work you do. These muscles primarily need strength training and gaining muscle mass will come about naturally.

Workout Frequency

Much like the muscles on your chest, your back muscles are capable of dealing with a lot of weight. You actually burn a lot of calories working out your chest and back. Ideally, you should be working your back muscles about once or twice in a week. If the only thing you need is to gain strength and add endurance then doing three sets of 12 to about 16 reps will be just right.

Examples of Back Workouts

There are a lot of back exercises you can try. You may even observe that many of them require something like a rowing motion. Some of the popular back workouts include lat pull downs, seated row, back extension, rear delt row, reverse flies, and dumbbell row. Remember to vary your routine every four weeks and choose a variety of exercises.

Exercise Routines

The basic moves of back exercises should target all the major muscle groups. All the areas of your back should get strength training. You can choose the exercises yourself or work with a coach or a trainer if you’re a beginner. Beginners should be doing one to two exercises consisting of one to two sets of 12 up to 16 repetitions. Those who are intermediate or advanced can choose more exercises consisting of two to three sets of eight to 12 repetitions.

Rows

Rows work out the muscles on either side of your body. They also involve your biceps to perform the basic movements. Some of the rows you might like to try are dumbbell rows, one-armed row, seated rows, and barbell rows.

Flies and Pullovers

These back workouts, like rows, also target your laterals. As a bit of a warning, those who have problems with their shoulders shouldn’t be doing pullovers. Examples of these exercises are dumbbell pullovers, barbell pullovers, barbell high row, and revere fly.

Lower Back Exercises

As the name implies, these back exercises target your lower back. One tip is that if you want to get more intensity from these exercises you may raise your legs as you do them. Examples of these exercises are back extensions, back extensions on a ball, reverse hyper extension on a ball, and good mornings.