There's
nothing quite as stunning as a well developed back: muscles twisting everywhere
like a road map, wide lats like a jet plane, and the lower back lit up like a
Christmas tree.
For me, a
defined, fully developed back is one of the most amazing things in all if
bodybuilding. Historically, people always say Samir Bannout was the first
bodybuilder to clearly show the lower back (erector spinae) muscles in
competition - this would be 1982 and 1983, the year he won the Olympia.
There's a
picture of Arnold from his peak years in the 70's in his Encyclopedia that
clearly shows the erector spinae muscles, defined and reminding me of Christmas
morning! In fact, his entire back looks amazing in that picture! Regardless,
both men had great backs.
Moving
forward in history, quite a few top guys are known for great backs: Lee Haney,
who was known for his great lat width; Dorian Yates, Flex Wheeler, Ronnie
Coleman, and Dexter Jackson to name just a few.
In fact, a
weak back, whether you compete or not, is a pretty serious weak point that
makes a big difference in how you look. After all, what kind of bodybuilder
doesn't have wide, flaring lats? Of course, the back has to be thick as well.
And let's not forget the traps, what good is a weak most muscular pose?
Training
the back can be quite a challenge because many people cannot feel the back
muscles working when they train. This is very common because you can't see the
back and your biceps are heavily involved in all back exercises. Many times you
get a great biceps pump and little else.
The secret
to taking the biceps out of the picture is to visualize them as hooks. The
other secret is to begin all movements with the back muscles instead of pulling
with the arms.
If you've
been training long enough (you can flex any muscle at will) you start any back
exercise by flexing the back and pulling with the back muscles first. By doing
this, you will feel the back muscles working. If this continues to be a problem,
you can try two things: a thumbless grip and/or lifting hooks. Both of these
options can take the biceps out of it, putting more stress on the back.
BACK ANATOMY
back
anatomy
Knowing
what a muscle does is critical to training it correctly - with that in mind
let's take a look at the anatomy of the back:
TRAPEZIUS
This is a
very wide triangular shaped muscle that covers almost all of the muscles at the
nape of the neck and a large part of the back. It originates in the occipital
bone at the base of the skull and is inserted in the scapula and clavicle. The
fibers of this muscle provide pull in three directions: up, down and in. Its
function is to turn the head and raise the shoulders.
Many people
train traps with shoulders - I prefer this myself, but for the purpose of this
article I'll include it with back.
RHOMBOIDEUS MAJOR/RHOMBOIDEUS MINOR
The
rhomboids originate on the spinal column and attach to the middle of the
scapula. Their function is to bring the scapula in towards the spine, literally
meaning to squeeze the shoulder blades together.
TERES MAJOR
This muscle
originates on the outer edge of the scapula and attaches to the humerus. It
serves to pull the arm back.
LATISSIMUS DORSI
This is the
largest muscle of the back. Fan or "V" shaped, they provide force in
a number of body positions, these same positions can be duplicated on a pulldown
machine using varying angles, that is, you can pull straight down, or in any
leaning back position.
They are
attached to the upper end of the humerus and run down the vertebral column and
pelvic girdle. The function of this muscle is to pull the arm downward. If the
arm is in a fixed position, then the lats can pull the arm upward.
ERECTOR SPINAE
A group of
muscles that give support to the spinal column. These muscles are: the
longissimus, the spinalis and the iliocostalis. The function is to extend the
spine.
As you can
see, the back is quite complicated. Yet, there are two main types of movements
that work the back: pulldown movements and rowing movements. Then there are
power moves, like the deadlift, snatch and power clean. These moves are more of
a whole body exercise; they work much more than the back.
I've always
been a big believer in including at least one of these in your routine, not
only because of all the muscles they work, but also because of the fact they
cause a dramatic increase in the body's natural production of anabolic hormones
such as testosterone and growth hormone.
THE SPLIT
While it's
common to put chest and back together on the same training day - Arnold used to
do this - it makes more sense to work back on it's own day, followed by biceps
and forearms. This allows you to focus all of your energy on back training only
instead of "sharing" energy with another big muscle group like the
chest.
Since the
biceps are actively involved in all back exercises it makes sense to work
biceps after back. I like to include forearms with this workout but there is a
theory that forearms are a little like abs in that you can work them more often
then other muscles. While they are high endurance muscles that are involved in
every exercise you do because of the grip required to hold the bar, I prefer to
work them hard once a week with biceps.
If you know
my writing you know I believe in one workout per week per muscle group. This is
because of my age and recovery ability and because I'm natural.
Age and
steroid use can change everything however, so I imagine younger guys and gals
on steroids use more typical splits, hitting each muscle twice a week. That's
fine if it works for you, just be sure you are fully recovered. Remember growth
only happens when you recover, not from how often you hit the gym.
2 Example Of SAMPLE ROUTINES
SAMPLE
ROUTINES 1
1-BARBELL
DEADLIFT
5 sets of
15, 12, 10, 8, 6 reps
Start with
a light weight, but make sure to add weight with each set. The 8 rep set and 6
rep set are your main working sets. At the top of the movement do as many reps
of shrugs as possible to hit the traps.
2-CHIN-UP
25 reps
over as many sets as it takes
If you can
do this in one set, do two sets of 25. Use a fairly wide overhand grip, a full
range of motion and no cheating.
3-BENT OVER
BARBELL ROW
3 sets of
12 reps
Using a
weight you can get for 8 reps. Rest/pause your way to 12. Do this on all 3 sets.
SAMPLE
ROUTINES 2
1-POWER
CLEAN
5 sets of
15, 12, 10, 8, 6 reps
2-SEATED
CABLE ROWS
3 sets of 8
reps
3-WIDE-GRIP
LAT PULLDOWN
4 sets of
10 reps
Medium wide
overhand grip for 2 sets then a wide grip for 2 sets.
4-BARBELL
SHRUG
4 sets of
12, 10, 8, 6 reps
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