Top Moves for Each Bodypart...BACK.

Fitman...Back in Action...

Ah, the back...THIS major muscle is mostly ignored in by most people who "work out."  The majority or men do not realize their is another side of their body, and ignore all the muscles of the posterior...they want the "mirror/bar" muscles...chest and biceps...Most women ignore back also...since is not their stomach, or their legs, it most not be important...OR everyone goes to this MOVE which is not horrible, but it is not the answer nor a top 3 move for an elite and powerful looking BACK...as my friend and elite personal trainer Chris Gilbert says, "EB, I see billboard backs."  And he is right...FLAT backs are no good...Let's get to the moves that will give you that 3D look.


1.  Deadlift-  This is the ultimate move, the granddaddy of them all.  The most basic movement in life is to bend down and pick something off of the floor.  I avoided deadlifts in my earlier lifting days due to bad form and fear...and it showed when I had ZERO back thickness or definition.  (Check the above pic)  One I committed myself  to doing deadlifts and learning the form, it became apparent that this is the king of exercises for a reason.  The MOVE is great and transform your lagging back into something like that of a super hero...Now you cannot just pick up a weight and start to deadlift...you need to practice your form...keep the back flat...when you ROUND your back, you highly increase your chance of injury...If you had only 3 exercises to do, this would be one of them...your entire back musculature will be involved in this move.

2.  Bent Over Row-  The bent over row is another top move for developing a great back.  This MOVE is spectacular for developing back thickness.  Again in my early years of lifting, I thought that lat pulldown was the ultimate back move...and therefore I possessed a lousy back.  The great thing about bent over rows is the variation.  This can be done with a barbell (pronated/supinated) andwith dumbbells (pronated/neutral/supinated.)  Both versions should be used in order to maximize muscle recruitment.  I personally feel that the dumbbell version (neutral grip)   Remember, there are no answers in training...no move lasts forever..so vary your grips on this move.

3.  Pull-Ups/Chin Ups-  Here is your assignment for the day...go to your local commercial gym...(Bally, L.A. Fitness) find the biggest meathead...(is wearing a bodybuilder style tank displaying his unsculpted mass...also wearing pants to hide the stilts, and straps because he REALLY needs them on curls)...ask him to perform a full pull-up...the answer will be "I don't need those" or "I got hurt back in '93 so I can't do them anymore.  Pull-Ups separate the men from the boys (and the women from the girls).  The pull up is always a cheated move when you see it in gyms...partial range and no activation of any back muscles.  The MOVE involves you going all the way down and pulling back up.  To develop the V-Taper and to develop your upper body pulling strength, the pull-up has to be a part of a successful training program.  Again it has many variations such as wide grip or coming from a dead hang.  Do not be discouraged if you cannot do them initially..I COULDN'T...but through progressive training you will be able to do the move the "meathead" fears!

Training Schemes:

Deadlifts:  5x5...this is a famous and pretty straightforward program for developing strength and mass...load the barbell with heavy weight...you want a weight that will fail you at 5.  Perform 5 reps and rest for 2 minutes.  Repeat for until you have completed 5 sets of 5.  Do not cheat yourself and use weight that you can lift 15 times...challenge your body to progress and load up!  If you are using 315lbs, try not to drop under 285lbs for your sets...too much of a drop off defeats the purpose of training for strength.  5x5 WILL push you hard if you have appropriate weight.


Bent Over Row:  German Volume Training...this is known as the "ten sets" method.  Super strength coach Charles Poliquin made it popular in America.  Load your barbell with about 65% of your max, or a weight you can perform 15-20 reps with.  Perform 10 reps and rest for 60 seconds.  Repeat this for all 10 sets.  Now, GV is really tough.  You will experience failure.  You may not make it to10 reps on each set.  In order to get to 10, you will have to drop weight.  Your back will be FULL when you are finished with GV.  This is great for hypertrophy.


Pull Ups:   Rest Pause...Rest Pause is excellent for developing strength, and is perfect for pull ups...You will need a watch or a timer.  Your rep range is 2 reps every 20 seconds.  You will perform 12 total reps per set.  So you will do 2 full pull ups, followed by 20 seconds of rest.  You will repeat this cycle until you get to 12.  Rest 90 seconds, and perform a second and final set.  For those who can do pull ups, grab your weightbelt and throw some weight on there!  Rest Pause can be varied, but this is a basic scheme to get into...basic but TOUGH AS NAILS.


With all this good information on back training, there is no legit reason for anyone to be sporting a flat, 2D back anymore..apply yourself and get BACK to business.