When we think about a back workout, there are a number of movements that you associate with it. There are various back workouts that target various parts of your back and can be used to increase thickness, broadness and even detail depending on the workout routine you’re following.
This blog talks all about a workout that will give you a thicker and much broader back, improving your overall frame. We will walk you through the best exercises during your back workout to reach this goal, their importance and how to do it.
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Benefits of having a broader back
Your back is known to be the foundation of your entire upper body strength. A strong back means that you have immense upper body strength.
Consider that the back is the opposite side of your center mass, meaning that all the strength in your body stems from your back. Apart from strength, the back protects your spine, and we have seen enough movies to know what a damaged spine could do to people.
There are a number of benefits associated with a strong back.
Aesthetic Benefits
Most people that build muscles work on “mirror” muscles; these are the muscles that you flex in the mirror to show yourself that you look good. This means most of the work is done on biceps, chest, front shoulders, quads and abs, sometimes neglecting the back.
People need to understand that you need to train your back muscles to give you that large frame. For the guys reading this, a survey says that the first thing a girl notices about a guy after his height is his back, just saying.
Structural Importance
Neglecting your back muscles can have some severe consequences. A weak back would mean you lack musculature which may result in serious pain in the neck and shoulder.
Working on your back will improve posture and straight away you will look like you lost 5kg just because of your posture.
Create Balance in the Body
Back muscles provide symmetry in the body, this s why when you’re working on the front of your body you need to work on your back as well to prevent injuries during workouts.
A simple example of this is you working on your abs and are constantly doing crunches which while working on your abs also stretches your lower back putting you at risk of injury. To prevent this and other injuries, you need to work on your back muscles.
6 Exercises for Your Next Back Workout
There are a number of back exercises you can perform, but all of them target different parts of the back and provide a different result. The following six exercises are meant to provide thickness and broadness in your back making for a better bod frame and back strength.
Wide-Grip Pullup
Wide Grip Pullup emphasizes your upper laterals and is a great movement to add to your back workout. A close grip may provide a longer range of motion, but the wide grip provides a greater degree because of the starting position of the joint
How to do it
- Start with your arms extended further than your shoulders
- Retract your scapula and pull shoulder blades down
- Lift yourself to the point where your chin clears the bar
- Go back to starting position
Close-Grip Pull-Down
Pull-down is the substitute to a pull-up, and the close grip pull-down activates the laterals. The close grip means for a longer range of tension and motion meaning the promotion of muscle building.
How to do it
- Sit down at the pull-down machine with a wide bar attachment
- Hold the bar at a close grip with your palms facing towards you
- Pull down the bar below your chin and hold to get a good squeeze
- Slowly go back to starting position to complete one rep
Bent-Over Barbell Deadlift
Research suggests that this exercise will work the larger muscles of the entire back, making it a great addition to your back workout routine. The catch is, you need to have perfect form for it to be effective. Get a spotter if you are just starting, so that your form can be corrected.
How to do it
- Hold the barbell with our palms facing down and slightly bend your knees
- Bring your torso forward while keeping the back straight and making it almost parallel to the floor
- Pull back till you feel a squeeze in our back, hold position at the squeeze
- Slowly lower down to starting position to complete one rep
Barbell Deadlift
Deadlifts are not exclusively a back exercise but rather works the entire posterior chain of your body, working from your calves to your traps and everything in between. It is important to understand the importance of form in this exercise, but once you’ve got that down pat, you can move towards lifting monstrous weights, promoting the growth of your muscles.
How to do it
- Stand hip-width apart in front of the barbell
- Hinge at your hips and grip the barbell while slightly bending your knees and keeping the back straight
- Start lifting the bar making sure they are close to your legs
- Avoid leaning back your body once you are upright
- Return the weight on the ground to complete one rep
Standing T-Bar Row
This is a great way to lift more weight as opposed to the chest supported version of the same. A wide grip will emphasize the laterals whereas a neutral grip will target your middle back. Be sure to stretch and contract your muscles in each rep to provide maximum benefit.
How to do it
- Position a bad in a way to keep it from moving and add on the appropriate weight
- Position a double D row handle at the collar of the rod and grip while slightly keeping knees bent and back straight
- Keep arms straight and then pull up to your abdomen while contacting your shoulder blades
- Make sure to focus on the squeeze and lower the rod to complete one set
Wide-Grip Seated Cable Row
This exercise moves pressure from your middle back (which is the case in normal rowing) to your laterals making it a nice change of pace. This makes it a great addition to your back workout routine.
How to do it
- Sit at a low pulley cable station and hold the bar at shoulder width
- With the help of your legs, push your torso back so that your arms are extended
- Pull to your abdomen focusing on the squeeze
- Return to starting position to complete one rep
Workout Routine
Keeping the above exercises in mind, here’s a quick back workout routine for you when you go for back day at the gym.
Your back needs just as much attention as you give your abs, chest or arms, so don’t neglect your back because if you ever want to show off your strength, your back is what you will need to support you.
Think you got your back muscles covered? Click here to check out more workouts!
