How to pump up your entire back. Wide grip pull-ups. Trapezius muscles of the male back

Hello again! We are glad to see you on the pages of our website and the topic of today’s issue will be the question of how to pump up your back. We will learn a little about the anatomy of the back, about the features of its training and how you can significantly accelerate the growth of mass and strength of the back muscles if you divide its overall training into two parts. Interesting? Then let's go!

This article will talk about how to pump up your back, and do it correctly - with minimal risk of injury, in the shortest possible time and with maximum results! Yes, it won’t be easy, but the result is worth it, believe me. The owner of a wide back can be seen from afar and stands out from the crowd of “ordinary people”.

But not every ordinary bodybuilder can achieve this wide back pump up. And often the problem is that many of them just mindlessly perform back exercises without relying on any of the training methods. Hence the corresponding result - training goes in vain and the back practically does not grow. Therefore, let's first look at the theory, spend a little time studying this material and make our training much more effective.

A little about the anatomy of the back muscles

So, in order to pump up your back, you need to have at least some idea of ​​the anatomy of its muscles. Most amateurs, when they say “today I’m training my back,” think that this is one large muscle, which grows equally from all exercises on it. More advanced people know the name as “latissimus dorsi” or simply “wings”. This is where the knowledge of anatomy ends for many novice bodybuilders.

In fact, there are quite a lot of muscles on the surface of the back, each of which has its own functions and responds with growth to certain exercises, and not just to pull-ups and deadlifts, as, again, many ordinary bodybuilders believe. Therefore, now it makes sense to sort out information about where which muscle is located, what function it performs and how to train it.

Let's start with the most important ones - the latissimus dorsi muscles. They give our rear a triangular shape and an athletic appearance. The main functions of the lats are to bring the arms closer to the body, in other words, to perform various thrusts. Accordingly, training the latissimus dorsi muscles comes down to performing deadlifts, and they respond better specifically to vertical rods(pull-ups, rows upper block).

Above the latissimus are the trapezius muscles, which are designed to raise and lower the shoulder blades, as well as bring them closer to the spine. It would be logical to conclude that the best exercises for training them are those in which the shoulder blades move up and down. Such an exercise is shrugs, which can be performed with both a barbell and dumbbells, but more on that later.

Starting from the pelvis and ending with the neck, two more muscles stretch along the spine - the straightening muscles of the torso or, as they are also called, the extensor muscles of the back. From the name it is clear that their main task is to straighten our body. It is clear that the exercise for their development must have an “extension trajectory”; we are now talking about deadlifts and standing body extensions.

For a more complete understanding of the anatomical structure of the back muscles, the picture above shows other smaller muscles that also have certain functions, but they are less significant and it would not be productive to discuss this topic.

Features of back muscle training

As you can see, the size of our rear muscles is very large, which means that the load on the back must be significant. To pump up your back you need to work with extreme weights and not be afraid of exercises such as pull-ups, deadlift and bent over barbell row. Yes, they are complex, but in turn, they are also very effective! Due to the use of large weights, the volume of training should decrease, so the number of repetitions in a set should be in the range of 6-12 times.

You should also understand that the back muscle group is very large, and it will not be possible to fully pump it up in one workout. Therefore, similar to leg training, the back should also be divided into two workouts per week. On the first we train the upper back, and on the second the lower and middle parts. Moreover, the rest time between these workouts should be at least 3 days. Pull-ups and lat pull-downs are perfect for upper training, as mentioned above. The lower back and middle part are best trained with deadlifts and various variations of horizontal rows to the waist.

The experience of many professional bodybuilders has noted that the back muscles respond better to the load if the positive part of the exercise is performed in an explosive style. This means that, for example, when performing pull-ups, the upward movement must be performed as quickly as possible, applying the most powerful effort to this, but the lowering must be emphasized slowly. But don’t confuse the explosive style with jerks and technical violations. The positive phase should be powerful, but at the same time, remain strictly technical.

The next one is very important point in training the back muscles. You need to learn to turn off your biceps from work! Yes, in every back exercise, in addition to the target muscles, the biceps of the arms also work. It is clear that due to their size, they have a much harder time than the back muscles. How to pump up your back if your biceps get tired ahead of time? The entire training of the same widest muscles will come to naught, since they will not receive the load necessary for growth. The solution to this problem is to mentally connect the brain with the back muscles. During exercises, try to feel the load in the lats, not in the biceps. This will not happen right away, but with each workout you will feel the load in the target muscles better and better. It will also help that the wider your grip, the less strain your biceps will have.

A few words about grip width. In any back pulling exercise, you can vary the grip width from narrow to wide. But what is the peculiarity of each? It's simple. The narrower the grip, the greater the range of motion and the greater the load on the biceps. The wider the grip, the correspondingly less amplitude of movement, less load on the biceps and more on the lats. Beginners should start with a wide grip. As you learn to “turn off the biceps from work,” the grip can be gradually narrowed, down to the narrowest, in order to work the lats more deeply. In general, a medium grip would be optimal.

Strengthening the upper back

So let's finally get to practice. As already written above, back training should be divided into two days. First we pump the upper back, and then the lower and middle part. On the “top” day we will use exercises such as pull-ups, pull-downs of the upper block behind the head and to the chest, as well as shrugs with a barbell or dumbbells. If you are a beginner and cannot do any pull-ups or less than 8 times per approach, then for now you should postpone pull-ups until better times and focus on lat pull-downs.

Start your workout with a warm-up, to do this, perform 2-3 sets of lat pull-downs to the chest with a light weight - with one with which you can perform 15-20 repetitions without particularly straining. Perform warm-up approaches with perfect technique. The main goal of a warm-up is to warm up the muscles, fill them with blood and prepare for serious working weights. Therefore, never start doing exercises on “cold” muscles; in addition to the fact that this will increase the risk of injury, it will also significantly reduce effectiveness.

After warming up, perform 3-4 sets wide pull-ups to the chest with a straight grip (don’t forget to “turn off” the biceps from work). Overcome the positive phase of the exercise with a powerful movement, lower the opposite way - slowly under control.

The next exercise should be pull-downs of the upper block, first to the chest, then behind the head. It may seem to you that these are almost the same exercises, but in reality everything is a little different. Chest rows are more basic in nature and, similar to pull-ups, work the entire back musculature from top to bottom (with an emphasis, of course, on the lats, giving their outer edges width and thickness). Head pulls load more rhomboid muscles and the inner edges of the latissimus. The number of approaches and repetitions remains the same - 3-4 sets of 6-12 times.

The final exercise of the complex will be shrugs. It's up to you to perform them with a barbell or dumbbells. But remember that using a barbell, you can take more weight, but reduce the range of motion; with dumbbells, the opposite is true. In other words, the barbell is more basic in nature and is more suitable for strength training, dumbbells, on the other hand, allow you to work the muscles more deeply, which means speeding up their growth.

• 2-3 x 15-20 (warm-up)
• 4 x 6-12
• 4 x 6-12
• 4 x 6-12
• 4 x 12-15

Chest pull-ups

Pulldown to the chest

Pull-down of the upper block behind the head

Small correction. This complex is complete and may not be suitable for everyone, as it requires a fairly large physical training. However, it can be adjusted to suit you in the following way: If you can’t do that many pull-ups, then simply remove the pull-ups from the complex and start with lat pull-downs. At each subsequent workout, include pull-ups in the complex and perform one set with maximum number repetitions. Even if this maximum consists of only one repetition, all the same, the main thing is to complete it. Over time, strength will increase and it will be possible to perform a full range of exercises, as shown above.

We pump the lower back and its middle

3-4 days after training the upper back, you can move on to pumping up its middle and lower back. To do this, we will use a heavy basic exercise - deadlifts and horizontal rows with a barbell and in a machine. We open the workout with the heaviest exercise—the barbell deadlift. Its main focus is on the back extensor muscles, but many other muscle groups are also involved, including trapezius, hamstrings and various stabilizer muscles. So in terms of building up total mass and strength, this exercise can only be compared.

Do not forget that before performing a deadlift, the muscles need to be thoroughly warmed up and prepared for further loads. This can be done using a warm-up approach with a weight that you can handle for 15 - 20 repetitions, without unnecessary fatigue and with perfect technique. The warm-up set is followed by 4-5 working sets of 6-12 repetitions.

After the deadlift, we move on to performing bent-over barbell rows. This exercise will add thickness to your lats. A prerequisite is a straight back throughout the entire set. This will protect your lower back from possible injury and make the exercise more effective. The number of sets in this exercise should be 3-4, and the number of repetitions, as in the previous one, should vary between 6 and 12.

The complex should be completed with deadlifts horizontal block or an alternative exercise - T-bar row. The point of performing these exercises after barbell rows is that this will finally “finish off” your back and thoroughly work the lower sections of the latissimus muscles. The number of approaches and repetitions is 4 x 6-12.

So, a set of exercises for the lower and middle back:

• 1 x 15-20 (warm-up)
• 4-5 x 6-12
• 3-4 x 6-12
• or 4 x 6-12

Barbell deadlift

Bent-over barbell row

T-bar row

What muscles should you use to train your back?

We figured out how to pump up your back, but what to combine back training with still remains a mystery. There are several possible combinations that everyone can choose for themselves, depending on how their particular muscles are developed.

The most popular combination is back and chest. Since these muscles are antagonists, training them together will be effective. This applies to the upper back. As for training the lower part, in this case, its antagonists will be the abdominal muscles and, accordingly, combining them together will also be reasonable.

The next combination is back and deltoids. There is nothing special about this combination, it’s just that these muscles do not use each other during training. However, in the practice of bodybuilding, this technique is successfully used if you combine training of the upper back with the rear bundles of the deltoid muscles, and training of the anterior and lateral bundles of them with the pectoral muscles. However, the effect will also come from combining delt training with the back as a whole.

Combining the back with the triceps and legs makes virtually no sense. The triceps are too small a muscle group, and the legs, on the contrary, are too large, and combining back training with them, although it will give an extreme load, will very quickly lead to both physical and psychological overtraining.

That's it, friends. We have figured out how to pump up your back, but theory alone, as you understand, will not be enough and you need to start practicing as soon as possible. So run to the gym and make your back worthy of the standard of a real athlete!

If you still have any misunderstandings or questions on this topic, do not hesitate to ask them in the comments below. We will try to answer them as soon as possible.

My respect, dear kachatas and fitness girls!

Today we are waiting for the continuation of the epic cycle of pumping up notes, and we will learn how to pump up your back. The broadcast, as usual, will consist of two parts - a theoretical one, in which we will analyze the anatomical issues of the structure, the features of this muscle group and the kinesiology of movements. In practice we will focus on practice :), i.e. Let's get acquainted with the best spinal exercises and specific training programs. Well, let’s not get into the hell before Dad, let’s talk about everything in order.

So, make yourself comfortable, let's begin.

How to pump up your back? The theoretical side of the issue.

I would like to start with a little background...

I do not hide my universal love and passion for representatives of the opposite sex, and even more so for those who know how to beautifully emphasize their winning parts of the figure. So, at one reception in a restaurant, where ladies were supposed to wear evening dresses, I saw a young lady in a dress with a deep back neckline. You know, like the Hollywood stars who stomp down the red carpet at various ceremonies. I must say that it looked luxurious - moderately pumped up relief female back and an evening dress with a neckline in just the right place.

That’s when I thought about what pleasure the gentleman of such a lady must feel, knowing that his companion is shining at a social event in such an outfit, and the lady herself is pleased, because most of the men present are paying attention to her. Actually, I couldn’t leave this back unattended :) and finally found out that the young lady has been doing fitness and training with free weights for quite some time. Of course, I immediately thought about the readers of the project and found out about the training program of the beautiful stranger. You will see it and two others in the practical part of the note, so now you have an incentive to read this tedious thing to the end.

Another incident occurred on the street. This time the actor was, as it later turned out, a guy. Why it turned out, because while walking behind the girl, I thought from behind that her friend was walking next to her, because in general she had the same build, and the evening was quite dark. Having overtaken the duo, I realized that this was a couple - a girl and her boyfriend, but I could not determine the gender by the back, apparently due to the absence of the latter. These two small foreplays explain that having a toned back is important for both men and women. We will deal with the creation of its muscular frame later in the text.

Note:

For better assimilation of the material, all further narration will be divided into subchapters.

Back anatomy and muscle atlas

The back is one of the largest muscle groups of the human body, in which the following can be roughly distinguished: 4 parts/zones:

• upper outer;
• average;
• lower;
• lumbar region.

Let's look at the main muscle units of the spinal mass in more detail.

I. Muscles of the upper/middle back

Latissimus dorsi muscles

They run from the front of the humerus downwards, attaching to the shoulder blades, to the lower thoracic spine in the middle of the body, and all the way to the lower back, where they attach to a large area of ​​seals in the lumbar region. It is no coincidence that these muscles are called the broadest, because the width of the back, which is determined by the distance between their edges, depends on their development.

Trapeze

Trapezius muscles consist of three parts, each of which (not just the top one) requires separate study. The top of the trapezius begins at the base of the skull and spine, runs along the neck and descends down to the insertion of the collarbone. Mid-trapezius – begins in the cervical spine (near 3-4 cervical vertebra), p crosses the back and joins the scapula. Bottom of trapezoid - originates in thoracic region spine, extends upward and attaches to the scapula.

Rhomboid muscles

Deep-lying muscles located immediately under the trapezius. They are located at an angle to the spine and are attached to the shoulder blades.

The muscles of the upper/middle back in assembled form are the following picture.

These are not all the muscles of the upper/mid back, but they are the most significant in terms of volume and contribution to massiveness in the muscle group in question. The full muscle atlas of the top/middle looks like.

Usually they are not taken into account, because... They do not provide mass, but they are important muscles that move the back.

Multifidus muscles

The deep muscles of the back, which seem to spread over 2 or 4 vertebra, are part of the transverse spinalis muscle. They create an area of ​​movement for the spine and allow you to perform small movements while maintaining a deflection in the latter.

Quadratus lumborum muscle

Passes from the top of the thigh and rises to the muscles of the lower back. It is necessary for control and resistance to movement, and is also important when moving the body from side to side.

Back extensor muscles

They originate in the area of ​​the sacrum and upper thigh and run along the entire length of the back, right up to the base of the skull. They are important for movement control and create a strong core, allowing you to take more load. (lift heavy weights without risk of back injury) when performing basic exercises such as deadlifts, squats.

The assembled muscles of the lower back present the following picture.

Skeletal anatomy

Besides muscle units It is important to understand the importance of bones and joints and the role they play in the movements of the back. Understanding this will allow you to choose the optimal exercises and engage the target muscles.

The most important skeletal units include:

Upper spine (thoracic)

Counts 12 independent bone formations starting from the base of the neck and extending along the entire length of the back. Stable fixed top part back is important for safe and effective back training.

Spatula

A small triangular bone that connects the humerus to the collarbone. When doing back exercises (especially horizontal rods) movements are performed due to the shoulder joint and the convergence of the shoulder blades.

Shoulder joint

It is a ball joint that provides mobility and dexterity to your hands. He has important for any pulling movement. Mobility is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, such mobility allows you to perform a lot of exercises, on the other hand, the shoulder joint is extremely unreliable and is prone to “flying out” and injuries.

Muscle functions in practice

It is important not only to know how the back works, it is important to know its functions using an example real movements, i.e. how muscles, bones and joints work together during weight training in the gym. And we'll start with...

Latissimus dorsi muscles

Its tasks include:

• internal rotation (pronation) – rotation of the humerus inward;
• bringing the shoulder to the body (example, pull-ups/latt rows).

Trapezoid/Diamond

The trapezius/diamondoids are responsible for the elevation of the shoulder blades, as well as their retraction, due to which the athlete can retract the shoulder joint back and bring them together. The lower part of the trapezius is responsible for stretching the shoulder blades and lowering them downwards. chest. Performing shrugs loads the upper trapezius (when you “shrug” your shoulders, the shoulder blades move upward). The rhomboids are responsible for scapular retraction and inferior (downward) rotation. Superior rotation of the scapula (for example, when raising your arms above your head) created by the top/bottom of the trapezoids and serratus muscle. Inferior rotation of the scapula (for example, when lowering your arm down from an overhead position) created by the diamond-shaped and bottom trapezoids.

From all of the above, the following conclusions can be drawn.

The back is a large muscle mass, and to effectively work it out and engage all segments, you need a set of different exercises with different grips. In general, the training strategy should include working on both the thickness and width of the back, and for this it is necessary to use 2-3 basic exercises with free weight and about 2-3 traction (including block) Moreover, it is extremely important to know which exercise primarily targets which segment, and not perform movements that are similar in biomechanics in one workout.

So, let's move directly to the pumping-theoretical side of the issue.

How to pump up your back? Swing theory.

The following information applies not only to the male part of the project’s audience, but also to its fair half. The two main pillars in building a total back mass are:

• refusal (at first) from block-isolated simulators and focusing on deadlifts and pull-ups;
• maintaining high testosterone levels (creating conditions for its natural increase).

Let's go through each point separately.

Big back formula S = X1+X2+T:

No. 1. X1 - deadlift

Do you know what trend I’ve started to notice in gyms lately? How can you know this :)? Well, firstly, there are orders of magnitude more ladies coming around – let’s say, 1 the guy is now having trouble 4-5 girls (vs. 2-3 a year earlier). Well, okay, it seems like there are few of us, and there are more important things to do than the gym, for example, killing a goat or drinking beer with friends.

The saddest trend is that our brother began to avoid (with relative health) basic hard work. Those. they can swing, but everything is somehow isolated on the machine or with a dumbbell. But when it comes to large muscle groups, in particular the back, then serious work and multi-joint exercises are needed, such as deadlifts and pull-ups.

The stand builds every muscle on the back, and in addition, when performing it, the most a large number of building hormones - growth hormone and testosterone. These hormones are released into the blood and create an anabolic environment in the body. The key here is the relatively large number of approaches ( 3-5) , low reps (4-6) and heavy weights.

No. 2. X2 - pull-ups

The next exercise №2 on the list for creating an array of backs are pull-ups with different grips (reverse and straight wide).

Pull-ups require the combined work of many back muscles, and therefore quickly make it stronger. Adding weight using a kettlebell suspended from a special belt attached to the waist will add volume to the back. The technical parameters for performing pull-ups are similar to the diagram above.

No. 3. Testosterone level (T)

The two most important hormones in muscle building are and. This is what professionals stuff themselves with in order to become more fun, stronger, faster. The male sex hormone is especially important for creating a hooded back, and here's why.

The upper body of men contains many densely packed androgen receptors. The latter are receptors inside the muscles, and testosterone is able to bind to them. After testosterone molecules circulating within the body bind to androgen receptors, this causes protein synthesis within the muscles. The latter process causes muscles to grow much faster.

You can increase testosterone naturally by including the following foods in your diet.

So, now you are aware of the universal formula for creating a beautiful back, specific training programs and the best, from a scientific point of view, exercises, we will consider in the second part of the note, but for now...

Afterword

Today we answered the question - how to pump up your back. The necessary theory is left behind, and next time we will deal exclusively with practical side question, so we don’t run far, we sit and wait for the continuation :)

That's all, I was glad to write for you, see you soon!

PS. How do you train your back? Would you like to share?

P.P.S. Attention! 12.07 The ability to send questionnaires for and food will become available. I will be glad to see you working together!

With respect and gratitude, Dmitry Protasov.

Hello friends! Vitaly Okhrimenko is on the line with a powerful article on how to pump up your back in the gym.

The tips that will be given in today's publication will help every reader learn how to pump up the back muscles not only in width, but also in thickness.

However, before getting to the point, I ask you to understand one important point: in order to swing powerful back you need to want to build a powerful back. You can master a whole carload of theoretical knowledge, but without trying this information in practice, it’s unlikely that anything will work out. Therefore, I advise you to bookmark the page and gradually apply all the tips to your training.

Now I’ll give you a really powerful case on how to better pump up your back, all you have to do is take it and use it! Well, now, after a short introduction, let's get down to business!

How to build a powerful back

When buying an apartment, what do we pay attention to? On architecture, layout, on the reliability of the building. But besides this, we also look at the yard, the surrounding area, and the infrastructure amenities. It would truly be stupid to take such a crucial step without taking all these points into account. We need to think in a similar way when we want to swing our back.

Our back does not consist of many muscles, which can be roughly divided into 2 types:

1. The superficial back muscles are the most visually represented, and as a result, the most interesting back muscles to train. We are talking about muscles such as the latissimus or trapezius.
2. The deep back muscles are precisely those point muscles, thanks to the full training of which we will be able to pump up a beautiful back. This list includes muscles such as the rhomboids, serratus, dorsi extensors, and levator scapulae.

Rear deltoids do not belong to any one category (they generally belong to the muscles of the shoulders), however they will a good helper in fulfilling our goal of pumping up our back in the gym, because these muscles are located on the side of the back.

Of course, having set the goal of strengthening our back, we must first of all concentrate on how to strengthen the latissimus dorsi muscles. However, if you use the so-called wide-angle approach, the result will be much more impressive! By pumping up all the back muscles, we will be able to cover a large area of ​​the pumped muscles.

Of course, this won’t make your back much wider, but it will look much more powerful! When using a wide-angle approach, the back will resemble a topographic 3D map, on which, in addition to the latissimus muscles, many pinpoint muscles can be seen:

What exercises can you do to pump up your back?

Now the main interpretation of this article is happening: in order to properly pump up your back, you need to do absolutely all the back exercises you know. The bigger, the better. The exception will be those exercises that cause discomfort - you need to get rid of them.

For example, I feel discomfort when I try to do pull-ups or overhead barbell presses. I eliminated them from my training program a long time ago and feel quite happy. Everything is individual here

How to pump up your back with dumbbells

Perhaps the best exercise for the back muscles can rightfully be considered the one-arm dumbbell row (pocket row). Pocket rows benefit from bent-over barbell rows primarily due to the range of motion.

The barbell row has a shorter range of motion than the pocket row and does not engage the target muscles as much.

Fully straightening the arm with the dumbbell at the lowest point and slightly moving the dumbbell behind the back at the point of maximum contraction will allow you to use the maximum muscle fibers.

In addition, the pocket pull is not against easy cheating. Not even that, it would be more correct to say that those athletes who do not allow themselves to lightly cheat while performing pocket deadlifts do not use the full potential of the exercise. A slight collapse of the core at the point of greatest contraction will allow you to increase the working weight and hit the muscles beyond the “pure amplitude”.

Elbow position in back rows

Elbow position in all possible thrusts on the back determines which part of the back receives more load during the exercise. If the elbows are spread to the sides during the movement and are far from the body, and along a horizontal line (top view) are close to the line of the shoulders, then the top of the latissimus and trapezius muscles are used to a greater extent during the exercise.

If the elbow on the horizontal plane is closer to the lower back and at the same time moves as close to the body as possible, then some of the load falls on the middle of the latissimus and the thoracolumbar fascia.

In relation to the bent-over barbell row, this knowledge looks like this: using a wide grip, the elbows move far from each other and from the body, accordingly, most of the target load falls on the upper back (upper part of the lats, middle part of the trapezius and rear delts).

Accordingly, when placing the hands close together, or even pulling the barbell in an inclined position reverse grip, the elbows move closer to the sides, and the load falls more on the bottom of the latissimus and the thoracolumbar fascia.

How to pump up a wide back

The best exercise for building wide V-shaped back(or as it is also called: herringbone-shaped back) is definitely a . The main trick is that in addition to pumping up the muscles, wide-grip pull-ups also stretch our collarbones. This is no longer just a blow to genetics (from the skinny to the athlete), it is already an effect on your skeleton. Cool, yeah?

In addition, during the actual pull-up, the outer shell contracts. muscle tissue latissimus muscles. And using one of these two methods:

1. Slow descent with a pause at the bottom point;
2. Lowering with additional burden(for example, a friend hangs himself by his feet),

It turns out to get an additional increase in the mass of the latissimus due to the compaction of the muscle membrane. It would be good to periodically practice both options - this will give maximum results.

Exercises for back thickness

In order to build a powerful back, you need to take care of the visual thickness of your back. This refers to the thickness when viewed from the side. This indicator (side view) is best formed by an exercise such as a bent-over T-row. In addition to dense lats, you will also get a dense middle and bottom part trapezius muscles. And this, in turn, also has a remarkable effect on the visual thickness of the back.

In addition to this back thickness exercise, you should also focus on the aforementioned barbell rows and pocket rows.

Of course, the best tool for developing a powerful and strong back is working with free weights. However, periodic use of simulators will allow you to maintain a static pause at the peak of contraction. It is also possible to maintain a static pause with free weights, but on a machine it is both easier and more convenient.

Maximum number of exercises

As I already mentioned in the first paragraph, understanding how to pump up your back, you need to understand that you need to pump up absolutely all the back muscles. Therefore, it is fair to say that in order to pump up a huge back you need to hammer it to the maximum.

It would be logical to conclude that for this you need to include in the program a maximum of exercises for the back and rear deltoids. In other words, we simply include in our work all the exercises known to us and we will effective method pump up your back.

Squeeze your shoulder blades

This simple trick has a very positive effect on the effectiveness of back training. The key is to keep your shoulder blades engaged throughout the entire set of each pulling exercise.

Moreover, during the negative phase of the movement, you need to keep your shoulder blades retracted and tense for as long as possible. The weight pulls the arms, the arms extend, and the shoulder blades are still tense and drawn together. This trick will tone your back muscles very well, but you need to be prepared for the working weight to drop somewhat. It’s just that with a certain weight it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to perform such a technique.

Train your back to the fullest

There is no secret to this, but we often neglect this golden rule of bodybuilding. You don’t need to train yourself to the point of complete exhaustion every time, and it won’t take long before you overtrain.

However, if the goal is to understand how to properly pump up your back, then it would be necessary to arrange killer training backs. I'm not saying that you need to lift excessive weights, it's dangerous for your health. After all, the back is not only muscles, it is also a spine that is very easy to damage and very difficult to heal later. You just need to create a training program in such a way that on back day you can barely get out of the gym, and on the way out you feel like you have to walk through the door sideways, otherwise you simply won’t be able to squeeze through.

Take care of your spine

To be honest, this point was not included in the original plan of this article. But after writing the previous paragraph, I remembered the bitter personal experience of how, in the first year of training, I was introduced to deadlifts without a mentor or any theoretical basis. On the way out, I got a torn back, which later, thanks to the damned coal industry, turned into a mild form of radiculitis and osteochondrosis.

Believe me, friends, this factor very much prevents me from swinging properly. Because you have to approach the majority with caution.

In most cases, bodybuilding involves light cheating. However, when working with your back you need to be very, very careful. Rounding the back with loads (not necessarily large ones, I strained my back with 80 kg in the deadlift) increases the load on the intervertebral discs, which can very easily result in injury.

Therefore, in addition to keeping track correct position spine throughout the entire exercise, it is necessary to minimize cheating and swinging in exercises such as bent-over rows or T-rows. And of course, you need to understand that studying correct technique Everyone needs to devote a lot of strength and energy to their back.

Combine deadlifts with bent-over rows

I learned this exercise from bourgeois trainer Craig Capurso. And having tried it a couple of times in training, I was convinced that Craig was right when he said that this is the best intense exercise for most back muscles.

I couldn't find the name of this exercise. Personally, I would call it this: deadlift. The essence of the exercise is this: you start it as a deadlift, but as soon as the bar passes the knees, the body freezes and the further part of the exercise occurs only with the movement of the arms. The first half of the exercise is done with a deadlift, the second half of the exercise is a bent-over barbell row. Like on a picture:

Before publishing this post I tried this exercise in practice. Did 3 x 10s with the weight I do 3 x 8s with the bent over row. I confess. the lats generally became very tense, and the next day I felt some serious pain in my back, and this is despite the fact that I train my back regularly. True, the breathing apparatus somehow did not react very well to the exercise. From this I can conclude that the intensity of the exercise is quite high.

I decided for myself that I would definitely include this wonderful exercise in my training program, which I advise you to do.

Train your rear delts

Twice at the beginning of the article I wrote that the rear delts play a role in the visual formation of a powerful back. The recommendation is to include 1 rear delt exercise per back day and 1-2 exercises per delt day. It is clear that to implement this advice, you would need to do back and delt training on different days.

Train different pull-ups

Read the article carefully and include all these types in your program. Each of them loads differently different muscles backs. Therefore, in order to develop a truly powerful back, they need to be alternated and combined. How best to do this, everyone decides for themselves individually. I do it like this: 1 time during training I do 3 types of 2 approaches, and 3 subsequent workouts I do one type each in 3-4 approaches.

Perform half-overs

Understanding how to properly pump up your back in the gym, you need to understand that in order to fully build up your back muscles, it is not enough to just train them, they also need to be stretched. I advise you to include 2 types of half-overs in your training program:

1. Half-over with a dumbbell or kettlebell;
2. Reverse half-over on the top block.

This will allow you to fully stretch your back muscles, and good stretch– this is additional growth potential. In addition, you need to do spins at least sometimes. You can find back stretching exercises.

Train your lower back last

At the beginning of the workout, before pumping up a potentially powerful back, you need to warm up the lumbar region. To do this, you need to warm up before training. Well, you can perform 1 set of hyperextension. If you fully perform lower back training first (before back training), then tight lower back muscles will interfere with most back exercises.

It seems to me that in order to understand how to pump up your back in the lumbar region, you need to understand that it would be much more correct to train the lower back on back day.

Perform reverse hyperextension

This point will help you better understand how to pump up your lower back. As is known best exercise on the lumbar region (and on long muscles back too) is hyperextension. But you shouldn’t focus only on the classics; in the classical sense, hyperextension is done like this: the legs are fixed, and the movement is carried out by the body above the waist.

On the one hand, this is quite true, but on the other hand, will such training be possible? lumbar region complete? I don't think so. I advise you to add reverse hyperextension to your back workouts, when the body is fixed, and the work of the lower back is to raise the legs.

Use the straps

Many times I have come across the opinion that the use of straps, for example in the same deadlift, is ultimately worth the result. They say that we ourselves are taking away the lion's share of progress.

Of course, to a high degree this judgment is correct. This is true when we are talking about powerlifters who will have to deadlift in competitions without equipment. If this is your goal, then forget about the straps forever. Well, if your goal is to learn how to build a wide and powerful back, then it is better to use straps in heavy back pulling exercises.

Using straps provides 2 advantages:

1. Allows you to concentrate on the exercise and not be distracted by the grip;
2. Allows you to perform approximately 2 additional repetitions per set.

Re-invent yourself

I have already written in some detail about what periodization is. The essence of my advice is to constantly periodically change both the exercises themselves and the number of repetitions and weights used. Muscles tend to get used to stress. As a result, muscle response decreases, and besides, some muscles develop faster, others slower.

The essence of the technique is to change exercises, change repetitions, type of load, working weight, etc. Unfortunately, you can’t describe everything in three words. Therefore, someone in the subject will understand, but for those who are not in the subject, I beg your pardon to generously change, the article is already too long.

I advise you to subscribe to blog updates so as not to miss a detailed explanation of periodization, which will soon change its place in a number of publications.

Plan, study, implement

It’s not enough to want to know how to pump up your back in the gym. At a minimum, you need to plan your workouts well. Compose and follow it. Without this, training will be chaotic, inconsistent and illogical. I came to the training, did something there and left. There is no result, time is spent with minimal return, my soul is sad. When there is a plan, everything is completely different. You train powerfully, consistently and logically.

At the same time, the training program should not be carved on a granite board. It can and should be edited. It would be good to write down your intermediate results; this will allow you to track the dynamics of growth and understand in which direction the movement is happening and what needs to be changed. You can download the table layout for easy tracking of the results:

Somehow like this. By applying my advice in practice, you will definitely be able to effectively and correctly pump up your back in the gym. Let me take my leave.

With faith in your result (!), Vitakha Okhrimenko!

When working out in the gym, men pay special attention to training their backs, since a harmonious silhouette of an athlete is impossible without well-developed latissimus muscles. If girls primarily train their leg muscles, and this is logical, then a man’s priority should be training the latissimus dorsi muscle. A wide back helps hide body imperfections. Such as wide waist, narrow Men are always attracted to back training. Every beginner wants to know how to build a wide back.

The structure of the back muscles

To understand how a weight training program for the back is designed, you need to understand the structure of its muscles and their functions. divided into deep and superficial.

The first type includes:

• transverse spinalis muscles, the function of which is to stabilize the spine, they consist of the rotator muscles, multifidus and semispinalis;
• extensor muscles perform the function of moving the spine; consist of the iliocostal, longissimus and spinous;
• diamond-shaped, trapezoidal and, contribute to the movement of the shoulder girdle.

The second type includes:

• the latissimus muscle, the function of which is to stretch the arm back and down;
• square, responsible for lateral bending.

Which muscles should you pay attention to?

For beginners, it's the upper body workout that worries them. Everyone wants to know how to build a wide back.

The shape of this part of the body, its width can be changed by pumping the latissimus muscles, or, as athletes say, the wings. Enlarging this area creates the V-shaped figure that athletes strive for.

Also, a beautiful torso is formed due to This muscle group is divided into 3 regions: top, middle and bottom. Particular attention is paid to the top - the area between the shoulders and neck.

Training the back extensors allows you to create a hollow spine, and this creates the effect of a muscular back. In addition, extensors help you lift heavier weights while pumping up other parts of your body.

• Pull-ups.

By changing the grip width, you can work different areas of the back. The wider the grip, the more the lats are activated. When performing exercises, you need to pull with your back and turn off your biceps, and do not pull your shoulders towards your ears.

If you have little weight and it’s easy for you to pull yourself up, then you need to use extra weight- a belt with weights or dumbbells; you can also use weights with sand.

If, on the contrary, you cannot pull up own weight, then you can perform the exercise on the “Graviton” simulator, where a load is placed, which is a counterweight.

• Deadlift.

To perform this exercise, you need to have pumped up abs and back extensors, which will help avoid injuries.

To begin the exercise, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, bend your knees slightly and slowly lower the barbell down in one line without leaning your body forward. The bar should slide along the knees along the same path.

• Bent-over barbell row.

Position - feet shoulder-width apart, knees bent at an angle of 45 degrees, spine in a straight line. The barbell should be pulled towards the stomach so that it slides over the thighs.

Technique for performing isolated exercises

Isolation exercises help strengthen muscles at the end of the workout and engage fibers that are not affected by basic exercises.

• One-arm dumbbell row.

Rest your left leg and left hand on the bench, your back parallel to the floor, take a dumbbell in your right hand and begin to pull with your back, bending your elbow. There is no need to turn your back at the top point.

• T-machine rows.

The principle of execution is the same as in the barbell row. This exercise includes back mass training if there are any injuries.

• Pull from the upper block.

A good alternative to pull-ups. Sit on a bench, grab the handle with a wide grip and pull down with your back, your arms should be relaxed.

• Pull from the lower block.

Sit on a bench, keep your back straight and begin to pull the machine, bringing your shoulder blades together.

• Hyperextension.

We lie down on a bench, the pelvis is on the pillow, lower the body down without rounding the back, raise the top until the back is in line with the legs.

Back muscle training program for mass

Depending on the training goals, a specific program is selected. By including/excluding certain exercises, you can change the load on the muscles.

All men are interested in how to pump up their back. The training program is varied.

This complex will help pump up all parts of the back and consists of 4 training options that will need to be alternated.

It's important to do 5 minutes of cardio before starting your warm-up exercises, and also do a couple of warm-up sets without weights.

Back workout

exercise	approaches	repetitions
first, fifth weeks
pull-ups	4	max
superset: rows from the upper and lower blocks	4	10
Bent-over barbell row	4	10
second, sixth weeks
superset: lat pulldown + pull-ups	4	10 and 15
pull from the lower block	3	max
reverse thrust	4	10, 10, 8, 6
one-arm lat pulldown	3	10
third, seventh weeks
pull-ups	4	max, 10, 8.8
traction from the upper block	3	10
Bent-over barbell row	4	8, 6, 6, 5
pull down from the lower block with hands alternately	4	15
fourth, eighth week
triset: pull-ups + rows from the upper + lower blocks	3	10 each
traction from the upper block	3	12
reverse thrust	3	max

Sports nutrition for training

Training for back mass is quite labor-intensive and requires significant energy expenditure, so it is rational to use supplements to increase endurance and the speed of recovery of the body.

For growth muscle mass You can use gainer, protein and creatine, for recovery - glutamine, to protect muscles from breakdown - BCAA. All this will contribute to the speedy achievement of the goal.

Our consultants will tell you which sports nutrition company is best to choose. Today there are a lot of manufacturers, each of which adds some zest to their product.

Particular attention should be paid to nutrition, since a lack of nutrients will not allow your muscles to grow. You need to eat the required amount of protein and carbohydrates per kg of body daily. If you create a deficiency of any component, but train hard, you will not achieve results. Muscles grow with the proper amount of carbohydrates and proteins. Protein is the main source of food for muscles; it is found in chicken breasts, eggs, and cottage cheese.

To understand how to properly pump your back, you need to know that there are deep and superficial muscles backs. The first layer is formed by the latissimus and trapezius muscles, the rhomboid and serratus muscles lie deeper.

It is better not to combine pumping up the back muscles with working out other large muscle groups, for example, the pectoral muscles. Can be combined with exercises shoulder girdle(deltas), press. Isolated back exercises should always be performed after basic exercises.

This is a basic multi-joint exercise for the back muscles in the gym, in which almost all the major muscle groups of the body are additionally loaded.

Special instructions:

• The bar of the bar should slide along the shins, the bar should not go around the knees, and the arms should hang down freely. The bar moves strictly in a vertical plane. If your knees are getting in the way, you need to increase the forward angle. But the distance between the shins and the bar should be no more than 2-3 cm.
• The back always remains straight; bending when bending forward occurs not in the lower back, but in the hip joints.

The bent-over barbell row engages the latissimus and trapezius dorsi muscles, as well as the rear deltoids and biceps.

Special instructions:

• The legs and head remain stationary.
• The distance between the hands on the bar should be slightly greater than shoulder width.
• If you bring your shoulder blades together at the top point, the rhomboid and trapezius muscles come into play.

Bent-over dumbbell row

The one-arm dumbbell row pumps the lower edge of the latissimus muscles. It allows you to increase the range of motion compared to traditional deadlifts and reduce the load on the spine.

There are 2 options for the starting position:

• Standing sideways to a horizontal bench, place your left knee and shin on the bench and rest your bent left arm on it. Tilt your body horizontally, put your right leg to the side and back.
• Both legs are on the floor, the left is in front of the right and bent at the knee. Place your left hand on the bench and tilt your body.

Technique:

• Hold a dumbbell with your right hand neutral grip, the hand hangs freely.
• After inhaling, pull the dumbbell to your belt or higher along an arcuate path, pause a little at the highest point and squeeze your shoulder blades together.
• As you exhale, return the dumbbell down.

Special instructions:

• Do not turn the body in order to raise the projectile to its maximum height.
• Do not move your elbows to the side.

Shrugs

The essence of the exercise is a shoulder shrug performed with weight. Shrugs are isolated exercises for the formation of trapezius muscles and perfectly complement basic back exercises. For beginners, this exercise is not necessary, but gradually it will become necessary to include them in training program. There are different implementation options.

Standing shrugs

Dumbbells or a barbell with a curved bar are ideal for this option - they will not put pressure on the legs or groin like the bar of a regular barbell.

Special instructions:

• Can't do it with your shoulders rotational movements – You can get injured in the shoulder joint.
• To prevent the bar from falling below the starting point, it is recommended to use a power frame or stands.

Shrugs lying down

In this version, trapezoids are worked out, pectoral muscles and deltas.

• Lie down on horizontal bench inside the power frame, place your feet on the floor. Set the limiters 10 cm below the level that corresponds to full straightening of the arms at the elbows.
• Grasp the barbell at shoulder width and remove it from the supports, press your shoulder blades towards each other and your shoulders towards the bench.
• As you exhale, spread your shoulder blades, raise your shoulders and lift them off the bench.
• As you inhale, return to your previous position.

Special instructions:

• The upper back and head do not come off the bench.
• Both arms should move synchronously, the hands should be at the same level.

Upper pulley to chest

This back exercise in the gym is based on the principle of pull-ups. It targets the lats, biceps and anterior deltoids.

Hyperextension

Hyperextension translated from English means hyperextension, hyperextension. The exercise is designed to strengthen the muscles of the lumbar region. The main load falls on the back extensors, hamstrings and gluteal muscles. The work involves small back muscles that are not worked by any other exercises. Strong muscles lower back helps greatly to speed up progress in such basic exercises like deadlifts and others and build up your back faster in the gym.

Special instructions:

• You don't need to go too low, to a 90-degree angle between your body and legs.
• At the top point you should not bend back, this is harmful to the spine.