Strength exercises for the latissimus dorsi muscles. Exercises for the back. Exercises with non-standard equipment

Back muscles are responsible for the movement of the spine, legs, arms and head. They can be divided into three groups - lower, upper and deep.

Lower back ( lumbar) interact during flexion and extension of the lumbar spine, as well as when moving the pelvis back and forth. This group takes part in the formation of correct posture in a person and includes almost all movements of both the lower and upper body.

Upper and middle back ( lats, round and trapezoid) lower, raise and rotate the shoulder blades, and also rotate, abduct and adduct the humerus. Basic exercises for these muscles are pull-ups on the bar and rowing from the lower block. The upper back is primarily responsible for pulling movements.

Video: Back workout with dumbbells. 5 exercises

Deep paraspinal muscles ( spinal-sacral) form the so-called “muscle corset”, which serves to maintain the normal position and curves of the spine, the position and movement of individual vertebrae relative to each other, and participate in maintaining stability.

There is not a single movement in our life in which we would not take part back corset- hence the importance of their strengthening and development, as well as a correct understanding of their involvement in the physical work of the body.

Latissimus dorsi training

Upgrading the width

Pull-ups require a certain amount of physical strength and are great for developing the teres major and latissimus muscles, and, at the moment of retraction of the shoulder blades at the end of the pull-up, the rhomboids.

This movement develops the latissimus and teres major muscles. His efforts also extend to the biceps and shoulders.

This exercise increases the width of the core, using the trapezius, rhomboids, biceps and deltoids.

This exercise perfectly develops the broad back, its upper and lower bundles, as well as the large round muscles.

This is an excellent exercise for the full development of the teres major and latissimus dorsi. When bringing the shoulder blades together, the rhomboid and trapezoid muscles are involved, as well as the back parts of the shoulder deltas.

Exercise to work your back. It perfectly loads the lats, includes the lower part of the trapezius, uses the round and rhomboid muscles of the back, as well as the rear delta, biceps and forearms.

Forget about Bench Press Mondays. It's time for Tuesdays named after titanic traps and giant backs! Take these 8 tips and lift your lats, traps, and rear delts into new orbit.

The back muscles often lack our attention, and we work with them carelessly. The average powerlifter either pumps them half-heartedly, using only banal pulling repetitions, or completely abandons the idea of ​​​​strengthening his back to the maximum of his capabilities.

If you're not one of those guys and you're really looking to get as big and strong as possible in your back muscles, read this article. In it I will share some secrets and talk about my favorite techniques for working out the back muscles. This material will help you improve your training process and, as a result, create powerful, strong and impressive back muscles. You'll learn all about how to create a basic training program and how to increase your stroke power and speed.

Making the most of your back workout

Tip 1. Train your back every week with the Big Three exercises

• Rows (and/or, or T-bar)
• Pull-ups (pull-ups, wide-grip lat pull-downs, horizontal pull-ups, or squat rack pull-ups)

If your program is based on a target group split, start your back workout with deadlifts, and then move on to rows and rows. If you work all muscle groups in one workout, I recommend using one of the listed exercises at each session. As a general rule, I recommend sticking to this schedule:

• Monday: traction
• Wednesday: deadlift
• Friday: pull-ups

Tip 2: Learn how to do pull-ups and rows correctly

One of the most common mistakes I see in the gym is not doing pull-ups and pull-ups correctly. Powerlifters use their arms (biceps) too much in these exercises because they have never been taught how to engage their upper back muscles as much as possible.

I give my clients the following instructions regarding pull-ups and rowing exercises:

• Start the movement by moving your shoulder(s) back
• At the same time, focus on keeping your elbow(s) moving back along with your shoulder(s)
• Finish pull-ups and rows with maximum tension in your latissimus (or lats).

All three phases must be performed smoothly within one indivisible, powerful and explosive movement. Do not break the exercise into three discrete and separate phases, start the movement by abducting the shoulder and at the same moment pull your elbows back. Your arms should act like hooks and this will reduce the stress on your biceps.

Mastering the techniques will take several training sessions, but once you succeed, you will feel how hard your back muscles are working. Proper execution of rows and pull-ups will allow you to lift heavier weights and build mass and strength in your back muscles, while also reducing the likelihood of biceps injury.

Now that you have a good back routine at your disposal, it's time to take on the power shrugs and deliver a devastating blow to your traps! Forget for a moment about the standard dumbbell or barbell shrug that reigns in the bodybuilding world and give the green light to an explosive version of this exercise.

You'll be performing power shrugs that require explosive technique rather than smooth, measured movements, and this will allow you to lift significantly more weight. This fusion of maximum load and controlled, yet powerful and explosive repetitions is great for increasing strength and size in the trapezius muscles.

One of my favorite ways to perform power shrugs is a technique I call power shrug hell. Start with 65 kg and do 8-10 reps. Add a couple more discs and do another 8-10 reps. Continue adding plates until you feel like you can no longer complete a set of 8-10 reps.

And understand that explosive power shrugs are not sloppy shrugs. You maintain a decent range of motion and control the technique of performing the exercise at all times. Control the bar, hold the rack, and when you feel that you can no longer lift the weight to a sufficient height, end the set.

Tip 4: Limit the weight and volume of the deadlift.

Over the years, I've noticed that deadlifting above 90% of my one-rep max doesn't do much good. During my 5-year climb to deadlift 360kg, I injured my lower back 4 or 5 times, and each time the injury was caused by training at more than 90% of my 1RM.

Ultimately, I decided that to develop strength and size in the back muscles, there was no need for too much volume and/or heavy lifting weight (90% 1RM or higher). Here are my recommendations:

• Don't lift more than 90% of your one-rep max. If you want to test your strength, see how many reps you can do with a weight within 85-90% of your previous one-rep max, or do 4-5 heavy single reps.
• When working at 70-80% of your one-rep max, limit the number of reps per set to five. When working above 80% weight, do no more than three repetitions, except for periodic test sets to assess your strength.
• When working with weights below 70% of your one-rep maximum, you can perform more repetitions.

And don't forget that any approach should be stopped if you feel that there is something wrong with your form.

When it comes to volume, I find it reasonable to reduce the number of repetitions by 20-40% compared to other compound exercises. This means that if you are doing 5 x 5, then for the deadlift you should choose 3 x 5 or 4 x 5.

The deadlift is a powerful exercise, but I've never seen much benefit from going too heavy. Over time, when you understand your deadlift limit, you can, of course, increase the volume if you deem it necessary.

Tip 5: Use straps or wrist straps for traction if necessary

If necessary, use straps or wrist straps for traction. Never let poor grip strength interfere with your back workout. Never. I don't care what others say. If grip strength is an issue for you, do back exercises and then go out and train your grip strength.

I've avoided all those straps for years, and my deadlift results have sucked, to say the least. I was only doing 10 reps with 55kg dumbbells and thought it was cool until I turned my brain on and started using various tools to grab and hold the weight.

As soon as I started using the straps, my strength indicators skyrocketed, and along with them, the volume of my back muscles began to grow. At my peak, I could already do 118kg dumbbell rows x 10 reps and 68kg rows x 42 reps. I also did a few reps of 188kg barbell rows.

If you work your back with enough of a variety of pulling movements and pull-ups, you won't need to hit your rear delts much, if at all.

Or it is based on the simultaneous retraction of the elbows and arms. If you look at the technique of performing pulling movements and pull-ups, you will notice that similar abductions of the arms and elbows are already included in these exercises. Rows and pull-ups are like the reverse butterfly for the rear delts on steroids.

Rows and pull-ups are compound movements that work not only the upper back, but also the rear deltoids. Moreover, these are the main builders of the rear delts. Of course, if you want, you can do some isolated sets for the rear delts and increase the load on these muscles, but believe me, in fact, this is not necessary.

The vast majority of powerlifters are jealous of every extra kilogram and extra repetition in the bench press or when training their back muscles carelessly. Yes, deadlifting a 50-kilogram dumbbell is beyond the power of the average amateur athlete, but believe me, this is not enough for you.

Set your goal to deadlifting dumbbells weighing 65, 70, 75 kilograms or more. If your gym doesn't have suitable dumbbells, order a special handle for yourself. My handle allows you to lift up to 150 kg, and this is a completely different dumbbell row!

Also reconsider your attitude to the barbell row - the working weight should be the same as in the bench press, or even higher. If you bench press 130 kg, then you should perform the same number of repetitions with a weight of 130 kg.

The above is also true for pull-ups and deadlifts. You should pull up 10 times in one approach without any extra effort, and in the deadlift set your goal to reach the top of 225 kg.

Tip 8. Can't do a pull-up? Then do horizontal pull-ups

For many years I have been a proponent of using wide-grip lat pulldowns instead of pull-ups. I thought the deadlift was the perfect solution for people who can't do a pull-up, but I was wrong.

Over the past 5 years, I have become a real fan of the squat pull-up, also known as the squat rack pull-up. This option leads to a better contraction of the latissimus muscles and at the same time creates a greater load than the wide-grip lat pull-down.

To perform horizontal pull-ups, place the barbell in a squat rack at a height of approximately 1-1.5 meters. Next, find a suitable bench or box to rest your feet on. Place your feet on the bench, grab the barbell (your torso is in a horizontal position) and begin to pull yourself up. Even if you can't complete a single full pull-up today, you can easily do a few 5-rep sets of horizontal pull-ups.

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 additional weight - a belt with weights or dumbbells, you can also use weights with sand.

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

To grow 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.

Make your back bigger, wider, stronger and more defined, creating a strong foundation for future growth.

If you compete or are a bodybuilder (or want to be), then I won't surprise you with how important it is to have a well-developed back. As for the rest, I'm sure the following should convince you. You don't see your back when you look in the mirror, and people don't see it when you walk into a room unless training your back is your priority at the gym.

But ask yourself, what do people see when they stand behind you? There's a void between your shoulders: a flat space without muscle, exuding weakness, or a wide, massive shield of muscle?

You must respect your back, so we have selected the best back exercises in the gym for men and put together six workout routines for you for different purposes. Choose one (or more) to suit your individual needs, then perform them for 4-6 weeks to tone all the muscle groups in the back of your upper body.

• The following workout programs do not include a warm-up. Do as many warm-up exercises as necessary, but do not warm up to the point of muscle failure.
• Choose a weight with which you will reach muscle failure for the number of repetitions indicated in the exercise.
• Keep yourself in shape and don't let your lower back rotate.
• Use a weight belt for deadlifts and deadlifts, and bands to strengthen your grip.

Below we show methods not only of how to pump up a man’s back; sets of exercises are designed to increase the width of the back muscles, their mass and volume, improve the relief and even strengthen the lower back.

The best gym workout programs

Target: total back mass

If you haven't given your back as much time and effort in the gym as your other muscle groups, it's likely falling behind. To boost the underperforming group, focus on a bulking training program.

Building mass comes down to hard work, mostly with free weights. Do sets of reps in the 8-10 rep range, resting between sets, usually 90-120 seconds, to regain your breath and strength. Deadlifts may require an extra minute of rest.

A set of exercises to gain mass in the back muscles

Pull-ups If you can't do 8-10 pull-ups, use a machine. And if 8-10 reps is too easy for you, wear a weight belt to add weight. 5 sets of 8-10 times
Belt pull 5 sets of 8-10 times
T-bar row with handle 5 sets of 8-10 times
Barbell deadlift 5 sets of 8-10 times

Goal: Increase back thickness

Besides general underdevelopment of the back muscles, the most common problem is also “two-dimensionality”: your back has good width, but it is flat, like a prairie in the Midwest. You need to strengthen it and make it thicker so that it eventually becomes voluminous.

This is where wrist straps come in. You won't be able to hit your lats well in this workout without straps. At some point you will run out of steam, your workout will be derailed, and so will your lower back. Deadlifts are what you need to get a beastly back. The wrist straps will make sure that you can achieve a lot!

A set of exercises to increase thickness

Belt pull 3 sets of 8-10 reps (lower grip) 3 sets of 8-10 reps (overhead grip)
4 sets of 8-10 times per arm
T-bar row with handle 4 sets of 8-10 times
Barbell deadlift 5 sets of 8-10 times

Goal: Increase width

A wide back is a great chance of having a V-shaped silhouette. In this set of back exercises for men at the gym, you will focus on the top of the V, that is, the upper muscle groups. Various pull-ups and horizontal rows will serve this purpose.

Full disclosure: Much of what we perceive as back width is just a visual factor of your bone structure. If you have wide collarbones, especially if you also have a narrow waist and hips, you will create the illusion of a wide back even if you don't have much muscle mass. However, anyone can make their back wider if they work with the right exercises like the ones listed below.

For all movements in these exercises, place your hands a couple of inches behind your shoulders on each side. If you try to use as much distance as possible, such as by grabbing the very ends of the bar for a row, you will not achieve full range of motion or full compression of your back muscles.

Don't go wide! Use an underhand grip on these exercises except for deadlifts. To do this, use a neutral position with your palms facing each other.

A set of exercises to increase back width

Note: Do 4 sets with your torso upright. then lower yourself to a 45-degree angle to the floor and do 8 more reps to your chest. 4 sets of 8 times (and 8 more repetitions)
4 sets of 10 times
Lower pulley to the waist 4 sets of 10 reps (use wide handle)
Wide grip vertical row Note: Choose a weight that you can only perform 10 reps with. and then do 6 more, overcoming yourself. 4 sets of 10 times (and 6 more times)

Goal: Increasing back relief

Assuming you've already built up a decent amount of mass in your back, this workout will hone and refine it. We'll increase the number of reps and sets and target all parts of this large and complex muscle group we simply call "the back."

Fact: The more fat you have, the less detail you will see in all muscle groups. Being lean will allow you to show off more defined muscles, but there are several age-old techniques for developing back width regardless of your body fat level.

As you exercise, do your best to focus more on squeezing your muscles and feeling them stretch. This may mean slowing down your sets to realize this reduction. The goal is to feel this contraction deep within each muscle fiber, so if you have to slow down for this to happen, rest.

A set of exercises for detailing the back

Note: there are three approaches to the exercise. Choose a weight that you can handle for 10 reps. and then reduce it to something with which you can make ten more. 3 sets of 10 times (and another 10 times)
Lower pulley to the waist Note: Do 10 times slowly and calmly, and then 10 times quickly and without pause, both at the beginning and at the end. 4 sets of 10 times
Superset Standing lat pulldown 4 sets of 12 times One-arm lat pulldown while kneeling Note: Use the same weight you use for the upright row. After the last 12 reps, immediately drop to your knees and pull the bar toward your sternum for 12 reps. Add the weight needed for more stability 4 sets of 12 times
4 sets of 15 reps
One-arm lat pulldown 4 sets of 15 reps per arm
4 sets of 20 reps
4 sets of 12-15 reps

Purpose: to protect the lower back

If you've never had a lower back injury and don't deal with at least the occasional low back pain, consider yourself lucky. Few things are as painful as lower back problems. For those of us who strive to improve our performance in physical exercise, these issues can have a very negative and limiting effect on learning.

This is especially important when it comes to training your legs or back. When your lower back is in pain, you simply can't do all the exercises everyone around you wants to do. This doesn't mean you need to stop training your back until your lower back has recovered, it just means you need to have a plan and be mindful of what to avoid.

All types of pull-ups and horizontal rows, unlike rows and deadlifts, are safe exercises for the lower back because they do not place the lumbar spine in a loaded position. To make your rowing movements safe, use chest support to prevent you from arching your back too much.

The key to having a safe and productive workout is to stay on the pad during all rowing movements. If you allow your torso to lift off the pillow as you reach back, you will defeat the purpose of the support.

A set of exercises for the lower back

Wide grip vertical row 4 sets of 10 times
4 sets of 10 times
Close-grip bar row to chest 4 sets of 10 times
Lower pulley to the waist 4 sets of 12 times
4 sets of 12 times
4 sets of 15 reps

Goal: lay the foundations

Finally, a basic procedure for those just starting out. It should be simple but functional, like the time-tested exercises that have helped generations of bodybuilders build a strong foundation for a big back.

Beginners are best served by working hard on only a few productive exercises. Avoid the temptation to take more and sacrifice form in a misguided attempt to speed up progress. If you increase the weight too quickly, you may be able to move the weight around, but you won't gain muscle mass properly.

More often than not, trying to change weight too quickly ends in injury. Control your form and try to develop muscle memory. The back is the most difficult area to achieve this connection, so take your time and focus on each exercise.

Do the workouts the same way they are given. Avoid the temptation to add more exercises or sets, and don't resort to any high-intensity advanced techniques such as supersets or forced repetitions. You will soon have the opportunity to do this. For now, master the basics and work on getting your back muscles to contract and stretch with each exercise.

A set of exercises for pumping the back for beginners

Pull-ups 3 sets of 10-12 reps (wide grip) 3 sets of 10-12 reps (close grip)
Belt pull 4 sets of 10-12 times
Lower pulley to the waist 4 sets of 12 times
4 sets of 12 times
4 sets of 10-12 times

Without effective back development, you cannot build a massive and athletic V-shaped figure. Unfortunately, it is this - the second largest muscle group in our body - that people have the most difficulty with.

The problem is that in everyday life we ​​are not used to working specifically with the back muscles, if we are talking about the latissimus, teres, and trapezius muscles. Instead, we usually use our hands (to open doors, for example) and transfer this practice to strength exercises, trying to work with biceps and hands, but not with stronger and larger muscle groups. As a result, the arms get tired quickly, and since the load is atypical for them, they develop poorly, and the back muscles practically do not work.

That is, it is extremely important to focus on the technique of performing the exercises. Especially girls. Due to physiological characteristics, ladies have a much higher risk of injury than guys in movements such as pulling a vertical block to the chest if they try to work with progressive loads. But usually it doesn’t even get to the point of progression, since weak women’s arms (namely, the forearms) get tired much earlier than any load hits the back.

It is necessary to learn to feel the muscles of the back, that is, to develop a neuromuscular connection. And this can only be done with the correct technique for performing the exercise. Thus, there is no need to rush anywhere and start working with minimal weight, even if you consider yourself a strong person.

First, the cerebellum needs to remember the correct movement, and this will require several hundred repetitions before starting to increase the load. Raise it ahead of time, break the technique, the body will remember the wrong movement, and as a result, you will either quickly hit the ceiling with working weights, without achieving results in developing your back, or you will get injured.

More movements with a small weight - better results in the end with a large one

The back muscles are responsible for pulling movements, as are the biceps and rear deltoids. Most often, it is the hands that like to steal the load, so it is important to understand what exactly you need to reduce.

It is usually recommended to contract the shoulder blades during the movement in the peak phase in order to feel exactly the work of the back muscles and strain what should be strained during deadlifts. But there is an ambush here. Due to the lack of good neuromuscular connection, it is, in principle, difficult for a beginner to force his back to work and bring his shoulder blades together - a person does not feel the muscles and pulls with what he is used to pulling, that is, with his hands.

The problem can be solved with the help of an experienced instructor, and if there is no such thing, then let the training partner touch those muscles that should tense. Tactile sensations are an additional signal to the brain to tense the necessary muscles and it will be easier to concentrate on their work.

I repeat, do not rush to increase the load. The weight should be felt, but not break your technique of performing the exercise. You will make several hundred movements in 3-4 workouts, you will get used to them, the cerebellum will remember which motor units to connect in the exercise, after which you can begin to progress with the weight of the weight. This is important for any exercise, but especially for back training. Basically, the problem with the development of this part of the body is that people for years cannot learn to tense the necessary muscles, and pull the weight with anything other than their back.

I also warn in advance against some exercises that are supposedly easier to learn, but in fact they injure the shoulder joints, without providing any advantages over safer options. These are any pulls and pull-ups behind the head. I talked about this in detail in the corresponding article:

Not only size is important, but also shape

A wide, but flat back is visually much inferior to a more compact, but lumpy and prominent one. Relief is achieved through a balanced diet, and I talked a lot about this in the section. But the lumpiness and visually massive shape are the fruit of wisely selected exercises and a well-constructed weekly microcycle. Let's talk about this in more detail.

The traditional division of back exercises into “width” and “thickness” is not entirely correct, although it is convenient for describing certain movements. Like, wide-grip pull-ups or a similar pull-down of a vertical block to the chest is width, and pull-down of a block to the stomach with a narrow grip is thickness. It would be more correct to divide the exercises into those that form the overall muscle mass of the back and separately those responsible for its impressive shape. Moreover, these will be two separate training days in a weekly cycle.

Don't forget about the deltas, especially the back beam, which also gives visual width. Although it works well in almost all back pulling movements.

I think those who follow my sports column already know that to specialize in a particular muscle group, you need to load it at least twice a week. Or build a cycle in such a way as to take into account the work of muscles as assistants. Those who missed it, pay attention to the articles about and. In addition, periodization in the load is also important, as written about this, plus a reasonable selection of weights and. Accordingly, before moving further, I advise you to read the articles mentioned above.

Selecting exercises for effective back development

It's actually simple. The bumpiness and impressive appearance of the back is given by well-developed trapezoids, and not only and not so much their upper part, but the middle part, located between the shoulder blades. That is, it makes sense to set aside a separate day for the comprehensive development of the trapezius, and since the muscle group is not particularly large, you can add work to it and, for example,.

Working on trapezoids

By the way, working out the trapezius is not as easy as it seems at first glance. If you think enough is enough classic shrugs with dumbbells or a barbell, then you are wrong. Although you will also need shrugs for the development of the upper trapezius. Alexey “Shredder” Klakotsky demonstrates an excellent technique for performing this exercise:

The main exercise for effectively developing the lower trapezius is T-bar row:

Not all gyms have such a machine, and the usual T-row, when it is enough to rest the end of the bar in a corner and load the other with weights, will not work. In this position, it is difficult to strain the inner part of the back due to the load on the lower back. An alternative would be linkage…

...Or dumbbell rows on an inclined bench:

To completely weaken the inside of your back, do chest pull with cable handle:

In all these movements, the rear deltoid also works. An excellent finishing exercise would be a combination lat pull-down for the trapezius and rear deltoid (watch from 23 minutes):

The last exercise also makes sense if you decide to pump your deltoids along with your trapezius.

Formation of a powerful and wide back

A separate day should be devoted to formative exercises for the back. That is, those that will give you the bulk of muscle mass.

There is no need to invent a special bicycle here. The best exercise would be wide grip pull-ups- we put him first in the training:

Pay attention to the arch in the lower back and the fact that you need to reach towards your chest, and not pull yourself up straight like a soldier, as they taught in school. In addition, I do not recommend fully extending your arms in the lower range of motion, much less relaxing your back. Firstly, this is dangerous, especially when you start doing pull-ups with weight on your belt (you can jerk your triceps and teres muscles). Secondly, the arms are overloaded during the lift from the bottom point and, as a result, they will get tired before the back muscles are effectively loaded.

A great formative exercise that can be done immediately after pull-ups (or vice versa) - Bent-over barbell (dumbbell or dumbbell) row:

Yaroslav told all the most important things in the video, I’ll just add on my own so that you don’t forget to squeeze your shoulder blades together as much as possible. You can also make the incline a little less and hang significantly more weights on the barbell in order to load the inner back more and hit the rear deltoids, but this is provided that the technique of performing the exercise has already been studied perfectly and you feel the muscles working well.

The next exercise you can do on this training day is to continue to expand your back by doing traction of the upper block to the chest(I apologize for the vertical video and some confusion in the narration, but it was in it that I told all the important points - what you can do, what you can’t do, amplitude of movement):

A good alternative for girls (less burden on hands) - reverse grip lat pulldown:

Another option - horizontal block thrust(again, a vertical video, but if you are worried about your lower back and want to really learn how to do this exercise correctly, watch the entire video):

How to build a back-supported microcycle

I would like to note that the options proposed below and any splits are, in principle, aimed at more or less experienced people with at least six months to a year of training experience, good muscle tone and established exercise technique. Until then, full-body workouts will work great for you, and they will be much more effective for basic muscle development.

The most convenient way to do this is four day split the following format (I personally worked in approximately this mode for four months at the end of last year):

• Monday- pectorals + trapezius + deltoids (one basic type of dumbbell press, one for the rear delta to finish it off after deadlifts).
• Tuesday- legs (plus any lagging groups as desired, for example - neck).
• Wednesday- rest.
• Thursday– back (forming exercises) + deltoids (focus on the middle delta, for example, rowing a barbell to the chin + swinging dumbbells to the sides).
• Friday- arms (2-3 exercises for triceps, 1-2 for biceps, since he did a good job on deadlifts on Thursday).
• Saturday- rest.
• Sunday- rest.

Too lazy to go to the gym four times a week or just don’t have enough strength, then here’s three day split:

• Monday- pectorals (two exercises, for example, bench press and dips or dumbbell press on an inclined bench at 30°) + trapezius + deltoids (two basic exercises, for example, military press and barbell row to the chin).
• Tuesday- rest.
• Wednesday- legs (3-4 exercises) + triceps (2 exercises, for example, close-grip press and French or arm extension in a block).
• Thursday- rest.
• Friday- back (forming exercises) + deltoids (one exercise on the back bunch) + biceps (a couple of basic exercises like PSB and lifting dumbbells while sitting on an inclined bench).
• Saturday- rest.
• Sunday- rest.

Don't chase mass, but work on form

Mass is a relative concept. You can be big, but still not look particularly aesthetically pleasing due to the significant amount of fat. And it's not very good for health. Or you can be of medium size, but due to good shape and relief, look much more impressive and feel better.

I weighed up to 118 kg (with a height of 190 cm) into a massive “jock grunt”, but my health was not so great, shortness of breath, sweating and other troubles. Now I weigh 103 kg, I feel great, and thanks to systematic work on my form, I don’t look much more compact than my 118 kg self. And what's the point of chasing the result on the scale if the mirror looks terrible?