The exercises for the back primarily include exercises for the back muscles that ensure a straight posture. Regular back exercises make the back muscles slightly outlined, and the overall figure appears taller and slimmer. Learn 10 back exercises that you can do at home and in the gym, as well as ready-made training plans.

In today's world you should have a very strong back. Everyone knows this. In this article, we will focus on how to build them. Of course, literally, not figuratively - by doingback exercisesat home or at the gym.

Back muscles are a determinant of strength and fitness for many people. The V-shaped silhouette has become the object of women's sighs and men's desires. Currently, you can find many manuals and ways to extend them. How many of them are effective? It all depends on our genetics, commitment and diet.Back exercisesare very demanding, but in order to be able to do them with the greatest efficiency, you need to learn about the structure of our spine.

The article will consist of three main paragraphs. The first will discuss the anatomy of the back, the second will includehome back exercises , the third will discuss the best back exercises at the gym.

See also: Exercises for the spine

Back Muscle Anatomy

Before we go to the descriptionback exercises , something about their anatomy.

The back muscles are made up of two groups on top of each other. The superficial group consists mainly of the muscles of the upper limbs. They include the spine-brachial muscles. These, in turn, are divided into the widest back, responsible mainly for the V-shaped silhouette, the trapezius, parallelogram and levator scapula muscles. We activate them during all up-down movements of the shoulder blades, i.e. during pull-ups. The second group is the spine-costal muscles, consisting of a toothed posterior upper and lower toothed muscles.

Deep muscles are divided into two bands, medial and lateral. They are responsible for allowing us to move by flexing the spine. The back muscles also include the suboccipital muscles that enable head movements. All the forward-backward movements of the shoulder blades are responsible for the thickness of our backs. This means that in everyonean effective exercise for the development of the back muscles, we will use two basic movements of our shoulder blades.

Back exercises at home

First of all, you will need a bar to train the back muscles effectively. You can buy one at most sports stores. You will need a heavy duty door frame to attach it. There are also more sophisticated devices that offer the possibility of pulling up using various types of grips. They, in turn, are most often attached to the wall with long screws. In addition to the bar, it is also worth considering the investment in the TRX suspended system, which allows you to perform Australian pull-ups, i.e. the popular rowing with the weight of your body. Thanks to this inexpensive device, it will also be possible to perform an effective training of the whole body. Ideally, you should also have dumbbells.

  • Back exercises: pull-ups

Let's move on to the exercises. The first and most important thing that will build the width of our backs is pull-ups. There are many variations of the grip that we can use when performing it. We have a wide and narrow grip, as well as a mixed grip. Initially, it is best to use the classic hand position. We grab the bar with the grip on the width of the shoulders. While hanging, we pull the shoulder blades as if we wanted to release the chest strongly. Then we start the upward movement, which ends when the bar touches the pectoral muscles. At home, pull-ups and all its variations will be the basic exercises for the back muscles. These exercises are ideal for increasing the width of the back muscles.

  • Back exercises: superman

Another great exercise for the back is the so-called superman, or the backs. It involves lying on your stomach. Keep your legs straight and stretch your arms out as far as possible. From this position, we lift the thoracic spine together with the legs up to the maximum. We hold at the point of greatest muscle tension for about 1-3 seconds and lower the body downwards. The exercise is aimed at strengthening the back extensors.

See also: The trapezius muscle of the back - strengthening and stretching exercises

  • Back exercises: dumbbell rowing in the torso drop

With dumbbells up your sleeve, you can do many variations of rowing in the drop of your torso. One is attracting weight to the support. Position yourself so that one knee and hand rests on, for example, a bench. The other leg is firmly on the ground. We hold the dumbbell in an outstretched hand,placing the wrist in a neutral position. Head as an extension of the spine, back and abdomen tense, shoulder blades tightened. From this position, you can start the movement of drawing the weight to your body with your hand. Our task is full control both when pulling and lowering the load. It is one of the exercises to increase the thickness of the back muscles.

  • Back Exercises: TRX Rowing (Australian Pull-ups)

People without dumbbells can rowing with their own body weight using the suspended TRX system. Grips on the handles, tightening the ropes. Then we walk forward with our feet so that our body is at an acute angle in relation to the ground. We pull the shoulder blades, hold the body in a line and by the mere movement of the arms we pull ourselves upwards.

Read also:

  • Exercises for the lumbar spine. What exercises will help if your spine hurts?
  • Core stability - 7 exercises for general stability
  • Ball exercises to relax the back muscles
Important

Each workout, including back exercises, should be preceded by a warm-up. For at least 5 minutes, twist and swing your arms and bend a few times. Practice slowly and carefully.

Watch: Pre-workout bodybuilding warm-up

Back exercises at home - training plan

The above exercises combined into one workout make a great set of exercises for the back at home. I suggest that you do them as follows:

ExerciseRepetitionsSerie
1classic pull-ups8-104
2neutral grip pull-ups8-104
3rowing a dumbbell in the torso drop12 per hand4
4rowing on TRX (Australian pull-ups)124
5superman154

Depending on whether you have dumbbells, TRX or both, you can do one of the two or both rowing exercises.

See Sylwia Szostak's best exercises for a beautiful back:

Back exercises at the gym

Fitness clubs give us enormous opportunities to perform more complex exercises for the back, as well as greater muscle isolation thanks to training machines. Here, apart from pulling up the width of the back, it is worth doing a pullupper lift bar to the chest. It will be a great complement to pull-ups and will also allow maximum insulation of the widest back. This exercise can be performed with a different grip and its different width. Depending on this, we will activate the latissimus muscles in a different way.

Another great exercise for the back is to pull the bar down on straight arms while standing. Stand in front of the lift, grab the bar with the grip shoulder-width apart. It is good to lean forward a little. We pull the shoulder blades together and tighten the back muscles. We start the movement from the very top, keeping it fully under control. We pull the bar down in an arc, without bending the elbows. We end the movement around the thighs, and then return to the starting position.

The gym offers a number of barbells and machines, thanks to which we will also be able to modify exercises for the thickness of the back. Rowing can be performed undergrip with a barbell in the torso descent. Another alternative is to use a chairlift with a bench. We sit down on the bench, put our feet on the platform and pull the lift rod to the cage or the navel. Here, depending on the handle used, we can row neutrally, with a handle, a handle or with one hand.

Back exercises at the gym - training plan

An example of a back training plan might look like this:

ExerciseRepetitionsSerie
1pull-up8-104
2pulling the upper lift stick to the cage with a neutral grip10-124
3pulling the bar down on straight hands while standing10-124
4rowing with a barbell in the fall of the torso undergrip10-124
5rowing with pulley with neutral grip sitting on the bench10-124

The given examples of exercises along with a training plan schedule will be perfect in the initial phase of training. Over time, you can add weight during pull-ups to make it difficult and increase the intensity. A great solution is also from time to time to change the type and width of the grip used both in the exercises for the width and thickness of the back. This will allow for continuous development and force the body to constantly adapt. We, in turn, will be sure that we stimulate the muscular system in an appropriate way that will prevent rapid stagnation.

This will be useful to you

Why is it worth strengtheningback muscles?

There are several dozen muscles in the back. They are divided into deep ones, corresponding to e.g. for the stabilization of the spine and surface, the development of which guarantees a beautiful sculpture of the back. The two most important of these are the lats and the trapezius muscle. Their work is directly related to the work of the hands, hence the exercises that strengthen them also affect the appearance and strength of the arms. In turn, deep muscle training is related to shaping the abdominal muscles.

About the authorTomasz Piotrowski He is a certified personal trainer and nutrition specialist. He gained his knowledge from the best experts in the fitness industry in Poland. He has several years of experience working as a dietitian in a private facility in Krakow and experience in working as a personal trainer. He also writes expert articles on he alth, training and supplementation, and works in the supplement industry. He is passionate about fist fencing.

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Anatomy