Art of Fitness: The importance of working on the back
Date: 31-08-2010
Posted by: Anabolic Info TeamUnited States |
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When you look at a professional athlete, whether a bodybuilder or not, one of the first body parts that grabs your attention is his or her back.
Good back development, as with leg development, tells a great deal about a person.
First of all, training the back is hard work! It takes a good amount of mental attitude, strength and focus to train the back properly.
Second, you can’t see your back easily while you’re working it out. In fact, it’s hard to see your own back at all. And third, because it’s so hard to see, a lot of people don’t give the back as much attention as chest, for example.
Therefore, the trek to a solid, well-shaped back is a good indication of that person’s level of desire, determination and dedication when training, as well as with other areas of their life.
The human back is the strongest body part, second only to legs. What a powerful and beautiful piece of art it is. Unlike the chest, the back is composed of many different muscles that interlock across the posterior (rear) torso and resembles mesh webbing when looked at as a whole. When these muscles contract together, they generate a great deal of power.
What we call "the back" runs from the base of the skull to the top of the pelvis and from one armpit to the other. The muscles of the back are paramount to good posture, which in turn, lifts the rib cage to make the chest look more dense and powerful. A properly developed back will take on the general shape of a cut diamond. To better understand how to effectively develop the back we need to understand which muscles are involved and how they work.
At the base of the skull tapering outward from each side of the neck toward the shoulders and diagonally back toward the middle-back is the Trapezius or ‘Traps’ for short. The function of the traps is to raise and lower the shoulder girdle.
Lifting a suitcase in each hand is a practical example of the traps at work. Originating from the top of the pelvis and moving upward on either side of the spine in the lumbar region are the Erector Spinae or more commonly called the Spinal Erectors.
Their function is to hold the spine erect and offer protection. They also allow for forward and backward bending of the torso. Bending over to tie your shoelace is an example of their work. Forming the posterior portion of the armpits and sweeping upward to the center of the back are the Latissimus Dorsi or “Lats” for short.
These muscles give the back width and thickness. Their function is to draw the arms downward and rearward. Chin ups and rowing a boat are two good examples of their multifunction.
Of course, as with any other part of the body, the back also consists of a number of smaller muscles to help out. Three such muscles are the Teres Majors, Teres Minors and Infraspinatus. These muscles are located near the top of each scapula to assist with shoulder rotation down and back. Generally speaking, these muscles get worked very well if you just concentrate on the three principle groups ... Traps, Lats and Erectors.
Essentially, the traps, lats and spinal erectors respond very favorably to simple, compound movements. Compound movements use two or more body joints to perform a given motion.
For example, the chin up requires the action of the shoulder joints as well as the elbow joints. Compound movements allow you to use a heavy enough weight to stimulate muscle growth. My definition of a ‘heavy weight’ is one that allows you to perform only six to eight repetitions before reaching fatigue. The weight or resistance is relative to YOUR personal strength level.
A well-designed back program will include chin-ups or lat machine pull downs, bent over barbell (or dumbbell) rows, seated low row machine and barbell (or dumbbell) dead lifts and/or shoulder shrugs.
These movements are power-lifting techniques in nature and will quickly stimulate muscle growth and shape to your back. Form and performance are critical for these moves to be effective and safe.
For example, when doing some sort of pull up, pull down, or rowing movement for the lats, be sure to keep you torso arched back to insure proper alignment of the muscles involved. Also, keep your back flat and ridged when performing the dead lift. Lift the bar off the floor using your leg strength not the spinal erectors. They get stronger through isometric contractions.
Always perform ‘lat pull downs’ to the front of the chest, never behind the neck, as it creates negative torque on the shoulder joints. (Yes, I know a lot of people do that movement behind the neck at most gyms.
But, that doesn’t make it correct.
The sad thing is, there are trainers STILL teaching this movement, in spite of negative research findings! If you have any questions about this exercise, please contact me.)
Pick three or four movements and perform say five to six sets of six to ten reps for each. Email me if you need more information on the proper execution of these lifts. When you can easily go beyond ten reps, add a small amount of weight so that the muscle fibers will have to work a little harder.
This concept is called progressive resistance and is a sure fire way to increase muscle size and strength. You can additionally add around four sets of dumbbell "bent-over flys" to totally finish off the posterior deltoid heads. Another method is to perform standing "cable flys" in the cable crossover area. Perform the movement to the rear of your torso (the exact opposite of the cable chest fly.)
Try incorporating these concepts into your current back development program and see for yourself how they work and what kind of overall results you achieve. Another approach is to totally change your routine and give the muscles a fresh approach to new growth and shape.
Experiment with them for a few weeks to see how they work with your genetic makeup. Remember, we are all one-of-a-kind. Movements that produce positive results for some may not work for you. The concept here is to keep challenging the muscle with concentration and variation.
If you are not sure where to begin, what to do, how to correct a problem area, or have any other questions pertaining to this column or relating to your fitness goals, please feel free to contact me at the email address below. Many of the questions you may have are the same questions others may have.
I will answer all inquires by email or phone and include the most common ones in this column. Also, if you are interested in regular group fitness seminars, exercise classes such as water fitness, cycling or ‘fit-camps’ for weight loss or gain please let me hear from you.
Set a personal goal for yourself: Live Healthier, Live Longer: Get Fit For Life.
