Have you ever wondered how to develop the perfect back? With some many different exercises to choose from, it’s important to know which ones are the best back exercises so you’re maximizing your time and effort with ones that will result in the most muscle gains. To understand these exercises, you have to separate your back into two groups – your upper back and your lower back. Some exercises will target the lower and some the upper so I’ll indicate which area each exercise targets.
The first exercise is the most basic and is the wide grip pull up. All you have to do is grab an overhead bar with both hands a shoulder width further than a regular pull up and pull yourself up. To get the most out of this exercise, make sure your elbows reach just below the bar and you do the pull ups in a slow motion without using momentum from the decline. This exercise will help you build your upper back.
The next exercise is the seated cable rows. It helps you build the middle and the upper back muscles so you can say it’s kind of a 2 for 1 exercise. Start by sitting in a seated cable pulley matching with your legs up against the leg bar. Grip the handles with your arms extended and then pull the handles so that your back muscle is built upright.
Let’s move on the lat pull down. Using a lat pull down machine, grip the handles wide and pull down while sitting in a 90 degree angle. To get the most out of this exercise, you should keep your back straight and focus on getting a pump on your upper lat muscles. It’s easy to cheap by using momentum from the pulley so make sure you are doing this exercise slowly.
For the lower back, dead lifts are the best way to go. Put a good amount of weights enough to do 4-6 reps and hold the bar with your waist bent. Keep your back straight and straighten up slowly until you reach a full standing position. Repeat the process until the next set.
Another exercise to build the lower back is the hyperextension. This is where you lie face down on a hyperextension bench and lock your legs as an anchor. Put your hands behind your neck and then bend until you reach a 90 degree angle. Return to the straight face down position and repeat.
It’s important to do a wide variety of back exercises as the back is the biggest part of your body. Working both your upper and lower back will help you grow proportionally and build overall back strength. In final, make sure you don’t overdo the back exercises and you use a comfortable weight to start out or else you risk a painful back injury.