Hey guys,
Im new to the iron game. Have been training for about 7 months and gained approx 45 pounds during this time. Im planning to get much bigger and was wondering what I should be working on in respect to my back. How to make it balanced and what muscles its lacking the most.
Looks like you need a lot of lat work. Pull-ups, deadlifts and rows, rows, rows.
My guess is you spend a lot of time on arms and very little on back. It should be the opposite. BTW, 45 pounds in 7 months? Somehow I doubt that.
Hey, thanks for the reply.
My workouts for back consist of bent over rows and weighted chinups for the most part. I dont spend any time doing arm work aside from triceps which I hit with weighted dips. Not sure why they look out of proportion compared to my back. Any ideas as to other exercises I could do? Most of what you mentioned I currently do.
If you are looking to hit the upper back try some rope pulls to neck.
http://www.uwlax.edu/strengthcenter/videos/exercisevideos/Row%20to%20Neck.mpg
If you are new to the game your arms could be out of proportion compared to your back because of genetics or you could be doing your back exercises wrong. In just about all back work the biceps come into play. You could be herky jerky with the weight which is usually because itis to heavy, form is wrong. Make sure you are doing the exercises with perfect form. Work the muscle, not the weight.
I like your arms… looks like you have potential.
T-Bar rows for your upper back. Work on getting 50 wide grip pull-ups a session… no matter how many sets it takes. Try some standing bent-over dumbbell laterals… this will work wonders for the upper back/rear delt area. Keep pumping up those guns though… your back will catch up in no time, even with good arm genetics.
Remember not to neglect the wheels, alot of guys with great arms neglect their wheels. Make sure you do one session of squats or deads or leg presses for at least every 1-2 arm workouts.
Good start… keep up the good work. 45 lbs already? Really? You must have some gooooooooood genetics.
Thanks for the help guys. I’ll get the 50 wide grip pullups, bent-over rows and bent over dumbbell laterals(since they seem more brutal than T-bar rows) And see where it takes me. I’ll post up another pic in a couple of months when im 10 pounds heavier or so.
EDIT: Oh yeah I hit squats and RDL every week for the wheels. Thanks for looking out.
Well as a bigger muscle is a stronger muscle…weighted chins, as you say you do, are very good. I also like Gironda sternum chin-ups. They really make me feel it directly in the lats. There’s about a dozen variations I can think of for pullups/chin-ups. Keep 'em shoulder-width or close-grip so you can crack out more rep with more weight.
Don’t forget to Hang Clean, High Pulls and Power Clean along with those deadlifts and bent rows. Upright rows and shrugs (including jump shrugs) are important for hitting your traps.
Front squat along with back squatting to hit your wheels too !
[quote]almostabb wrote:
Thanks for the help guys. I’ll get the 50 wide grip pullups, bent-over rows and bent over dumbbell laterals(since they seem more brutal than T-bar rows) And see where it takes me. I’ll post up another pic in a couple of months when im 10 pounds heavier or so.
EDIT: Oh yeah I hit squats and RDL every week for the wheels. Thanks for looking out.[/quote]
Don’t just take “goheavyfool’s” word for it. Experiment and see what works for you. The advice on this forum or any other forum is mostly anecdotal and suggestive. Most noobs like you should not be doing any sort of lateral raises. Get on a well structured program by an author on this site and you’ll be set.
Thanks for the advice guys. I hit seated bentover dumbell laterals today instead of the standing laterals that I was doing and I can definately feel them a lot better.
If you want to get a thick back do “Hise Shrugs” also, I swear by them.
[quote]Jimfound wrote:
Looks like you need a lot of lat work. Pull-ups, deadlifts and rows, rows, rows.
[/quote]
I totally concur with this, especially to help with thickness. Work on getting your strength up in these movements and you will be good to go
A 2nd for Hise shrugs… Those make you look beastly
Check Thib’s back workout stuff for HSS-100.
Seated Rows
Face pulls
Bent over rows
bent over rear flyes
Weighted Chinups
Rack Pulls
Some of CT’s back stuff (not specialization)
The Power Look
http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459280
Keep Your Chin Up
http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=460273
[quote]jbodzin wrote:
If you want to get a thick back do “Hise Shrugs” also, I swear by them.[/quote]
I’ve heard of these before, but what exactly are “Hise shrugs”?
i believe hise shrugs are taking the bar on your back as if you were going to sqaut, and then performing shrugs with the bar in that position.
for overall back development, especially for beginners, it is difficult to beat a program conisting of deadlifts, cleans, and pull-ups. any variations of those. that pretty much covers the entire back.
Hi almostabb,
When you are doing your bent-over rows and weighted chins, where are you pulling from? Many people make the mistake of pulling with their hands in these exercises. As a result they often become arm dominant movements, rather than back dominant movements (which is what they are designed to be).
You should be pulling with your elbows. Your hands should just be thought of as hooks used to hang on the bar from. Also, make sure that you really pull your shoulder blades back, like you are trying to touch them together behind you. This really helps engage the upper back musculature.
Hope that helps.
Good training,
Sentoguy
Second sentoguy.
Yes, you need to go heavy, but not so heavy that you jerk the weight. Ensure you can tense & contract the lats throughout the rows. Squeeze the scapulae back and down at the top - hold it a bit.
Refreshing attitude. Keep up the good work.
Thanks a lot guys, I’ll have to revise my form for the bentover rows when I get to hit back on friday. Im not sure where im pulling from, never really gave it much thought other than keeping my back at the correct angle and not jerking the weight.
I’ll look into Hise shrugs too, see how they feel.
Thanks for the help.