back extension
which part of your body do you spend the most time in the gym?
Has it been a long time since you changed your training plan? I'm here to remind you of the importance of constantly optimising your fitness plan or adjusting the details in order to keep improving.
Just like some back movements have been practiced, high pull down, pull up, but still not as others said to do all-round stimulation of the back muscles, so this time one must be carefully mastered, but also from top to bottom.
back extension
compared to other muscles, the back is very unique, it's not just a muscle! Are a few sets of pull-ups or rowing sufficient to complete the workout? Absolutely not.
Training for the latissimus dorsi only works on a small part of the back and does not take advantage of the full strength of the back! Many of our partners choose to train their backs on the same plane of repetition.
pull-ups
as an example, if you do two common pull-ups, forward grip and reverse grip, they are the two main vertical pulling movements. It may be okay to do them both in the same back workout, but if you only do these two back movements, you are neglecting the importance of pulling in the horizontal direction.
Adequate back training should not only include movements for the latissimus dorsi and rhomboids, but should also complement the lack of these two movements outside of them to stimulate the other important muscles of the back.
back extension
the goal when doing this complete back workout is to stimulate the back by moving the entire back while mobilising every function of this large muscle group, and various techniques are used here to achieve this.
Warm up - straight arm press down
make sure your body is fully warmed up before starting the compound movements. The hard pull is the first compound movement, before this do some medium intensity warm up such as straight arm presses.
straight arm press
this helps to consolidate the movement pattern of the back workout and strengthens the performance of the hard pull and other back training movements: The straight arm down scapular strength workout. It also strengthens the stability of the scapulae and keeps the upper body taut when doing hard pulls.
2 super effective compound movements
start with a hard pull and stimulate several muscles of the back at the same time. The trapezius, latissimus dorsi, and lower back all get a large muscle overload. Completing these two compound movements with large weights and in the correct position has a very effective effect on muscle building throughout the back.
hard pulls
super set 1a. Hard pull
the hard pull will work the obliques, latissimus dorsi and lower back. In this superset, weighted pull-ups are used to accompany the hard pull.
The weighted pull-up is another compound movement and the two together will build back strength, girth and overall body shape. Combining these two movements together, the weighted pull-up gives the body a great decompression effect after a hard pull.
hard pulling
super set 1b. Weighted pull-ups
weighted pull-ups build strong back strength and are very effective when done after a hard pull due to their decompression effect.
For the first set of hard pulls, choose a weight to complete 8 reps and do weighted pull-ups for a decompression effect, the weight of the weights will allow you to complete 4 reps. For the second set of hard pulls, go slightly heavier and use a weight that completes 6 reps and halve the weight for weighted pull-ups so that you can complete 8-10 reps. After completing one set of super sets, rest for 2 minutes for a total of 4 sets.
weighted pull-ups
2 switch grip compound movements
don't use just one grip for pull-ups, after a hard pull, combine forward and reverse grip pull-ups.
Without a replacement grip, you lose the opportunity to train other parts of the back, such as the large round muscles, and therefore lose the visible training effect. Therefore, we will use the forward grip pull-ups in the second superset to train a different muscle.
pull-ups
the 3rd and 4th sets of hard pull-ups will be the heaviest. Use exactly the weight that you can complete 4 reps with and pair it with wide grip pull-ups and finish with your own weight. Rest for 30 seconds after sets 3 and 4 of hard pulls.
Explosive power
combine explosive strength with barbell floor rows. It has a similar movement pattern to the hard pull, allows for explosive force to be delivered and can prepare for the hard pull with similar biomechanical properties. Accelerating the movements with heavy weights helps to improve athleticism and strength.
barbell floor row
doing this power-packed back movement as a follow-up to the hard pull makes even heavier weights lighter and easier to complete.
In the floor row, the barbell stops at the knees and then continues to pull upwards to complete the rowing portion. Choose a weight that will complete approximately 10 to 12 reps, then complete 8 to 10 reps.
barbell floor row
latissimus dorsi
focusing some extra tension on the latissimus dorsi will train the nimble to move in unison, and it is important to maximise back gains. Focus on squeezing each movement and working through the entire range of motion to get the best results.
Movement option 1: The alternating high rope row, done in an alternating fashion, engages the latissimus dorsi throughout the range of motion. Stretch your arms out in front of your body to get the latissimus dorsi fully extended.
alternating high rope row
the stretching sensation in the arms extends all the way to the back of the body, stimulating all the major functions of the latissimus dorsi muscles. A little rotation can be done in the back so that the stretch can be achieved.
Movement option 2: High pull-down variation. This variation is not limited to the front, but helps the body to do more internal shoulder tucks, down closer to the side of the body, and the back gets more extension so that the muscles get a better overall contraction.
lateral high pull down
a good sense of contraction can be obtained without sacrificing weight. It is possible to use the same weight as for a normal high pull down, perhaps with just a lighter weight piece or two. This focused tension can benefit in athletic performance and other movements.
Choose either movement 1 or movement 2 and do 10-12rm of weight per set to exhaustion.
lateral high pull down
small muscle groups
corrective exercises that stimulate smaller muscles to strengthen your weaknesses and help lift the whole back. The rotator cuff muscle group is one of the very important muscles, but normally we don't pay attention to it. If you haven't trained the rotator cuff much during the week, you are lacking in training.
Y-adduction, which stimulates both the lumbar spine and the rotator cuff in one movement, can be performed on a roman chair in a goat jerk.
y-abduction
it is not necessary to use large weights to perform this; light weights will also stimulate the muscles for best results. The y-shape of the arms outwards stimulates the lower trapezius, so that the movement finds the right force at the right frequency. Doing the w movement creates external rotation of the shoulder and engages the rotator cuff muscle groups.
Alternate between y and w movements, completing 14 to 20 reps.
w abduction
upper trapezius
use the barbell shrug for the upper trapezius, a slightly wider grip allows the arm to be angled more in line with the direction of the upper trapezius fibres and a slightly narrower grip will be relatively comfortable. Finish with a standard barbell shrug, working from 1 to 10.
barbell shrugs
start with a single movement and then perform a one second contraction at the highest point of the shrug. Then do 2 reps of the movement and perform a 2 second shrug at the highest point and hold. Do 3 reps, then shrug for 3 seconds, and so on.
If you can no longer hold in the middle and cannot complete the remaining reps, lower the barbell and rest for a moment. Pick up the barbell again and continue.
rope pulldown
complete back training programme
training movement number of sets number of reps rest between sets
super set 1
1a. Hard pull* 2 8, 6 2 min
1b. Weighted pull-ups 2 8, 4
superset 2
2a. Hard pull* 2 4, 4 30 sec
2b. Wide-grip pull-ups 2 power
3. Barbell floor row 3 10-12
concentration tension training 3
3a. Alternating high rope row 3 10-12
3b. Lateral high pull-down 3 10-12
y-abduction 2 14-20
barbell shrugs step sets to exhaustion
with *: Do straight arm pulldowns as a warm-up before each set of hard pulldowns.
back extension
not only does it stimulate the back through the entire exercise stroke of the back, it also works all functions of this entire posterior chain. Super sets and incremental sets intensify the workout, ensuring that enough overload is created to stimulate the growth of these muscles and make your back wider and wider!
