The back

**AaronHudson** · 03-01-2009 08:23 PM

If I'm honest - back day is my favourite. Love the huge feeling you get from it, but just lately I've found it hard to get a pump and feel the ache that I normally get for a few days afterwards.

Posted a couple of pics of my back from yesterday and what my routine generally contains, although it generally varies depending on how I feel, so don't take bellow as gospel...

1. Pull downs (wide)
2. Seated cable rows (close)
3. Seated cable rows (rope)
4. Pull downs (close)
5. Dumbell rows

Also, I want to add a tonne of width. I'm happy strength wise, but it's gaining size quicker. I know I need to start deadlifting, i've just never been a fan of the "all over" workout and would rather isolate.

Any ideas or comments?

**AaronHudson** · 03-01-2009 08:24 PM

PS - sorry about poor quality pics - taken with a camera phone and mid set while doing seated cable rows...

Also sets:

1. Always a light set of 20 reps
2. Then a set of 10
3. Then heavy for 6-8 with one drop set (of about 60%)
4. Heavy as possible for 3-4 with 2 drop sets
5, 6 and 7 etc is the same as 4 depending on how I'm feeling the excercise work.

I try to do about 4-7 excercises on back day... it is my favourite and I always make sure I've got about 2 hours free to train it...

**dope540** · 03-01-2009 09:18 PM

pull ups are king for width imo.

add some bent over barbell rows and as you said, some deadlifts. just to mix it up a bit.

**AaronHudson** · 03-01-2009 09:20 PM

I don't like pull ups so I tend to do loads of pull downs, although close grip pull ups for the lower lats i do love.

Oh yeah and barbell rows I do as well, forgot to mention em.

**dope540** · 03-01-2009 09:22 PM

pull ups are awesome.

i never used to like them, but as the pull downs were always in use i decided to start doing pull ups.

done wonders for my width and back strength.

**Amritos** · 03-01-2009 10:11 PM

I still don't like pull-ups, but think they are a key excercise. You can really let out your animal instinct on this exercise! Can only do about 6-7, but its much stronger than my 2-3 in October.

**Luffers** · 03-01-2009 10:54 PM

My suggestion is also pull ups. They really are the best for overall back development.

I know you don't like them and that could be said for all the best exercise's couldn't it! Squats for example are the best for legs but a lot of people hate doing them also deads are only popular with people who know what they will do for them.

Does your gym have a T-Bar row? Also you could try inverted rows, do them nice and slow, hold and squeeze at the top of the movement for 2 seconds.

Do you do anything for your lower back? hypers for example? its lacking compared to your upper back.

**sendos** · 04-01-2009 12:24 AM

Wide grip chins, and wide grip rack chins:

YouTube - Jason Wojo Rack Chins

Also not deadlifting if you can, is pretty stupid.

AlexTemper · 04-01-2009 01:14 PM

Pull Up's are king as everyone has mentioned but they're not essential for good width.

The simplest thing you can do is work on the way you move the weight:

A fast and powerful positive phase

Holding the weight for at least 1 sec at peak contraction

A slow and controlled negative phase

Holding the weight for at least 1 sec at full stretch

This should recruit pretty much all muscle fibres whilst keeping the muscle under tension at all times. Even at full stretch you shouldn't be relaxed but working to hold the weight in position.

You can apply this to almost every back movement with the exception of Deads but again with these you can hold in at lockout for a couple of seconds.

**hailtotheking** · 04-01-2009 01:18 PM

Quote

Originally Posted by AlexTemper

Pull Up's are king as everyone has mentioned but they're not essential for good width.

The simplest thing you can do is work on the way you move the weight:

A fast and powerful positive phase

Holding the weight for at least 1 sec at peak contraction

A slow and controlled negative phase

Holding the weight for at least 1 sec at full stretch

This should recruit pretty much all muscle fibres whilst keeping the muscle under tension at all times. Even at full stretch you shouldn't be relaxed but working to hold the weight in position.

You can apply this to almost every back movement with the exception of Deads but again with these you can hold in at lockout for a couple of seconds.

Thats good advice. Training back movements this way will get much better muscle control and peak contraction. I see alot of people traing pulling movements with absolutely no control and they wonder why they dont get good results.