Back Routines

Back Overview

The back is a complex body-part with many sections to it and as a result must be worked from many different angles to be properly dealt with.

The back has an upper, middle, and lower portion as well as inner and outer parts to the upper and middle portions. The upper portion of the back is stimulated through pull-down exercises such as lat pull-downs and the middle portion is stimulated through rowing exercises such as barbell rows.

The width of the grip in each rowing and pull-down movement determines whether the inner or outer portion will be prioritized. Lifting with a wide grip stimulates the inner part of the back while a more narrow grip activates the muscle fibers in the outer part. Therefore you should use varying grip positions for every back exercise during your sets in order to thoroughly target your back.

The back is also a difficult muscle group to isolate. This is because the biceps and forearms can easily enter too much into the equation during rowing and pull-down exercise. For this reason using proper technique is vitally important. Make sure that during all pulling motions, you pop your chest out and pinch your shoulder blades together. This keeps the focus on the back and away from the biceps and forearms.

When performing pull-downs, slightly lean back during every rep and lower the bar to your upper chest. And with barbell rows, have a slight bend in your knees, try to bend over so that your upper body is parallel with the floor, keep your upper and lower back arched back, and pull the barbell towards your waist instead of your stomach or chest.

Mass Builders: Barbell Rows, Dumbell Rows, Lat Pulldowns, Chins, Deadlifts (lower back)

Isolation Exercises: Cable Rows, One Arm Dumbbell Rows

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Back Routines for Mass

For all of the all the recommendations on this site pertaining to mass routines for individual body-parts, except for hamstrings, we have prescribed regimens involving lifting heavy weights for low reps. However, the back, unlike all of these other muscles cannot be sufficiently targeted with heavy lifting. If you try to take this approach, you will not feel much stimulation in your back muscles, but instead in your biceps and forearms.

In order to target the back while executing rows and pull-downs, your shoulder blades and upper back must be moving and pulling the weight during each rep. This is impossible to do using heavy weights because if you try to, you pull the weight down with only your arms, rendering your shoulder blades and upper back immobilized.

In order to target the back for mass, execute your sets in the 8-12 rep range, but with near perfect technique. And as we all know, in order to execute exercises with excellent technique, you must work with relatively light weights.

For the back, muscle mass appears in the form of wide outer lats which stretch out your torso and and thickness in the upper, middle, and lower lats.

Notes: Very solid and basic back routine for mass. This workout allocates an equal amount of sets for rowing and pull-down movements

Notes: An alternate back routine with alternate exercises.

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Balanced Back Routines

A good overall back routine in targets the entire scope of the back including the upper and mid lats and involves executing exercises at a median rep range. The median rep range for back is 12-15 reps which is more than what is recommended for most other body-parts as described earlier. The following balanced back routines will involve mostly compound exercises but will also incorporate some isolation exercises, and will be similar to the mass routines prescribed above but will consist of more reps per set.

Notes: This back routine targets all of the major sections of the lats. Make sure that when you execute your sets for barbell rows that you vary your grip stances (from wide grip to narrow grip) to even more fully stimulate the different sections of the lats.

Notes: This workout begins with rowing movements instead of pull-down movements… The Hammer Strength Machine for lat pull-downs uses an underhand grip which allows you to stimulate a wider portion of your back during your workout.

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Back Routines for Definition

To generate an optimum level of muscle definition in the back and develop what is referred to in the bodybuilding world as a “road-map back”, execute your sets in the 15-18 rep range for straight set exercises.

Strive to use excellent technique during your lifts as this becomes even more important when your goal involves increased muscle definition and cuts in the back.

Use a very light weight and make sure that your back is doing the work during all rowing and pull-down movements rather than your arms. The way that you can ensure that your back is prioritized during your lifts is to make sure that you pop out your chest, arch your back, and pinch your shoulder blades in during each rep. If your back/shoulder blades are stationary throughout during your reps, it indicates that your arms are doing all the work.

The following back routines will incorporate super-sets and giant-sets, which are quite a popular bodybuilding special techniques.

Notes: During super-sets, do not rest during transitions from exercises but you may rest 30 seconds or so in between cycles.

Notes: For giant-set, do not rest during transitions between exercises but you may rest for a minute in-between cycles.