Back Training Workouts & Articles

Oh back the forgotten muscles of bodybuilding. People say they train back hard but a very few really do the job. Lee Haney started the phenomina and to this day has one of the most complete in bodybuilding history. When training your back be it heavy or moderate ALWAYS wear a belt for support and controll the movement by using weights you can lift with minimum cheating. What we have listed below are some of the absolute best back training workouts there are, bar none!

1. Wide Grip Straight Bar Chins: #1 fro building your biggest and widest pair of lat is the straight bar wide grip chin! No bent handles on the end, the bar must be straight all the way across, we're WORKING OUR BACK NOT OUR BICEPS! When done religouly over the couase of time your are just gonna get f-ing wide as hell! once you can perform 15 reps at your body weight add weight to drop that back to 10 reps and start all over agian. Set your grip about one hand spacing out side of shoulder width and pull yourself up toward your upper chest right below the collar bone. Go as high as you can (not everyone will be able to touch, and that's okay), under control return to the bottom for a 1 count before performing your next rep. The one count assure zero BS comes into play and makes the back do almost all the work. Aim for 4 to 5 set of at least 10-15 reps each workout!
2. Close Grip V-Bar Pulldowns: After doing sts of wide grip straight bar chins, close grip v-bar pulldowns will pull your lats out even farther from under you armpits and give them extra width at the top for a cobra like look from the back.
3. Cross Bench Dumbbell Pullovers: Cross bench dumbbell pullovers are the kind you see in old photos of Arnold Schartzegger or Lee Haney doing. The reason they did these on a regular basis is that hey elongate the lats down past your seratytus on the ribcage down towards the waist. NO NO NO, these are not the same as what they call today standingcable pullovers. Not the SAME! You want your lat to seem like they are coming out of your waist start doing these and don't quit till your carear is over - PERIOD!

1. Bodybuilding Deadlifts: Bodybuilding Deadlifts are the exact same as and other deadlift with the exception that your grip will be palms over with both hands. So the only difference between the two is the fact that one uses a mixed grip and the other doesn't. The reason is simple, because we are not going for lower repetitions and would like to recruit more muscle fiber, having both hands on the same side allows for a controlled squeeze of the back at the top on the movement and a through stretch in the complete back at the bottom of the movement. NEver bounce the bar at the bottom of the movement, and always start from a complete stop, pausing 1-2 second before performing another rep. Remember YOU"RE not a powerlifter, but a bodybuilder. Maybe a strong bodybuilder but still a bodybuilder!
2. Classic Bent Over Barbell Rows: When we say Classic Bent Over Barbell Rows, we mean just that! Most people believe that what they see being preformed today are bent over rows but it is NOT! What you see being preformed today mostly are Barbell Rows which only hit the upper lats as to why your seeing allot guys with lats that are thick throughout the traps, rhomboids and middle back but thin along the outer lats and spinal erectors. Your not gonna get this performing barbell rows even with a reverse grip. With Classic Bent Over Barbell Rows your rep start with a deep stretch and ends with the barbell buried in your midsection and your torso maybe 10&dgre; above parallel. The squeeze at the top brings the complete back into play. This movement when done correctly adds thickness from top to bottom, side to side. Ego weights are gone when doing this exercise as mechanics dictate so: with the exception Ronnie Coleman the most you'll probably never see anyone else rowing 500lbs like this!!!!
3. One Arm Dumbbell Rows: When adding overall mass and thickness to your lower lats NOTHING beat One Arm Dumbbell Rows. Allot of todays bodybuilders forsake this exercise thinking that they get the same thing from machines and your really don't. You see guys yanking 5-6 plates on these cambered machines but how many could do that much weight with a real dumbbell? Your answer - ZERO! When done with a knee on a bench and hand placed to stabilize all that weight can't be use because all the BS is taken out of the movement, you're doing a real Dumbbell Row, very little trap or rhomboids, just lower lats. Old School Rulz........

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