Your back consits of some of the strongest muscles in the body, but sometimes it is often neglected, when it comes to chest exercises. This is why it is essential that you dedicate time to training your back. There are a number of different exercises you can do to train your back revolving around a pulling motion. This mainly involves pull-ups and rows, but there are a number of other exercises you can do to rouse your back muscles to grow.
RACK PULLS
Rack pull are a variation of the deadlift. This is a go-to exercise, for anyone wanting to build a stronger back. This requires a similar motion targeting your upper back. The main difference between the deadlift and rack pull is where you pull the weight from.
A rack pull is performed by lifting weight from the bars, which reduces the range of motion you have to go through whilst lifting the weight. The motion allows you to lift heavier performing deadlifts.
It is important to consider that rack pulls shouldn’t be regarded as a replacement for deadlifts. Instead, they will help you perform the lockout part of a regular deadlift, so they are a great variation exercise to perform if you wish to improve your deadlift.
ALTERNATED GRIP PULL UPS
Pull-ups are an exercise for stimulating your back and to examine your overall strength. There are a range of variations of pull-ups including wide grip, narrow grip, underhand grip and overhand grip, but many have not tried the alternated grip.
Grip the pull-up bar with one palm facing away from you and one palm facing you, then pull yourself up in the same direction to perform a normal pull up. It is important to change your grip over after each set.
It is sometimes appropriate to introduce slight differences in your training. Some techniques may work better for you, some may not, but if you don’t try you won’t know. Pull-ups are a part of your training rule, give it a try using alternated grip and see how you find them.
WIDE GRIP BARBELL ROW
The barbell row is an extremely active exercise for stimulating the muscles. This gives you great flexibility, as you are able to add weight easily, and provided you use the correct form, you can really target your lats.
You are probably already doing barbell rows, but have you ever attempted doing them with a wide grip? This shortens the range of motion, but also wills you to work very hard to lift the weight, meaning you have to focus on appealing your upper and external lats to finish each rep. Try this exercise next time you’re doing barbell rows and you will for sure feel the burn!
LANDMINE ROW
Most gyms have a landmine station allowing you to perform different exercises. The is a great exercise for aiming your lats. To do this exercise, load one end of the bar with weight, stand at a 90-degree angle to the bar and hold one end with an overhand grip. Row the weight up to your middle-section, pause and then slowly go back to the starting position.
Standing at a 90-degree angle to the bar means that you will work one lat more than the other during your exercise. Most people are likely to have one side stronger than the other, doing this exercise can help to balance the strength. It involves a large range of motion and standing at a right angle, means the weight plates will not interfere with the process.
ONE ARM SMITH MACHINE ROW
This is a good exercise for targeting your lower lats. Head to the Smith Machine and stand at the side of the bar. Bend over your back. Place your hand on the bar and place your other hand on your outside thigh and bend your knees for support and ensure a stable base.
When pulling the bar up, concentrate on raising your elbow towards the ceiling. At the top of the motion, make sure you squeeze your lats and pause, before going back to the starting position. This will increase time under tension and can stimulate muscle growth.
This is a great way to master the row form because it forces you to pull the weight up in a straight line. It is easy when using a dumbbell for the weight to move to the side as well as up.
ENHANCE YOUR BACK WORKOUTS
The exercises shown above can help you in back training. Next time you are training your back, why not try some of these exercises and see how they work for you? You might just find your new favourite back exercise.
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