When we train in the gym, some of us are guilty of favouring certain muscle groups over others. For example, you are far more likely to find people training chest and biceps in a gym, as opposed to people training legs. A lot of the time however, gym-goers will often simply go through the motions when training their backs, because it’s hard to check out your back progress in the mirror. A large, powerful back complete with V-Taper is considered by many to be the key to an aesthetic and muscular physique. If your back is lagging and you wish to pack some considerable
muscle mass onto your back, take a look at the following
back training tips:
Lighten the load – When people look to build
muscle mass, they automatically assume that heavy weight equals serious size. While heavy weights can indeed help build size, when it comes to
back training, ideally you want to go a little lighter. You see, when performing exercises such as bent over barbell rows, and T-bar rows, people will often load up the bar with as many plates as they can handle, and bust out some questionable looking reps with even more questionable-looking form. When training back, you need to be in control, which means no swinging of the weights. Your back should be doing most of the work, and if you have to swing for momentum, the weights you are using are too heavy.
Build up your arms – Hang on! We’re talking about training back here, so why are we recommending that you build up your arms? Well, the simple reason is because the stronger your arms are, the more efficient your
back training exercises will be. Back exercises are pulling exercises, which means that your biceps and forearms also factor into the equation on back day. Obviously your arm muscles are much weaker than your back muscles, and this can hinder the progress you make when training your back. The stronger your arms, the stronger your grip will be, and the more reps and weights you can use on exercises designed specifically for training your back muscles.
Squeeze those back muscles – If it’s
muscle mass you seek, you must ensure that you squeeze your back muscles on every single rep you perform. When you perform each rep, you want to feel each one actually targeting your back muscles, so make sure you squeeze and hold for a second whilst in the contracted position of the exercise.
Vary your training – The great thing about working your back is that there are numerous exercises and pieces of equipment you can use that will target different portions of your back. We all have our favorite exercises and pieces of equipment for back, but try to mix things up and do different things if you’re looking to add size to your frame. Rather than performing, say, T-bar rows, lat pull-downs, and bent over rows every back session, try mixing things up and perhaps going with pull-ups, close grip pull-downs, and seated rows for your next back session.
