For many bodybuilders, the challenge of back development can defeat them and, thus, their focus will shift to the chest, abs, arms and legs. This should not be as the back muscles are necessary in overall strength as well as beautiful in appearance, if and when it is fully developed. The trick is in identifying the mistakes you have been making and correcting them as soon as possible.
#1 Not Performing the Right Exercises
You have likely been confused about the best exercises to train the various areas of your back, an area composed of several muscles. You may have pulled your hands to the area where you want the muscles to be stimulated, such as high for upper lats and low for lower lats. But you are mistaken, as evidenced by the little to no growth of your back muscles – and more pain, possibly – despite your hard work.
You can reverse the situation by keeping these exercise tips in mind:
- Perform chins and pulldowns for lat width. Adopt a grip wider than your shoulder width for better results, too.
- Focus on your freeweight rows including with dumbbells, barbell, and T-bar to increase lat thickness.
- Keep your elbows close to your side to activate your lats. Pull your elbows as far back as possible as well.
- Perform shoulder-width pulldowns, underhand, and one-arm low cable rows with a maximum range of motion at their contraction.
- Do wide-grip rows to target your middle and upper back muscles as well as your lower and middle trapezius. Use either a low cable or a Smith machine while in a seated position, which will make balancing easier with the rowing to your chest motion.
As with all exercises, you should be able to feel the burn in the muscles being targeted.
#2 Not Giving Attention to Your Lower Back
You should also isolate your spinal erectors since it’s crucial in your proper posture.
- Perform deadlifts, which work your spinal erectors along with several other muscles, at least once every other overall back workout.
- Do 4 to 6 lower back isolation exercises after every overall back routine.
- Isolate your spinal erectors by performing stiff-leg deadlifts, back extensions, and good mornings as well as back crunch.
Other back training mistakes include incorrect grip, overreliance on machines resulting in skipping of barbells, chinning bars, and dumbbells, and overusing secondary muscles. You can prevent these mistakes by working with your personal trainer at Gold’s Gym especially when you are a beginner to the workout routine or to a specific exercise.