TeenBodybuilding.com Store Articles Forum BodySpace
  Main >> Articles >> Training >> Back >> Basic Back Training!


Printable Page


Did you know?
Lee Haney broke Arnold's seven-time Olympia record by winning eight straight in the eighties and early nineties.
This is the back program you can use in conjunction with the bench/chest program I already laid out. Because the back is a much larger muscle than chest, training it requires more focus for more sets for a longer period of time.

Basic Back Training

By: Alton Hare

This is the back program you can use in conjunction with the bench/chest program I already laid out. Because the back is a much larger muscle than chest, training it requires more focus for more sets for a longer period of time. If your just beginning try a basic beginner's routine to build some conditioning before you try any of my programs (unless your particularly gifted).

The back is the second largest muscle in the body, and has a variety of angles at which it can be developed for a complete, well refined physique. You need to have wide lats, a trim and powerful lower lumbar, a thick middle back with the rhomboids and trapezius and all of the smaller muscles clearly developed and separated from the others. Having each of these muscles clearly separated gives the back that "rippling" look, where each muscles flexes and flows into the next as the bodybuilder is moving from pose to pose or just walking around shirtless. Because the back is so large, so impressive, and makes you look really BIG because of the width it adds to your upper body, its the one body part you do NOT want to neglect. If there were two body parts that make a physique look aesthetic and appealing, it would be legs and back because the create the "X" shape when developed to their fullest.

Many people kinda fall into a rut in back training, because for most its hard to "feel" the muscle working. Often after a few workouts they get discouraged and quit, going back to the simplicity of chest training, where all they have to do is press the bar up and their chest gets hit pretty hard. I know, I was one of those guys, and my back has suffered a lot for it. I wish I'd been working on it as hard as my chest, I would look a LOT better right now. As I trained with Jason, the weakness in my lats was becoming more and more evident, and I couldn't ignore it. I wanted a V-taper badly, and it didn't come naturally to me because I have naturally wider hips (34 inches) so I'd have to work for it. The pics you see me in are pretty old, before I trained my back seriously at all, now my lats have widened considerably, and I have a much more complete physique. My chest measurement is actually going up because of the hypertrophy in my back, which is making my 34 waist look smaller in comparison. All in all, I'd say serious back training has done wonders for my physique.

The important thing I have learned while training my back is that form and feel are paramount. You have to FORCE the muscles to work, otherwise you'll just move the weight with momentum. Cheating is too easy on most back exercises, so you have to learn to pull with your elbows instead of your arms, or you'll just get a bicep pump. Chins are also paramount, never do pulldowns when you can do chins. When I first started though, embarrassingly, I couldn't do 8 strict chins, so if your in the same boat you should try what I did.

I started off EVERY back workout with one set of chins to concentric failure, then did a negative. Because many people have this same weakness, I've included a program that's based on increasing your chinning strength. If your already a strong chinner just sub in chins/weighed chins for pulldowns. I'm also going to write a second chest training article for a more advanced routine to build the pecs after a satisfactory bench is accomplished. I'll continue to try new routines as my old ones get too easy and continue writing the new ones that work the best here, so that my training articles will go in a series from basic to more and more advanced. So, without further introduction, here's my basic back routine:

For those with weak lats/ weak chinning strength:

*Start out with 1 set of chins to concentric failure, then perform a slow negative

If your a strong chinner, start with dumbbell rows and do chins instead of pulldowns.

  • * 3 sets of One arm Dumbbell rows 12 reps, 10, 8
  • * 3 sets pulldowns w/ drop set, 12, 10, 8, strip about 25-35% of the weight and go to failure
  • *3 sets close reverse grip pulldowns 12, 10, 8
  • *3 sets seated straight bar rows ditto
  • *3 sets seated close grip rows ditto
Ok, this is just a template, you should change things every few weeks, just like in chest training, you can put in barbell rows for dumbbell rows, T bar rows for close grip seated rows, throw out the pulldowns and let a partner spot you on full sets of them, instead of straight bar seated rows you can do continuous sets of one arm seated rows, etc. Use your imagination. The one guideline that is vitally important is to get this workout done in about 40 minutes. Yep, keep the intensity, maintain that pump and keep your wind goin'. The second guideline is to go to failure, which I always do, there's no other way. After this I normally train traps, side and rear delts, and lower back. I never train my front delts directly because they seem to grow easily. The way I like to train these body parts is with a giant set, because side delts, rear delts, and lower back just don't get up a lot of intensity if you isolate them correctly alone. So after I finish seated rows I do this:

*Shrugs-lateral raises-weighed hyperextensions-bent lateral raises for three sets nonstop.

That leaves your whole body feeling weak and is a great way to pump you up before you leave instead of leaving cold. If your looking for a more advanced routine just hold on I'm workin' on it! That's about all on back training, talk to you guys later.

Alton


beautifuldisaster420@yahoo.com

Recommend this article to a friend by e-mail here!

Back To Alton Hare's Main Page

Back To The Articles Main Page.

Related Articles
Alien Back
Improving The Big Three - Part 3!
ICE Back Training


Essence Syntrax Essence

A Zero Sugar Blend of the Best Tasting Protein on the Market!
Learn More!
 
Member Log In:

Sign in for more FREE features and tools!

Username or
Email Address:
Password:
Remember Me


New to BB.com?



CellMass FP
Bodybuilding.com
Home  |  Store  |  Products  |  How 2 Shop  |  Contact Us  |  Terms of Use  | Search  |  Checkout
© Bodybuilding.com, 305 Steelhead Way, Boise, ID 83704 USA - 1-877-991-3411