Post: #1

I think my back doesn't look right. It seems disproportionate, like the guy in the gym who only does biceps workouts.

I do a lot of deadlifting/ other bar exercises, so my traps and triceps are solid. I'm thinking I don't do anything for my lats though (lower part), all i do is a few sets of weighted pullups. they seem nonexistent. also, shoulders maybe? i only do straight up and down, maybe i need to work the back part. is there such a thing?

or am i being

Post: #2

Shrugs, military press, pull/chin ups, rows and dips - these are all exercises that target the back region. Maybe add dips and military press to your regime, so you're getting the pushing, as well as pulling muscles. As for the lower part, you probably just need work on tightening your abs/obliques and reducing your bf% slightly.

Only thing is, your muscles are slightly assymetrical (favouring the right side by the looks of it), perhaps try lowering whatever weight you're working with and making sure you're building both sides evenly as you work your way back up.

Post: #3

Heavy rack pulls.

Post: #4

Bent over rows with barbell, make sure you pull it right up to your chest.

Post: #5

(06-23-2013 02:24 AM)liberman Wrote:  Bent over rows with barbell, make sure you pull it right up to your chest.

i think this is it. i've never incorporated these into a workout yet. whenever i try it feels unnatural, so i don't do it. also the weight is super light in comparison, doesn't seem like it would do the job... but maybe i can't go heavy cause i've neglected it...

i'm going to do some research on this

Post: #6

(06-23-2013 02:13 AM)Every10GivesMeA10 Wrote:  Heavy rack pulls.

the biggest guy in my gym does these all the time. never seen anyone do them before. i know more about lifting than most guys, but i'm embarrassed that i know nothing about rack pulls. are they basically deadlifts from a higher starting position?

Post: #7

(06-23-2013 02:38 AM)godofwar Wrote:  

(06-23-2013 02:13 AM)Every10GivesMeA10 Wrote:  Heavy rack pulls.

the biggest guy in my gym does these all the time. never seen anyone do them before. i know more about lifting than most guys, but i'm embarrassed that i know nothing about rack pulls. are they basically deadlifts from a higher starting position?

Yes. You need to put the pins of the power rack just below your kneecap and go from there. Make sure to keep your chest up. Go as heavy as possible so use straps.

Post: #8

The Secret of Loaded Carries
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_arti...arries&cr=

This shit will transform your physique. Definitely try these out if your gym has the proper equipment.

Post: #9

When this thread is on the main page the title reads as follows: Experienced Lifters: Anal

Post: #10

(06-23-2013 12:01 PM)Luccheese Wrote:  The Secret of Loaded Carries
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_arti...arries&cr=

This shit will transform your physique. Definitely try these out if your gym has the proper equipment.

Makes sense, those are all lifts that we would have had to do back in the days before we had technology to do everything for us.

Post: #11

I think you just need some heavy rows (kroc rows are pretty great in the 20-30 rep range), dips, and chinups 3x weekly or more.
The physique generally indicates the training protocol and to be honest your back doesn't look bad compared to some of the weekend warriors I used to see in the gym around January/February.

Post: #12

You need to do bent over rows to build up those muscles between the shoulder blades.

Post: #13

(06-23-2013 02:11 AM)Architekt Wrote:  Shrugs, military press, pull/chin ups, rows and dips - these are all exercises that target the back region. Maybe add dips and military press to your regime, so you're getting the pushing, as well as pulling muscles. As for the lower part, you probably just need work on tightening your abs/obliques and reducing your bf% slightly.

Only thing is, your muscles are slightly assymetrical (favouring the right side by the looks of it), perhaps try lowering whatever weight you're working with and making sure you're building both sides evenly as you work your way back up.

I always lol at retarded fitness advice given here, military press and dips for back? do you even lift bro?

op how long have you been lifting? Your lower back is seriously lacking, do weighted hyper-extensions for it.

Weighted pull ups/ pendaly rows/ deadlifts/ hyper-extensions/ close pull downs / one arm dumbell rows

^^Do 4 working sets of each and get your diet in check and come back after a year Building muscles takes some time.

Post: #14

(06-23-2013 03:22 AM)Every10GivesMeA10 Wrote:  Yes. You need to put the pins of the power rack just below your kneecap and go from there. Make sure to keep your chest up. Go as heavy as possible so use straps.

+1 for rackpuuuuuulls

I put the pins slightly above my knee to fully isolate my back. I find there is still some leg movement when you put them below.

If you can't get the pins exactly where you want, remember that you can always put 2 25 lbs plates on the floor and stand on them.

Post: #15

Weighted Pull-ups. Heavy rack pulls. Try Bent over Rows with the EZ bar, it's less stress on the wrists and works better. Cleans and snatches are underrated, both are good for your upper back.

You can hit the back with lots of volume, only the legs can take more. Try increasing the rep range, you seem to have decent mass but could shoot for more definition. If you are strong enough, start doing one handed rows and pull-ups.

Post: #16

While we're on the topic of back, can anyone recommend a decent alternative to lat pulldowns for lats?

I can't fucking stand 'em but they're the only exercise I know at the moment for that muscle group.

Post: #17

(06-24-2013 12:33 AM)Andy_B Wrote:  While we're on the topic of back, can anyone recommend a decent alternative to lat pulldowns for lats?

I can't fucking stand 'em but they're the only exercise I know at the moment for that muscle group.

Bent over barbell rows towards your abdomen instead of towards your chest. Almost the exact same movement as a lat pulldown, and it's easier to fiddle with your progression and deloads.

I wasn't able to develop lats until I started doing these. Note that if you are rowing towards your abdomen, you won't target the upper back muscles the same way as a normal row, so you still need to do both.

here's a good explanation of what I'm talking about:

Post: #18

I was of the opinion a 'proper' bent over BB row was towards the abdomen...

http://exrx.net/WeightExercises/BackGene...erRow.html

Post: #19

(06-24-2013 01:56 AM)T and A Man Wrote:  I was of the opinion a 'proper' bent over BB row was towards the abdomen...

http://exrx.net/WeightExercises/BackGene...erRow.html

I suspect that if you ask 3 lifters how to do a BB row you will get 7 different ways of how to do it 'properly'...

I started with stronglifts, so Mehdi's definition of a barbell row is what I consider to be 'standard': http://stronglifts.com/how-to-master-bar...technique/

Mehdi states that you must 'row against your chest.'

The stronglifts blog implies that rowing towards your abdomen is a Pendlay row, but there are numerous other definitions of a Pendlay row, so what exactly a Pendlay row is up to debate. This isn't stated in the article on Pendlay rows but if you look at the pictures, they clearly are not rowing towards the chest :http://stronglifts.com/how-to-perform-th...technique/

Post: #20

(06-23-2013 04:07 PM)Thehustler Wrote:  I always lol at retarded fitness advice given here, military press and dips for back? do you even lift bro?

Quote:Major Back Muscles
The major muscles of the back include the trapezius, latissimus dorsi, levator scapulae and the rhomboids. The trapezius, levator scapulae and rhomboid muscles all work around the scapula, elevating, depressing and retracting it during movements that involve the shoulder, the Department of Neurobiology and Developmental Studies at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences explains. The latissimus dorsi is the largest muscle in the back; it primarily works to extend your shoulder, but also assists in shoulder adduction, or moving your upper arms toward the center of the body.

Muscles Used in Performing Dips
Both regular dips and bench dips develop the same muscle groups. The primary mover of the exercise is the triceps brachii, at the back of each of your arms. The triceps contract to extend your elbows as you press up and control your elbows as they bend, or flex, as you slowly lower down. Your deltoid, or shoulder muscle, also contracts to assist by flexing your shoulders. According to a computer analysis of the dip exercise by the 4Crane Computing company, the latissimus dorsi assists in shoulder adduction. Your rhomboids downwardly rotate your scapula and your lower trapezius causes scapular depressing.

Quote:The Trapezius
While it is not a primary muscle involved in the lift, the trapezius, especially the upper trapezius, is actively engaged during a shoulder press. The trapezius functions in both pressing and pulling movements because it raises and lowers the scapula, and receives most of its work as a secondary contributor. Like the triceps, the trapezius is most active during the top half of the press.
The Core
The shoulder press involves more than the shoulders, arms and neck. The core muscle groups -- latissimus dorsi, erector spinae, abdominals, hip flexors and chest -- play supporting roles in the lift. All these muscles brace and stabilize your body while pressing weight over your head, and they share the workload even more when performing standing shoulder presses.

Pretty much any shoulder lift you might want to engage in is supported by your back muscles.

Do you even lift?

As for the Bent over BB row, lift towards the centre of your back. That's the muscle you're targeting

Post: #21

Well from other bits, when I said lift to the waist, the further up your chest you go, the more your shoulders suplinate and your elbows extend out from your torso

If lifting to say your pecs, your elbows are out at 90 degrees. By then it's a deltoid row.

Post: #22

(06-24-2013 03:28 AM)T and A Man Wrote:  Well from other bits, when I said lift to the waist, the further up your chest you go, the more your shoulders suplinate and your elbows extend out from your torso

If lifting to say your pecs, your elbows are out at 90 degrees. By then it's a deltoid row.

Your deltoids would hold the arms out in abduction but the actual row towards your chest would require scapular retraction which would hit the rhomboideus major, minor, and trapezius muscles and the shoulder extension would hit the teres major muscle. All those muscles in between the shoulder blades that the op seems not to have developed.

Calling it a 'deltoid' row is misleading because it's not an isolation exercise and I can't think anatomically how that is even the main muscle targeted with this move, but if that's what it's really called then I guess the stronglifts bb row is really a deltoid row.

Post: #23

Many good back exercises in this video, check it out:

Post: #24

DO WEIGHTED HYPER-EXTENSIONS AND DUMBBELL ROWS BECAUSE YOUR LOWER BACK NEEDS WORK.

IF YOU PHOTO-SHOPPED YR ASSCRACK OUT NEVERMIND. WEIGHTED PULLUPS AND LAT PULLDOWNS SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT FOR LATS. TRAPS JUST DO SOME MILITARY PRESS AND THEY SHOULD DEVELOP BY PROXY OF BENCHING. BACK LOOKS GOOD OTHER THAN THAN THAT THOUGH BOSS.

Post: #25

you guys are all right about the dumb bell rows. dropped some weight and did some of those for the first time in the high-rep range for multiple sets (3x20) with 70's. definately felt a pump in a place I haven't felt in a long ass time (lower lats). forgot about these.

i don't know about weighted hyperextensions though. i never like these because they seem so unnatural. every other exercise i do mimicks some type of natural movement. hyperextension just doesn't seem right, it hurts, and i've been lifting enough to know bad from good pain.

anyways, i would think deadlift would help for lower back, it always hurts after a good deadlift day (this time good type of pain). apparently not though. is there anything else i can do besides hyperextensions?