Must-Try Essential Back Exercises

You’ve got the abs, and the chest but what about your back? How’s that going? Unfortunately, the back muscles are often left unnoticed and overdeveloped. With the back being the second biggest muscle group in the body, there’s huge potential for muscle and thus, metabolic development! All you need to do is take a look behind you.

Back Basics 101

The back is made up of a few different muscle groups:

• Latissimus dorsi (aka, the lats)
• Rhomboids
• Trapezius muscles
• Deltoids
• Spinal Erectors

While it would be great to focus individually on all of the muscles involved in the back, it’s essential to perform compound movements that utilise these muscles “all at once” to ensure you maximize your time in the gym. So, what are two essential back exercises you must try?

1. Pull ups are a must! These are the quintessential example of back exercises and will always deliver the results you need. Fortunately you never quite get good at them so you’ll always have a challenge in pull ups. To perform pull ups, start by finding a sturdy overhead bar. Next, place your hands – underhand grip style – on the bar and then hang on. Finally, begin to pull yourself up towards the bar – with an aim of getting your chin at the bar for every rep. Finish by lowering yourself back down to the starting position.
2. Barbell bent over row is another essential exercise to work the back muscles. Although it’s a more advanced exercise, this compound movement will also deliver the back muscle development you want. Barbell bent over rows are best done standing shoulder width apart over the bar. Squat down with good posture to pick up the bar and then move into a strong standing position. Bend forward with a strong torso (core braced) and legs slightly bent. Once ready, pull the weight towards your lower ribcage area and then slowly lower the bar back down again. When you’ve finished your reps, slowly squat down and place the bar on the floor.

Build your Arms

It’s time to build that back. Back training is simple once you have these two essential exercises in your program. Start these exercises today and you’ll get the back muscle results to go with your chest and abs.