Back is one of the most important muscles of the body. It not only provides strength to the body but also improves stability, balance, and lifting capacity. Back has several muscles that you need to train to get the desired strength. It not only adds to the physical strength but also makes you look good and adds value to your personality. Whether you go to the gym or prefer a freestyle fitness routine, a strong back is necessary to avoid workout injuries and pain. This is the reason that fitness trainers give a lot of emphasis on the back.
However, training your back is not something that you can do overnight. You need to stick to an organized fitness routine and work hard to get the desired result. Apart from working hard, the correct form while doing any back exercise is equally important. Since building a strong back involves lifting heavy, an improper form can lead to injuries or pain. To get a big broad back, you need to focus on targeting the frame. It involves three key parts that are: Deltoids, Lats, and Obliques.
We’ve got you six such exercises, that can help you get a big, strong, and broad back.
1. Deadlift: The rules of workout have changed several times with the change in the generation. But, the importance of deadlift has never seen a fall. From a beginner to a professional bodybuilder, no one can undermine the importance of deadlift. A perfect deadlift hits both – the muscles in your back as well as the ones in your legs. As the name suggests it involves lifting of seriously heavyweight and hence a perfect form is the most important thing that one needs to keep in mind while performing this exercise.
To perform a deadlift, you need to stand straight with your feet hip-width apart and bend your hips slightly backward, The grip should be just outside your knees for proper balance. You need to keep your back straight while bending down to lift the barbell and then stand straight without bending the back. After a few seconds pause, put the barbell down slowly. Repeat this process.
2. Chin up: Any exercise that involves pulling your body weight upwards will hit your back as well as obliques and lats and will help you in getting a broader frame. The broader the frame, the bigger the back. China up involves hanging on a bar with grip shoulder-width apart and pulling the bodyweight up with the help of your hands. The grip should be inwards and your palms should be facing you. You need to squeeze and release the muscles in the back while pulling up and down. The chin should be slightly above the bar while you pull yourself up. You need to perform 12-15 reps in a set and 3-5 sets per day.
3. Wide Grip Pull up: It’s time to change the grip. To perform a wide-grip pull-up, you need to hand on a bar with a grip wider than the width of the corners of your shoulder. No, pull yourself in such a way that your chin is slightly over the bar. After a few seconds pause, come down slowly. Perform this movement 12-15 times in a set and squeeze the back muscles while going up. When coming down, release the muscles. This is a really useful exercise for getting a stronger back and strengthens several key parts of your back that include Latissimus dorsi, Trapezius, Thoracic erector spine, and Infraspinatus.
4. Alternate Dumbbell Row: One of the most useful dumbbell exercises for the back, alternate dumbbell row helps in gaining strength and building muscle mass on the back. To perform an alternate dumbbell row, you need to bend down with your hip slightly outwards just like you do in a deadlift. Keep your back straight and pull a dumbbell upwards while squeezing the muscles in the upper back. Hold for a few seconds and release. Perform the same with another hand. You can rotate your palms while moving the dumbbell up to increase the tension.
5. Landmine One-Arm Row: Just like an alternate dumbbell row, landmine one-arm row involves the movement of one hand at a time. Place one end of a bar into a corner. Put some weight over that end of the bar for stability. Now, hold the other end of the bar while facing in the opposite direction of the end you put into the corner. Load the end of the bar in your hand with the desired weight (heavyweight). Now bend your back slightly without any curve and bend the right leg slightly. (bend left leg is lifting from the left leg). Pull the bar up while squeezing the muscles in the back and move it down again slowly. Perform the same exercise with the other hand. This exercise hits the entire back and helps in building strength and flexibility.
6. Seated Cable Row: You need to go to a gym for this exercise and even a basic one would do. Attach the pull-down bar near a sit-on bench at your chest level. Sit on the bench with your back straight and legs on the footplate with your knees slightly bent. Pull the bar towards your chest and squeeze your backs and shoulder blades while pulling the bar. Extend the arms while releasing the bar to stretch the muscles completely to pull it back again. This is a really useful exercise for overall strength and muscle growth.
