Developing a chiseled back

[hekki]

I'm trying to get my back thicker/dense. An area that is lacking is my lats. The problem is when I do back exercises I feel most of through pump in my arms. I've read trying to emphasize pulling grommets my elbows rather than my arms but I long for the full back pump I use to get while superseting with chest. Any suggestions?

[ac guy]

Do you do deads?

[shaunjohn242002]

Yea it's a little tricky, I pretend that my arms are hooks and I try to concentrate on bringing my shoulder blades together for my contraction. It makes me sick to say this, but go light on the weight until you get the feel of it. A c guy is on to something too I think. Maybe try dreads in the beginning of your routine to wear down the back a little before pull-ups or whatever you do. Hope this helps

[M302_Imola]

hekki, layout a typical back workout for us

[marcus300]

always make sure your back is arched on the contraction part of the lift otherwise your arms will be doing all the work and your back wont be getting stimulated, practise pulling your elbows back and think of trying to crack a walnut in between your lasts but make sure your back is arched because if not its impossible for your back to get involved otherwise.

[DanB]

hekki, layout a typical back workout for us

this

[hekki]

Do you do deads?

No. Deads and cleans are an area I haven't pursued yet. I figured that they were just for sports athletes. Maybe that's more of an excuse lol. Time to stop procrastinating

[hekki]

I alternate but start with:

bent over wide grip row either 5 sets of 12 low weight or 3 sets of 6-8
t-bar row with a landmine unit same series of sets as above
Lateral pulldown
Close-grip Chin-up
Seated row on cable machine ( I really like this exercise but the cable machine I work on only goes to 220 lbs and it is to easy to go above 12 reps.)

I always superset my back with a chest routine as well. I do 3 day splits.

[marcus300]

I alternate but start with:

bent over wide grip row either 5 sets of 12 low weight or 3 sets of 6-8
t-bar row with a landmine unit same series of sets as above
Lateral pulldown
Close-grip Chin-up
Seated row on cable machine ( I really like this exercise but the cable machine I work on only goes to 220 lbs and it is to easy to go above 12 reps.)

I always superset my back with a chest routine as well. I do 3 day splits.

How on earth can you train chest and back in the same workout? that would be impossible for me and I think your not training them correctly.

I would strip your routine down to basic training and implement one major and one minor body part each workout and not to majors. Also try a different style of training if the one your doing isn't working time to change.

[Rusty11]

always make sure your back is arched on the contraction part of the lift otherwise your arms will be doing all the work and your back wont be getting stimulated, practise pulling your elbows back and think of trying to crack a walnut in between your lasts but make sure your back is arched because if not its impossible for your back to get involved otherwise.

This made all the difference for me. No more sore bis in back day. I had to drop the weight in order to stay arched. Listen to the big man and heed his advice.

[hekki]

How on earth can you train chest and back in the same workout? that would be impossible for me and I think your not training them correctly.

I would strip your routine down to basic training and implement one major and one minor body part each workout and not to majors. Also try a different style of training if the one your doing isn't working time to change.

With what like:

Chest and biceps
Back and triceps and shoulders
Legs

Maybe I should do a different split. What works for you?

[EasyDoesIt]

With what like:

Chest and biceps
Back and triceps and shoulders
Legs

Maybe I should do a different split. What works for you?

Like Marcus said, your doing two major muscle groups on the same day. You won't be able to work either to proper failure, because it's to much to do in one day. That's more of a beginner workout.
Back bi
legs
shoulder tri
chest
That's not specific, but you were not understanding. You can't work shoulders on same day as back either.
When doing back pull with your back first, then arms, on the negative it's arms first motion then extend back all the way out. I do pull ups and all back utilizing back first. One of the biggest mistakes in the gym, pulling with arms first in place of back. Get your back on that way and it will be totally taxed, you won't have strength for chest.
As Marcus states arch at the contraction and make sure your head is in neutral position and not down.

[Rusty11]

Marcus will answer, but until then...he's posted many routines. Here's just one of them. Go halfway down the page..http://forums.steroid.com/anabolic-l...2A%2A-232.html

[Rusty11]

This one has changed lives..http://forums.steroid.com/lifting-te...-training.html

[chaps]

I highly recommend you start getting into deadlifts and pull ups, it's all you need. Once my dead got over 350 (this is an easy weight to hit even for 160lb guys), my back blew up. I'd recommend a starting strength type routine where you do 1 sets of 5 reps. Start at a weight that feels easy and do this every other workout adding 5lbs each time. Once you hit 315lbs start looking into deadlifting routines that emphasize heavy singles and linear periodization. This will keep your risk of injury low and keep your gains coming.

[Art Vandelay]

always make sure your back is arched on the contraction part of the lift otherwise your arms will be doing all the work and your back wont be getting stimulated, practise pulling your elbows back and think of trying to crack a walnut in between your lasts but make sure your back is arched because if not its impossible for your back to get involved otherwise.

Marcus you're talking arched back,.With shoulders back, chest out, core out right? That's how a I've always done them, with real good slow form. I see some of the real big.guys doing them hunched over, like arched to the front...

[marcus300]

Like Marcus said, your doing two major muscle groups on the same day. You won't be able to work either to proper failure, because it's to much to do in one day. That's more of a beginner workout.
Back bi
legs
shoulder tri
chest
That's not specific, but you were not understanding. You can't work shoulders on same day as back either.
When doing back pull with your back first, then arms, on the negative it's arms first motion then extend back all the way out. I do pull ups and all back utilizing back first. One of the biggest mistakes in the gym, pulling with arms first in place of back. Get your back on that way and it will be totally taxed, you won't have strength for chest.
As Marcus states arch at the contraction and make sure your head is in neutral position and not down.

There you go^^^^ exactly what I mean

Marcus you're talking arched back,.With shoulders back, chest out, core out right? That's how a I've always done them, with real good slow form. I see some of the real big.guys doing them hunched over, like arched to the front...

Yes Art, arched not hunched over. In the hunched over position like many do because the weight is to heavy the lats are not being fully worked. You have to get the mind muscle connection with the back and feel the contraction when the back is arched . Well done

[Art Vandelay]

Thanks man.. yeah I've learned to slow it down and lighten up the weight some, working smarter not harder now.

[hekki]

Ya did my back routine with my back arched and I can definitely feel a difference. Had to adjust the weight as mentioned before. Still got a bigger pump in my arms compared to my back. Will try focusing more next time.

[bigsiv]

Ya did my back routine with my back arched and I can definitely feel a difference. Had to adjust the weight as mentioned before. Still got a bigger pump in my arms compared to my back. Will try focusing more next time.

Drop the weight drastically until it's only your back what's being pumped. If your biceps are failing before your back the weight is too heavy. Leave the ego at the door and get the connection right. Concentrate on form and once you get it right you will be able to feel it. Then you can add the weight. Good luck bud

[Schwarzenegger]

any rep for back is in three parts essentially, do it this way and u'll feel every contraction on every rep. This will help you get the mind muscle connection if u break it down

1. arch ur back- chest out/ass out - retract ur shoulder blades
2. pull with elbow leading
3. finish the pull with arm and hold contraction for at least a second

and the key to engaging the lats and back muscles is to go slow on the negative of each rep while back arched and shoulder blades retracted. This last part will add astronomical growth to ur back.

- Keep pumpin

[zinghigh89]

My back grew relatively easy as I feel it must have been my best muscle group as far as genetics go. My chest, back are decent, my arms suck. But my back routine remains consistent and it continues to get denser. I do Layne Norton's PHAT workout so a typical week will look like this for back (only back work shown, these lifts chosen by me as I have seen most progress from them)

day 1 upper power focus
-bent over bb row (sometimes done in dead stop fashion) 3x3-5 reps
-weighted chin or pull up 2x6-10
-single arm db row 3x6-10 *either on the bench or tripod style against the db rack **I feel these have given me the best results, always let the scapula come apart by letting the working shoulder kind of sink down toward the floor. I teach this by telling the person to look in the mirror and imagine their shoulders as the horizon, as you perform the negative let the working side dip downward and then as you perform the positive bring the shoulder blades back together and straighten out the "horizon"
-Tbar row or hammer strength high row 2x6-10

day 4 back and delts hypertrophy
-wide pulldown 2x8-12
-close neutral pulldown 2x12-15
-seated row 2x12-15
-single arm seated row 1x15-20
-single arm db or bb row 2x anywhere from 8-30 depending on how I feel
-pullovers done John Meadows style *head hanging off bench only coming up about 1/2 way to keep tension on lats and serratus
-upright row 3x12-15 *done before other delt work as a gradual flow from back to delts