Ic ic... back by itself eh... I actually agree with that. I have been doing back and bi, and by the time i get to the guns there weak!
Could you give me some pointers on how to get an AMAZING back workout? I mean, I feel the burn intensely with muscles like chest, legs and bis, but when I train my back, I CANT get that same burn! I feel like i might be doing something wrong, or doing bad exercises, i just dont know. I want my back to feel like its on fire, and be sore for days afterwards, like my chest or my biceps. Is it because its such a big muscle grouping? Im doing back tomoro (was going to with bis... now im r3condisering..) and im in week 1 of the P/RR/S system, so im goin heavy.
This short article I wrote a while back might help:
The back, IMO, is the most complex muscle group in the body, the most challenging to get fully developed, and the most amazing to look at when body fat is low! There are a lot of muscles to think about when approaching back training...the lats, the teres, the rhomboids, the posterior delts, the upper and mid traps, the erectors, and yes the muscles that lie deeper in the back (not visible to us).
More than with ANY other muscle group, the back carries with it the need for many different exercises, angles, and grips to achieve true "completeness." Some people are wide, some are thick, and some have pretty good detail, but few have it all!
The way I approach back training is to try and get to every portion of my back in each workout and do so without overtraining or spending 3 hours in the gym. This means NOT trying to do every exercise in existence at every back workout, but getting in different ones each time.
This is what I like to do each week, and this is what has literally transformed my back over the last few years from a weakness to a strong point.
3 basic angle of pull:
-one vertical pulling movement (pull-ups, pull downs)
-one horizontal pulling movement (seated row, hammer row, machine row)
-one bent over movement (bent row, dumbbell row, T-bar row)
1 "upper lat" isolator:
-either stiff arms or pullovers (machine or dumbbell)
1 upper trap/1 mid trap movement:
-upper: barbell shrug, dumbbell shrug, machine shrug
-middle: upright row (bar, cable, dumbbell)
1 lower back movement:
-hyperextensions, rack deadlifts, good mornings (I'm partial to deads)
3 types of grips for my pulling exercises:
-one exercise with close or v-handle
-one wide and overhand
-one medium and underhand
(I will change which exercise/pulling angle gets which grip each time I train)
To clarify, a typical day of back will look like this:
-machine pullover...2 x 12-15
-WG overhand pull down...2 x 10-12
-CG seated row...2 x 8-10
-underhand grip bent row...2 x 6-8
-rack deadlifts...2 x 4-6
-superset: dumbbell shrug/barbell upright row...2 x 8-10 each
*Rear delts, which are needed for a complete back are done on shoulder day for part of the year and back day for part of the year.
I certainly hope this helps someone. It made all the difference for me when I put this together a few years agoâ???¦ and for my many clients as well.
Starting tomoro, looking forward to it. I have a quick question though, you mention taking a week off to let your body recoupoerate after 3 cycles... so is that 9 weeks? or do u mean 3 weeks of P/RR/S /Break, then repeat?
