I posted this answer on another board and thought some people here might find it helpful...
Let me answer like this:
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 bodyfat is low! There are alot 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 mant 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 (pullups, pulldowns)
-one horizontal pulling movement (seated row, hammer row, machine row)
-one bent over movement (bent row, dumbell row, T-bar row)
1 "upper lat" isolator:
-either stiff arms or pullovers (machine or dumbell)
1 upper trap/1 mid trap movement:
-upper: barbell shrug, dumbell shrug, machine shrug
-middle: upright row (bar, cable, dumbell)
1 lower back movement:
-hyperextensions, rack deads, 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 carify, a typical day of back will look like this:
-machine pullover...2 x 12-15
-WG overhand pulldown...2 x 10-12
-CG seated row...2 x 8-10
-underhand grip bent row...2 x 6-8
-rack deads...2 x 4-6
-superset: dumbell shrug/barbell upright row...2 x 8-10 each
*Rear delts, which are needed for a complete back are done on delt day for part of the year and back day for part of the year.
I hope this helps someone. It made all the difference for me when I put this together a few years ago, and my many clients as well
Let me answer like this:
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 bodyfat is low! There are alot 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 mant 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 (pullups, pulldowns)
-one horizontal pulling movement (seated row, hammer row, machine row)
-one bent over movement (bent row, dumbell row, T-bar row)
1 "upper lat" isolator:
-either stiff arms or pullovers (machine or dumbell)
1 upper trap/1 mid trap movement:
-upper: barbell shrug, dumbell shrug, machine shrug
-middle: upright row (bar, cable, dumbell)
1 lower back movement:
-hyperextensions, rack deads, 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 carify, a typical day of back will look like this:
-machine pullover...2 x 12-15
-WG overhand pulldown...2 x 10-12
-CG seated row...2 x 8-10
-underhand grip bent row...2 x 6-8
-rack deads...2 x 4-6
-superset: dumbell shrug/barbell upright row...2 x 8-10 each
*Rear delts, which are needed for a complete back are done on delt day for part of the year and back day for part of the year.
I hope this helps someone. It made all the difference for me when I put this together a few years ago, and my many clients as well
