Well-developed back muscles give you that tapered look from behind and help improve your posture by drawing your shoulders back. Engage your back muscles at your local gym, as the gym offers a variety of free weights and resistance machines to work your back. The National Strength and Condition Association and the American Council on Exercise promote the inclusion of rows and pull-downs as part of a proper training program for your back.
Barbell Rows
Barbell rows engage your traps, lats and rhomboids as these muscles work together to pull your arms back from a rowing position. Additionally, your erector spinae must stabilize your trunk in a bent-over position, keeping your spine extended. Ensure you keep your back flat, abs tight and stick your butt out to reduce strain on your lower back.
One-Arm Dumbbell Rows
This exercise allows you to focus on one side of your back at a time. Brace your left arm and left knee on a bench while you row with your right arm, your right leg on the floor for additional support. You can lift heavier weights relative to one arm because you support the opposite side of your body by bracing it against the bench.
Lateral Pull-Downs
The lat pull-down can effectively improve your strength and muscle mass especially if you want to be able to do pull-ups. This exercise primarily activates your lats as you pull the bar down, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Lat machines can be of the cable pulley variety or the Iso-lateral type. Iso-lateral machines enable you to pull down with one hand, working each side in isolation.
Seated Rows
Seated rows target the back muscle fibers directly between your shoulder blades. This machine also comes in a cable or iso-lateral variety. You can focus on squeezing your shoulder blades together as your chest is braced against the chest pad found on these machines.
Hyper-extensions
Concentrate on the lower portion of your erector spinae muscles by using a hyper-extension machine. You brace your feet on the attached pad, with your hip bones hanging slightly off the hip pads. Lower your trunk then raise it till your body is in one straight line.
Pull-ups
The pull-up is the most difficult of back exercises to do and the most effective at developing your back muscles. You must be able to lift your body weight and raise your chin above the pull-up bar. You can build your strength for pull-ups by doing lateral pull-downs with a close-grip hand position, using a palms-up and palms-down grip. You must gradually increase the weight you use on lat pulls until you can pull down your body-weight for three sets of four to six reps.
References
- "Personal Trainer Manual"; American Council on Exercise; 1997
- "Essentials of Strength and Conditioning"; National Strength and Conditioning Association; 2000
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