A bodybuilders' upper back is both thick and broad and consists of three major muscles groups. The groups include the latisimus dorsi muscle, which fans out beneath the arms and look like wings; the mid traps; and rhomboid muscles across and between the shoulder blades. There are a number of effective exercises for developing your upper back for bodybuilding.
Bent Over Rows
To develop upper back thickness, grasp a barbell with a shoulder-wide overhand grip. Bend your knees slightly and lean over at the hips. Keep your lower back slightly arched, your chest lifted and your shoulders back. Lead with your elbows and pull the barbell into your abdomen. Slowly extend your arms and return to the starting position before repeating. Avoid the temptation to swing the weight up using your lower back as this may prove injurious and also makes the exercise less effective.
Wide Grip Pull Ups
Performed using juts your body weight or a weight attached around your waist, this exercise will add width to your latisimus dorsi muscles or lats. Grasp the pull up bar with an over hand grip and your hands placed around one and a half time shoulder--width apart. Let your legs hang down towards the floor. Lift your chest and, pulling with your arms, pull your body up so that your chin is over the bar. Slowly lower yourself back under control to the starting position and repeat.
Single Arm Dumbbell Rows
An effective back thickening exercise, single arm rows are a classic bodybuilding exercise. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Hold a single dumbbell in your left hand. Bend your knees slightly and bend forwards at the hips, placing your right hand onto an exercise bench to provide you back with support. Keep your upper body parallel to the floor. With your left arm hanging directly down from your shoulder, bend your arm and pull the dumbbell up and into your arm pit. Slowly lower the weight back to the starting position and repeat before changing arms.
Narrow Grip Lat Pull Downs
Attach a narrow parallel handle to the lat pull down machine cable. If you don't have access to one of these handles, perform the exercise with a narrow underhand grip. Grasp the handle and sit down, ensuring that the leg restrain is in place. Lean back slightly and lift your chest. Keeping your elbows in close to your body, pull the handle down until it touches your sternum. Slowly extend your arms and return to the starting position. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
References
- "Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder"; Arnold Schwarzenegger; 1993
- "Bodybuilding Anatomy"; Nick Evans M.D; 2006
- "Designing Resistance Training Programs" ; Steven Fleck and William Kraemer; 2003
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