When you lift weights, it's easy to focus more on what you can see. If you only focus more on the muscles in the front of your body, like your chest, you develop muscular strength imbalances. You need to make sure that you also work your body's posterior muscles groups--those in the back of your body. If you find that you spend more time benching than working your back, it's time to bump up your back weight lifting exercise routine.
Lat Pull Downs
The latissimus dorsi is one of the major muscles in your back. You can strengthen your lats, as they are more commonly referred to, by performing lat pull-downs. To do this exercise you need to find a weight machine with a high pulley and bar you can attach to it. Set the machine to a weight you can comfortably lift and then take a seat below the bar. Grasp the handle with a grip wider than shoulder-width. Pull the bar down and toward your chest. Focus on pulling your shoulder blades together. Begin with 10 to 15 reps and perform two to three sets.
Dead Lift Variation
The American Council on Exercise suggests that advanced level weight lifters can work their lats and other back muscles like the rhomboids and erector spinae with a variation of the deadlift. The single-arm, single-leg Romanian dead lift requires strength and balance. Begin by standing with your feet together and a dumbbell in your left hand. Next, lean forward at your waist and lift your right foot a few inches above the ground. Continue to move your upper-body forward and down while you lower the dumbbell closer to the ground. Extend your right foot back to provide a counterbalance. Stop when your upper body is almost parallel to the ground and then slowly lift back up to the starting position. Repeat 10 to 12 times and then switch arms and legs.
Shrug It Off
The standing barbell is a weightlifting exercise that builds your trapezius, or traps, and rhomboids. The exercise movement is fairly simple and focused on building muscular strength. The first step is to get the barbell off the ground. Stand with your feet just under the barbell and at little more than shoulder-width. Bend your knees to lower yourself down and grab the bar with one hand palm in and the other facing palm out. Keep your back straight then simultaneously extend your knees and hips to lift the bar off the ground until you stand completely upright. To perform the shrug, lift your shoulders straight up toward your ears. Move them up as high as possible while keeping your arms straight and the barbell close to your body. Lower your shoulders back down and then repeat 10 to 15 times before carefully lowering the barbell back to the ground.
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