Back Workout for Beginners

These days everyone is very keen to build up their show muscles like chest, arms, abs, shoulders (that are visible to everyone), but for some people building up their back muscles is an afterthought. It is because your back can’t be seen when you look in the mirror, but it is important to build up your back muscles too. It is because when you build your back, it completes all levels of muscularity in your upper body. Then your upper looks gains more beauty and your upper body is then heavy, thick, dense group of muscles. Many beginners with their half heart start performing sets of some exercises like pull down and low cable rows and then move on ahead to try something new.

In the following article, i will be discussing about the exercises for your back, its anatomy, its location in the body. I will also mention my five favorite exercises for back for all the beginners which will turn your baby like back into thick wings of muscularity.

LOWER BACK (LOWER TRAPEZIUS)

FUNCTION:

• Depression of scapula.

LOCATION:

From the scapula down to the top of the lower portion of the back around the spine.

EXERCISES:

• Hyper-extensions
• Stiff-Legged Good Mornings

MIDDLE BACK (RHOMBOIDS)

FUNCTION:

• Retracts scapula
• Downward Rotation of the scapula

LOCATION:

Connected with scapula and the Spinal Column in the middle of the back.

EXERCISES:

• Bent-Over Barbell Rows
• Seated Cable Row

LATS (LATISSIMUS DORSI)

FUNCTION:

• Extension
• Adduction
• Medial rotation

LOCATION:

Inserts in the lower 6 thoracic and lumbar vertebrae. Also inserts in the middle side of the arm pit area (humerous).

EXERCISES:

• Pull-ups
• Wide-Grip Lat Pull-down

This video will help you to achieve what you want to achieve i.e. Building up your back and converting them into wings of muscles.

TRAPS (TRAPEZIUS)

FUNCTION:

• Elevation of scapula
• Adduction of scapula
• Depression of scapula

LOCATION:

Inserts at the top of the neck, travels all the way down to the spine and gets inserted into buttocks.

EXERCISES:

• Barbell Shrugs
• Upright Rows

As from the above picture, you can see that your back consists of many group of muscles which builds up upper portion of your body. So i don’t understand why building back muscles is always an afterthought for some beginners. Some of the reasons i hear all the time are as follows :-

1- Some beginners say about building back concludes “Out of my sight and out of my mind.” They feel this because you can’t see your back when you look in the mirror and then it becomes your afterthought to build up back muscles. Instead building up your back muscles, you spend more building up your show muscles (which are visible to everyone) like chest, arms, abs, shoulders.

2- Some people also deliver excuses that when they workout, they don’t feel their back muscles working. I want to tell them to perform exercises in perfect form. The reason behind their excuse is their poor perform which they strictly has to change. Poor form is just a wastage of time, you will not gain anything but will end up with injuries.

I would also suggest to all the beginners to perform the exercises in the perfect form because irregular form may lead you all to injuries, will lower down your progress in the gym and you will just gain nothing. I would suggest higher reps for beginners and should lift according to their body’s intensity. Don’t just lift too much weight when you are lifting for the first time as it will just cause you a serious injury which can be very dangerous and harmful.

MY 5 FAVORITE BACK WORKOUT PLAN FOR BEGINNERS -

•  BENT OVER BARBELL ROW- 3 Sets Of 6-8 Reps.

•  SEATED CABLE ROW- 3 Sets Of 8-12 Reps.

•  V- BAR PULLDOWN – 3 Sets Of 12 Reps.

• BARBELL SHRUGS- 3 Sets Of 6-8 Reps.

•  HYPER-EXTENSION-  3 Sets Of 12 Reps.

•  BENT OVER TWO DUMBBELL ROW- 3 Sets Of 8-12 Reps.
•  REVERSE GRIP BENT OVER ROWS- 3 Sets Of 6-8 Reps.
•  CLOSE GRIP FRONT LAT PULL DOWN- 3 Sets Of 12 Reps.
•  DUMBBELL SHRUG- 3 Sets Of 8-12 Reps.

•  STIFF LEG BARBELL- 3 Sets Of 12-15 Reps.

PLAN 3 :-

•  WIDE GRIP LAT PULL DOWN- 3 Sets Of 8-12 Reps.
•  UNDERHAND CABLE PULL DOWN- 3 Sets Of 8 Reps.
•  BENT OVER TWO DUMBBELL ROW WITH PALMS IN- 3 Sets Of 12 Reps.
• BARBELL SHRUG BEHIND THE BACK- 3 Sets Of 12 Reps.
•  STIFF LEGGED BARBELL DEADLIFT- 3 Sets Of 8 Reps.

•  FULL RANGE OF MOTION LAT PULL- DOWN- 3 Sets Of 8-12 Reps.
•  CLOSE GRIP LAT PULL- DOWN- 3 Sets Of 12 Reps.
•  ONE- ARM DUMBBELL ROW- 3 Sets Of 8-12 Reps.
•  UPRIGHT BARBELL ROW- 3 Sets Of 8-12 Reps.
•  HYPER-EXTENSION (BACK EXTENSION)- 3 Sets Of 8 Reps.

•  BENT OVER BARBELL ROW- 3 Sets Of 8 Reps.
•  V- BAR PULL-DOWN- 3 Sets Of 8 Reps.
•  ONE ARM DUMBBELL ROW- 3 Sets Of 8-12 Reps.
• WIDE GRIP LAT PULL DOWN- 3 Sets Of 8-12 Reps.
•  BARBELL SHRUG BEHIND BACK- 3 Sets Of 8-12 Reps.
•  STIFF LEG BARBELL- 3 Sets Of 8 Reps.