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In most cases the back is an afterthought for many beginners. The back can't be seen when you look in the mirror and most people have a hard time contracting the back when they first start working out, so the majority of beginners do a few halfhearted sets of pull-downs and low cable rows and move on to something else. Here we give you some exercises for each area of your back to help you turn your back into wings of muscle.

 

Lower Back (Lower Trapezius)

Exercises: Hyperextensions

 

Start: Lie face down on a hyperextension bench, tucking your ankles securely under the footpads. With your body straight, cross your arms in front of you or behind your head. Tip: You can also hold a weight plate for extra resistance in front of you under your crossed arms.

 

Execution: Start bending forward slowly at the waist as far as you can while keeping your back flat. Inhale as you perform this movement. Keep moving forward until you feel a nice stretch on the hamstrings and you can no longer keep going without a rounding of the back. Tip: Never round the back as you perform this exercise. Also, some people can go farther than others. The key thing is that you go as far as your body allows you to without rounding the back.

 

Slowly raise your torso back to the initial position as you inhale. Tip: Avoid the temptation to arch your back past a straight line. Also, do not swing the torso at any time in order to protect the back from injury. Also, Deadlifts are great for your lower back.

 

Middle Back (Rhomboids)

Exercises: Bent-Over Barbell Rows

 

Start: Holding a barbell with a pronated grip (palms facing down), bend your knees slightly and bring your torso forward, by bending at the waist, while keeping the back straight until it is almost parallel to the floor. Tip: Make sure that you keep the head up. The barbell should hang directly in front of you as your arms hang perpendicular to the floor and your torso. This is your starting position.

 

Execution: Now, while keeping the torso stationary, breathe out and lift the barbell to you. Keep the elbows close to the body and only use the forearms to hold the weight. At the top contracted position, squeeze the back muscles and hold for a brief pause. Then inhale and slowly lower the barbell back to the starting position. Also, Close-Grip Seated Cable Row are great for hitting the Middle Back area.

 

Lats (Latissimus Dorsi)

Exercises: Pull-ups

 

Start: Grab the pull-up bar with the palms facing forward using a wide or medium grip. As you have both arms extended in front of you holding the bar at the chosen grip width, bring your torso back around 30 degrees or so while creating a curvature on your lower back and sticking your chest out.

 

Execution: Pull your torso up until the bar touches your upper chest by drawing the shoulders and the upper arms down and back. Exhale as you perform this portion of the movement. Tip: Concentrate on squeezing the back muscles once you reach the full contracted position. The upper torso should remain stationary as it moves through space and only the arms should move. The forearms should do no other work other than hold the bar. After a second on the contracted position, start to inhale and slowly lower your torso back to the starting position when your arms are fully extended and the lats are fully stretched. Also, Wide-Grip Pull-downs are a great for lats.

 

Note: Before all your workouts we encourage you perform a proper warm-up to prevent the chances of an injury occurring and also to allow you to 'loosen you up' and get you both mentally and physically prepared to perform at your best. And remember always use perfect form when doing exercises.