Building thicker, more athletic-looking back muscles effects a lot more than just how you look from behind.
Thicker lats and traps make your shoulders look wider and broader, they also make your torso appear smaller. The ultimate for any guy, aside from performance goals is to get that “V” shape. We all want it, and much of it has to do with building lats that are thick, lean, and taper down as they meet up with the torso.
Here are a few quick tips to building a better back, followed by a video of a quick but super effective and intense back workout that only takes about 15 minutes!
1. Drop the weight and add quality to each rep
You don’t always have to be lifting heavier weights of 6-8 reps. Sometimes it really helps, especially when talking about building a more muscular and defined back, to drop the weight and focus on the quality of the lift.
Focus on your posture, you want a slight arch in your back and really pinch your shoulder blades together, even holding for a second or two, when doing exercises like lat pulldowns or seated cable rows. Aim for 3 sets of 15-20 reps (still lifting to form failure).
2. It’s not what you do but how you do it
Practicing perfect form with any muscle group is important, but especially with the back. When doing cable pulldowns or cable seated rows, you really want to over-exsentuate the arch in your back, holding it throughout the lift.
Focus on squeezing your lats, traps and shoulder blades when doing any back exercise. Even if the weight it too light you should be feeling a burn.
3. Lift HEAVY
At least once a month have a heavy back day. Really work on your strength and try to add weight – while keeping the right form of course – in exercises like bent over rows, dumbbell rows, and t-bar rows – even in pulldowns or chin-ups.
Push yourself and focus on exploding on the up phase of each lift. The change in rep count and weight will give your muscles the variety they need to avoid “getting used to” what you’re doing, or plateauing.
Try the workout in the video above. It’s a quick 15-20 minute back workout that’ll really push you.
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Looking for unique exercises to help add lean muscle? Here’s a great resource for you ——> Build a More Muscular Back
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