Back exercises at home will help you find an attractive and beautiful figure. Developed latissimus muscles, paravertebral columns and lower back muscles support posture, visually widen the shoulders, which has a beneficial effect on the overall aesthetics of the athlete’s body.
We offer you a selection of exercises for the back with dumbbells and a selection of exercises without equipment for the back at home (for men and women).
Bent-over dumbbell row
An exercise that will allow you to pump up your latissimus dorsi muscles. It is considered one of the developing and effective elements of training. When performing, both halves of the back work and the dominant muscles do not help the weaker muscles.
Beginning of the exercise: in a bent position, we place emphasis on the sofa with our arms and legs, with a slight deflection in the lower back. The opposite leg stands on the floor, and we extend the arm down from the dumbbells. If the required attribute is not available, it can be replaced with any weighting agent, even a bottle of water (sand). You need to pull the dumbbell towards your waist, lower it further, and feel the stretch in your back muscles.
For variety, a man can perform this exercise while bending over, without relying on improvised means. When training, it is important to ensure that your elbows are pressed to the body and not spread to the sides. With this technique, it will be convenient to use not only dumbbells, but also a barbell (you can find a suitable log).
Belt row with expander
Using an elastic band seems like a good alternative to using a rowing machine. Bringing your arms in creates high resistance, which is quite enough for a thorough workout of the upper muscles of the back and shoulders.
First, sit on the floor with your legs stretched forward and your back straight. Place the expander band behind your feet. Grab the ends of the device securely with your palms. Keep your arms straight. Pull the band back, trying to bring your shoulder blades together tightly. Feel the contraction of your back muscles. Slowly straighten your arms, returning to the starting position.
Pull-ups on the horizontal bar
One of the effective exercises for developing a wide back at home is pull-ups on the horizontal bar. We grab the horizontal bar with a wide grip, palms wider than shoulders, and the thumb does not wrap around the bar. We pull ourselves up so that the position of the chin is parallel to the simulator, and when lowering the body down, we completely straighten the shoulder and elbow joints.
The speed of execution also matters; to increase efficiency, we perform pull-ups slowly and concentrate on the upper back. To pump your back correctly and not use other muscles, make sure that there are no bends in the spine when pulling up.
When lifting with a close grip, the distance between the hands should be no more than 15 cm. The thumb should not wrap around the horizontal bar, this will relieve the load on the biceps and train the back muscles more. Go up slowly and go down a little faster. This way, men can quickly make their latissimus dorsi muscles more powerful. Moreover, successful bodybuilders never exclude this standard exercise from their program, as it is very useful for strengthening the back muscles.
Wide back - exercises
Wide and narrow grip pull-ups
For the wide grip variation, use a grip wider than shoulder width. Begin the exercise by slightly bending your elbows and pulling them toward your chest, focusing on squeezing your shoulder blades together behind you. Arch your back and contract your muscles, then return to the starting position with your elbows slightly bent again. This will develop sought-after width and range in the upper back muscles.
For the close-grip variation, either grab the barbell with a loop or parallel grip narrower than shoulder-width apart, approximately six-inches between your palms. Pull up as if with a wide grip, and lower down until your hands lock out. This exercise is aimed at strengthening and pumping the lower back muscles and creating thickening near the lumbar region, which will help create a visually wide back.
If you have difficulty doing this exercise, there is one good trick. Pick a total number of reps, such as 40, and try to reach that number no matter how many sets you need. You can do 10 reps on the first set, 8 on the second, and 7 on the third. Continue until you have completed 40 repetitions. When you can do 3-4 sets of 10 or 15 reps each, increase your total reps to 50 or more.
Lifting the barbell and T-bar
These machines help build mass for overall muscle density, working toward our goal of a toned, broad back. To lift the barbell, hold the bar shoulder-width apart. Bend over, keeping your back in line with your hips and parallel to the floor, transfer your weight to your stomach and contract your muscles. Slowly lower the bar and repeat.
Hyperextension
Hyperextension is a safe exercise for strengthening your back muscles at home. In sports clubs, special installations can be used to perform this, and at home, any devices capable of fixing the legs (sofa, closet, radiator). It is necessary to lie face down on a hard surface so that the top is suspended, and perform body lifts using the lower back as much as possible.
You need to make sure that there is no strong deflection in the lower back; rise enough to parallel. At all stages of execution, it is necessary to carefully monitor the execution technique, do not make sudden jerks, and do not look around, so as not to injure the spine. After a while, based on the sensations, you can make the exercise harder; to do this, just pick up any weighting material.
Is it possible to achieve such results at home?
Training at home is definitely effective , which has been proven by many examples. Of course, it cannot be said that there is no difference between intense home workouts and training in the gym. However, achieving visible results by training at home is an entirely achievable goal.
Why do gym sessions give more significant results? The fact is that progression and growth are determined by increasing the load on a muscle group, and this requires a regular increase in working weight. It is almost impossible to ensure that you have different types of free weights available at home that you can use for exercise. It should be noted that only experienced athletes who have been training for at least two years can constantly train with heavy weights. But at the start, in order to pump up your back and achieve a beautiful silhouette, training at home is quite enough.
Exit with a jerk
The jerk-out, a quality broad-back exercise, is used in CrossFit and strength training. At first it will be difficult to perform, but after a while, pumping your back with this element will only bring pleasure. To begin with, hang on the bar, then swing your legs forward, but not too much, by pulling yourself up a little, by swinging you can lift yourself over the bar. At first, you should not perform the exercise slowly, learn to fly onto the bar with lightning speed by swinging your legs.
After a short period of time, the body will teach itself how to properly do the back using this jerk. You should also not hope that a couple of attempts will give you the opportunity to quickly master the task; only perseverance and work will bring results. Still, the snatch is one of the most powerful exercises for training the latissimus dorsi muscles.
Training program for total mass and muscle growth
Pull-ups
- a total of 30-40 repetitions
- Body Part: Lat Equipment: Bodyweight
Bent-over barbell row
- 3 sets of 8-12 reps
- Body Part: Press Equipment: Barbell
Wide grip pull-ups
- 3 sets of 8-12 reps
- Body Part: Lat Equipment: Bodyweight
Deadlift
- 3 sets of 6-10 reps
- Body part: Quadriceps Equipment: Barbell
If you have trouble deadlifting from the floor, try a partial deadlift. Place the weight on the bar on a bench just below your knee and then simply follow normal lifting principles. This will relieve your back a little if you are tall or want to engage your leg muscles in the exercise.
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A wide and pumped back is the dream of every man, especially if nature did not endow him with it in the first place. But it is precisely due to a wide back that a bodybuilder looks strong and impressive, and the daily worries of life become significantly and literally easier.
Push ups
Push-ups are an ideal training element that will tone up any complex of large muscles in the body. Good push-up technique is all about posture. The body should be without excessive deflection in the lower back or lifting of the pelvis upward.
Always, when performing an exercise, pay attention so that your back does not lean forward; to do this, pull in your stomach and straighten your spine. If the exercise is difficult right away, start with your knees or practice the plank.
Deadlift
Deadlifts should always start a training program. This is a complex basic exercise that uses all the muscles of the body. We can say that the whole body works. Deadlifts are an excellent assistant in training for mass in all areas of the body. To perform this you need a barbell or dumbbells.
Starting position: squat down on the floor, grab the bar with an overhand or reverse grip with your arms wide. The top of the body is straight, we look straight, in no case to the side or the floor. As you inhale, we slowly rise, while the bar of the bar slides along your legs until your back is completely straightened. Next, we lower ourselves down to a half-squat in the same way. It is important to monitor your breathing, do not round your back, do not bend back, so as not to injure your spine or knee joints.
If you perform this exercise for the back with dumbbells and their weight is heavy, it is better to take the attribute from the floor. The iron can be held with an overhand grip, both on the sides of the body and in front of you; the technique is similar to the previous version.
Pull-down of the upper block behind the head
To broaden your back, alternate the above exercises with lat pulldowns. Hold the bar of the machine with a wide grip. Sit on a bench with your hips under the bolsters. In the starting position, press your feet to the floor, tilt your head slightly forward, and keep your back straight.
After exhaling, place the bar attached to the upper block behind your head. Touch the bar to the back of your neck. Tighten your back and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Hold the position for a few seconds. After inhaling, slowly move the bar of the exercise machine to the original top point. Relax your arms and allow your back muscles to stretch.
Anatomy of the back muscles
When choosing a training program for the back, it is necessary to take into account the anatomical structure of the man’s muscles. After all, we train our backs not just for a sporty figure, but to improve our health.
The muscles of the back have huge volumes: from the shoulder blades and neck to the pelvis. The most important area where all muscle fibers are attached is the spine. And the muscles themselves are divided into deep and superficial muscles of the lower part.
Lat
Latissimus dorsi muscles. In the gym you often hear “pump up our wings,” which means we are talking specifically about the lats. These are the most trained muscles, they are able to form a V-shaped figure for a man. They work in various exercises for the back with dumbbells, pull-ups, and push-ups.
Trapezoid
Trapezoid, complex structure of muscle fibers. They control the shoulder blades, which are responsible for movement of the head and neck. This muscle group is actively involved in pull-ups, push-ups, rows, any movement of the shoulder blades, as well as tilting the head to the sides.
Spinal extensors
The erector spinae muscles are the structures that support the spine. They are located starting from the very top of the back to the bottom point. Extensors can be strengthened with hyperextension, deadlifts, and simple forward bends with weights, while developing overall body strength by increasing muscle density and volume.
Diamond-shaped
Diamond-shaped ones are located on top under the trapezium. They have a diamond shape and work by bringing the shoulder blades together and moving them back. Strength training for this group consists of pull-ups with a reverse grip, pulling dumbbells or a barbell to the stomach.
Teres major muscle
The teres major muscle of the back is located under the largest muscles. As a rule, it works together with the “wings”, so any exercises for the lats involve this muscle group in the work. But since it is responsible for pulling the arms up and back, pulling them towards the body, you can add doing a lying pullover.
How to pump up your lower back
We will tell you how to pump up your lower back below. The muscles of the lower back, like the muscles of the forearms and lower legs, can be classified as a group of muscles that people forget to train or do not train enough. In most cases, training of these muscles occurs during the warm-up before basic exercises or on a residual basis. Very often they don’t work on the lower back at all. And then the person simply cannot squat or deadlift. If you are faced with a similar problem, then the valuable recommendations in this article are exactly what you need.
The vast majority of people know only in general terms how to pump up the lower back using hyperextension. Many people perform this exercise to warm up the muscles before performing deadlifts. We’ll talk about performing hyperextension to pump up the lower back muscles a little later, but now we’ll look at a more effective method that will help make the lower back pump up.
Doing bends with a barbell will help you solve several problems at once, including pumping up your lower back.
When lifting your body with a barbell resting on your shoulders, you apply approximately the same load as during squats.
For this reason, gradually adding weight to the barbell bend-over will make your lower back more stable for squats. In addition, by performing this exercise while standing, you will engage your hamstrings. For some people, at first, after doing bends with a barbell, the muscles of the back of the thigh hurt more than the lumbar muscles. This is an advantage when performing deadlifts in the future; naturally, this does not mean muscle pain itself, but a well-strengthened hamstring, which will help pump up the lower back.
The basics of performing this exercise are to minimize the risk associated with possible injury. If you lower your body below parallel level with the floor, you may get injured. And there is also a risk of that. that you simply cannot hold the barbell with your hands and it will roll onto your neck and back of the head, and this is very unpleasant and dangerous
You also need to be careful when straightening your legs. Doing full bends with straight legs is only possible for those who are confident in the elasticity of the popliteal ligaments and hamstrings.
Otherwise, the muscles can simply cramp at any moment. For this reason, beginners are strongly advised to keep their knees slightly bent.
How to pump up your lower back while sitting?
As practice has shown, it is possible to pump up the lower back while sitting (see photo below).
Bent-overs with a barbell can be done while sitting on the edge of a bench to pump up your lower back. In this case, you reduce the load on the hamstrings and hamstrings. To start performing the exercise, you need to roll the bench up to the racks in advance to take the barbell from them. Be very careful, because in this position you can slide onto the floor from the bench, and this is dangerous not only for your butt, but also for your neck, which is fraught with serious consequences in such a matter as pumping up your lower back.
Hyperextension with weights
If you have recently started working on your lower back, then you should not immediately take up pancakes. First of all, to pump up your lower back, you need to establish the technique for performing the exercise. To do this, you need to go as low as possible and rise to a line parallel to the floor surface. At the same time, it is advisable not to arch at the top point, as this is detrimental to your spine.
When you take the pancakes, don’t even think about holding them on the back of your head, as some people like to do. Because in this case, you put a lot of strain on your neck muscles, risking injury. Weights for performing hyperextension and pumping the neck muscles should be selected taking into account individual characteristics, and they are different for everyone. It is preferable to hold the pancakes in front of you with outstretched arms if it is impossible to hold them at your chest.
If it is inconvenient to hold the plates in your hands, you can replace them with a barbell, but you need to hold it with outstretched arms, as in the case of performing a deadlift.
Tags: bodybuilding exercises
Back training at home - recommendations
To acquire a pumped-up back in the shortest possible time, you must take into account the following nuances:
- Before training we warm up. This could be running in place, jumping rope, joint gymnastics (like at school).
- We gradually increase the load through weight, number of approaches and repetitions.
- You need to train at least 3 times a week, but not every day. Include exercises for all back muscle groups in your training program.
- Nutrition plays no less important role than the training itself. Give preference to protein products: fish, lean meat, cottage cheese, eggs, protein. But we cannot exclude the carbohydrates contained in cereals. Eat food in fractions - 4 - 5 meals a day, otherwise proteins will not be absorbed and muscles will not grow.
- You need to sleep at least 8 hours a day. It is during sleep that growth hormone is produced, muscles grow and recover.
- At the end of the workout, we perform several stretching exercises.
Now we know that it is possible to create a beautiful, sculpted back, but only with effort, motivation and regular exercise. There is no need to use all the exercises in your work; learn to perform several of them correctly, and then after a couple of months replace them with others. This way the muscles will not get used to it and will be constantly under stress, and this is already a step towards excellent results.
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How to quickly achieve results?
Taking into account the following nuances and strictly adhering to the listed rules, you can significantly increase the effectiveness of home training and quickly achieve the desired results.
- At the end of each training, do not forget about stretching exercises . We must not forget about this point, as it is important for muscle development. Stretching also allows you to minimize the discomfort that occurs due to heavy loads.
- Increasing loads should be done by increasing the working weight, and not by increasing the number of repetitions in the approach.
- of nutrition is fundamentally important . The diet of a training person should consist of 50% complex carbohydrates, 30% protein, and the remaining share is red fish, vegetable oils, and nuts. In building muscles, quality nutrition plays a vital role.
The effectiveness of home training depends on a person’s determination and self-organization, the correct approach to exercise, mandatory regularity and patience.
Igor March 20, 2016
