Let's look at our backs: how to pump up the latissimus muscles and achieve beautiful posture

Just because you can't see your back doesn't mean it isn't important to your health. You should give it the same attention in training as all other muscle groups - quadriceps, shoulders and abdominal muscles.

The back is not visible, so people rarely think about it. Unfortunately, this is the situation for many women who forget to train the muscles in the back of their torso. Too often we skip the necessary exercises for the back muscles, doing only those that load the visible areas of our body. You should stop doing this! Strong latissimus muscles, trapezius and others, are necessary for a healthy body and beautiful posture.

The back works in almost every movement we perform every day, so it is important to pump it up - to make this work easier.

In addition to the strength and functionality that a girl receives from training, a strengthened and muscular back and pumped-up shoulders allow a girl to visually make her waist much thinner. You'll also no longer have to worry about your bra constantly eating into your back fat, and you'll look great in clothes that don't cover your back. Isn't all this enough to get you started on your workout right away?

We will focus on the major muscle groups. The three most basic are the latissimus, trapezius and lower, which straightens the spine. Also, doing these basic exercises will strengthen many other back muscles, especially those that extend and rotate the shoulder joint.

The function of the lats is to rotate the shoulder inward and extend the arm. The lower back muscles are used to tilt the body from side to side or arch backward. Trapezoidal ones are used to lift the shoulder blades and rotate them upward.

In this article, we'll look at ways to tailor your workout to your body and its characteristics and ultimately develop strength, size and symmetry in your posterior muscles.

Developing your own training program

A good back routine should include at least three compound rowing exercises that target the upper and middle back muscles and 1-2 isolation exercises for the lower back.

Your choice and sequence of exercises should be varied from one workout to the next, or at least every 2-3 weeks, to ensure that you optimally engage all the back muscles during training.

Sets and reps

In general, many people get the most benefit from 10-15 repetitions and 2-3 sets of one exercise. This value will vary slightly as your training, physical strength and goals are taken into account. Women who just need to maintain their existing figure should perform 2-3 sets of 12-15 repetitions.

Those for whom it is important to gain muscle mass should perform 3-4 sets of 8-12 repetitions. To gain physical strength and pump up, you should perform 3-4 sets of 6-10 repetitions.

You can use all three of these tactics in your program for variety. For example, if you need both strength and volume, you can combine the two tactics, alternating between sets of 8-12 reps and 6-10 reps.

Other muscles that are trained along with the back

The rear deltoids and stabilizing muscles are usually trained along with the back because they are involved to some degree in many exercises. In addition, it is advisable to add exercises to the training program that exclusively strain the teres major and minor muscles, as well as the trapezius.

Although all three of the above muscles are involved in many back exercises, if you want to develop them more, you can add specific movements that target them.

You can also combine pumping your biceps with training your back. It is useful to combine both deadlift exercises for an effective workout to reduce your time spent in the gym.

Frequency, duration and intensity

One of the best styles of fitness plans divides workouts into exercises for individual muscle groups. Each muscle group is given its own day or combined with 1-2 other muscle groups. This allows you to completely treat an individual muscle to stimulate its growth. If your back is one of your weak points, you will benefit from prioritizing it by doing exercises that target it twice a week. We will talk about prioritization further.

Your workouts should not last more than an hour a day. This time is enough for the trained muscle to become completely tired. If the class lasts more than an hour, then you need to stop chatting in the gym - you came to work out, not to talk.

The intensity of the exercises has already been discussed above, where shoulder muscles were also discussed. It all depends on what you can do yourself. Do you have enough willpower? Can you force your muscles to do something you don't want to? When you're at the end of a workout and ask yourself, "Should I stop here or do one more rep?" how do you answer that question?

Instead of asking such questions, why don't you simply tell yourself to squeeze everything possible out of this weakening body? Don't say you'll do one more, two more, or four more. Push until you are completely weak, as if your life depended on these repetitions.

Why is this so? Because you are only held back by the boundaries with which you limit yourself. If you firmly decided to stop at 40 kg when performing a bench press, how do you know that you cannot lift 50?

The intensity depends entirely on willpower. Instead of being happy that you completed the workout, you should ask yourself what would happen if you added two more weights to the barbell. You can say that you don't know anything until you try!

Back muscles and features of their pumping

To make your home workouts as effective as possible and achieve the desired results, it is worth considering which muscles are located around the spine and chest. There are 3 muscle groups in this part of the body:

• Transverse spinous (thanks to them, people move the rib area)
• Extensor muscles (they allow you to move your body)
• Belt muscle frame
• Erector vertebrae muscle (one of the strongest muscles in the body as it holds the body in an upright position)

The key to correctly working out muscle fibers for women is regularity and average intensity of training. Simply put, it is important not to overdo it, otherwise the silhouette will lose its femininity, and movements may become a little constrained (this is familiar firsthand to powerlifters, weightlifters and other guys who tend to over-build muscles).

Working towards specific goals

Safely adding mass

Regardless of the purpose of your training, be it for competition or just for health, a wide and strong back is a sign that you are doing your training correctly. Core exercises such as deadlifts are the best for adding size and strength to your back muscles. But add high-intensity rowing exercises into the mix, and you're sure to develop a back that deserves an award.

Traditional deadlifts are a must for a good back. The row directly targets the spinal extensors, but the glutes, quads, and calves are also involved. Stabilizers also work - trapezoidal, bladed and diamond-shaped. You'll be hard-pressed to find an exercise that hits more muscles than the deadlift! By performing it with heavy weights and at high intensity, you build strength and size that cannot be achieved in other ways.

To perform deadlifts safely and correctly, you need to perform the first few reps without any weights at all.

Make sure you have excellent technique before adding weight to the barbell. Add weight slowly. It is recommended to perform the entire first set without weight. To begin the exercise, squat down and grab the barbell with the grip you prefer.

Contract your shoulder, back, and core muscles, then, in one powerful motion, extend your hips and knees upward. About halfway up or when your knees are three-quarters extended, straighten your hips fully and return your shoulders to a standing position. Return to the starting position and repeat.

You should remember that deadlifts can be a dangerous exercise if not performed correctly.

It is important to warm up your body at the beginning of your workout by doing moderate-intensity cardio. It is recommended to purchase special gloves that will prevent the barbell from slipping out of your hands. You can also wear a belt to prevent injury to your lower back.

Other good ways to gain mass are to train at full intensity and use as heavy weights as possible. The last 2-3 repetitions should be performed with force, that is, you cannot perform another repetition without losing form. Perform four sets of 6-10 reps to focus on gaining muscle mass. You can also prioritize body parts, which will be discussed later in the article.

Workout at home

Training at home is quite easy if you have 2-3 simple things: a barbell, 2-3 sets of dumbbells and a pull-up bar. Even with the first two rounds you can build up your back. You can deadlift and perform rows with either dumbbells or a barbell. Dumbbells can be used for a variety of exercises such as one-arm rows, delt rows and pullovers.

To perform barbell exercises at home, you need to be creative. Find something you can attach to the notch on the bar where the weight plates fit. These will be the handles. It is better to use a very short expander for this.

This will allow you to keep your hands straight while you perform this exercise. You can also use a rope or towel, but these options put more stress on the hand, so refrain from using too much weight.

Variety of exercises

There is no problem with lack of exercise. There are literally dozens of varieties and variations of the pull alone. There are also modified pull-ups and rows. The main thing is to always change your schedule to stimulate your muscles differently for new growth.

Symmetry

Back development is very important for those who are going to competitions, but it is also important for all other people interested in their figure. A strong back shows off your strength and makes your waist look narrower in comparison.

When judging a figure in a competition, they usually look for a wide, symmetrical and defined back. Your back should be wider just below the shoulders and should taper towards your lower back and waist. Well-developed deltoids are equally important, as they tie the entire look created by training.

To balance the appearance of your back, you need to know which areas (top, middle or bottom) are less developed. When you have discovered this, you need to improve your training a little so that the less developed area gets more attention.

If your weakness is in the upper back, perform the exercises with a wide grip. Pull-ups, various rows - we do everything with a wide grip.

To avoid cutting back on your movements, don't use too heavy a weight. Good exercises for developing the middle part of the back include rows with dumbbells, either with both hands at once or one at a time, and rows of the lower block on the machine.

To focus on your lower back, you should be doing mostly deadlifts, hyperextensions, and reverse extensions.

Isolation exercises

It is almost impossible to isolate the spinal muscles. Many beginners perform all the back exercises almost without noticing that they are straining. Until you become an experienced powerlifter, you will not get a quality brain-muscle connection. However, the back muscles can be developed without isolation.

How will you know that you are not isolating the muscles. Firstly, you will not notice a burning sensation or fatigue in your back - most often only your arms will burn. And secondly, you won’t even enjoy the workout.

Isolating a muscle means learning to contract and relax it separately.

Prioritization

If your back is one of your weak muscle groups, then you need to prioritize it. The best way to do this is to deadlift! And this is not a joke or an exaggeration. It's already difficult for women to gain muscle mass, which is why you need to do heavy exercises, of which the deadlift is the best. Since it takes 7 to 14 days to rest after an intense deadlift program, you should vary your workout each week.

Another reason to vary the program is to stimulate the muscles with different numbers of repetitions, different intensities and assortments of exercises in order to maximize the strength of the back in the minimum amount of time.

In addition, on other days you can perform different analogues of the row, again stimulating the back from a different angle.

You're giving serious weight!

It bears repeating again - as a woman you need heavy exercise! There is no why or why! If you are serious about achieving your goal, you need to fearlessly add pounds to your barbell until you reach your goal.

Don't be afraid of weight. It can seem very intimidating to walk up to a barbell that has 60kg of weight hanging on it. Picking it up seems even scarier. But this shouldn't worry you. Attack her with all your intensity!

You need to mentally overcome all obstacles in your path by willpower - the number of repetitions, the burning sensation in your muscles, and the desire of your body to stop. You need to already see in your mind how you made your way past all these obstacles and reached your goal. Think how nice it will be to win! And the next time you will approach this bar without a single doubt, since you have already shown it who is boss.

Example of a 2-week back training program

This workout will add width, definition and strength to your back muscles. The first week will focus on the deadlift, and the second week will build on it, stimulating the entire back at the same time at maximum intensity. If you have an area of ​​weakness, you can replace several of the exercises in week two with ones that target the area that you have underdeveloped.

If you want to train your back and biceps at the same time, simply replace the lat pull-down with four sets of barbell curls for biceps, performing the following number of reps in this sequence: 12, 10, 6, 6, 4.

Week 1

Warm up with 5-10 minutes of moderate cardio and stretching.

Week 2

Warm up with 5-10 minutes of moderate cardio and stretching.

If you want to train your back and biceps together, simply perform a hyperextension immediately after your pull-ups and replace the T-bar row with four sets of ez-bar biceps curls. Perform 12, 10, 8, 6 repetitions. After this, add another arm raise exercise at any time for the same number of repetitions. It is also useful to do arm raises with dumbbells.

Effective back training program for girls

Here is another proven and effective program. She has already helped many girls tighten their back muscles and gain a beautiful figure. We hope it will help you too:

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Important: Your workout should be modified occasionally to avoid plateaus. So, some weeks we do 5 sets of 10 or 12 reps, and some weeks we do different exercises. Although it is nice to have a set program, it is still better to change it so that it does not get boring.

The importance of warming up

Each session requires a preliminary warm-up so that the muscles are not injured and can calmly accept further loads.

Exercises are performed that involve arm movements, bending, and turning. Back training for girls is allowed at home with light dumbbells.

Thus, the muscles are warmed up and prepared for the main stage.

It is not difficult to determine the types of initial exercises yourself. To do this, it is not necessary to consult with the trainer on duty. Numerous photos of back training recommended for a girl can help.

You can find such visual information on the Internet on sites dedicated to women’s sports. There you can also watch video materials and recommendations from professional trainers.

Almost all of them argue that warm-up needs to be given special attention, since it is this that prepares the body to accept the main power loads.

A set of exercises for the back and shoulders for women

This upper body exercise program will help women build strong shoulder and back muscles. Only dumbbells required.

Description of the training:

• The goal is to gain muscle mass;
• Type of training – for one muscle group;
• Difficulty level – for beginners;
• Duration of the program – 6 weeks;
• Days per week – 2;
• Training time – 45-60 minutes;
• The necessary equipment is only dumbbells and your own body weight;
• The training is designed for women.

Program description

Often, women have a disproportionate body with more developed leg muscles, this is because they do not take care of the upper body.

Researchers have found that a shocking number of women have very little upper body development. And this is typical for absolutely all women, regardless of age.

For many girls, it’s difficult to do even one push-up or pull-up!

However, they would benefit greatly from developing these muscles because they are needed in many daily situations: women sometimes have to carry heavy things, lift children and perform many other tasks.

If you have a strong upper body, you will not only look better, but most importantly, you will be able to meet the needs of your family and work.

If you work out at a gym, you won't have any problems - they usually offer a variety of weights. If you work out at home, you can buy larger dumbbells as you progress.

Workout program for women

Training Tips

• Bench press Start by holding the dumbbells at shoulder level and lift them overhead. Slowly and in a controlled manner return to the starting position. If three sets were easy to complete, try using heavier dumbbells.
• Vertical traction. Start by lowering your arms down, holding the dumbbells in front of your hips. Raise the dumbbells to your chin, bending your elbows.
• Bent-over dumbbell rows. Bend slightly at the waist, keeping your back straight. Make sure it doesn't get rounded. Allow your arms to hang calmly on either side of your body. Slowly bend your elbows and lift them, do not spread your elbows, keep them close to your body, move your shoulder blades towards each other. Lower your arms in a controlled manner to the starting position.
• Raises with dumbbells. Start by keeping your arms down. Slowly raise your arms until they reach shoulder level. After this, slowly lower them to the starting position.
• Push ups. If you can do them, do 3 sets. If you can't do even one, start with the knee push-up position. You can also try this approach: lie on the floor, then get on all fours and, controlling the technique, lower yourself to the floor.
• Pull-ups. Pull-ups are an essential exercise for a beautiful back and strong shoulders. If you find it difficult to do one pull-up, you can try jumping pull-ups - jump up to the bar, then slowly lower yourself down. You can also attach a long rubber belt to the bar to help you do pull-ups.

If you don't have either of these options, you can throw an expander over the door and pull it down. Take both ends of the resistance band over the door while sitting near the door. Pull the resistance band down with both hands until your arms are level with your shoulders. Slowly return to the starting position.

Don't be afraid to increase the weight as needed when you're trying to build muscle mass.

Continue working on your pull-ups and push-ups. Sometimes it takes more than a year to learn how to do them correctly, but both of these exercises are essential for the silhouette you want.

Difference between men's and women's training

Basic exercises for back training for girls are the same as for men. The differences come from the differences in the functioning of organisms.

It turned out that the female body is much superior in endurance to the male.

To activate muscles, girls do not need to start working out with a heavy barbell or dumbbells.

First, you can start doing exercises where light weights are present, gradually increasing the number of approaches or repetitions of movements. We are talking about performing circuit training and super sets.

However, if we consider endurance to be a virtue endowed with the female body, then it is also worth remembering its deficiency, expressed in a small amount of testosterone.

Men have higher levels of testosterone, which makes it much easier for them to gain muscle mass during training.

The back training program for girls requires adherence to certain rules to make training more effective.

These rules are as follows:

• Classes begin with working with light weights.
• The number of repetitions gradually increases.
• Exercises included in the basic category are performed at the very beginning.
• The exercise technique must be strictly followed.
• Long breaks in training should be avoided. This is required by the characteristics of the female body.