A Brutal Back

Many participants of the weight lifting game strive to develop an intimidating upper body - after all, this is what people notice most. A thick chest, fat python arms and shoulders that barely fit through a door commands respect (and even a bit a fear). However, many go about this the wrong way by putting the most emphasis on chest, biceps and shoulders without realizing that the back and triceps contribute most to overall torso and arm size. The upper back is the largest muscle group of the upper body and combined with the lower back and hamstrings, makes up almost half of the entire body. But just because it's not the first area noticed it is often ignored - big mistake. The upper back is the major contributor to shoulder width and frames in the chest to give it a further enlarged appearance. The lower back is a very powerful muscle group that plays a large part of good posture as well as assisting the legs in intense movements like squats. Since the hamstrings are also involved in many of the same compound lifts that train the lower back, the two can be easily trained together. So doesn't it make sense to hit this huge area with a solid workout?

A great first movement is the traditional pull-up and cable pull-downs are no substitute - almost anyone can do at least a single pull-up and many gyms have assistance machines. This is the single best exercise for back width and the wider the grip the better. Next comes the power movement of the entire workout - the deadlift. As with squats, maximal effort sets should be preceded with at least one warm-up set (pyramiding these sets in 90 pound increments works well). Deadlifts work the entire back and hamstrings as well as contributing to overall body strength. A good third exercise is either the bent-over barbell row or one-arm dumbbell row to build upper back thickness (these can be alternated between workouts). By this time, both the upper back should be feeling fairly worked. If not, any rowing or pull-down machine (cable or plate loaded) will accomplish this task. As a finisher to the upper back, bent-over lateral raises done on a cable crossover rack work nicely but dumbbells are just as effective. Although this is thought of as a shoulder exercise (and it is for the most part) it works the upper back muscles through a large range of motion. Next, the hamstrings need to be hit quick and hard - any leg curl machine (seated or lying) is the exercise of choice for a good pump and burn. Finally, a couple sets of hyperextensions will finish off the lower back and hamstrings.

Suggested Back/Hamstring Workout:

• Pull-ups 2-3 x 8-12 (use additional weight if necessary)
• Deadlifts 2-3 x 6-10
• Bent-over Rows or One-arm Rows 2 x 8-12
• Any Upper Back Machine 2 x 10-15 (optional)
• Bent-over Lateral Raises (Cable or '>Dumbbell) 2 x 10-15
• Leg Curls (Seated or Lying) 2 x 10-15
• Hyperextensions 2 x 10-15

As an added note, this workout can be broken into two separate workouts - upper back and lower back/hamstrings. For upper back: pull-ups, bent-over or one-arm rows, machine rows (optional) and reverse crossovers. For lower back/hamstrings: deadlifts, leg curls and hyperextensions.