Working on back?

[ilcrba]

Lately I haven't been feeling a good workout with my back. I pinch my blades very hard and concentrate on flexing and using just my lats and what not but after a back session I feel like I didn't do anything. My back day usually looks like...

pull ups 5x5
Seated overgrip cable rows 4x8-12
seated undergrip calbe rows 4x8-12
lat pulldowns 4x8-12
deadlifts 4x5

I have even done some single handed bentover rows and still not getting a good workout in on my back. Anyone know of something I could throw in it to really hit it?

 

[TheMovement]

Kayak Rows are a beast!, If ya can change up your lat pull downs every so often to single arm and focus on the squeeze at the bottom with a pause. Inverted Rows and neutral grip rows work well for me but we are all different. Are the modes of exercise listed all your gym really offers or you haven't tried out much else yet?

 

[ilcrba]

I just haven't really tried much. I am looking up the kayak rows now though.

 

[TheMovement]

Yea I got them from a guy on this forum and really offer me alot, best Wm or Cooldown move since August

 

[Famine]

What's the set and rep range of the DB rows you tried? If you used the 4x8 range you use on the other exercises, try going to a 4x15...heavy. Wendler's 531 program utilizes that, and my experience says reps 10-15 are killer and make a huge difference.

 

[Sean1332]

For dumbell rows I've done everything: 4x8, 5x15, 10x10, one single AMRAP set with the biggest dumbell my gym has, ect. Whatever. Just switch things up.

I'd recommend Pendlay Rows.

 

[Famine]

I guess the other thing I forgot to mention was that, for me, strength and size increased when I stopped using anything attached to a cable. I mean, I sprinkle in cable workouts from time to time, but not much.

 

[BLaQz]

I personally like T-bar rows(using a barbell, not the one lying on your chest), dumbbell rows & barbell rows in that particular order... I also agree with the above comment... Heavy free weights...

 

[K_C]

I have started throwing upright rows and power cleans into my back day and it has made a big difference.
That and focusing on my form while doing single arm bent over dumbbell rows( really driving my elbows up as opposed to jerking the weight up and engaging my arms) even if it means going a little bit lighter on the weight temporarily. Don't know if this helps you but it has helped me in developing that mind/muscle connection.

 

[ilcrba]

Just did back/bi and I gave the kayak rows a shot. They did very well. I could fell it in my entire lat and it felt good. Next back day I am going to do some pendlay rows.

Thanks everyone for making a successful back day!

 

[gymratluke]

I'd say you need to mix in some hammer grip chins and or Vbar pull downs as well as a DB Row or Tbar Row. Honestly dont feel like cable rows are adequate.

 

[asooneyeonig]

Lately I haven't been feeling a good workout with my back. I pinch my blades very hard and concentrate on flexing and using just my lats and what not but after a back session I feel like I didn't do anything. My back day usually looks like...

pull ups 5x5
Seated overgrip cable rows 4x8-12
seated undergrip calbe rows 4x8-12
lat pulldowns 4x8-12
deadlifts 4x5

I have even done some single handed bentover rows and still not getting a good workout in on my back. Anyone know of something I could throw in it to really hit it?

holy hell, so you are saying that 21 sets of back movements, doing at least 141 reps is not enough for your back? then your intensity is probably really low. you may think it is high, but volume is inversely related to intensity. with that volume it cannot be high. so my advice is the opposite of what you probably want to hear, dont add when something sucks just to add more. take a step back and throw out what you dont need. just do what you need.

you should be able to get stronger with 1 main movement and just a few if not just 1 accessory movement. for example, do those deadlifts first. silly to fatigue yourself so much before the exercise that has the best bang for the buck. you are shooting yourself in the foot there. i like that you have pullups but focus on just 1 other rowing movement after that. no need for pull downs as you already did pullups. if you can do pulldowns then you did not do enough pullups. try this for a while, use as few sets with as many reps as possible to get to 30 reps total for the movement on pullups and rows. start with a weight (add weight for pullups) that you can do 10 times only. when you can do 20 on the first set, up the weight till you can do around 10.

do that for a few months and come back and let us know how much stronger and bigger your back is.

 

[mountainman33]

Another thing I would add is: what does your range of motion look like? I've had clients work hard on making sure their elbows are coming all the way back as far as their shoulders/body will allow, or make sure the bar is making contact with chest/stomach, and seen great inprovements in size and strength. And are you keeping you shoulder blades pinned back through the entire exercise? If so, stop. Assuming your shoulders are healthy, utilize more ROM relaxing your shoulders on the eccentric, then pull them back as far and as hard as you can, along with your elbows. You should feel each rep more this way.

Have you tried Meadows Rows? Love those. They were a great addition to my back routine.

 

[ilcrba]

I have tried Meadow Rows before and they were pretty good. Today is pull day so I am going to try and put together some good exercises from those above. Also, I know Deadlifts are great for building muscle but when I do them my lower back gets very sore the next 2 days and makes squating harder. I do Push/Pull/Legs/Off split first 3 days heavy, second 3 are light, then repeat. Today is a lighter back day so should I still do deadlifts at a higher rep or should I just swap those out with something like Pendlay Rows or Power Cleans? I think I might switch the leg days so it would be Heavy Push, Heavy Pull, Light Legs, Off, Light Push, Light Pull, Heavy legs. This way I can do heavy DL then take it easy with squats, then next week I would do it easy on back so I can hit squats heavier.

 

[asooneyeonig]

I have tried Meadow Rows before and they were pretty good. Today is pull day so I am going to try and put together some good exercises from those above. Also, I know Deadlifts are great for building muscle but when I do them my lower back gets very sore the next 2 days and makes squating harder.

then your form either sucks or you need a stronger lower back. can you post a vid of your deadlifts?

 

[ilcrba]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXpIlMEz4ZM&feature=youtu.be

That was just recently.

 

[Famine]

I'm sure someone can find small adjustments to make from that, but overall, you made 315 look easy. The low back being sore isn't the end of the world. I mean, how sore we talking? Sore like you can't walk right? Or sore like you know you did deads? The latter is okay in my book. Work on low back and the posterior chain with some SLDL and hyper extensions (not all on the same day).

Also, I've read through this thread twice now. There is a lot of good information on here. Digest it and apply it, and you'll be pleased with the results.

 

[Bengal]

For dumbell rows I've done everything: 4x8, 5x15, 10x10, one single AMRAP set with the biggest dumbell my gym has, ect. Whatever. Just switch things up.

I'd recommend Pendlay Rows.

I highly recommend pendlay rows as well
And for pull-ups I use various grip widths. From as wide as I can go. To as close as hands touching each other

 

[Dustin07]

if you can deadlift 315 so easily why are you only doing sets of 5 pull ups? if you want to make your back explode with ILS do like 100 pullups. start with sets of 20 and end with whatever it takes to hit 100 reps. I'll go against the bodybuilder grain here and even suggest learning how to kip them or butterfly once you get it down. regardless of what people says, butterfly pull ups for 60ish reps make my lats explode.

and replace most of the cable moves with barbell moves as Famine said.

heavy bent over barbell rows for sets of 8-15.

heavy SNATCH grip bent over barbell rows.

hang power cleans, hang power snatch. etc. these things will all help.

 

[Snow3y]

Have you tried just mixing up the setup of your routine? as in starting with DL, or other exercises first? Perhaps adding in one or two other exercises that you're not used to?

Also, consider adding in more volume.. Usually when you're not seeing progress, it's because either your diets bad or your volume isn't enough

 

[mountainman33]

Just a heads up to the new guys, this thread is 2 years old.

 

[Dustin07]

yeah but we haven't evolved past the point of needing a good back pump yet. :lmao:

 

[TheMovement]

Whats a back pump lol

 

[Dustin07]

really?

 

[mountainman33]

Whats a back pump lol

really?

He's kidding around.

 

[TheMovement]

He's kidding around.

No way ive seen alot of talk about it now lol

 

[Dustin07]

hmmmm :stick:

lol

 

[MMAMONSTER19]

Everyone needs a good back pump

straight arm lat pulldowns 4x20 slow and concentrate
pull ups assisted 4x15 feel the stretch and contraction
heavy bb rows some hammer machine row
and my fave 7x12 Db rows alternating arms is rest have it gents :cheers: