help building back

jng

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so i guess my main goal for the next 2 months is to try and strengthen my back being as that it is my weakpoint. So heres the problem. Since only recently have i been training my back, all my other muscles have become much stronger than my back. I'm not sure if this makes any sense but its almost like i'm bicep dominant. Whenever i do rows pulldowns and chins i only hit my biceps. I kno your mostly supposed to hit biceps for chins but i'm not sure what i should do. I guess do more deadlifts than anything? But i have a reoccuring injury from muay thai so that pushes me back quite a bit for deadlifts. I'm looking to try and improve my row and pulldown form cause i must be doing something wrong..
 
suncloud

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the best thing you can do at this point is beat the snot out of your biceps - barbell curls, chins, hammer curls, then do back. you'll drop weights since you can't use your biceps, but you'll feel your back getting beaten into shape. try pull ups, t bar rows (squeeze your shoulder blades together), something will give if you beat your biceps down enough.
 
maurice02

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totally agree with suncloud. Also, use a straight bar with pull downs, and focus on lats. A lot of rowing should tighten you up quick. Try to max on weight too, and go for your last set with 6 - 8 reps.
 
Rodja

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Two things to focus on while training back: elbow position and shoulder blade and scapular adduction. The focus on your elbows should be to bring them back as far as possible while squeezing your scapulae together. Most poeple make the mistake of pulling with their wrist while training back, hence the bicep dominance during the lift.
 

jcp2

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Learning to use your back when lift is usually the last thing people learn imo. A great way to maximize back develpment when you are young is through deads, chins, and pullups. I am not sure who told you chins work your bis primarily, i barely feel them in the bis, make sure each rep starts from a dead hang. Pullups hurt my shoulders but i am going to start tring them with a wider grip. You also may need to drop the weight a little and work on feeling your back work. A great exercise for this is the long straight bar cable row with an overhand grip. For some reason when pulling this to just under my pecs i can really activate my back, moreso than any other cable movement. I was a 300 lb bencher at 16 with no back, i didn't start to develop one until i started deadlifting in my mid 20's. Try something like this

Chins 5x? don't go over 10-12 reps if you can add weight
wide bar cable rows overhand 3x12-15
deads 3x8

this is a little different than a normal back workout i would recommmend but see if you can actually recruit more back by doing this. T-bar rows also seem to work good if your low back is strong enough to support the weight properly. I would add them in as well at some point.

This is not out of a magazine, this is totally a few things that have worked for me over the years.
 

jng

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the best thing you can do at this point is beat the snot out of your biceps - barbell curls, chins, hammer curls, then do back. you'll drop weights since you can't use your biceps, but you'll feel your back getting beaten into shape. try pull ups, t bar rows (squeeze your shoulder blades together), something will give if you beat your biceps down enough.
thnx a lot guys i will definitely try this method and see if i get any results. I guess it all really relies on me getting the "feel" of how to row properly


I am not sure who told you chins work your bis primarily, i barely feel them in the bis
For chins, do you normally hang perpendicular to the ground? Or do you hand at an almost 45 degree angle to the ground? I read that doing that can hit the lats better
 
Usf97j4x4

Usf97j4x4

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Sounds like your form is crap. When doing chins/pull ups I try to imagine my hands simply as "hooks" hooking on to the bar and I try to utilize my back muscles and not rely on the arms. I use this same mental imagery for all back workouts. Trust me it works very well.

Weighted pullups/chins are one of the best back-builders. I would also do barbell rows (bent over row)

I dont get anything out of lat pulldowns... IMO pullups/chin ups are far superior.
 
Sprawl

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Two things to focus on while training back: elbow position and shoulder blade and scapular adduction. The focus on your elbows should be to bring them back as far as possible while squeezing your scapulae together. Most poeple make the mistake of pulling with their wrist while training back, hence the bicep dominance during the lift.
x2. Focus on pulling the elbows in rather than the hands down (for pullups/pulldowns).
 

STL1CJG

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After you have exhausted your back, end the workout with 4 sets of deadlifts. I would get definition with rows, pull ups...etc...but deadlifts create thick backs. I see alot of guys doing deadlifts at the beginning of their workout. That is fine because a deadlift is a core excersice that you work off off, much like a squat is to the legs, but it is a tiring excersice that sends me to the steam room every time. I switched up and put'em at the end and saw much better results in overall mass of my back. use good form. It worked for me!
 

jdev

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If you find your biceps doing most of the work, focus your attention on your back and try to work it the most. Squeeze your shoulder blades down and flare your lats when you do the exercise. Try Pendlay rows if you havent already, They are one of my favorite exercises for back. Also try doing both a Back Width and Back Thickness exercise every workout. look up DC for more info on that
 
RenegadeRows

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Two things to focus on while training back: elbow position and shoulder blade and scapular adduction. The focus on your elbows should be to bring them back as far as possible while squeezing your scapulae together. Most poeple make the mistake of pulling with their wrist while training back, hence the bicep dominance during the lift.
Great advice.
 

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