The Ultimate Back Workout

What's the best back workout, hands down, for building a bigger, stronger back?  Read on to find out....

Many would-be gym rats often make the major mistake of focusing solely on the "mirror" muscles - i.e. the chest and biceps.  As a result, these trainees often neglect the musculature of the back (and to their detriment I might add).  By overemphasizing the chest, an imbalanced ratio of pushing-to-pulling arises, thus leading to a host of shoulder injuries down the road.  

Beyond the unhealthful implications of eschewing back work (think hunched shoulders and chronic scapular depression), many unfavorable anatomical/physique oriented issues arise as well (imagine having a rock hard chest, but a soft, undefined back).  

If having a strong, muscular, well-defined back interests you, the following information will enlighten you beyond your wildest dreams (in which case, you likely have some pretty boring dreams).

ANATOMY OF THE BACK

Since the musculature of the back, in its entirety, certainly entails a complex array of varying muscle fibers, I, admittedly, have oversimplified its anatomy below.  Nevertheless, I think if we put our greatest effort into training these particular components of the back, we'll inevitably succeed in achieving our goal - i.e. a ripped-to-shreds back!

Most people would categorize the back muscles into the following 4 sections:  1) the latissimus dorsi; 2) the lower trap fibers; 3) the mid trap fibers; & 4) the upper trap fibers.

1.

2.

3. 

4. 

A comprehensive back workout will hit all of these components of back anatomy, but, more importantly, this back workout will be concise.  So what would such a workout entail?

• The exercises used will optimally target each component of the back that I've pictured above.
• The exercises will be done with sufficient volume and intensity to optimally grow type II muscle fibers.
• The workout will be short, sweet, and to the point.

THE OPTIMAL BACK WORKOUT

The exercises I entail below, I've picked for a number of reasons:  EMG data (EMG data is from here - the credentials of the guy I got this info from can be found here), anecdotal reports, and my personal experience. 

1. Deadlift: 4 sets of 3-5 reps.  Deadlifts are, hands down, one of the best back builders of all time!  They'll work the upper and mid traps, your grip strength, your spinal erectors, your lats, your glutes, your hamstrings, your core, the sternal head of your pecs, and....on and on forever!  Rack pulls are quite good too. I know the rep scheme for this lift is different from what I prescribed for chest and shoulder workouts, but trust me, if you can do more that 3-5 reps on deadlifts, you're not lifting with enough weight!  If you're grip starts giving out, switch to using a mixed grip, or use straps.
2. DB Bent-over Row:  4 sets of 4-8 reps.  This is a great exercise for hitting the mid and lower traps.
3. Chin-up:  4 sets of 4-8 reps.  This exercise is great for hitting both the lats and your biceps!  Anecdotal evidence, and EMG data suggest that chins (done with a supinated grip) will hit the biceps harder than curls!
4. Chest Supported DB Row:  4 sets of 4-8 reps.  Like the DB bent-over row, this exercise will also target the mid and lower traps; though it will likely put a greater emphasis on the lower traps, whereas the DB bent-over row will better target the mid traps.

Notes - 

• Warm-up with 1 set of 8 reps at 50% of your target work weight, then do 1 set of 6 reps at 50%, 1 set of 3 reps at 75%, and finally 1 set of 1 rep at 90%.  Rest 1 minute between warm-up sets, and rest 2 minutes before beginning your first work set.  Only do this for the flat bench press (your chest will be plenty warm for the remaining exercises).
• Rest about 2-3 minutes between work sets.
• Once you can get the top number of reps for a given exercise, add 5-10lbs of weight, and work with that weight until you can reach the top number of reps again.

NOW GET TO THE GYM AND START PUTTING THIS KNOWLEDGE TO PRACTICE!!!