Put Your Back Into It: How to effectively build strength in your back!

Getting a chiseled torso means you can’t neglect the back half of it. For many fitness fanatics, targeting their back muscles can be a little difficult as many of the exercises are a bit unintuitive. At Kennedy Fitness our personal training in South Jersey can help you find the exercises that burn and sculpt your lats, but here are a few exercises to get you started.

Area 1: Upper-Outer Lats 

Running from just below your shoulders to near the bottom of your rib cage, your outer lats define your back profile. They are most easily targeted using wide-grip pulling exercises. Wide-grip overhand pull ups set those lats on fire while wide-grip bent over rows sculpt them to perfection.

Area 2: Lower Lats

Running parallel to the upper abs, lower lats help to construct a tighter core, supporting the upper body. Lower lats can be activated using a close-grip, as opposed to the wider grip employed to activate outer lats. Reverse-grip pulldown with a tight grip is particularly effective at activating the lower lat muscle group, especially when the bar is brought to the top of the chest and the shoulder blades are squeezed.

Area 3: Middle Back

Known for creating thickness in the back, the middle back fills in the area of muscle from the outer lats to the interior of the shoulder blades. One arm dumbbell row grows the middle back, isolating one side at a time for a concentrated exercise. Close-grip seated row is effective at shredding the back, allowing for greater weight to be used on the muscle group.

Area 4: Lower Back

Running along the top of the glutes, lower back is an important muscle group to train as many lifters and athletes injure the muscles attempting other exercises. Straight-leg deadlifts are among the most effective exercises for the group, along with good mornings and back extensions. It should be noted that, particularly when training the lower back, heavier weights that the body is unprepared for can easily result in injury.

When training your back, it’s important to stay limber and flexible, a good reason to check out some of our yoga classes in South Jersey.