Targeting the Back

FrnkLft

Hey guys, I have been doing a 4-6 rep, 3 set workout routine for a few months now and I'm concerned with my back. Lower back is VERY easy to target because it's easy to isolate, but I'm more concerned with upper and middle back.

Most exercises where I can effectively hit the 4-6 rep max out range tire out my arms more than my back, and I'm concerned that I'm not being effective. What would you suggest?

Lower the weight so I can focus on hitting the back? Would it be worth the effort if the weight wasn't so heavy I could only complete 6 reps per set?

CariS001

What exercises are you doing? Are you really focusing on using your back muscles?

My go-to for back is pull ups/chin ups. But, if you're using your arms to pull you, you won't be getting the same effect. Try sitting and keeping your arms at your side. Then contract your mid and upper back muscles in the way you would to do a chin up (no arms). You will basically find that your shoulders are going down as you do that. Try that several times a day (heck, while at the computer works great), just to get you focusing on those muscles. Then apply that in your exercises.

bokodasu

What are you doing for your back now?

You might want to look into pre-exhaustion techniques. Basically, the idea is that you do your isolation work first and then your compound moves for the same area, so that when your assisting muscles fail, your main muscle is failing too instead of still being kind of fresh. Anyway, you'd want to research it, but it's something to try if you feel like you're not able to hit the muscle as much as it needs.

SweetHarmony81

Try face pulls for the upper back. It's a great exercise and can't cheat a lot with the arms
Also, any kind of row, esp seated cable rows or TRX rows are good.

But I agree, let us know what you do first...

CoachDreesTraining

- Loosen your grip
- Pull with your elbows (pinch your shoulder blades)
- use a pronated grip if you're currently using a supinated grip
- Stay as heavy as you can while keeping form (I would stick in the 6-10 rep range)

FrnkLft

- Lat Pulldown, Front
- Cable Row, Neutral Narrow Grip, Middle Height

- Weighted Hyperextensions (lower back but this one I hit easy)

JNick77

When we talk about the upper back, that is actually a pretty big generalization. If you think about, your upper back contains a large amount of muscle (rear deltoids, rhomboids, and the lat's.). While using some max effort work (1 - 5 reps) is good, some of these muscle groups can actually benefit from some higher-rep exercises.

If you want to focus on width you can do something like this, it actually can burn (not calories, but pain) quite a bit.

- Pull-ups / Chin-ups: 3-4 sets, max reps
**the following is one big set, so do each exercise one after the other, repeat for 3 to 4 circuits**
- Straight arm pull-downs with a rope @ 8-10 reps (use a weight that you know you're not cheating with, be strict on form)
- Kneeling straight-arm pull-downs with the same weight as above, max reps
- Kneeling rope rows, max reps
After this circuit you can always finish with a couple sets of traditional wide-grip lat pulldowns.

Focusing on thickness could be something like,
- Barbell rows from the floor: work to a 5-rep max
- Dumbbell rows: 2 - 3 sets, max reps use a weight that will allow a minimum of 15 reps on the first set. (greater for helping with your bench too)
- Cable rows with an under-hand grip: 3 - 4 sets 8 - 10 reps: Really focus on squeezing your shoulder blades back and holding it for 2 second before releasing and keep tension during the eccentric portion.
- Face Pulls (think somebody else said these too): 4 sets of 20, again focus on really squeezing your shoulders back and maintain tension through the eccentric.

Don't let the lift maximally (heavy) idea keep you from doing some higher volume work as well. Combining max effort lifting with higher-repetition work is very beneficial. Even powerlifters and strongmen do a fair amount of high volume work.

JNick77

When we talk about the upper back, that is actually a pretty big generalization. If you think about, your upper back contains a large amount of muscle (rear deltoids, rhomboids, and the lat's.). While using some max effort work (1 - 5 reps) is good, some of these muscle groups can actually benefit from some higher-rep exercises.

If you want to focus on width you can do something like this, it actually can burn (not calories, but pain) quite a bit.

- Pull-ups / Chin-ups: 3-4 sets, max reps
**the following is one big set, so do each exercise one after the other, repeat for 3 to 4 circuits**
- Straight arm pull-downs with a rope @ 8-10 reps (use a weight that you know you're not cheating with, be strict on form)
- Kneeling straight-arm pull-downs with the same weight as above, max reps
- Kneeling rope rows, max reps
After this circuit you can always finish with a couple sets of traditional wide-grip lat pulldowns.

Focusing on thickness could be something like,
- Barbell rows from the floor: work to a 5-rep max
- Dumbbell rows: 2 - 3 sets, max reps use a weight that will allow a minimum of 15 reps on the first set. (greater for helping with your bench too)
- Cable rows with an under-hand grip: 3 - 4 sets 8 - 10 reps: Really focus on squeezing your shoulder blades back and holding it for 2 second before releasing and keep tension during the eccentric portion.
- Face Pulls (think somebody else said these too): 4 sets of 20, again focus on really squeezing your shoulders back and maintain tension through the eccentric.

Don't let the lift maximally (heavy) idea keep you from doing some higher volume work as well. Combining max effort lifting with higher-repetition work is very beneficial. Even powerlifters and strongmen do a fair amount of high volume work.

For the Lat's I forgot to add Medicine Ball slams at like 5 sets of 20reps, they can be brutal with a heavy enough ball and a very fatigued upper back, especially lats.