Best Back Exercises

By Mike Caton


The back has many functions and therefore several muscles that should be targeted when exercising the back. This article will highlight these movements and exercises.

Pulling the arms down from an elevated position. This movement uses the large latissimus dorsi muscles that wrap from your mid back around your side. They are responsible for the V shape of the back. Exercises that accomplish this movement are: Pull Ups, Chin Ups and Pull Downs in any variation. Note: images for all these exercises can be found here.

Taking the arms backward from a neutral placement. This movement is normally referred to as a rowing action. The muscle tissues which are for the most part associated are the latissimus dorsi along with the teres muscles, spinatus muscles along with the rhomboids. Some of the exercises that achieve this activity and focus on these particular muscles are: Rows, One-Arm Row and also Low Pull.

Pulling the arms back while in an elevated position. This is the least common of all the shoulder movements. It would require having the arms elevated in front of you and then to pull the arms back while keeping them elevated. There are very few movements in life that do this except for the sport of rowing. During this activity, your elbows are kept high as opposed to the row exercise where your elbows are at your sides. Exercises that simulate this movement and work these muscles are the same as for the standard row exercises, but while maintaining elevated elbows.

Shrugging or raising your shoulders. This is certainly a very common and practical action. The trapezoid muscles are the main mover. Any one of the assorted shrug exercises will target .

Extending the Spine. This is taking the spine from a bent over position to a neutral position. The muscles that accomplish this are the erector spinae muscles. A few of the exercises that use these muscles are Back Extensions on a Ball or Roman Chair and leaning forward while on a rowing machine.

While exercising your back, make sure to select exercises that target each of these movements in order to have a complete, strong back.




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