Back is also one of the largest and complex muscle groups, which requires a high degree of focus and attention to detail while training it. When training back implementing a wide variety of exercises helps dramatically to make you back complete and well developed. Chest, shoulders, and arms are by far the most popular muscles to train, but the true sign of a beast in the gym is a massive, well-defined back.If you want a wide, thick, and strong back, then you want to do these machine exercises and workouts.
Assisted Pull-Up Machine
The assisted pull-up machine is literally designed to assist you in pulling yourself up, allowing you to focus on mastering form and completing reps. As you get stronger, progressively decrease the amount of assistance. Eventually you can start knocking out full pull-ups on your own.
Try to focus on the negative for building strength, using barely enough assistance to help you lift yourself back up for each repetition. Stay in the 8-10 rep range for 3-4 sets to build strength and mass while you work on form.
Pull-Over Machine
The pullover is primarily performed as a latissimusdorsi exercise. Lats for short, these are the large fan-shaped muscles that extend from your armpits down toward your lower back and hips. In addition to your lats, pullovers strongly stimulate your triceps located on the rear of your upper arm and also your pectoralis major or pecs.
The muscles between your shoulder blades -- the middle trapezius and rhomboids -- work very hard to keep your shoulder girdle stable during pullovers and your posterior deltoids or rear shoulder muscles provide a final push as you drive your elbows down and back.
T-Bar Row
Many trainers forget the T-bar row is technically a machine movement. There is a pivot point preventing you from having total control of the weight, so it is not a "free" weight. Whether you shove the end of a bar in a corner or use a landmine or a station, the T-bar row is an excellent exercise to go heavy on.
If you use the free-standing version without the pad to lean on, your lower back benefits as well as your lats. Using a horizontal grip also targets the rhomboids, teres major, mid traps, and rear delts.This is a chance to go super heavy on a row, so don't be afraid to pack on the weight and drop down to a 5x5 set-and-rep scheme to add massive weight and volume to your workout.
Low Seated Row
One should try low version of the row machine because you can use different attachments to serve different purposes. The rope can help you pull in tighter and get a better contraction, the wide handle helps develop the upper back, and the close-grip handle helps you focus on the lats.The low seated row is a versatile option for targeting any back-training weakness, so let it serve you in developing a well-balanced upper body.
Maintain your posture. It's easy to try to throw momentum into the seated row, but a stable spine guarantees you isolate those back details. Work in that same 8-10 rep range, but keep that extra squeeze on the contraction and slow negative to maximize all this machine has to offer.
Back Extension Machine
If you want to work on that Christmas tree in the lower back, this is a great choice for isolating that area. If you suffer from lower back issues, this exercise can also help you strengthen that area while keeping you safe in a fixed line of movement.
You may not get the big muscle pump that you get from working your other major back muscles, but the lower back is not something to be ignored. Developing this area can help you reach your physique and performance goals.
CLOSE GRIP LAT PULLDOWN
Sit down on a pull-down machine with a wide bar attached to the top pulley. Make sure that you adjust the knee pad of the machine to fit your height. These pads will prevent your body from being raised by the resistance attached to the bar.Grab the bar with the palms facing forward using the prescribed grip. For a wide grip, your hands need to be spaced out at a distance wider than your shoulder width. For a medium grip, your hands need to be spaced out at a distance equal to your shoulder width and for a close grip at a distance smaller than your shoulder width.
As you have both arms extended in front of you - while holding the bar at the chosen grip width - bring your torso back around 30 degrees or so while creating a curvature on your lower back and sticking your chest out. This is your starting position. As you breathe out, bring the bar down until it touches your upper chest by drawing the shoulders and the upper arms down and back. Again I've selected cables and not body weight/ weighted pull ups is to ensure correct form, and to ensure that positive and negative parts of the movement are controlled.
Straight-Arm Pulldown
The straight-arm pulldown is a rarity in the back-exercise arsenal in that it’s essentially a single-joint movement. In other words, unlike compound rowing-type moves that call on assistance muscles to complete a lift, the straight-arm pulldown pinpoints the lats as the main mover. This makes it a versatile addition to round out almost any back routine. In addition to being a welcome single-joint option, this pulldown also is versatile during a workout. It can be used as a heavy-weight strength-building exercise on its own or it can be used in pairing with a number of compound exercises as the tail end of a superset.
Stand behind the bench of the lat pulldown machine with your feet shoulder-width apart. Grasp the lat bar with your hands shoulder-width apart. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, contract your lats to pull the bar straight down toward your thighs. Hold that contraction for a moment, then return the bar to the start position.
Try to focus on the negative for building strength, using barely enough assistance to help you lift yourself back up for each repetition. Stay in the 8-10 rep range for 3-4 sets to build strength and mass while you work on form.
Pull-Over Machine
The pullover is primarily performed as a latissimusdorsi exercise. Lats for short, these are the large fan-shaped muscles that extend from your armpits down toward your lower back and hips. In addition to your lats, pullovers strongly stimulate your triceps located on the rear of your upper arm and also your pectoralis major or pecs.
The muscles between your shoulder blades -- the middle trapezius and rhomboids -- work very hard to keep your shoulder girdle stable during pullovers and your posterior deltoids or rear shoulder muscles provide a final push as you drive your elbows down and back.
T-Bar Row
Many trainers forget the T-bar row is technically a machine movement. There is a pivot point preventing you from having total control of the weight, so it is not a "free" weight. Whether you shove the end of a bar in a corner or use a landmine or a station, the T-bar row is an excellent exercise to go heavy on.
If you use the free-standing version without the pad to lean on, your lower back benefits as well as your lats. Using a horizontal grip also targets the rhomboids, teres major, mid traps, and rear delts.This is a chance to go super heavy on a row, so don't be afraid to pack on the weight and drop down to a 5x5 set-and-rep scheme to add massive weight and volume to your workout.
Low Seated Row
One should try low version of the row machine because you can use different attachments to serve different purposes. The rope can help you pull in tighter and get a better contraction, the wide handle helps develop the upper back, and the close-grip handle helps you focus on the lats.The low seated row is a versatile option for targeting any back-training weakness, so let it serve you in developing a well-balanced upper body.
Maintain your posture. It's easy to try to throw momentum into the seated row, but a stable spine guarantees you isolate those back details. Work in that same 8-10 rep range, but keep that extra squeeze on the contraction and slow negative to maximize all this machine has to offer.
Back Extension Machine
If you want to work on that Christmas tree in the lower back, this is a great choice for isolating that area. If you suffer from lower back issues, this exercise can also help you strengthen that area while keeping you safe in a fixed line of movement.
You may not get the big muscle pump that you get from working your other major back muscles, but the lower back is not something to be ignored. Developing this area can help you reach your physique and performance goals.
CLOSE GRIP LAT PULLDOWN
Sit down on a pull-down machine with a wide bar attached to the top pulley. Make sure that you adjust the knee pad of the machine to fit your height. These pads will prevent your body from being raised by the resistance attached to the bar.Grab the bar with the palms facing forward using the prescribed grip. For a wide grip, your hands need to be spaced out at a distance wider than your shoulder width. For a medium grip, your hands need to be spaced out at a distance equal to your shoulder width and for a close grip at a distance smaller than your shoulder width.
As you have both arms extended in front of you - while holding the bar at the chosen grip width - bring your torso back around 30 degrees or so while creating a curvature on your lower back and sticking your chest out. This is your starting position. As you breathe out, bring the bar down until it touches your upper chest by drawing the shoulders and the upper arms down and back. Again I've selected cables and not body weight/ weighted pull ups is to ensure correct form, and to ensure that positive and negative parts of the movement are controlled.
Straight-Arm Pulldown
The straight-arm pulldown is a rarity in the back-exercise arsenal in that it’s essentially a single-joint movement. In other words, unlike compound rowing-type moves that call on assistance muscles to complete a lift, the straight-arm pulldown pinpoints the lats as the main mover. This makes it a versatile addition to round out almost any back routine. In addition to being a welcome single-joint option, this pulldown also is versatile during a workout. It can be used as a heavy-weight strength-building exercise on its own or it can be used in pairing with a number of compound exercises as the tail end of a superset.
Stand behind the bench of the lat pulldown machine with your feet shoulder-width apart. Grasp the lat bar with your hands shoulder-width apart. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, contract your lats to pull the bar straight down toward your thighs. Hold that contraction for a moment, then return the bar to the start position.
