Back
Deadlift
The deadlift is a highly effective compound exercise that engages both your lower and upper body. Compound exercises involve multiple joints and larger muscle groups, making them ideal for building strength and maximizing workout efficiency. Incorporating compound movements like deadlifts, squats, and rows into your workout routine can help you achieve better results in less time.
Bent Over Row
Take hold of a barbell using an overhand grip, placing your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
Maintain a slight bend in your legs, engage your core, and ensure a straight back. Shift your hips backward, positioning your torso at an almost perpendicular angle to the floor.
Initiate the rowing motion, pulling the weight in an arcing trajectory towards your hips.
Pause momentarily and contract your shoulder blades together while keeping your shoulders relaxed, away from your ears.
Gradually return to the starting position, reversing the movement in a controlled manner.
Benefits
Enhanced Muscle Mass
The bent-over row is a compound exercise that targets multiple muscle groups, making it an effective choice for promoting muscle growth. When incorporated into a progressive overload resistance training program, it can lead to significant gains. These gains extend beyond mere aesthetics. According to an article published in Current Sports Medicine Reports, resistance training can offer additional benefits such as:
Reduction in body fat
Increase in basal metabolic rate
Lowering of blood pressure
Improvement in blood lipid profiles
Enhanced glucose tolerance
Alleviation of lower back pain
Improved Bone Density
While it may not be the most exciting advantage, improving bone density is crucial for long-term health. A review published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise suggests that resistance training may be superior to aerobic training in terms of promoting bone health. The review also highlights that numerous studies conducted over the past decade have consistently demonstrated a positive correlation between resistance training and bone density. Maintaining optimal bone density becomes increasingly important as we age, as bones with lower density are more prone to fractures.
Potential Relief from Lower Back Pain
There is evidence supporting the idea that strengthening the posterior chain can help alleviate lower back pain. A recent study published in Sports Med Open compared a resistance training program focused on strengthening the posterior chain to general exercise. The study concluded that resistance training was more effective in reducing pain and improving muscle strength in individuals with chronic low back pain when compared to general exercise.
Pull Ups
Hang on the pull-up bar of your Power Rack or Squat Rack to perform pull-ups. If your rack doesn't have a pull-up bar, raise the uprights as high as possible and place a barbell in the uprights to hang from. Alternatively, you can use a doorway pull-up bar if you don't have a Power Rack. Once you have a bar to hang from, follow these five simple steps to ensure proper form while doing pull-ups:
Grip the Bar: Grab the bar with a shoulder-width grip, using a full grip with your palms facing down.
Hang: Bend your knees and raise your feet off the floor, allowing your body to hang with straight arms.
Pull: Initiate the pull-up by pulling your elbows down towards the floor while keeping them close to your body.
Pass the Bar: Continue pulling yourself up until your chin passes the bar. Avoid doing partial repetitions; strive for a full range of motion.
Repeat: Lower yourself all the way down until your arms are straight, breathe, and then perform another pull-up.
If you currently lack the strength to perform a full pull-up, you can work on negatives. Stand on a bench or use the safety pins of your Power Rack to get your chin over the bar. Slowly lower yourself down, and then jump back up for the next repetition. You can also loop a resistance band around your leg to assist you in the upward phase. Alternatively, you can ask someone to hold your legs and provide assistance. However, avoid relying too heavily on assisted pull-up machines. The most effective way to get stronger at pull-ups is to practice doing pull-ups.
Lat Pulldown
Sit in a comfortable position on the pulldown seat, ensuring that your feet are flat on the floor. Check the height of the bar and make any necessary adjustments by modifying the chain or cable supporting the bar or adjusting your seat height. If needed, seek assistance from a gym trainer to help with the adjustments.
The bar should be positioned at a height where your arms can comfortably reach and grasp it without the need to fully stand up, while still allowing for a full range of motion. If the pulldown station includes a thigh pad, adjust it so that your upper thighs are securely positioned under the pad. This will provide additional support when exerting effort on the bar.
Grasp the bar with a wide overhand grip, with your knuckles facing upward. While there are other possible positions and grips, begin with this standard grip.
Pull the bar down until it reaches approximately chin level. Exhale as you perform the downward motion. While it is acceptable to shift slightly backward, aim to keep your upper torso stable. Keep your feet flat on the floor and engage your abdominal muscles as you pull. The bottom of the motion should be reached when your elbows can no longer move downward without shifting backward. Ensure that you stop at this point and do not go any lower.
Squeeze your shoulder blades together while maintaining a squared shoulder position.
From the bottom position, where the bar is close to your chin, slowly and controlledly return the bar to the starting position, ensuring a gradual ascent. Avoid allowing the bar to crash into the weight plates.
Benefits
This exercise primarily focuses on the latissimus dorsi, commonly known as the "lats." The lats are located beneath the armpits and extend across and down the back. By isolating the back muscles through this exercise, you can specifically target them without overly fatiguing the biceps or triceps.
Targeting the back muscles is crucial for maintaining proper posture and facilitating pulling movements, such as opening a door, starting a lawnmower, swimming, or even performing a pull-up. Developing strong lats can also contribute to alleviating certain types of back pain.
V-Bar Row
Set up a rowing machine with a V-bar attachment and take a seat on the bench. Place your feet on the footrest and keep your knees slightly bent.
Grasp the V-bar with your palms facing forward, ensuring a comfortable grip.
Lean back while extending your arms, creating a 90-degree angle between your waist and legs. Gently arch your back to allow your chest to protrude. This will be your starting position.
Keeping your torso stationary, exhale as you pull the V-bar towards your body until it reaches near your chest.
Hold the contracted position for a moment, engaging your back muscles, and then inhale as you slowly return the V-bar to the starting position.
Repeat this movement for a complete set of repetitions.
The movement is the same just use V-Bar
Back Extension
First, adjust the machine: Ensure the top pad is snugly positioned against the top of your thighs.
Step onto the machine and position yourself with your feet shoulder-width apart, placing your upper thighs against the top pad.
Let your upper body hang off the edge of the machine, crossing your arms over your chest or placing your hands behind your head.
If desired, hold a weight plate against your chest or a barbell across your shoulders to add extra resistance.
Prepare to lift: Take a deep breath in, and as you exhale, activate your lower back muscles to raise your upper body until you achieve a straight line.
Maintain this position for a moment, then inhale as you gradually lower your upper body back down to the starting position. Ensure your movements are deliberate and controlled, avoiding any swinging or reliance on momentum.
Benefits
The back extension exercise provides numerous advantages for individuals aiming to enhance their strength and overall fitness, particularly in terms of spinal flexibility, posture, and lower body function.
Increased strength in spinal extensors: The back extension specifically targets the erector spinae muscles, which are responsible for maintaining an upright posture. When you raise your upper body during this exercise, these muscles are activated to keep your back aligned and strong.
Enhanced spinal flexibility and control: Regularly performing back extensions can enhance your spinal flexibility, leading to a more comfortable posture and reducing the risk of back pain and injuries. By engaging the muscles along your spine and lifting your upper body, you actively stretch and strengthen the muscles, resulting in improved mobility throughout your entire spine.
Diversification from neutral spine training: While exercises like deadlifts or squats often emphasize maintaining a neutral spine position, it's important to acknowledge that in real-life situations, we frequently bend our spines under load. Allowing for controlled spinal movement in the back extension exercise prepares and strengthens your back for these everyday scenarios, contributing to a more resilient and healthy back.