Best Exercises for your Back

If you ask gym members how many times they have exercised their back muscles, you will be surprised at the answer. Most do not even bother with the back since they would rather concentrate on building great looking biceps, chests and abs. The problem is that a strong back is essential for your overall health and makes it much easier to work out on your other muscle groups. It is important to try and get the best exercises for your back especially if you have a weak back.

It is very important to work your back muscles and this may have nothing to do with aesthetic appeal. You use your back for each and every activity in your life. Anyone with a weak back has problems dealing with all daily activity. Having a strong back also helps you add muscle mass to your upper body and since the back is composed of huge muscles, you are able to burn more calories in the gym.

Best Lower Back Exercises

The erector spinae is the muscle you are targeting with lower back exercises. It is the muscle right above your bum. Get on your stomach and start doing extensions. With your hands behind your head, lift the chest off the ground. If you wish to have more intensity, then lift your legs as well. It is that simple. You can add the back extension on a ball as well as reverse hyper extension on the ball you add variety to your exercise.

If you wish to work nearly all the lower back muscles at the same time, then consider the dead lift. There might not be a better exercise for your lower back muscles than the simple dead lift. It will work all your lower back muscles and also use a lot of your calories. It also allows you to work on other parts of your body at the same time.

Best Upper Back Exercises

We all wish to look like professional lifters who have wings. The old fashioned lat pull down will be the best choice. It gives you those thick and wide back muscles. Sit on the pull down machine, having your thighs under the pads and your feet on the floor. Hold the bar in a shoulders wide grip and while keeping your arms straight, pull the bar down towards the thighs. Doing this will greatly improve your back muscles.

If you are thinking of building your trapezius muscles, then the shrug is the best exercise. The trapezius are the muscles just behind your neck and stretch down your back a bit. You will look good when they are worked out and are necessary for overall back muscle strength. Lift a dumbbell or barbell off the floor and shrug your shoulders for a number of sets. You can alternate the shrug from clockwise to anti clockwise. Adding more weight to the shrugs also gives you more grip strength over time.

If you have more workout time think about adding a bent over row, good mornings, one armed rows etc to your workout. If you spend as much time on back exercises as you do on your other muscle groups, it can only be a positive thing as you will be healthier and fitter in the long run. Ignoring your back muscles for the sake of biceps or chest muscles will only lead to a weaker body and no one needs that.

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