The Three Exercises You Need To Do When Sculpting Your Back

Deadlifting

Not only is this exercise essential for building a strong back, but it's one of the key exercises to building a strong overall body.

Compound exercises like deadlifts can greatly benefit your body. The reason is because they require multiple muscle groups to perform. This also means you can really hurt yourself doing compound exercises. It's very important to start light and work your way up. Sacrificing your form to feel good about extra weight on the bar is not worth the risk.

Start this exercise with the bar in front of you. Make sure the weights are secured with caps on both ends of the bar. Your feet should be about shoulder width apart. You want to reach down and grip the bar. For some people, they prefer using an overhand grip for their dominant hand and for the other, an underhand grip. You should grip the bar slightly on the outside of each leg.

One mistake that you can do is holding the bar too far out. You want to bring the bar all the way to your shins. Prepare for your pull by putting your butt down and keeping your head up. You then want to move up with the bar against your legs. Move from your squatted position to standing upright. Keep the same tight and controlled movement when you lower the bar back on the ground.

T-Bar Row

You can feel this exercise working your back. Many gyms offer a free weight machine for this exercise. It's also possible to perform T-bar rows with just a standard bar. You simply need to find a corner where you can secure one end of the bar.

The key to getting the most from this exercise is focusing all of the tension in your upper back. You shouldn't pull with your entire body during this exercise. That type of poor form is usually the result of attempting to use too much weight. You'll see the best results by completing full pulls with well controlled movements.

Dumbbell Rows

Many people avoid dumbbell rows because they don't know how to position their body. The best and most effective way to execute this exercise is to start with the dumbbells on either side of the bench. Put your left leg and hand on a bench. For support, extend your right leg back. Reach down on the right side of the bench and pick up the dumbbell with your right hand.

Keep your eyes forward as you perform each rep. Make sure you pull the dumbbell all the way up to get the full benefits of this exercise. Immediately switch to the left side as soon as you finish all your reps for the right.


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Zach Hunt is a Spokane Personal Trainer expert & owner of Physzique, a personal fitness coaching company helping people to look & feel great. Go to Spokane Personal Training for info on these services & more great fitness tips.