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There is, without a doubt, a no more difficult area of the body to develop muscle size and strength, than in the muscles of the back.  Look no further than your local fitness facility where people of all levels, from beginner to advanced, exhibit inferior back development overall compared to some of the more “acknowledged” muscle groups – chest, biceps, triceps and deltoids.  Taking some time to observe individuals training this astonishingly complex part of the body, reveals that nearly everybody seems to be carrying out their back exercises completely differently – often to the point that you can’t even identify what exercise someone is trying to perform!  With so many self proclaimed ‘experts’, from those who write for magazines, to the average everyday gym-goers, or the generally under-schooled personal trainers, it is no wonder that those looking to obtain back width, thickness and overall development, often follow erroneous advice and end up training haphazardly.

We all like to do ‘advanced’ techniques, exercises and programs to help obtain that next level of muscle development.  However, as is often times the case, revisiting the fundamentals will not only help you make key additions to your training, but also, more importantly, correct some basic errors you may have been making for weeks, months or even years.  From anatomy, mechanics, physiology and the nervous system, training the back is not as easy as you originally thought.

The Anatomy of the Back Muscles

In the bodybuilding world, when we talk about back training, there is one principle muscle that receives the greatest attention for development: The “lats” (Latissimus dorsi) – and for good reason, the lats are the largest and broadest muscle on the posterior trunk.  The Latissimus dorsi span on each side, from the superior and medial part of the ilium (of the pelvis), the lower spine via the spinous processes of the lumbar spine and the lower thoracic spine – all the way up to attach to the lesser tubercle of the humerus after passing and attaching to the inferior angle of the posterior scapula.  This wide attachment area gives it a fan-shape, offering differing fiber directions and also several joints that ultimately provide countless options for training for various effects.

As far as joint function, the lat can do as follows (concentrically): glenohumeral extension, internal rotation and adduction; retraction, depression and downward rotation of the scapula; lumbar and thoracic extension, side-bend and rotation (both to the same side).  Understanding this large muscle’s capabilities at the joints, and potential force and movement at every one of these joints, will be crucial in exercise design and performance presented later in this article.

Other significant muscles of interest include: the Teres Major muscle (often called the lat’s little brother), which has attachment from the lower/lateral/posterior scapula, to the humerus along with the lat.  The Trapezius muscle, attaching from the thoracic/cervical spine/skull to the scapular spine and are separated into upper/middle/lower divisions. The ‘traps’ as a whole retract the scapula and can elevate/depress and upwardly/downwardly rotate based upon the division concerned – also, the Rhomboid (major/minor) muscles which attach from the upper thoracic vertebrae to the medial scapula.

What does the Anatomy tell you?

The locations and attachments of these muscles and their relationships give us an indication as to exercise selection, set-up, execution and the specific stimulation a particular exercise may offer.  Changing directions of resistance, from horizontal during a seated cable row, to vertical oriented resistance, as in a pull-down, will dramatically influence muscular activity in, not only the lats, but every other related muscle in the back.  Altering handle widths, grips, planes of motion, resistance profiles, joint positions and the individual’s intent will all play a key role in creating varying stimulation, therefore adaptation.

Choose Your Exercises Wisely

Obviously there are literally countless different exercises and variations you can choose to employ for a back workout.  However, it’s important to understanding precisely which exercises are appropriate for you, while disregarding ones that don’t fit with your current level of progression, or your very own mechanics.  For example, a novice bodybuilder without years experiencing very intense, heavy training, should not be copying the most ‘advanced’ techniques which are frequently marketed in mainstream magazines or bodybuilding culture.  There are no magic exercises.  There’s no such thing as a ‘top secret’ program.  Typically, the shortfalls in back training have nothing to do with changing exercises frequently or doing anything outside the box – they come from not executing the fundamentals with precision!  Once you get a firm handle on the basics – which are hardly ever emphasized in enough detail when teaching exercise – the vastly more effective all possible back exercises can become.  The size and strength every bodybuilder is looking for is found within the details!

The following errors and associated corrections will assist you in making more strategic, and less arbitrary, exercise decisions.

Mistake # 1: Ignoring Scapular Motion

This should be obvious to most people, but from what you traditionally notice during pulling motions in the gym, unfortunately it is from it.  Scapular motion during pulling exercises is typically only achieved through direct conscious effort, as opposed to the more naturally occurring scapulo-humeral-rhythm found in ‘pushing’ or ‘overhead pressing’ exercises.  Scapular motion will be key in influencing the mechanics of the lats, most importantly, by creating a better length-tension relationship within the muscle fibers while simultaneously making a more efficient line of pull.  In short, without minding the movement of your scapula, your lats aren’t producing the force you want them to.

When speaking of sagittal plane (arms moving along the side of your torso), rowing, such as cable rows, barbell rows, machine rows and even cable pullovers, then the associated scapular motion should be retraction (towards the spine) during the concentric (shortening) part of the exercise.  Retraction involves recruiting muscles such as the trapezius muscles and rhomboids to enhance contraction of the humeral extensors (lats, teres minor, posterior deltoid, triceps etc.)

As the plane of motion is altered, as in during rowing from high angles or pull-down / chin-up variations, scapular motion is still advised to match the plane of motion.  For example, during pull-downs while the arms are more vertically oriented, it is advised that the scapular motion be altered to remain in direct opposition.  In the case of the pull-down, the associated scapular motion would be downward rotation and depression.

Because retraction / depression of the scapula may seem unnatural for the novice athlete, it is advised that for at least a brief period of time, scapular motion be separated from the humeral motion entirely in the beginning.  Squeezing the scapulae in retraction or downward rotation / depression should occur first, than followed by the rest of the movement.  In time, once the motion has been adequately learned and strengthened, it should be encouraged that both components of the exercise be combined in one fluid motion.

Mistake # 2 – Not Choosing Your Handles Carefully

The traditional and most commonly used rowing handle in the gym, usually for the seated cable row attachment or for close-grip pull-downs, is inappropriate for most people.  The parallel grip handle at most facilities range from 4 to 6 inches in width.  With careful examination, even those without the broadest of shoulders will have a difficult time keeping their arms within the sagittal plane while approximating the handle towards the stomach.  Rowing exercises with handles too narrow for someone’s shoulder-width will promote a resistance to glenohumeral internal rotation, while simultaneously decreasing the available range of motion and resistance to glenohumeral extension and scapular retraction (the goal of the exercise).  Although, the lats do in fact internally rotate the humerus, they will not be able to shorten or produce tension to the same degree if brought back fully into extension.  In fact, a narrow handle will also limit full participation of the trapezius, rhomboids and posterior deltoids.

Choosing a parallel grip handle that is at least the width of the shoulders, if available, or a longer bar attachment with a pronated hand position, is almost always more suitable for overall back development.

Mistake # 3 – Lack of Concern for Trunk Stability

In the fitness and bodybuilding world we are often bombarded with many versions of conventional advice regarding safety and performance: “Lift heavier for more mass”, also, “maintain correct form”.  No two essential principals can be any more contradictory than when they are applied to back training.  Without adequate trunk stability and appropriate exercise selection for the progression of the individual, instituting one usually leads to sacrificing the other.

Postural stabilization, especially during back training, and using heavier loads, is a problem for most people.  Because of the nature of the majority of traditional back exercises (cable rows, dumbbell rows, barbell rows, t-bar rows, pull-downs, pullovers), whereby the load is not only providing resistance to the lats at the glenohumeral joint, but also to the entire trunk / spine and hips.  Inadequate trunk development (spinal erectors, abdominals etc.) and poor hip strength / endurance (glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps), will more often than not become a limiting factor in compound exercises, especially those in standing posture.

The most common response to using excessive weight during a rowing exercise, is spinal flexion during the eccentric phase of the movement.  This position can not only place unnecessary stress on the spine, but also takes eccentric load / tension off of the back muscles as was originally desired.  While rowing concentrically, the accompanying spinal extension also allows the spinal erectors to initiate the movement, thereby decreasing the resistance to the shoulder extensors and scapular retractors by means of breaking the inertia of the load.

Typically, motion at the hip or spine during rowing exercises should be eliminated for safety and effectiveness.  Any uncontrolled or excessive motion of the spine or hip that allow increases in load, will never benefit the muscles of the back.  Controlled motion at these joints may be used by advanced athletes for a specific goal or, occasionally, to strategically alter the resistance profile of the exercise (to be discussed later) – however, excessive or repetitive spinal motion under high loads increases risk, while much more rarely creating any benefit.

Progressing with exercises such as cable or machine rows (that offer chest padding), or lying prone on an incline bench, may be better options for those lacking trunk stability, than going with barbell rows or bent-over T-bar rows whose stability demands are far higher. Care should be taken when using single-arm rowing movements (dumbbells or cables), or pull-down exercises, so that additional spinal rotation isn’t incorporated during the movement.  This is most obvious during single-arm dumbbell rows where excessive trunk motion allows the individual to use more weight, while taking resistance off of the lats and other shoulder extensors.  Sometimes these unwarranted spinal motions are incorrectly justified using impractical reasons like, “getting a stretch out of the lats”. Because of the mechanical relationship of the lat fibers wrapping around the rib cage during the protraction of the scapula, and same-side rotation of the spine at the bottom of the motion, the resistance is aligned with the lower fibers similar to a pull-down.  However, during a properly performed pull-down to stimulate the lower fibers, the spine is put in far less jeopardy.  ‘Stretching’ the lat during the eccentric portion of the movement may also encourage undue passive lengthening of the muscle, thus potentially reducing its ability to generate tension.

Ultimately, if you do not possess the trunk stability necessary to do such highly praised exercises for “mass”, such as the infamous barbell row – consider re-evaluating your abdominal / trunk program in your current exercise routine.  Until you’ve achieved the prerequisite strength and stability for the hip / trunk region, you will likely benefit more from exercises that offer more restraint, such as machines.

Mistake # 4 – Disregarding Machines for Back Training

One of the biggest myths that still lives-on strongly in the gym, is that “machines are bad and free-weights are far better for mass building” – not so fast!  Machines can offer some of the best alternatives to free weight training for back than any other body part, maybe with the possible exception of leg training.  The reason? –  more strategic resistance profiles.  The resistance profile is simply the measure of where the resistance is hard and where it is easy throughout a range of motion.  Many cable and free-weight equivalents simply offer the same (or very close) resistance profile.  This is because the line of resistance in free-weight exercises is gravity.  Most free-weight exercises share the same relationship with gravity and the shoulder joint, thereby creating nearly the same resistance profile for the back muscles.  This is yet another reason why so much cheating takes place using free weights.  Most exercises end up with smaller a small resistance at the beginning (lengthened position) and a relatively large resistance at the end (lengthened position).  Keep in mind that as a muscle fatigues, it fatigues in the shortest position disproportionally – meaning it can’t produce as much tension to fight any resistance.

Machines are a wonderful opportunity to strategically vary your exercises.  Although not all machines and their manufacturers are created equal, identifying which machines give you a strategic edge in your exercise selection strategy will be crucial.  Try to distinguish machines which offer less resistance at the extremes of the range of motion (shortened and lengthened) to those which feel like they mimic free weights or cables.   Ultimately, machines for pull-downs, rows and pullover variations are great tools to more thoroughly fatigue the muscles of your back, more so than their free-weight or cable counterparts.

Mistake # 5 – Improper Hand Positioning on Pull-downs and Chin-Ups

When using pull-downs using a fixed bar, the grip-width that you use will most likely determine, not only your arm’s path of motion, but the effectiveness of the lat to develop tension throughout the range.  Too often, the false belief that ‘a wider grip will make your lats wider’ impairs technique and actually severely reduces the stimulation to the back muscles.

There are many options in as far as handles and grip width, therefore in planes of motion with pull-downs.  When dealing with the more common wide-grip, frontal plane (to the side of the body) pull-downs, the exact grip-width will be critical for its performance.  A wide bar will require that the hands be positioned at slightly less than the width of the elbows while the shoulders are abducted at 90 degrees when in the frontal plane.  Because the bar sets-up the arms to move in opposing arcs, too wide or too narrow will create issues with acquiring the greatest range of motion.  With hands too wide, range of motion is limited, both at the elbow and the shoulder, during both the shortened and lengthened end of the range of motion.  With hands too narrow, much of the range of motion will be displaced by the elbows and nearly all of the range of motion towards the shortened end will be limited at the shoulder.  In both these scenarios, further effort to lower the bar will often lead to moving the arms out of the plane (leading to internal rotation for example).  Limiting the resisted range of motion, and falling out of the plane of motion, of the exercise does not bode well for lat development.

Another option for those with mechanics that reduce ‘foldability’ during pull-downs (narrow shoulders, long arms) is to create parallel arcs using a shoulder width-grip.  This grip-width, using a handle traditionally used for rows (as long as it is at shoulder-width), will create motion in the sagittal plane, as opposed to the frontal plane wide-grip pull-down.  The sagittal plane pull-down usually works better for most individuals in terms of foldability and control, without sacrificing the lower fibers of the lat.

Other common mistakes with pull-downs and their variations include using an angle of resistance that is too high relative to the body.  Because most people’s available active range of motion is below 180 degrees (directly above them), variations that are ‘behind the neck’ or even those that are beyond someone’s active capabilities will not only create less than optimal fiber opposition of the lat, but also put excessive stress on joint structures. It is important to carefully monitor how much active shoulder flexion one has (raising the arm in the sagittal plane, or in line with the ear) before choosing pull-down angle.  Simply adjusting the leg pad and using the hip extensors to lean back as much as necessary, will create a more optimal angle for most people who cannot access 180 degrees of flexion.

Scapular motion (see above: mistake #1) is also often ignored during pull-downs.  It becomes imperative that scapular motion matches the plane of motion / resistance during pull-down variations for optimal stimulation.

Conclusion

This is by no means the last word on back training – far from it.  Having a well educated professional instruct you on proper exercise execution, technique, program planning and strategic progression over a sufficient period of time, cannot be replaced by simply reading a short article.  However, revisiting the fundamentals mentioned above and recognizing five of the most common mistakes in back training will – without a doubt – help you to soon realize the gains you may have been missing out on from the very beginning.