I’m back at it again (heh) with more instructional training videos and tips from my friend Munya of Precision Performance Coaching. This series (surprise, surprise) focuses on the best exercises for building a strong back. This series is divided into two parts – vertical and horizontal movements. In terms of a training plan you can definitely perform a mixture (or all) of these exercises from both.

So, you may have been sold on the booty building basics, but you may be wondering…why do I need to work on my back? Well first of all, the majority of us are spent slumped over computers or our phones for most of the day (did you just adjust your posture when your read that?), which leads to a less than ideal posture. Fixing your posture can also not only help you to look and feel more confident, but also avoid associated pain in other areas like your neck and shoulders.

Just as it’s important to strengthen your legs to help you easily get up and down when you’re older, it’s also important to build a strong back to support your spine and whole body.

Unless you’re a complete beginner to the gym, you’ll probably already be familiar with most of these exercises, but in this series Munya will take you through the correct form for each – which is super important! Performing exercises correctly not only ensures you’re properly engaging the right muscles for optimum results, but also is vital for preventing any injuries.

So, let’s get into it. This first part is all about vertical back movements, which as Munya mentions in the video targets mainly your lats.

 

Lat PulldownsLat Pulldown anatomy image

These are a great beginner back movement, and there’s also a few different variations (not all of which are shown here) you can do to target different muscles in your back as well as your arms too.

To perform/training tips (wide grip):

  • Place your grip slightly wider than shoulder width apart
  • Lean back slightly for better lat activation
  • Pull your shoulder blades down
  • Pull the weight down to the top of your chest
  • Focus on pulling your elbows behind you at the bottom of the movement

To perform/training tips (close grip):

  • Lean back slightly
  • Pull the weight down to the top of your chest
  • Stretch up at the top of the movement

Pull ups

Lat Pullups anatomy image

Being able to do a body weight pull up is definitely a common gym goal that most people have – regardless of their overall ultimate training and physique goals. Just like lat pulldowns, you can also adjust your grip to target different muscles.

To perform/training tips:

  • Before starting the movement, brace your core and bring your legs forward (to avoid swinging and “cheating”)
  • Pull your body up and then make sure you have a full stretch down at the bottom of the movement
  • If you’re starting out, use an assisted pull up machine or resistance band to build your strength up as you progress to body weight
  • For a slightly easier movement than the wide grip, and to incorporate more bicep work, perform close grip pull ups

 

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Author

Sophie is the owner and creator of The Beautiful Existence. A Melbourne based self proclaimed nerd, gym junkie and lover of all things creative, tasty and well designed!

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