Another member PMed me about my back routine- I feel the information would be useful so I'm reposting it here:
These days my back routine consists of three or four excercises with about 12 to 14 sets in total.
I do different exercises everytime I work my back to keep it "guessing". If you do the same exercises all the time your muscles get used to the routine and stagnate.
But my workout does follow a pattern:
First exercise is a wide grip pulling excersise- either wide grip chin-ups, or wide grip pulldowns. 4 sets.
The second exercise is where I really go heavy and use a lot of weight. They are mid back (across your shoulder blades) excercises- either T-Bar machine rows using a semi-wide grip:
Or T-Bar rows off the floor using a close grip:
Third exercise is for my lower back/lats with close grip. Usually seated rowing or single dumbbell rows (or some variation like close grip pulldowns, or using a rowing machine one hand at a time). this excercise is three sets.
With dumbbell rows there is a bit of a trick to doing them-
Most people do them this way bringing the dumbbell up somewhere between their chest and ribcage. I believe this is
wrong. The exercise is meant for your lower lats- so you need to bring the dumbbell back further to your hip-
This is the correct position. When doing this it helps to think like you are starting the motor of a gas lawn mower.
I also see people using poor form by having the weight swing back and forth kinda like a pendulum when they do the excercise. You might be able to use a heavier weight (which will build nothing but your ego)- but really you are not using your muscles; you are using momentum to get the weight up.
And if I feel like it I add a forth shaping excercise. It is always straight arm pulldowns- three sets:
This is done with a grip just a bit wider than your shoulders. I tend to lean forward a bit more than what is shown in the demo picture above. More like this:
That's my back workout! However I am blessed with great back genetics (not trying to blow my horn here)- my back is my best bodypart in that it easily responds to very little excercise and always looks big and lean. People ask me what I do for my back and when I say 12 to 14 sets they exclaim
That's it!?! Mind you I've also been working out for 18 years- so I really don't need a lot to stay in shape.
My worst is probably my shoulders- they look great from the side, but straight on they look narrow. Even when I competed my shoulders looked wimpy from the front.
Hope this helps! Train hard Marines!