Complex back exercises with a barbell: correct technique

Safety rules for performing back exercises

1. Perform back exercises in the gym only if there are no contraindications from a doctor (serious illnesses, injuries).
2. Back training in the gym must begin with a warm-up.
3. Follow the technique (it is better if an experienced trainer shows you all the exercises).
4. Increase the load gradually.
5. Avoid sudden movements.
6. At the first sign of discomfort or pain, stop performing back exercises in the gym and consult a doctor.

Shrugs

Shrugs are loaded shoulder raises performed to improve trapezius strength. This exercise is difficult for beginners, so experienced instructors recommend starting shrugs only after several months of intensive training. There are two techniques for performing shrugs, differing in the positions in which the actions are performed.

Standing shrugs

To perform a shrug in a standing position, you need to choose a projectile with a curved bar: such a barbell will reduce the load on the groin muscles and legs.

• To perform a shrug, you need to stand in the same way as when doing a deadlift with the barbell already in your hands.
• The exercise begins by raising the shoulders to the maximum possible height. The movement of the barbell is controlled exclusively by the trapezius; no other systems of muscle tissue are worked in the exercise.
• After reaching the top point, it is necessary to lower the projectile and repeat the cycle for several tens of seconds.

READ MORE: Squats with a barbell behind your back We study all the subtleties and secrets

When performing the standing shrug exercise, you should not make rotational movements with the muscles - this can lead to damage. If you do not have enough strength or preparation to complete several cycles, you need to attach stands to the lower position of the barbell and place the apparatus on them if the muscles cannot ensure that the apparatus is held in a given position.

Shrugs lying down

• The starting position is lying on a horizontal bench with your feet flat on the floor. The bar limiters are installed 10 cm below the level at which the point corresponding to full straightening of the arms at the elbow joints is located.
• With your hands shoulder-width apart, grab the apparatus and push it up, pressing your shoulders to the bench and squeezing your shoulder blades as much as possible.
• As you exhale, the shoulder blades move away from each other, and the shoulders rise from the bench.
• When you inhale, you return to the previous position.

When performing a prone shrug, you must pay special attention to the position of your head (tearing it and your upper back off the bench is prohibited).

Hyperextension for the back

To perform this exercise, you need a special back exercise machine. Well strengthens the muscles of the lumbar region. You need to take a position in the machine so that your ankles are under the lower rollers, and the upper roller is at hip level. So, you need to ensure that both your legs and your back are on the same straight line. Your hands can be held in front or behind your head. Slowly bend forward and return to the starting position. Hyperextension for the back is a very popular exercise for working the gluteal muscles.

Bent-over barbell row

Basic back exercises with dumbbells and a barbell train:

• trapezius muscles located in the upper back and neck;
• the latissimus dorsi muscles, which begin in the back of the armpits and go down to the waist;
• back straighteners (lumbar area), which do not affect the appearance, but stabilize the back in heavy basic exercises.

Basic exercises with a barbell give your back a beautiful tapered look and visually narrow your waist. Before performing them, you need to thoroughly warm up and warm up your body with 10 minutes of aerobic exercise (running, cycling, exercise on an elliptical). After training, do muscle stretching, which improves blood circulation, well-being and strength.

Deadlift

Pros use the exercise in mass training, but beginners don't need to get hung up on weights. The correct technique will give more effect than an additional 5 kg.

Deadlift Variations:

• Classic. Grab the bar with an overhand grip (shoulder-width apart) and straighten your arms completely. Do not relax your lower back muscles, arch your back, straighten your shoulders and chest. Bend your knees and move your pelvis back, smoothly squat and move the barbell down along your legs. Having reached the bottom point, tighten the back of your thighs and lift yourself up using the strength of your leg muscles.
• "Sumo". Come close to the bar, place your feet much wider than your shoulders and turn your feet out to the sides 45 degrees. Squat down so low that your straight arms can grab the bar (overhand grip). Direct your gaze forward and, as you exhale, rise up. You need to get up from a squat, and not just pull the barbell up.
• Romanian. Place your legs shoulder-width apart, feet parallel to each other. Grasp the bar with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder width, squeeze your shoulder blades together and slightly bend your knees. Move your pelvis back and move the bar down along your hips. The exercise is performed by pushing the buttocks back rather than bending over. At the lowest point, the bar should be approximately mid-calf. Lift the bar slowly with your hamstrings.

Can be performed with a regular or reverse grip, wide or narrow. Keep your legs slightly bent at the knees and your back at a 45-degree angle. Pull the barbell to your lower abdomen, pull your shoulders back. Raise your elbows higher.

Lie on your stomach on a bench (30-45 degree angle) and place your feet on the floor. Hold the barbell with straight arms perpendicular to the floor and lift it slowly upward, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Pause at the top and lower the projectile.

Place the desired weight on the bar and make sure that when you lift one end of the bar, the other end will rest firmly on the floor. Stand with the bar between your legs.

Grab the bar (you can use special handles) closer to the plates. The hands should be placed one after the other, and after the approach you can change hands.

Stand as if you were doing a bent-over barbell row and pull the weight towards you using your back muscles.

READ MORE: Push-ups on uneven bars - options and technique

Stand up straight, straighten your shoulders and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Holding the bar with an overhand grip, tighten your trapezius and deltoids and, spreading your elbows to the sides, smoothly lift the barbell up to your chin. The bar should move vertically and the shoulders should not move.

Lying on a horizontal bench, hold a barbell with straight arms above your head. The grip should be slightly narrower than the shoulders and the arms slightly bent at the elbows. Lower the barbell behind your head under control (just below parallel to the floor), without changing the angle of your elbows.

Slowly return to the starting position. This exercise usually completes a back workout. It perfectly expands the chest, can be performed by girls, and is especially effective for teenagers. You can use a dumbbell instead of a barbell.

Performed standing (Good Morning) or sitting. The bar should be placed on the back of the shoulders and the shoulder blades should be squeezed together. If you are doing it while standing, bend your legs slightly and push your hips back as you inhale. Lower your torso until it is parallel to the floor. In a sitting position (more suitable for beginners), try to lean closer to your feet.

Shrugs

Stand in front of the barbell (feet shoulder-width apart) and lift the weight as if you were deadlifting. Straighten your body. As you inhale, pull your shoulders up (shrug). Pause at the top.

Hold the bar with a grip slightly wider than shoulder width. Lower yourself into a half-squat and use an explosive force from your shoulder girdle muscles to lift the bar toward your chin (as in shrugs).

As soon as the bar stops moving up, change the position of your hands - bring your elbows forward (elbows pointing down) so that the bar rests on your palms. Do a slow deep squat, rise up and return to the starting position.

Women rarely perform the challenging exercise, but it is popular among men and competitive athletes.

Lee Haney Deadlift

The eight-time Mr. Olympia's exercise is similar to shrugs, but the weight is placed in the back. To perform the movement, you need to place your feet shoulder-width apart, move your pelvis slightly forward and slightly tilt your body.

Hold the barbell behind your back with slightly bent arms and lift the bar up, around your buttocks, to the level of your lower back. At the same time, make an upward movement with your shoulders and stay at the top point, prolonging the peak tension.

If you have little training experience, then compose the complex so that it contains movements in the horizontal and vertical plane. Consider the following points:

1. the back can be trained on the same day as the arms, shoulders, chest;
2. no matter what split you choose, different muscle groups are trained in the following sequence (from large to small): legs, back, chest, shoulders (deltoids), arms (biceps, triceps);
3. for the back, it is enough to perform 2-3 exercises in one workout;
4. if you lead a sedentary lifestyle, then you can do 6-8 sets of each exercise, and if the work involves physical labor - 3-4 sets;
5. to increase strength, perform 5-8 repetitions, and to grow and strengthen muscles - from 10 to 15;
6. start with heavy basic exercises and end with isolation exercises.

Every self-respecting man wants to have a big back. A big back is a manifestation of beauty and courage. Girls really like men with huge backs; as a rule, they say about such men: “Behind his wide back, like behind a stone wall!” These back exercises with a barbell will allow you to create that very stone wall.

The back muscles are divided into three sections, these are: the latissimus (give the back a V-shaped silhouette), trapezius (make the upper back, closer to the neck, massive and impressive) and long (give a strong corset for the spine). All these areas are collected together and there is one big back.

From this article you will learn how to pump each section separately using a barbell. Do everything correctly, maintaining perfect technique, and you will soon make your back wide and massive. Also, do not forget that before each workout you must do a warm-up.

Bent-over barbell row

Considered the most important basic exercise. Deadlifts can make your back thicker and more massive. It also engages the rhomboid muscles and lower trapezius. This exercise is a must-have in your training regimen if you want to have a rock-solid back. I recommend doing it at the beginning of your workout (first or second) while you have a lot of strength and energy.

• Bent-over barbell row with reverse grip

Similar to the first exercise, but the difference with the reverse grip row is that it can well load and work the lower part of the latissimus muscles. I recommend alternating rows with forward and reverse grips (performing these 2 exercises simultaneously in one workout is not advisable).

1. Deadlift

It is also a basic exercise. If you want to have a strong and powerful back, then be sure to include deadlifts in your training program. Recommendations: if your goal is strength and power, do the deadlift at the beginning of the workout; if the goal is a wide and thick back, do it at the end of the workout.

• Forward bends with a barbell

Another name for this exercise is good morning. Different techniques can load different muscles (either long ones or more glutes).

Since the topic is: back exercises with a barbell, that means we will analyze this exercise as a back exercise.

It works the long back muscles very well and makes a strong corset for the spine. I recommend doing this at the end of your workout.

1. Shrugs with a barbell

A fundamental basic exercise for the trapezius muscles of the back. Promotes muscle mass and strength gain. It affects the upper trapezius to a greater extent.

• Shrugs with a barbell behind your back

An assistance exercise that targets more of the trapezius, making it thicker and stronger. This exercise is optional. If your trapezius is not growing well, then perhaps you should add shrugs behind your back, but if everything is in order with your trapezius, then you can put off shrugs behind your back for later.

1. Parallel Grip T-Bar Row

Another type of deadlift with a barbell. This exercise allows you to better work out the middle sections of your back. It is very important to always keep your lower back arched (don't forget this).

• Low bar pull-ups

I included this exercise in this article because very often a barbell (free or Smith) is used as a crossbar. This exercise is perfect for beginners to prepare their muscles, ligaments and joints for more complex loads. The main load is shifted to the latissimus dorsi muscles. The work also includes: biceps, forearms, rear deltoids.

1. Best regards, Sergey Garbar

The following exercise is performed primarily to target the trapezius and latissimus dorsi muscles, while also working the biceps and rear deltoids.

• You need to prepare for the exercise as follows: place your feet at a comfortable distance and bend your knees.
• You need to start lifting the barbell with a straight grip of your hands, without bending them at the knee joints. To make it easier to lift the training apparatus, you need to lean towards the bar at an angle of approximately 30 degrees.
• After bending forward, you need to bend forward at the lower back and bring the barbell to the level of your knees, after which, using tension in the lumbar muscle tissue, the projectile is brought to the abdominal area. When performing a lift from the knees to the abdomen, you need to pay special attention to the work of the back muscles: many beginners make the mistake of lifting the barbell with their biceps, as a result of which the beneficial effect of the action is reduced to zero.
• After the barbell is raised to the level of the abdomen, it is necessary to fix it at the achieved height for a few seconds, after which the projectile is returned to the floor along the same path.

READ MORE: How to do the splits in a month, the best set of exercises

Pull-ups and rows of the upper block to the chest

To perform this you need a special exercise machine for the back (spine). Direct grip pull-ups are performed as follows:

• you need to grab the bar slightly wider than your shoulders;
• shoulders down, shoulder blades retracted;
• then pull your arms up so that your chin is higher than the bar;
• movements should be smooth, without rocking.

The pull-down of the upper block to the chest is performed according to the principle of pull-ups, but on a machine. You need to sit on the machine, take its handles and, with a wide grip, pull the handle towards you to chest level, bringing your shoulder blades together. Then smoothly return the handle back. The lower back must be arched during the exercise.

Low bar pull-ups

Somewhat easier to perform than regular pull-ups. Fix your hands on the bar with a “lock” grip. Head, legs and back in one straight line, heels to the floor. The arms need to be pulled to the bar so that the shoulders drop down and back, and the elbows are pressed to the sides and form a right angle. Then slowly return to the starting position.

In addition to all the listed exercises in the gym, you can do back strengthening at home, for this there are:

• exercise machines for spinal rehabilitation at home;
• spinal stretching machines;
• a device for stretching the spine on a horizontal bar.

Before using them, it is better to consult with an orthopedic doctor.