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It
never ceases to amaze me how incredibly misguided the vast
majority of the population is in the gym. Everyone is
desperate for that wide, powerful and muscular physique, yet
very few understand how to properly channel their efforts to
get there.
For most aspiring
lifters, it's all about building a huge chest and arms. Week
after week they slave away on endless sets of bench presses
and barbell curls in search of the rippling muscle gains
they want so badly.
Not surprisingly,
those gains never appear in any significant form. |
While a well developed
chest and arms is clearly an important part of any complete
physique, the truth is that these muscles only play a small role
when compared to a much larger, much more intricate muscle group
that most people severely neglect in their training programs.
I am, of course, talking
about the major muscles of the back: the lats, traps, spinal
erectors, rhomboids and lower back.
It's obvious why most
lifters neglect these all-too-important muscles…
1) The
back is not a “showy” muscle and you can't see it in the mirror.
2) Back training is far more stressful and taxing
to the body than chest or arm training.
3) Most lifters are simply unaware of how important
the development of these muscles really is.
Allow me to let you in on
a little secret…
If
you want to appear as wide, thick and powerful as you possibly can,
nothing will allow you to achieve this goal faster than a well
developed back.
In fact, 70% of your upper
body muscle mass resides in this area!
Nothing can replace the
upper body thickening effect of big, bulging lats and a set of wide,
tall trapezius muscles.
Please, get up off that
bench press and put down that EZ-curl bar for just a moment and let
me share a simple, step-by-step workout that you can use to build
the muscular back you so desperately need.
There are 4 major
movements that you must perform to properly develop your back…
1)
Deadlifts – I cannot possibly stress the
importance of this lift enough. There is not a single exercise out
there that can even come close to matching the effectiveness of a
basic, bent-legged barbell deadlift.
The deadlift will work you
from finger to neck to toe and is irreplaceable in developing
strong, thick back muscles. The deadlift will stimulate growth
throughout the entire back complex and should be the cornerstone of
your routine.
2)
A vertical pulling movement – These exercises
mainly target the lat muscles and will help you to attain that wide,
v-tapered look from behind. Examples of vertical pulling movements
are chin-ups (overhand or underhand), lat pulldowns and v-bar
pulldowns.
To get the most bang for
your buck I recommend a basic overhand chin-up. This is the bread
and butter of vertical pulling movements and will stimulate growth
in the lats like no other exercise.
3)
A horizontal pulling movement –
Otherwise referred to as “rows”, horizontal pulling movements
place their emphasis on the upper/middle portion of the back and
also stimulate the lats. There are a ton of different rowing
movements to choose from: bent over barbell rows, dumbbell rows,
seated machine rows and cable rows just to name a few.
For maximum results, stick
to a basic freeweight rowing movement. I usually recommend bent over
barbell rows, but bent over dumbbell rows are an acceptable choice
as well.
4)
A shrugging movement – While not quite as
important as the above mentioned lifts, a shrugging movement should
still be performed at the end of the workout to target the upper
traps and develop that mountainous, diamond-shaped look from behind.
A basic barbell or dumbbell shrug will do the trick.
Okay,
let's put it all together…
Deadlifts – 2 sets of 5
to 7 reps
Overhand Chin-Ups – 2 sets of 5 to 7 reps
Bent Over Barbell Rows – 2 sets of 5 to 7 reps
Barbell Shrugs – 2 Sets of 10 to 12 reps
For optimal gains in back
size and strength, the above routine is ideal.
It may not seem like a
lot, but as long as you take every set to muscular failure and focus
on quality rather than quantity, this routine provides more than
enough stimulation for maximum back growth. I've used this same
routine for many years and continue to see steady progress in both
back size and strength.
Make sure to keep a
written record of every workout that you perform, and focus each
week on increasing either the weight that you lift or the number of
reps that you perform within the given rep range.
Perform this workout once
per week with full effort and I guarantee that your upper body will
appear thicker, wider and more muscular than ever before.
What about specific
routines for the chest? What about the biceps, triceps and
shoulders? How about the thighs, calves and abs?
For specific training
information on each of these body parts make sure to visit my
website below and find out how you can finally get the rock-solid
muscle gains you deserve without spending endless hours in the
gym...
About The Author
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Once an awkward,
pencil-necked "social reject", Sean Nalewanyj is
now a renowned bodybuilding expert, fitness author, and
creator of the most celebrated natural bodybuilding program
online today: "The Muscle Gain Truth No-Fail
System".
If you can spare
just 24 minutes a day, then you too can build a powerful new
head-turning body that will skyrocket your confidence, drive
gorgeous women crazy, and leave your friends, family and
co-workers staring in disbelief... ALL in just a matter of
months: www.MuscleGainTruth.com |
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