Back Training by Joe Meeko |
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BACK TRAINING by Joe Meeko Back or your Lats has to be the most difficult body parts to train on the Human body. It is VERY hard to isolate the Lats (v taper) because almost everyone naturally pulls while training Lats and back with their biceps and feels the pump or burn in their biceps instead of their Lats. Why you may ask? Because there is an (indirect link) through your arms that your body has to utilize in order to stimulate your lats and you have to bypass that link mentally and physically while training back (and trust me it’s not easy to do)! While someone is working back (the lat muscles) that gives you that awesome V taper look to the upper body will most likely pull with their biceps. Very few (including me) catch on to this movement quickly. It takes time and experience. Most will always pull with their biceps instead of their lats. Very few catch onto the correct pulling movement right away – some never do. That’s why I’m writing this article and try to explain how to stimulate your lats and not your biceps as much during a Back workout. Obviously you will have “some” stimulation in the bicep region, but I’ll tell you how to keep it to the absolute minimum and just work your lats (V taper) and center back thickness (you’ll be surprised how easy thickening the center back is verses getting it wide) once I explain. This lack of mind and body indirect link through the arms to the Lats is the main reason why so many guy’s or gal’s are lacking in that extreme V- taper needed to look your best on stage. Some may have center back thickness but lack the hard part to develop – the Lats or back (WIDTH) and that major V taper that everyone strives for. You simply cannot hit this body part (LATS directly) without extreme concentration and many years of experience on how to pull with your Lats instead of using your biceps in all back exercise movements. Years ago as a young teenager I use to admire guys that had that nice huge expanding V taper to their body. This to me separated (the MEN from the boys) and really made those guys look like a weightlifter or Bodybuilder from the average chest and bicep man. You know who I’m referring to. The guys that just go into the gym and bench press and do bicep curls but neglect the rest of their body – right? I’m sure you all know what I’m talking about - right ? – That wide V-taper from shoulders on down the back to a very small waist always stands out. Am I correct in saying this? And this V taper look (really stands out on stage or in a crowd). Shirt on or off - you (cannot miss it) “that incredible V tapered look that everyone strives for”. But let me tell you this it’s NOT EASY to do. I will explain how to do it now! First of all you MUST use something called a FALSE GRIP. This is when you DO NOT wrap your thumbs under the bar and lock them there under the bar (KEEP YOUR THUMBS OVER TOP OF THE BAR) no matter what BACK exercise you are doing. YOU MUST USE SOMETHING CALLED LIKE ABOVE A FALSE THUMBLESS GRIP. You must put your thumbs over top of the bar while doing ANY back exercise and use your hands like a hook rather than like a clamp. Or for a matter of fact even on pressing exercises just like the simple bench press NEVER GRASP the bar AROUND IT instead (PALM THE BAR) without thumbs wrapping over or around the bar. You may not be as strong with this false thumb less grip but you will stimulate the muscle way more using this type of false grip. But let me ask you this (are you a Bodybuilder or a Power lifter)? Let me tell you this my good friends using this type of false thumb less grip will develop the muscles involved 35% more than if you hold onto the bar, machine, dumbbell etc. with thumbs wrapped around them like a clamp rather than if you hold onto the bar or whatever with your thumbs wrapped over top and around it – TRUST ME OK on this one! Ok lets get into the workout itself. I ALWAYS started my workout routine with what I thought was with the HARDEST and most difficult exercise for that body part when I was fresh and strong physically and mentally in the beginning of the workout routine no matter what body part I was working. But for this article IT’S BACK TRAINING! CHIN- UPS to the front of the neck as everyone knows are REAL tough to do so (do them first) while you’re fresh and strong in the beginning of your workout. Always do the hardest and toughest exercise first in your workout routine – doesn’t that make sense to you? (it does to me). If some of you are just starting out, you may not even be able to do one single chin up so start with the lat pull down machine to the front of the neck and go out wide. Once you build your strength from week to week and month to month try chinning with your body weight first then progress to adding weight around your waist if you can. But at least go to complete failure on every set (that’s if you want to get wide) and get that nice V-taper. Remember nothing in life comes easy – it all takes allot of hard work, but don’t give up – I know you can do itJ All of you must just push as hard as you can for that particular day on any body part and consider it a good work out. Some days you will be stronger and some not as strong. But as long as you did the best you can for that day - even though you couldn’t do the same weight or amount of reps (it’s still considered a good workout) ! Now back to the main subject BACK. This I can’t stress enough - I believe if you want to GET WIDE in the Lats (YOU MUST GO WIDE) on chins or Lat pull downs. My grip on a straight chin bar (will explain shortly why) was 5 feet or more – if you are taller than me (I’m only a measly 5’8”) if you are taller you should go wider than that (trust me it works). Remember if you want to get wide you must go wide OK! The reason you use a straight chin up bar or lat pull down bar is this. The angled down chin bars are made for ergonomically correct position on the wrists and hands ONLY and are for comfort and not maximum development. Those angled down type of bars actually pull the lats (inward) instead of popping them out like a straight chin bar or lat pull down bar will do for you. If the gym doesn’t have straight bars go get a piece of solid steel bar stock and make your own by welding a hook or drill through it and put an eye hook bolt through it so you can attach it to the lat pull down machine. The reason for going wide on Chin-ups or lat pull down bar is that a straight bar PULLS on your shoulder blade insertions Scapula and makes them POP OUT especially while using a straight bar. Then after EACH AND EVERY SET of (any and all back exercises) you MUST stretch to pull on those insertions and scapula (shoulder blades) to pull them out. Here’s how … After a set of chins or other back exercises which we will get into shortly - put your right foot against the vertical pole of a squat rack or whatever is convenient (even a pole that holds up the roof to the gym you’re in. Position that foot about 2 feet off the ground or whatever gives you the best hit on your lat (you’ll know when you hit the position right). Then grab the pole with the opposite left hand maybe a foot higher or so than the foot that is against the pole or wherever you feel the best hit you get (AND STRETCH, FLAIRAND POP THAT LAT OUT HARD) then repeat by switching the other foot and hand on the pole or whatever and reverse your position and stretch that other lat out HARD. (This is so important that you cannot believe it). It pulls and stretches the scapula (shoulder blades and POPS them out and also makes your lat insertions lower to your waist by pulling on them too. Trust me I had very high lats until I did this stretching and after a few years my lats tied right down into my waist by the hips. I did many sets of very wide grip chin-ups to the front of the neck because this exercise is what will make you WIDE and have a nice V-taper. I use to start with my bodyweight and got about 35 reps (after years of doing chins). Remember chins are tough and it takes time to develop strength in them. Then I would a 25 lb. plate around my waist with a chain belt. Most gyms have them as standard equipment. I would do as many reps as I could and then have my training partner help me force out 2 to 3 more reps after my positive failure. This is how to have your partner help you force reps. Have your training buddy grab a towel with his both hands and twist it end to end. Then have him put it right below your “slightly” bent knees and help you up like that so you don’t swing. He’ll catch on how to do it and keep you from swinging after a few sets. Then I went up to 50 lbs. of added weight and with the same forced reps, then 75lbs. with forced reps, then 100lbs. with forced reps. Please don’t expect to use that kind of weight in the beginning. Build up to it even if you have to start by adding weight with even a 5lb. dumbbell or plate and continue on with what you can handle and then build your way up in weight as you get better at chin-ups. Next I would work my way back down the pyramid of weight the same way I went up - each set with forced reps until I was at my bodyweight again for my last set plus forced reps. Total sets was 9 to 10. Remember this is my theory on weight lifting. “Do allot of sets of an exercise that is producing results”. It makes way more common sense than doing a few sets of this and a few sets of that at random that will not produce the results rather than doing one good exercise that does produce the best results. If you find something that works – STICK WITH IT MAN! When I started training and doing any Back exercise I always lost my grip on the bar way before my back would give out. Just think about it? Your fingers are the weakest link on your body verses your Lats and back muscles which are very powerful. I tried the conventional weight lifting straps and they did work somewhat (to a point). But they were a pain to wrap around the bar and they loosened up anyway after a few short reps. After all the conventional strap hassles, I thought up an invention just for myself at the time to help me stay holding on that bar and really be able to pump the weight and reps. They are called Power Grips. I started using them in the gym and they worked awesome. They have a patented reverse grip self - tightening design that locks you on the bar and are very easy to get on the bar and also support your wrists. Everyone else in the gyms I trained at tried them and after that they would always ask me to borrow them for their back and shoulder routines. This was when I was 18 years old and the Power Grip business was born. They work so well that once you try them you will never work back or shoulders, traps etc. without them again and they are built so tough that they are guaranteed for life! Many people who bought a pair 25 years ago are still using their original set (so do I) and believe me I worked them hard for many years with allot of weight and abuse. They can be used for dozens of exercises – here are just a few to mention - Chin ups front or rear, lat pull downs front or rear, Dead lifts (even alternating grip), Cable rows (all forms), Barbell rows, Dumbbell rows, Shrugs, Deltoid lateral raises, upright rows, you name it! . The web site is http://www.power-grips.com Let me tell you something I had no lats and struggled until I came up with this invention 25 years ago. Then when they allowed me to do many more reps and with way more weight and also allowed me to use that (false thumb less grip I talked about) with ease. The Power Grips transfer direct pressure on the muscle group you’re working instead of you worrying about holding onto the bar. They are so comfortable you will fall in love with the reverse grip self tightening design immediately. Why struggle with your own grip use the Power Grips you’ll never regret it and your gains will be fantastic. Now lets get back to Back training. After my main width exercise Chins (which is the hardest to achieve width) I would go onto thickening the lats (not center back yet that comes later. I’m talking about putting thickness to your newly widened lats. T-Bar rows came next or Long low cable rows. These exercises thicken the lats and also widen them too at the same time. There is one “very important thing to do” when you do either of these two exercises. While doing either of these exercises (and you can alternate once in a while) just go by feel and what you think is hitting the muscle the best (ALWAYS try to pull a lat spread during the entire range of the movement)! Just don’t lift the weight - try to FLAIR your lats throughout the entire movement by separating your scapula (shoulder blades and continuously try to pop them out as your doing the exercise. Then do the stretching thing on the pole after every set like I mentioned above. (That stretching is more important that the exercise itself trust me) OK? Don’t try to be too much of an animal in the gym and just pull as much weight as you can with bad form. It’s all about proper form and most muscle stimulation with the proper weight that you can handle while keeping your form. Don’t be an egotist in the gym OK and show how much you can lift – it will not benefit you at all. Mow lets get to the center back thickness exercises. Forget what I said about flexing your shoulder blades and popping out your lats on these next center back thickening exercises OK. These exercises are the exact opposite. During these next exercises you want to squeeze your shoulder blades or scapula inward instead of popping them out. You must crunch your shoulder blades together to thicken the center back. This is way easier to do that getting wide trust me. I personally liked high cable rows with at V-bar and the motion was very short and not extended. It was a short crunching and pulling in of the shoulder blades and back muscles and you must squeeze for a second at the crunch of the rep. There is no reason to extend all the way forward on thickening exercises just go partial and crunch man hard on the back stroke. Some guy’s prefer bent over barbell rows or single dumbbell rows to thicken the center of the back. Remember Bodybuilding is a totally individualized sport. You have to pick what exercises you feel are hitting yourself the best. You will know when you “feel” it. I call this the (sixth sense of Bodybuilding) It’s the ability to feel what is stimulating a muscle group or not and weed out those exercises that just don’t hit your body structure, muscle tie-ins, bone lengths etc. For lower back (spinal erectors) without injury – I would recommend un-weighted hyper-extensions. That’s all I did. I never dead lifted in my life for lower back strength or spinal erector development. I saw too many of my friends get permanently hurt for life from Dead lifting too heavy. Remember every body part exercise you do you’re always tensing your lower back anyway and it grows just from that. We are all made differently by God and we all can go by certain guidelines in training that will work for most everyone. But then we all must go our own individual way for maximum results. Just listen to your body when it talks to you and do what it says J Until next time… Love in Christ Your good friend Web site www.power-grips.com |
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