The Backside! Learn 4 Easy Movements and Exercises to give you a lean and sexy back but also help to improve your posture. 

“Moni, how do I get those arms and back muscles so toned?” is something I get asked nearly everyday.  I am thrilled to get asked this because as a trainer, I specialize in this area  – especially with my ladies. I did not always have the biceps and back muscles that I do today – and I say that so you realize that you too can change your body. I am in hopes that when you are done reading this – you feel inspired to work the “backside.”

So get ready – I am going to share my top favorite 4 moves that are effective, efficient, and are certainly hard enough. Yes, I have dozens of other moves that I love to also incorporate into workouts (just ask my clients) but to keep things simple – we are going to focus on the 4 mentioned below.

Remember that eating healthy and working hard will get you the results you want but you also have to be smart and keep good form especially when working the upper back. Many have already two strikes against them because they are already tight and then weak on top of it. Sound familiar?

ASK YOURSELF:

• Do you drive a lot?
• Have a desk job?
• Sit most of the day?
• Constantly chasing/bending/picking up after the kids?
• Is your back always hurting/achy?
• Do you find yourself always slouching?

The good news is that if you work out your back muscles properly and you can change all of this. BONUS: Strengthening the muscles on your upper back and shoulders have a tremendous impact on your posture too and will only improve the way you look and carry yourself. Knowing this , you would think everyone would focus much more on their back! Unfortunately many women (and men) overlook training their upper back simply because they don’t see it when they look in the mirror. Makes sense right?

I actually never trained my back when I started working out many years ago until I learned (and noticed) so much about posture and muscle imbalances. As a sponsored and competitive  snowboarder growing up – it was my apart of my day to slam and take falls and boy had I done some damage to my back and spine. I am sharing this because it is NEVER too late to change your body. Maybe you have a desk job or are already feeling hunched over all the time. Or even worse – maybe you are already experiencing pain or unconformable moments due to muscle weakness or imbalances. Well if you said yes to any or all of this – you should really consider incorporating back movements to your workout routine. As I mentioned a should be your new best friend too.

Just because you eat right and workout out hard, you have got to be aware of your posture too. Much of the time many people are lifting far too heavy and only creating more imbalances and tension on their poor body. So the rule is form before function. If you can’t do any of the movements with proper form do not even try to lift heavier, deal? Start with lighter weight and then go up when your body is ready.

Let’s get started!

My 4 Favorite Exercises to Target the Back:

LAT PULL DOWN

We’ll start off the with Lat pull-down, probably the most widely known and popular exercise for the back. This is your movement for when you want to show off your sexy back in those dresses.

• If performed correctly it can be a great exercise to improve back width and add some great tone. It has been suggested through good research that grip width is not a major factor in promoting muscle contraction, and that performing the pull-down in front of your head is more effective than behind the head. It should be noted that the behind the head lat pull-down can potentially cause damage or strain to the rotary cuff if not performed with proper form and technique. Back in the day – this was a very common way to do this. I do not recommend it.
• Make sure you are mindful and take safety precaution to protect the rotary cuff whilst doing this particular movement. Although you may not hurt your rotary cuff, there is potential to strain them if they are not well rested or you have bad form. This certain exercise hits the lats (latissimus dorsi) more than any other group of back muscles, which is responsible for adding more width to the back.

• You lie face-down on a mat or well-padded floor, arms straight by your sides, palms up, forehead facing the floor. The tops of your feet should be flat against the floor. Now slowly lift your head and shoulders off the floor, lifting your arms, squeezing your shoulder blades together and hold for five seconds. Lower to start position and repeat. Once you have that – you can add your arms straight above your head for a deeper movement.  Do one to two sets of about 15 repetitions each.

INVERTED ROWS

• Set a bar to the appropriate height in a squat rack.  TIP: The lower the bar, the harder the exercise will be.
• Get underneath the bar and grab it with an overhand grip, palms facing away from you, hands slightly wider than shoulder width. While keeping your body flat, chin slightly tucked, and shoulders down , row your chest to the bar. Keep your elbows at about a 45-degree angle from your body. Try to touch your chest to the bar.
• Reverse the motion by slowly lowering your body, keeping your chest up, body flat, and shoulders back and down until your arms are fully extended. Pause at the bottom and repeat.
• REMEMBER: If this is too challenging, try starting with TRX high rows until you build more strength. I love switching up my workouts and trying new things like TRX  or body weight movements for example.

So there you have it! I hope you are now inspired to work out the backside. Always remember that it is a good idea to always work your entire body too, not just the areas you do not like for example. Unless you are in physical therapy or doing muscle rehab – try to work your entire body as a unit.

What are your favorite back exercises?

Monica Nelson is a personal trainer, chef, accomplished athlete, model and much loved health and fitness expert based in LA. She inspires her clients to look and feel their best with her life motto: EAT WELL, STAY FIT, FEEL GREAT.

One of her greatest passions is cooking and the talented Moni loves to whip up healthy and decadent meals for her readers to enjoy. On any given day you can find her being creative in the kitchen, training her clients in the park, at the beach, out for a bike ride or catching big air on her snowboard.