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Help! Need awesome back exercise

keesio Posts: 16 Joined: 2002/06/06	2002/09/02, 06:38 PM What is the best back exercise to gain mass? I am looking to really have my back look wide. So far I've been doing: Lat pulldown - 3 sets of 8 T-bar row - 3 sets of 8 seated calble row - 3 sets of 8 but I am NEVER sore the next day. Either my back is super strong of I am not working it hard enough. On contrary my chest and shoulders are super sore the next day. What am I doing wrong? thanks k
jbennett Posts: 1,558 Joined: 2001/02/28	2002/09/02, 09:38 PM No wide grip chins? Warm up by doing one or two light sets of lat pulldowns, then do 50 chin ups. It doesn't matter how many sets it takes to do them, just keep pushing yourself to do more. That will help you with the width of your back. For mass, instead of doing 8 reps on every set of rows, do 4-5 sets and on the last one or two sets increase the weight so you can only do 1-4 reps. Push yourself HARD - Intensity is the key to mass. -------------- --JBennett "I've up-ed my intensity.... now up yours!" "Pain is only weakness leaving the body." "Never think of how weak you are; think of how strong you're going to be."
7707mutt Posts: 7,686 Joined: 2002/06/18	2002/09/02, 09:49 PM I would add bent rows with barbells and deadlifts! But then I am biased towards those two. They will add mass like you have never seen....also do add some chins as well..Good luck!!! -------------- Life comes by only once....Live it to the fullest!
Lumina20 Posts: 966 Joined: 2001/10/31	2002/09/05, 02:12 PM Hey mutt, I just did deadlifts for the first time today and I thought about you, those things are hard! I was dripping with sweat afterwards! This guy at the gym was like "are those deadlifts?" And I'm like "yeah, why am I doing them horribly wrong." He said no and that he hasn't seen anyone do them in quite some time. So, I have a question about them, how do you know when it's too heavy? On the FT description it says if your back arches, it's too heavy, do they mean like a cat-type arching? Also, after you bring the weight up using your legs, it seems like the lifing of the lower back is a pretty short movement, is this the way it's supposed to be? I hope all of that made sense.
7707mutt Posts: 7,686 Joined: 2002/06/18	2002/09/05, 03:02 PM I am glad you tried them. You will find that nothing else is like them is you are doing them right. First part of your question.."how do you know when it is too heavy?"...Well the correct way to do them is to keep the back straight with a slight arch to the lower back (almost as in a squat.) If you round the back out so it looks like the letter C point towards the ground that is the wrong way. If you get the weight up and at the end of the movement you have to shrug it up and kinda swing it up to the end of the movement(hope that made sense if not tell me I willtry again) you have too much weight. It should be a smooth controlled movement. AS for the short rang of motion a for the lower back, that is the way it works you do not need a longer range or a lot of weight, but after, you reach your middle part of the shins to the knee you should be using the lower back. It takes a while to feel it in the right area, but now I can feel the muscles working almost from the first set of warm ups....but then I have been doing them for 5 years. I would suggest to use light weight and slow very controlled movement, try to keep the bar as close to you body as possible. I have scars from where the bar ripped the skin of my legs because of that(it was too close). Whew what a post LOL! hope this helps...let me know if it is clear or if I need tot ry again. -------------- Life comes by only once....Live it to the fullest!
Lumina20 Posts: 966 Joined: 2001/10/31	2002/09/05, 10:27 PM "but after, you reach your middle part of the shins to the knee you should be using the lower back." Does this mean my legs are still going to be bent as I'm lifting with my lower back? Or might this be different for me because I am so short?
7707mutt Posts: 7,686 Joined: 2002/06/18	2002/09/06, 11:02 AM Yes but at the end of the movement you legs should be straight (not totaly locked out to avoid knee problems)...but you back should be working by the time the bar reaches the mid to top level of you shins. -------------- Life comes by only once....Live it to the fullest!
rpacheco Posts: 3,770 Joined: 2001/12/13	2002/09/06, 11:05 AM Deadlifts kill my back the next day every single time! It sounds like you're not working your back enough. 4-5 sets intead of 3 and doing 3-4 exercises should do the trick. The back is a large muscle group so they need more work, as opposed to chest and arms. -------------- **_Robert_** Pain is temporary; glory is forever!
EGChic207 Posts: 288 Joined: 2002/03/25	2002/09/06, 11:35 PM maybe good mornings? with heavy weight and low reps -------------- Tiffany Der #10 "You have to make it through the rain in order to see the Rainbow........."
keesio Posts: 16 Joined: 2002/06/06	2002/09/07, 02:02 AM Thanks for all the great tips. I am going to try deadlifts and see what happens.
EGChic207 Posts: 288 Joined: 2002/03/25	2002/09/10, 05:11 PM i forget what are dead lifts again? and do they help the hip flexors? -------------- Tiffany Der #10 "You have to make it through the rain in order to see the Rainbow........."
EGChic207 Posts: 288 Joined: 2002/03/25	2002/09/10, 05:11 PM oh yea and by the way does strengthning the hip flexors give you bigger hips? haha -------------- Tiffany Der #10 "You have to make it through the rain in order to see the Rainbow........."