A client asked a general question about back training today. Good reason to start a thread on back training:
On the back training - my back is one of my worst body parts, so I've spent 25 years trying EVERYTHING. The bottom line is that genetics are going to give you a framework that you can't exceed. Whatever the dimensions of your individual muscle bellies versus tendon length, origin and insertion points......you can only grow as big as your genetics will allow. The only way my back has made progress is hitting it from every angle possible, with every rep range possible, but cycling through with enough recovery. Heavy dead lifts, heavy barbell rows (my favorite are Smith machine), heavy one-arm DB rows, and low cable rows - those are all shorter-range-of-motion scapular retraction movements. Then pulldowns of every sort, including chin ups. One thing many overlook is the DB bench pullover. When you keep your hips down, elbows slightly bent, and really pull and contract with your lats, it's a movement pattern that is different enough from a pull down to be unique, but a bit shorter in range. Through the years it's just been an all out assault on trying to get back size and I can say that I went from having nothing but a rack of ribs to having some noticeable improvements when I started dead lifting. Then incorporating more chins and pull overs, I got some more noticeable improvements in lat size. My back still sucks, but it sucks in the least amount that a sucky back can suck now.
