Bodybuilding Tips, Why Back Workouts are so Important

Sep 11, 2009 @ 06:21 am by Guest Author

There are two primary reasons for getting into a bodybuilding program, trying to increase muscle mass and trying to increase functional strength. The key to both of these is building core strength, which lies in the abdominal muscles, and, just as importantly the muscles of the upper, middle and lower back.

Your back are the primary stabilizing muscles in your body, and the ones easiest to injure when lifting weights. From a biomechanical perspective, your back consists of the spine, the ribs, the scapula and the ligaments that string them all together, like parts of a mobile or kinetic motion structure.

Compression or rotation injuries are the ones that happens to the back most of the time when the soft tissues that provides flexibility to to the back get damaged. You should always be careful when lifting weights and you should always focus on isolating the muscle so you wont get injured, as a lot of injuries wont show up for years.

There are some muscle groups that you need to work on slowly in the back. They are your traps, lats and deltoids. Sure, your back will be ripped by overworking it, though, you should concentrate more on your everyday look than having a muscular back.

The traps muscles are the ones that form the bulk of your back. If you are looking to do Traps, then use a shrug motion, which has you taking dumbbells in each hand, and shrugging your shoulders up and down while you take a breath and then let them down while exhaling.

Another workout that mostly works on your deltoids, but helps the traps a bit, is a straight-arm lift. Hold a dumbbell in your hand with your elbow at your side, and your forearm out level with the map. Extend your arm until it’s at shoulder height, in one fluid motion, and look down your arm at the dumbbell, like you’re sitting on a pistol range. Then bring it down slowly. This is a common exercise in martial arts groups that emphasize punching.

When you do any kind of exercise to build up a muscle you should always start out slow and build your way up to more and more resistance. If you start to fast and do to much at once, you can end up hurting yourself before you even get started. This is better than a straight pull up because it isolates the muscle thoroughly.

To work on your lower back, the best exercise you can perform is arches. By doing shoulder arches you will not only gain strength (this is the most important thing), but you will also work on definition of your back as well. Hold a light dumb-bell over the back of your neck and lay down on your front. Clasp your hands, arch your back, lift and hold for three counts then slowly lower. And be aware, because it’s very easy to overdo them.

It is very important to remember to stretch before exercising. By stretching you will help your body and your muscles maintain flexibility, along with stretching it is very beneficial to also do some cardio exercises as well.

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