Best Back Exercises

This is the second part of this article on the best back exercises to include in your back workouts. To read the first page, click here: Back Workouts.

The Deadlift – This is probably the exercise that gives me the most satisfaction. Adding more weight on this exercise makes me feel like a conqueror, even more so than with the bench press. Like many others, I’ve had lower back problems, and it was difficult and dangerous to do this exercise incorrectly. So I strongly urge you to seek professional advice from a doctor and/or trainer when considering this exercise if your lower back is in any way compromised.

Having said that, it’s a proud measure of how far my rehabilitation has come that I can now lift some heavy weight with the stiff-legged variation of this exercise. I believe that it’s been instrumental in eradicating my lower back pain.

So how do you do it? It all starts with the right grip and stance. You grip should be about shoulder width, and your stance should be slightly narrower. Personally, I was taught to deadlift using the mixed grip powerlifters use: one palm facing forward, one palm facing back. However, most people use the standard double overhand grip in which both palms are facing back.

I also recommend using lifting straps. My grip was weak initially, compared to what I was able to deadlift. My grip strength has since caught up, but since my palms get slick when I work out, I still like to use straps. One word of caution, though: if you drop the weight with the straps rolled around the barbell, it’s going to injure you. BE CAREFUL. As I get to my heavy working set, I like to NOT wrap the straps around the barbell for this very reason. Again, BE CAREFUL, and err on the side of safety.

With the weight-loaded barbell on the floor, grasp the bar and bend your knees until your upper back makes a 45% angle with the floor. This is the starting position. Begin the drive by pulling the weight up and back towards you with your legs. When the bar goes above your knee, you can begin driving your hips forward while pulling your shoulders back to lock out. When returning to the starting position, wait until the bar moves lower than your knees before bending at the knees.

The chin up, the row, and the deadlift – these three exercises and their variations are the cream of the crop of back workouts. Don’t let their simplicity fool you. Doing these exercises well will add muscle and strength to your frame, making your physique a thing of envy. Train your back with great workouts composed of the best back exercises, and you’ll soon reap the rewards for focusing on complete body development.