Tips for growing back (tips for an aesthetic back)

Summary

In this fitness-focused video, the host shares expert tips for effectively growing and strengthening the back muscles. Key advice includes mastering the mind-muscle connection for back exercises, emphasizing the contraction phase, and minimizing elbow flexion to prevent bicep dominance. The video also stresses the importance of high-intensity training for the back, suggesting near-failure sets and incorporating intensity techniques like drop sets. Additionally, the host recommends a balanced approach to back training, prioritizing both width and thickness, and suggests using straps or grip-friendly variations to maximize back engagement without grip fatigue.

Takeaways

• 💡 Learning to effectively use your back muscles is crucial for growth, as it requires mind-muscle connection and practice.
• 🏋️‍♂️ For back exercises, focus on the contraction phase and squeezing the back muscles together for better results.
• 🔄 To emphasize back width, perform exercises that allow you to drop and tuck your shoulder blades, targeting the lats.
• 📉 Minimize elbow flexion during back exercises to reduce bicep involvement and focus on the back muscles.
• 💪 Train your back with high intensity, aiming for near failure in most sets to stimulate growth.
• 🔄 Incorporate intensity techniques like drop sets and forced reps to push your back beyond its comfort zone.
• 🔄 For an aesthetically pleasing back, balance exercises that focus on width (lats) with those that focus on thickness (upper back muscles).
• 🔄 Adjust your back training routine based on your current physique needs, emphasizing either width or thickness as required.
• 👐 Consider using straps or grip-friendly variations in your back training to prevent grip failure and maximize back stimulation.
• 📝 Always train your back with intensity, ensuring that your sets are challenging and close to failure to promote muscle growth.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video?

The main focus of the video is to provide tips on how to effectively grow and train the back muscles, emphasizing the importance of proper technique and intensity.

Why is it challenging for most people to grow their back muscles?

Growing back muscles is challenging because it requires a good mind-muscle connection and learning how to properly engage the back, which is not typically taught and is often overshadowed by more visible muscle groups.

What is the first tip given in the video for growing the back?

The first tip is to fix the way you perform back exercises by focusing on the contraction and learning how to properly use the back muscles.

How does the video suggest focusing on the contraction during back exercises?

The video suggests focusing on squeezing the back muscles together as you contract them, emphasizing the importance of this contraction over the speed of the movement.

What is the role of lats in back development as discussed in the video?

Lats play a crucial role in back development, contributing to the width of the back. The video provides tips on how to effectively engage and train the lats during exercises.

How should one adjust their elbow flexion during back exercises according to the video?

To minimize bicep involvement and focus on the back, one should try to keep their arms extended as much as possible and only flex the elbows when necessary.

What is the second tip for training the back as mentioned in the video?

The second tip is to train the back harder by incorporating high intensity techniques and ensuring that most sets are near failure.

Why is intensity important when training the back muscles?

Intensity is important for back training because the back is an active muscle group that is used in almost all daily activities, meaning it can handle a higher level of training without overtraining.

What is the video's advice on the ratio of exercises focusing on back width versus thickness?

The video suggests a bias towards exercises that focus on back width (lats) over thickness in order to achieve an aesthetically pleasing and well-rounded back.

How does the video recommend incorporating strap training into back workouts?

The video recommends including strap training or variations that don't heavily tax the grip to allow for more intense back training, as the grip is often the limiting factor before the back muscles are fully fatigued.

What is the final tip provided in the video for growing the back?

The final tip is to adjust back exercises in a way that doesn't overly tax other muscles, such as using straps or specific grip variations, to ensure that the back is being trained to its full potential.

Outlines

00:00

💪 Developing a Powerful Back

The speaker, Jo, introduces the topic of the video, which is about growing one's back muscles. Jo emphasizes the difficulty in growing the back due to the lack of natural engagement of the back muscles in daily activities compared to other muscle groups like the chest or biceps. Jo suggests that learning to use the back muscles effectively requires effort and mind-muscle connection. The video aims to provide tips on how to properly engage the back during exercises to facilitate growth. Jo starts by explaining the importance of contracting the back muscles during exercises and how to focus on the lats for width and the upper back for thickness.

05:00

🏋️‍♂️ Training Intensity for Back Growth

Jo discusses the importance of training the back with high intensity, as the back is a part of the upper body posterior chain that is active in almost all daily activities and can handle a significant amount of stress. Jo advises training the back near failure in most sets and incorporating intensity techniques like drop sets or forced reps to push the muscles further. The speaker also emphasizes the need to balance the focus between width and thickness when designing a back workout routine, suggesting a ratio of two exercises for width and one for thickness for most people.

10:02

🔄 Adjusting Training for Specific Goals

Jo talks about adjusting back training based on individual goals. If someone wants to emphasize the width of their back, they should focus more on exercises that target the lats, while those looking to increase thickness should prioritize exercises that hit the upper back muscles. Jo shares personal preferences for his own routine, which currently focuses more on width due to his physique. The video also suggests incorporating grip-sparing exercises or using straps to allow for more intense back training without the limitation of grip strength.

Keywords

💡Back Training

Back training refers to the specific exercises and routines designed to develop and strengthen the muscles of the back. In the context of the video, back training is the central theme, with the speaker providing tips on how to effectively grow and develop the back muscles. The video emphasizes the importance of learning how to properly engage the back muscles during exercises, which is crucial for those looking to improve their posture and overall muscular development.

💡Mind-Muscle Connection

Mind-muscle connection is the concept of mentally focusing on a specific muscle group while performing an exercise, which helps to activate and engage that muscle more effectively. The video script mentions that learning how to use your back requires a bit of effort and mind-muscle connection, suggesting that one must consciously think about the back muscles during exercises to ensure they are being properly utilized and not relying solely on other muscle groups.

💡Lats

Lats, short for latissimus dorsi, are large muscles on the sides of the back that play a significant role in pulling movements and are often a focus in back training for their contribution to the 'V-taper' look. The video script explains how to properly engage the lats during back exercises by adjusting the movement pattern, such as tucking them to the sides to emphasize width, which is a key aspect of back development.

💡Contraction

Contraction in the context of exercise refers to the act of actively shortening the muscle fibers during an exercise, which is essential for stimulating muscle growth. The video emphasizes the importance of focusing on the contraction of the back muscles, particularly during the pulling phase of exercises, to ensure that the back is being worked effectively.

💡Elbow Flexion

Elbow flexion is the bending of the elbow, which involves the biceps muscle. The video script advises minimizing elbow flexion during back exercises to reduce bicep involvement and focus more on the back muscles. This is important for those looking to grow their back rather than inadvertently training their arms more.

💡Intensity

Intensity in a workout refers to the effort put into an exercise, often measured by how close one is to muscle failure. The video suggests training the back with high intensity, meaning performing exercises near failure, to stimulate maximum muscle growth. This is justified by the fact that the back is a strong and frequently used muscle group that can handle higher training loads.

💡Drop Sets

Drop sets are a training technique where one immediately decreases the weight and continues performing repetitions after reaching failure with a heavier weight. The video recommends incorporating drop sets into back training to increase intensity and push the muscles further, which can lead to greater muscle stimulation and growth.

💡Aesthetic Back

An aesthetic back refers to a back that is visually appealing, often characterized by a wide and V-shaped appearance. The video discusses the importance of balancing the development of the lats for width and the upper back muscles for thickness to achieve an aesthetically pleasing back, which is a common goal for those engaged in bodybuilding or fitness training.

💡Grip Strength

Grip strength is the force one can exert when holding or gripping an object, which is crucial in many back exercises. The video script mentions that grip strength often limits how heavy one can lift in back exercises, suggesting the use of straps or grip-friendly variations to allow for more intense back training without grip failure.

💡Progressive Overload

Progressive overload is a principle in strength training where the stress placed upon the body during exercise is gradually increased over time. The video implies the importance of this principle by encouraging viewers to push their sets near failure and use intensity techniques, which are methods to ensure that the back muscles are continually challenged and can grow stronger over time.

Highlights

Growing your back can be challenging due to the need for proper mind-muscle connection and technique.

Back muscles are often underutilized because they are not as intuitive to engage as chest or arm muscles.

Learning to effectively use your back requires effort and practice.

Focusing on the contraction phase of back exercises is crucial for growth.

To target the lats, perform exercises with a wide grip and emphasize the squeezing motion.

Minimize elbow flexion during back exercises to reduce bicep involvement.

For upper back thickness, allow a natural flare of the arms and some elbow flexion.

Train your back with high intensity, as it can handle a significant amount of stress.

Incorporate intensity techniques like drop sets to push your back harder.

Structure your back routine to emphasize either width or thickness based on your goals.

A well-rounded back routine should include exercises that target both lat development and upper back thickness.

Adjust your back training focus based on your current physique and desired improvements.

Including strap training can help isolate the back and reduce grip fatigue.

Experiment with different back exercises to find what works best for your body and goals.

Always train your back with the intention of near failure to stimulate growth.

Remember that the back is a large muscle group that requires intense training to see results.

Transcripts

all right what's up guys Jo back with

another video and today we're going to

be talking about tips for growing your

back right um I thought I kind of did

this video already but turns out I

didn't I kind of just briefly mentioned

it in my Vaper video so I'm going to

explain like you know tips how to grow

your back right now right um growing

your back is a little hard for most

people specifically because they don't

kind of don't know how to use it right

learning how to use your back is

something that typically requires a

little bit of effort and you know mind

muscle connection and [ __ ] like that and

we're just never really taught that

right kind of just going how we doing

things right like for example a bench

press you don't really have to try too

hard to uh get your chest to do most of

the work right takes it does take a

little bit of KN how but a lot less than

learning how to use your back right same

with your arms a bicep curl there is no

way you can [ __ ] this up and not have

your biceps doing most of the work

unless you are

literally doing that right

um and the only other muscle that's

really like the back in this way it's

kind of the Cal it's kind of hard to use

but I'm going to teach you how to grow

your back right so tip number one right

is to fix the way you do your back

exercises now if you don't take away

anything else from this video take this

tip away right learn how to use your

back right and I'm going to start off by

explaining the lats right I've already

explained this but I'm going to do it

again and I have to show you from the

side right so say you're doing a seated

cable back you're kind of just going

through the motion and this is not

necessarily a bad movement pattern right

but if you change it you can hit your

lats your upper back a whole lot better

right now a general thing for your back

is kind of going at a decent speed but

really focusing on squeezing your back

together as you come back right as you

contract that is the most important tip

of this video contract focus on the

contraction right

so let's start with lats right with your

lats all right if you want to just bias

your back wideness right you're going to

want to drop it right tuck it to your

sides right so going from flaring like

this to tucking to your side and this

will hit your lats drop and kind of

bring it back right another tip is you

kind of want to minimize um your elbow

flexion when you're doing your back

exercises right because that will bring

your biceps more into it right going

like this bringing your arm to Elbow

flexion as fast as possible is a perfect

way to just bias your arms but if you

kind of try to keep the most extended

angle possible right kind of like this

right only bringing it when you need to

instead of like this where you're

already starting 25% of the weight into

the lift you can often bias your back a

lot better so for like in all of your

growing movements if you want to buy

your your lats shoulders down arms down

Tuck to your sides drag and keep that

arm angle try not to flex your elbow too

much like I said but it's going to

happen a little bit and it's a similar

thing with your um upper back right

upper back you're thickness muscles

right so your Rh boids your traps Etc

your rear dels kind of the same thing

but you can flare your arms out a little

bit more and there's likely going to be

more elbow flexion here um you should

still minimize it but naturally when you

flare your arms out there's likely just

going to be more elbow flexion it's much

harder to keep this angle right and it's

a little more uncomfortable so like I

said you want to buy your upper

back you can kind of keep it in the

middle flare it out to the middle and

then bring it back and remember focus on

squeezing every muscle in your back as

hard as possible together that's it so

yeah tip number one is just focus on

getting the contraction right and

learning how to do your back movement

tip number two for your back right is

going to be to train it a little harder

right your back is one of the is your

upper body posterior chain right it's

active in everything you do it's active

when you walk when you're holding [ __ ]

it's what holds our posture so naturally

your back is active 24/7 which means it

can probably take a better ass whooping

than the rest of your body this is why

your calves are so hard to grow because

you're walking 24/7 right so they're

naturally already used to volume and

[ __ ] like that um for your back it's not

NE necessarily uh a point of volume but

intensity right you need to train your

back very hard in other words you can

train almost all your back sets near

failure without have to worrying about

overtraining it too much right granted

that you're doing three exercises

anywhere from two to four sets if you're

near failure you're good all almost all

those sets should be close to failure

right um You can also incorporate drop

sets any intensity techniques in general

are just beneficial for your back right

so let's say the majority of your sets

on back are one rep within failure right

on maybe the last set of every exercise

or the last set of your last

exercise incorporate a drop set where

your friend is there to help you get

more reps or unlike a couple of your

sets right you could just have your

friend help you get some Force reps in

um taking it this extra mile is very

beneficial for your back it does kind of

take a lot to grow your back sometimes

um especially with getting your back

stronger sometimes you do need to just

force it out and give it that extra push

so you can be able to progressively

overload right so take into account your

intensity right always train back hard

you should never be more than two within

two reps of failure like from your back

do not do three right two reps within

failure of your back good

um you're doing more sets two reps

within failure is fine if you're doing

less sets like if you're doing only two

sets per exercise like some intensity

people should do every set should be to

failure or it should include an

intensity technique right all right you

say all right I hit nine reps I probably

got another three reps in me let me I'm

going to help I'm going to get my friend

to help me get these three reps so like

I'm still adding that intensely but I'm

not completely killing myself right

sometimes you want to stimulate not

annihilate that makes sense but just

train your back with intensity more than

any other muscle anytime you're doing

back and you want to give up and you're

like five reps away from failure remind

yourself you're not going to gain [ __ ]

from that set it is your back go the

extra three reps you don't have to go

all the way to failure like I said every

set unless you're doing really low

volume but you do need to be close to

fail number three for growing your back

this is a growing your back/ anesthetic

back video is to kind of break up um

your back bias training in a certain way

right so I think the most aesthetic type

of back the best looking complete back

the most well judged back in

competitions is a back that focuses a

little more on its wideness AKA your lat

development just a little bit more than

your thickness AK your Ron voids rear

delts traps Etc right so if you're

someone that has three exercises in your

back routine right which is most people

they have three actual weight

exercises make two of them widen

um focus and then the last one thickness

Focus right and I already showed you how

to bias

wideness versus thickness

right um and this is because in just

getting a good-looking physique right um

your back wideness shows from the front

and the back whereas your back thickness

only shows from the back and I kind of

makes sense that it's this way right um

there's more reward to having better

look looking lats but it's harder to

acquire them right it's a little harder

to bias your lats than it is to bias

like I said your upper back we naturally

do bias our upper back because it's more

comfortable but we do have to learn how

to train our lats right so you can have

something and this is my routine right

um you can have something

like uh a dumbbell chest supported row

right where you're on a

bench um I'm me kind of try to

demonstrate this on my chair right

imagine this is the bench and you know

it's not the same obviously

right but you're kind of up against it

and you're doing this right that's like

the first exercise that I do um you can

do that and then like a lat pull down

right um You can do any type of lat pull

down you want I like super lat pull

Downs you could do the neutral grip ones

which are really good for biasing your

lats but yeah you could do a lat by a

slat pull down right and then you can do

a cable row where cable rolls are

honestly you could switch the C right

the coll is a little better at hitting

your lats than a lat pull down to be

honest but if you do want to hit your

coll up and bias your upper back it's

probably the easiest way to do it

without even having to think too much

just do a row have your arms flare just

a little bit a little bit tucked not too

much not too flared just in the middle

and go back and this is going to allow

you to get a back that is wide but it

also does have the detailing and

whatever part of your back I mean you

can break it up however you want right

you can do more thickness if you want

right it also depends on where you're at

if you know you don't if you have a

really wide back but you're lacking in

thickness change the ratio to two back

thickness exercises and one back widness

exercise right um but yeah you can do it

however you want right it's just what

you need at that point in time for me I

kind of just want to work on my wideness

to focus on my Vaper right like my Vaper

is pretty solid considering I'm kind of

chunky right now but I still do want to

get my lats up more

so I'm doing a routine that focuses more

on my wideness right so you just you

just change how you're doing things and

whatever you choose to um hit less like

for me I'm hitting my thickness less

just make sure you train it in intensely

includ an intensity technique like a

drop set or a four stps as I already

said before in addition to you taking it

near failure this will just allow

everything to kind of even out you

should Al be having periods where you're

biasing one thing and the other thing

but like I said knowing what you need

you just got to know what you need so

yeah learn how to break up your training

based on what you need now tip number

four this is not a tip that I personally

follow or like but I can't deny the

validity of it right that would be just

to include strap training or in any of

your back training make sure you do a

variation of it that doesn't tax your

grip so hard because your forearms and

your grip is not going to is never going

to be for most people as strong as your

back so it's almost always going to tap

out first depending on the exercise that

you're doing so if you invest in

something like straps or do a variation

that doesn't tax your grip you can often

take your back a lot harder which I said

is important because your back needs

that intensity right so changing

something like for me I do this which I

it's not beneficial for biasing my lats

completely but I do it an underhand grip

pull down

problem is it taxes my grip a lot and

over time my grip is equivalent become

equivalent to my back but for the

typical person you should probably

change the variation or include straps

simply because your form is going to

give out a lot faster than your back and

you're not going to be able to take your

back as far as you might want to right

there are several studies shown I can

throw them up I probably will that show

when people do train with straps they

were able to take their back a little

bit farther and get a little more result

results um I would say have one exercise

where you do this right and the other

two you do want to allow your forms to

kind of get stronger over time like

through those compound movements but

have one exercise where it's just

completely back focused right so the

bench supported rope and then you get

straps boom you cluster [ __ ] your lats

pure lats your form is not going to [ __ ]

you up your posterior chain is not going

to take over and you're forced to only

hit your lats with just some proper cues

so adjusting how you do your back

exercises in a way that doesn't tax your

other your

muscles is going to help you grow your

back a lot more because you do need to

take it that much farther like I said

because it's your

back and there you have it guys those

are your tips for growing your back um

try these on your next back day right