Building a Strong Back Is Not Complicated

A strong back is foundational to healthy living. The good news is that building a strong back is not complicated - actually, it's rather simple. In this article, I want to share with you a basic, yet complete back exercise program for working your entire back.

First though, let's understand your back's basic functions. To my pedestrian mind, your back does 3 things:

• It keeps you upright and head up - in conjunction with your shoulders, hips, glutes, and hamstrings.
• It pulls your elbows back - in all planes
• It protects your ribcage - and obviously your backbone

While these are rudimentary statements on the back's function, it does capture the overall gist of what your back must do. It must keep you upright and protect your vital organs and ribcage. It allows you to pull back, pull down, pull up, and pick up. When climbing a tree to escape a bear or a rocky face from a sabre-tooth tiger; it is your back that gets the job done.

Okay, so maybe the sabre-tooth tiger is not such a big worry of late.

This simple, yet hard routine will increase your strength - if you need it - to get up that tree or close that window for your significant other. It will protect your vitals by building a dense layer of muscle around your spinal cord and ribcage.

The Routine:

Wide Grip Pull-ups: Is it a chin-up or a pull-up? Who cares? You grab a bar about half a foot wider than shoulder width on both sides. You pull up as far as you can, but at least get your chin over the bar. If you work out at home and are using a door pull-up bar, then you are limited on the width - work with what you have. If you're not strong enough to do a pull-up, then you can start with the lat pulldowns. But I rather you stay with the pull-up, even if you can only to 1 rep. Instead of doing 3 sets of 8 reps or whatever, you need to pick a number. I'll give you the number; it's 30. You must do 30 reps in as many or as little sets as it takes.

T-Bar Rows: This is a classic. In the old days, I'd stick one end of a barbell in the corner of the basement. I'd loaded the free end, grab it behind the plates and pull the stack to my chest. I'd keep my rear lower than my shoulders and push back as I pulled up to keep the one end firmly in the corner. Your gym should have a T-bar machine. I loved seeing those old pictures of Franco or Arnold doing it with 5 to 7 45lb plates. You should perform 4 to 5 Sets, pyramiding from 12 to 6 reps.

Stiff Arm Pull-downs: On the lat down machine, grab the bar shoulder width, and while keeping your arms stiff (basically straight with a slight bend in elbows); pull the bar down to your upper thigh area. You don't need to actually touch your legs. Imagine that you are reaching up and putting your hands on the top of a window that is open, and then closing it. As you perform this exercise, you will feel it in your outer lats (and a bit in your triceps - most back exercise involves your biceps, except this one). You should perform 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps.

This routine does 3 things:

1. It builds overall lat and back strength with the pull-up. There is something about bodyweight movements that really stresses the body - think dips and leg raises.
2. It builds muscle along your spinal cord and lower back with the T-bar row. It also ties in your lower back and lats with your hips, glutes, and upper legs (statically)
3. The stiff arm lat pull-downs builds functional strength along a different plane, while integrating your lats with the ribcage and core muscles.

This routine is simple but hard. If you give it your all, at the end; your back will feel 3 feet wide. And who knows - after 3 months, you may even look it.

Why Are Six Pack Abs So Tough to Get?

Let's start by saying six pack abs are not an impossible to achieve task, in fact knowledge makes the difference. There are various myths and assumptions that inhibit many peoples results when attempting to get those highly coveted six pack abs. There is also more to your six pack than simply doing crunches. Keep reading to learn how fat, hidden muscles, and writing can help you to get your six pack to stand out!

We are born with everything we need to get six packs to show, meaning exercise is not the main problem for a lack of results. Although it is a foolish question, where are six packs located on the human body? If you said the torso area you are absolutely correct. What else is located in the torso area of many in the United States? A wall, of fat is not the most popular answer, however, it unfortunately is the answer. That fat wall is also a major reason toward why six pack abs to many appear to be nothing more than a pipe dream. With that being said, reducing the fat surrounding your abdominal cavity and torso area will make having a six pack that stands out much easier to obtain.

We now know a wall of fat is a reason a six pack may not show as defined as we would like, and that fact should make a great deal of sense. Another reason your six pack stays in hiding is due to a lack of proper exercise and muscle targeting. Traditionally, and according to randomly polled individuals, performing crunches is how you get a six pack that stands out. That statement or thought is not incorrect, however neither is it the entire answer. Doing traditional crunches is one item in your six pack abs arsenal, however should not be the only abdominal exercise you do for a very good reason. The reason traditional crunches should not be your only exercise is that they only target one set of muscles! There are a couple different muscle groups that form the highly chased "wash board abs". Transverse abdominis, internal and external obliques, as well as the rectus abdominis.

Another practice that will increase your results involves a pen and paper. You need to plan for a six pack, just as you need to plan for a career, or anything else that will effect your lifestyle. Knowing what your battle plan is allows you to conquer your obstacles much easier. It also subconsciously makes you hold yourself accountable by having your plan in writing.

In the end, we now know getting a six pack is not impossible, we also know there is some effort involved with getting your six pack abs to show. To get those six pack abs there is a group effort needed that is greatly helped by a solid and concise plan, demolishing that fat wall, and targeting those hidden muscle groups.