When you enter the gym for back day, you’re in there with one purpose, and one purpose only: To build a thick, complete back. If you have a weak lower back, it needs to be addressed quickly in order to preserve your muscle health to avoid injury, and to keep your placing intact when you compete. If you have a need to build up a thicker lower back, the first thing you need to do is steer clear of those machines. They have a place in your routine when it comes time to etch in detail and bring out shape. But nothing beats free weights when it comes to adding outright scary lower back mass. Here are some movements and techniques necessary for free weight lower back attacks.
Deadlifts
- 15 reps with 135 pounds
- 12 reps with 225 pounds
- 10 reps with 275 pounds
- 8 reps with 325 pounds
- 6 reps with 345 pounds
Barbell Rows
- 15 reps with 85 pounds
- 12 reps with 105 pounds
- 10 reps with 135 pounds
- 8 reps with 155 pounds
- 6 reps with 165 pounds
Hyperextensions
- 15 reps with bodyweight
- 12 reps with bodyweight + 25 pounds
- 8-10 reps with bodyweight + 45 pounds
This workout is designed for an intermediate bodybuilder sitting at about 190 pounds. Adjust your weights accordingly. If you cannot handle this weight, move down the weight but keep your repetitions the same as listed above.
After completing these two initial movements, you’re ready to move on to the upper back. It’s recommended that you use these movements first when you are at your strongest, and then move onto movements such as chin-ups and dumbbell rows as your grip and back strength begin to falter. The focus of this article is lower back, but the same tenets apply when it comes to developing the upper back. You need several movements involving free weights.
When you’re training in this matter, if you wish to gain serious muscle weight in the back, you’re going to need to be giving your body a surplus of calories. If you are in love with your chiseled six-pack, you may have a tough decision to make. Adding mass to the lower back means you will probably add ten pounds to your frame in the process. You can always diet away this new fat later, but it’s very hard to add mass this or any area without adding some weight to your body. If you are a fanatic about the scale, it’ll be very hard for you to gain lower back muscle when staying at a certain bodyweight.
If you tend to be an individual with a wide waist, you may make it a bit wider through the use of high volume deadlift training. You can opt for machines and lower volume deadlifts, but you’re certainly not going to see the same level of results. It is at this point that most bodybuilders have to make a decision as to whether they are a lean, agile bodybuilders with an “artistic” physique, or if they are a powerful lifter. The trade-off for an extra inch of waist width for 5 or 7 extra pounds of lower back beef is one that you must decide. It is impossible to add muscle without the numbers on the scale going up accordingly.
