Best Back Exercises

Lat Machine Pulldown To Nose

Take a medium-wide grip on the bar, just beyond shoulder width.
Too wide a grip limits the degree of movement. You've always
been taught to pull the bar all the way to your chest. It's
time to unlearn this. By doing that, you limit your poundage
to the amount you can bring down that far, working only the
weaker aspect of that muscle. By pulling to your nose, you can
pull much more weight, working the strong outer area of the
lats, packing on tremendous size and width.

Cross Pulley Lat Pulldowns

With this exercise, we complete the movement we started in the
first exercise. Stand between the cross-pulley holding the
upper handles. Pull your elbows to the sides of your body. Hold
for 1/2 second, return slowly. The combination of this and the
pulldowns to the nose provides you with a much larger range of
movement than a standard pulldown to the chest. The elbows
come much closer to the sides, bringing out that stubborn
lower lat width.

45° Row

If your gym doesn't have a seated pulley slightly above your
head, you can do this on a seated lat machine leaning back.
Use a close grip handle. The first two exercises worked the
first function of the back muscles, bringing the arms down to
your sides. This one works the second function, bringing the
arms down in front of you. The pullover machine utilizes a
similar movement. Keep your back straight. Pull the handles
to your solar plexus. Not only does this exercise work the
inner area of the upper back, but widens it as well by working
the infraspinatus under the armpits.

Low Pulley Row

You can also do this on a lever row, raising the seat. While
the 45° row worked this angle along with the upper front pull,
you have more strength from this position and can add
thickness to the inner lower lats by isolating the area.

Hyperextensions

This and the lower back machine where you sit back against a
padded arm, are the best exercises for working the erector
muscles without undue strain on the spinal structure. While
deadlifts, stiff-legged deadlifts; and good-morningsare great
strength builders, they should never be done by those with
existing or previous lower back injuries. Hyperextensions
also tighten and tone the glutes muscles. Be careful no to
hyperextend too much.