For variety, do shrugs with a pause, and also pull your shoulders back, to load both the traps and the rhomboids.
The trapezius actually moves in three different directions. Shrugging mainly loads the upper traps. Here are three types of shrugs that I find the most effective, yet still not performed very often.
Dumbbell shrugs, three-second pause and voluntary contraction at the end – this one properly roasts the traps. The pause and the deliberate extra contraction rule out using momentum, which in turn forces the traps to work harder than when you simply jerk up and down. Take 40 – 50 kg dumbbells and try a set of twelve with three-second pauses at the top – then you’ll understand what I’m talking about.
Barbell shrugs, three-second pause and voluntary contraction at the end – the same as the previous exercise, only done with a barbell.
The traps also have a middle and a lower part. The middle part pulls the shoulder blades closer to the spine and works together with the rhomboids. To load the middle traps and rhomboids, you need to keep your elbows slightly bent and raised a little, as if lifted, with the dumbbells in your hands. In this position the rear delts are working too. Still, make sure you feel that you’re raising the shoulder with the traps and rhomboids; with your elbows raised like this, the lats are ready to chip in on this kind of half-raise or pulling movement.
Various supported rows, one-second pause in the contraction phase – these also give a good stretch. Keep your elbows up, pull and hold the peak contraction. You can do them seated or bent over.
The lower traps, and the rhomboids too, also get a heavy load from pulldowns.
The good old spinal erectors
We don’t need anything new and fancy here. I developed my lower back with the following exercises. The main thing is to do these exercises properly every week.
Reverse hypers – reverse back extensions – are Louie Simmons’ “brainchild”. On the Westside program this is the main lower-back exercise. One of my favorites.
Deadlift – this exercise hasn’t given me a wide back, but it definitely plays a big role in lower-back development. You can do different variations of this exercise, but make sure you do it: pull from blocks, from the floor, wide or narrow, but pull. In my program I’ve put the deadlift last, but it works that way too. After the other back exercises the weight doesn’t have to be heavy. Besides, my goal isn’t to push the weights up.
Back extensions – try sets of thirty, then stand up and feel the pump in your lower back.
Exercise order
On back day the order of exercises matters a lot, though it isn’t as critical as it is on leg day. There are still some general principles you could follow:
Row first – train the lats first with rowing movements, when your strength level is high and you can pull hard and energetically. The modified rows described above are also good options for the first exercises.
Stretching exercises should follow the rows – once the lats are full of blood from the rows, they are ready for stretching. Use the stretching exercises described earlier and definitely don’t do them first. If you do, injuries may follow. Although I can’t give you a scientific explanation, I feel that stretches always work well after rows.
You can put the traps/rhomboid exercises anywhere in your workout; if they need extra work, even first.
Spinal erectors or the lower back should come last – if your lower back is, for example, done before rows (exhausted and full of blood), it’s impossible to feel the lats when doing a row. A pumped lower back takes away the feel in the lats, which is why the spinal erectors always go last. There is one exception… if you can do deadlifts in a way that doesn’t pump up your lower back, you can put them anywhere. But that tends not to work out. Back extensions before Meadows rows… a very bad idea.
Intense lat stretches are best done between exercises, when the lats are properly pumped and full of blood. Hold the stretch for 30 – 60 seconds.
Intensity techniques
Rest-pause reps – work well on paused dumbbell rows and on bent-over rows on the Smith machine.
Constant tension – this principle should be applied to as many lat exercises as possible. The lats are often hard to feel, but that should be the goal.
Partial reps – this technique works on some back exercises… pulldowns and pull-ups. On seated rows, partial reps can be used effectively not in the stretch phase but in the phase where the muscle is contracting.
Intensity techniques I don’t like to use for the back:
Drop sets – your arms give out before your back does, even with straps; the load is too much for the arms, and it stops the back from getting an effective training load any more. Drop sets work well in leg training, but not for the back.
3-second negatives – again, good in leg training, but they don’t work for the back. When you do three-second negatives on rows or pulldowns… your arms and shoulders tend to take over the load of the movement.
Sample workout:
A) Meadows rows – do 2 warm-up sets, then 3 x 8 working sets. Try to nail the technique and don’t be afraid of heavy weights. Don’t forget to drive your hips forward. Try it yourself and watch the execution in the video.
B) Paused bent-over dumbbell row – 3 x 8. Use a heavy weight. Challenge yourself, but don’t forget about technique.
Intense lat stretches, 2 x 1 minute for each lat.
C) Stretchers – 2 x 12. Technique: let your arms go straight, head between your arms, as in the video.
D) Cable pulldowns – partial reps, use a heavy weight. 2 x 8
Intense lat stretches, 2 x 1 minute for each lat.
E) Seated supported row – 3 x 10, keep your elbows up.
F) Dumbbell shrugs – 3 x 12, pause at the top with a voluntary contraction for 3 seconds.
G) Back extensions – do one set to failure with a medium weight, then pick up slightly lighter dumbbells and do a few more reps. Do three such sets; the last set of the third superset can be bodyweight only.
Bonus exercise
There is one more exercise that I really like. I do it to load the lower back and traps at the same time. It’s a modified version of the “Reeves deadlift”. I recommend doing this exercise with a bit of explosiveness – try it, it’s a good one.
Final thoughts
I hope you appreciate my efforts and ideas for developing my back. I’m not saying that barbell bent-over rows, the traditional pull-up and the deadlift don’t give good results; I’m saying they didn’t for me, which pushed me to look for new, creative solutions. The exercises I’ve given may seem different, but if you analyze them, they are still basic exercises. Basic exercises whose execution style and methodology I have modified slightly. I hope that through my ideas I can be of help to other trainees like me as well.
Translated by: Janar Rückenberg
Come and train! ArtGym
