Everything You Need to Know About Building a Sexy, Strong Back

Back muscle basics, the key to a great back workout, and my favorite back workout … here is everything you need to know about building a strong, sexy back.

If it were up to me, back day would be a priority in every woman’s mind. There is nothing that screams sexy like a strong and toned back.

Unfortunately for most people, back day isn’t a priority (out of sight, out of mind). Women and men alike are much more likely to prioritize the muscles they can watch themselves work out (arms, quads), and the muscles that have doubtless, culture-wide sex appeal (abs, butt).

But once you understand the physical and physiological benefits of building a strong back, my guess is that back day moves up your to-do list.

Pull up a chair and let’s get to work on building your strong, sexy back (see, you’ve already started).

Why Developing a Strong Back is Important

Your back muscles are involved in almost every movement you make through out the day. From pulling that chair towards your body, to sitting up in bed, to standing up from your desk, your back muscles help you move effectively and pain-free through your day. But there’s more to it than that.

When you think of your core, you probably think “abs” and maybe “obliques”. In fact, your lower and middle back are major muscles within your core system. A major part of their job is to protect your spine and prevent injury. A strong back safely and powerfully transfers force from your upper to lower body and keeps your torso solid and stable.

Focusing on developing a stronger back will not only improve your back strength, it will improve your overall strength. The stronger your back, the better you can hold form in all exercises, from rows to dead lifts to squats. The better your form, the more you can lift. The more you can lift, the more you progress on all levels.

One of the best steps you can take to burn more total calories is to increase your resting metabolism and the best way to do that is to build muscle. Developing your back not only spot-builds muscle, it strengthens your core so that you can build more muscle over all. Build more muscle overall, burn more calories each day, torch more fat at rest.

Last but not least? Your physique will improve. The wider your back is, the smaller your waist looks. And no, you don’t need to build superhero lats. Every small bit counts! More importantly, a strong back pulls your shoulder blades back where they belong after a long day slumped over your desk at work. Better posture, better look.

Back Muscle Basics

Your back is not one giant muscle spanning from shoulder to shoulder. Your back is made up of multiple muscles working together to move functionally. Here are four of those muscles you should definitely know about when heading to the gym to build a strong, sexy back.

The latissimus dorsi (lats), are the largest muscle in your back. They run from your armpit to the center of your lower back. Their purpose: to pull your arms towards your body. Well-developed lats broaden your back (think Michael Phelps).

The trapezius muscle (traps), are located just above your lats. They run from your neck to your shoulders and down through the center of your back. You use your traps when you shrug.

The rhomboids run from your spine over your shoulder blades. Think about squeezing your shoulder blades together to engage your rhomboids.

Finally, the erector spinae runs along your spine upwards form just above your hips. It’s main jobs are to stabilize your torso when your body moves and to allow you to bend/arch. The key here is a balance between strength and mobility.

This does not cover every muscle in your back. For the sake of your eyelid strength and the needs for this article, I’m only going to talk about the large, major muscles in your back. The workout below effectively develops your back muscles in their entirety.

The Best Exercises to Build Your Back

Now that you know your back is in fact multiple muscles all working together, it makes sense that a variety of exercises is ideal when it comes to building a strong, sexy back.

Horizontal Pulls

Imagine yourself rowing a boat. You engage your lats, traps and rhomboids to effectively perform the movement. That’s exactly what you do when you row at the gym. Whether you do seated cable rows, bent-over barbell rows, single-arm dumbbell rows, or you use the rowing machine for some cardio, you engage your back, brace your core and mimic that boat-rowing movement.

Vertical Pulls

Pulls downs/ups engage all of your back muscles but they target your lats in particular (especially if you take a wider grip). This movement has you pulling a bar straight down from above your head or pulling your body straight up towards a bar. Wide grip lat pull downs/ups, reverse grip lat pull downs/chin ups, and any other variation of this movement are incredibly effective in building a strong upper body.

Instead of pulling straight up and down, pullovers move the weight/force up and/or down in an arcing path. Think the path an axe takes when chopping wood. Pullovers engage your chest muscles as well as your back.

Dead Lifts and Extensions

While all of the exercises listed above really focus on your upper back, dead lifts and extensions specifically target your lower back. They start with a hip hinge, where you essentially bend at the waste by pushing your butt back and lowering your chest towards the weight. Pause at the bottom, when the weight (yours or added), is at a dead stop. As you pull your torso up, your lower back and glutes fire away and don’t stop firing until you are standing upright again. *If you’ve never dead lifted before, extensions are the best, safest place to start.

Trainer Tips

• When pulling from overhead (i.e. for a pull up or lat pull down), begin the movement by pulling your shoulder blades down and back.
• When pulling horizontally (i.e. for a row), pull your shoulder blades together (without shrugging), as if you were squeezing a pencil in between the lower part of your shoulder blades.
• Form is your first priority. If you feel your form fluctuating (if you feel more effort in your arms than your back, or your lower back arches, or you find yourself using momentum), reset. Drop the weight until you are comfortable again or take a break.
• A back workout is a great place to work on mind-muscle connection. Don’t forget that even though it’s your muscles that are getting tired, the movement is initiated in your brain. Focus on the muscles that you are supposed to be using while you are performing each exercise to more effectively target that area.
• Take a deep breath and brace your core before initiating a pull or row. Taking a deep breath expands your torso which stiffens your core and tightens your foundation.
• Think ballerina posture. I tell my clients that when in doubt, think about the best posture you could possibly have: tall, straight back, chest up, chin up, shoulders down and back.

If you don’t currently lift big and the workout below makes you nervous, PLEASE read the article below!

>> Here’s What Happened When I Stopped Working Out To Be Skinny

Get the Workout

If you want to walk out of the gym feeling strong and powerful, I promise you that this workout will help. To be get the most out of your workout, include a variety of exercises targeting specific muscles, stay engaged, always warm up and cool down, and give yourself plenty of rest in between back workouts.

Make It Your Own

The workout above is fittingly labeled “beast mode”. It’s a major workout for someone who has been working out for a while and is able to do some heavy lifting. If that is NOT you…here’s how to adjust:

• Dead Lifts – switch to the back extension machine. As you get stronger, add a small amount of weight. If your gym doesn’t have a back extension machine, do stability ball back extensions, supine trunk lifts, or cobras.
• Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns – use a band.
• Reverse Grip Barbell Rows – do dumbbell rows, seated cable rows, or chest-supported rows.

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