4 home exercises for the perfect back
Backtraining. You might not see the result yourself, but the people behind you certainly do! Everyone dreams of a well-shaped back: wings like a bird, solid as stone and / or very detailed. But that does not happen by itself, of course something has to be done for it. So get moving! You don't even have to leave the house to make this dream come true. I have put together 4 exercises for at home, all you have to do is do them three to four times a week. It can be that simple!
Row with 3-piece expander set
We start with the so-called rows, or rowing movements. With this exercise you mainly train your large back muscle, the latissimus dorsi (lats) and the rhomboid. Both are largely located in your upper back. In addition, you also train your biceps. In short: a good exercise! We use the Body & Fitshop 3-piece expander set for resistance.
How
Place the longest resistance cable around a sturdy pole or leg (such as a table leg), so that you have half the cable on both sides of the pole. Take a handle in each hand. Sit on the floor at a distance so that there is tension on the resistance cable. Keep your back straight and your shoulders slightly back. In this position, pull the weight towards you, your hands at stomach height and shoulder width. Keeping your shoulder blades back, pause briefly when your hands are at the sides of your stomach. Now bring your hands back to the starting position in a controlled manner. From here repetition two starts by following the previous steps again. Make sure your back stays straight during the whole execution!
Frequency
3 sets of 20 reps, with 30 seconds rest between each set.
Rear delt fly with 3-piece expander set
Rear delt flies, an exercise for training the back of your shoulders, you may not expect in a back workout, but I would like to add it, since the corresponding muscles are adjacent to the back muscles. With this exercise you train, as mentioned, the muscles of (the back of) your shoulders (deltoid), but also your neck muscles (trapezius). Also now we use the 3-piece expander set from Body & Fitshop for resistance.
How
Take the longest resistance cable and attach it to a solid point, approximately at the height of your waist (for example at a door handle) and hold a handle in each hand. Stand up straight and keep your arms at shoulder height in front of you. Bring both arms out, slightly bent, so that your shoulder blades come together. When your arms are parallel to your body, keep the tension on the muscles for a moment and then move your arms back to the starting position in a controlled manner. From here repetition two starts by following the previous steps again.
Frequency
3 sets of 20 reps, with 30 seconds rest between each set.
Back extension
Contrary to the exercise above, the back extension is intended to strengthen the lower back. In addition, you also train your glutes and hamstrings to some extent. So again a win-win situation!
How
Lie on your stomach with your hands under your head, with the top of your hands against your forehead. Raise your head from here. You do this by tightening your lower back. It is important that you do not use your arms for this. Lift your upper back as high as possible and then lower yourself back again to the starting position in a controlled manner. Rest your hands and toes on the floor. From here repetition two starts by following the previous steps again. Note: keep your toes on the floor during the execution.
Frequency
Repeat this until you feel your lower back burning slightly. You do this 2 sets. Rest for 30 seconds between each set.
Superman
With the Superman (a variation on the back extension from before) you mainly strengthen the lower back, glutes and hamstrings. A nice extra is that the stability of your torso is also trained.
How
Who doesn't know him? Clark Kent aka Superman. No doubt everyone knows his way of flying too: one arm forward, both legs stretched behind him. But that is not enough for us. We go that necessary extra mile! Lie on your stomach and keep BOTH arms outstretched by your head, nose pointing down. Tighten your back, abs, and glutes so that your legs, shoulders and arms are off the ground. Lift your upper back as high as possible and then lower yourself back to the starting position in a controlled manner. Rest your hands and toes on the floor. From here repetition two starts by following the previous steps again.
Frequency
Repeat this until you feel your lower back burning slightly. You also do this in 2 sets. Rest for 30 seconds between each set.
For the tough guys among us
You can make every exercise heavier by performing it more slowly. You can also increase the frequency, for example by increasing the number of sets and / or number of repetitions. You can also reduce the rest time. Make sure that the execution remains good! You can make the back extension and the Superman heavier by not resting your hands and / or toes on the ground between repetitions, but keeping them just above the ground.