An impressive, broad and dense back is one of the most impressive physical features of someone. The muscles whose development gives someone this characteristic bulky look are the muscles of her upper part, specifically: the latissimus dorsi, the teres major, the rhomboid, the deltoid, the trapezius and the subscapularis. All of them take part in movements that have a great effect on the development of upper back muscles and strength. There are several factors responsible for the rate of muscle growth in this area, but in this article we will look at the 8 main ones, the application of which will give you significant improvements.
# 1 Pulls
You will have heard many people say that in back training they don't feel the same swelling that they feel e.g. on the chest. This happens because, due to poor technique, they are not working the area they should. In pulling exercises, you must first contract your scapula, thus helping to work that area. In each repetition, always feel the muscle being worked fully activated and at the end of the positive phase of the movement, contract to increase the load it receives. In addition, you can also use isometric contractions (keeping your muscle stable at the end of the positive phase of the movement), thus increasing the total load it receives.
#2 Handle you use
The changes in grip between normal and inverted grip adjust which muscles will receive the most stress, with the inverted grip (supinated grip) targeting your biceps more. The pronated grip places more emphasis on the outer part of your deltoids, and the semi-supinated deadlift grip, with one hand facing forward and the other back, targets the front and side deltoids, as and in the subscapularis muscle. So depending on the part of the upper back you want to develop more, modify your grip as well.
#3 Angle of execution of the exercise
As with the grip, the angle at which you pull the barbell or dumbbell changes the point of the back you primarily activate. If, for example, the bar ends low, at the level of your navel, the lower rhomboid and the muscles around it are exercised more, while if it ends higher, the trapezius and the upper part of the rhomboid muscle are mainly activated.
#4 Concentration
When you're working out a muscle, it's good to be focused on what you're doing and not thinking about irrelevant things. 3-time Mr.Olympia Runner-up (second place) and Arnold Classic champion, Kai Greene uses the term "Muscle-Mind connection" very often. With this word it refers to the inseparable relationship and connection that exists between muscles and mind, meaning that in order to get the maximum results from the gymnastics that one does, when performing each exercise one must imagine their muscle contracting and growing.
#5 Priorities
Making training your upper back a priority is a necessary step when aiming to improve it as much as possible. To achieve this you must train it 3 times a week and each time with small differences in the exercises you choose.
#6 Increase Training Volume
By increasing the number of sets and repetitions, the stress placed on your muscles increases, leading to increased hypertrophy. Increasing sets and especially repetitions is good for isolation exercises like face-pulls, bicep curls, etc. and not on basic multi-joint exercises such as deadlifts, sit-ups and bench presses.
LEARN HERE TO DO DEADLIFTS CORRECTLY
# 7 Time under tension
By increasing the time that your muscles are under tension (time under tension), enduring more time in the negative phase of the movement, you cause a greater burden on them. The large number of muscle fibers that are damaged and then recover, being larger and more durable leads to increased levels of hypertrophy.
#8 Take longer breaks
It takes time for your muscles to recover adequately after a hard set and it's not 1 minute. Try resting 2-2.5 minutes between sets and you will see that you will be able to lift heavier loads than before. By giving your body the time it needs, a significant portion of the exercise products are effectively eliminated and your nervous system has had time to recover, improving the neuromuscular communication of your muscles.
