My respect, dear kachata and fitonyashechki!

Today we are waiting for the continuation of the epic cycle of pumping notes, and we will find out how to pump up the back. The broadcast, as usual, will consist of two parts - a theoretical one, in which we will analyze the anatomical issues of the structure, the features of this muscle group and the kinesiology of movements. In practice, we will focus on practice :), i.e. get acquainted with the best back exercises and specific training programs. Well, yes, let's not climb ahead of the father into hell, first things first.

So, make yourself comfortable, we'll begin.

How to pump up your back? The theoretical side of the issue.

I would like to start with a little background...

I do not hide my universal love and passion for the representatives of the opposite sex, and even more so for those who can beautifully emphasize their winning parts of the figure. So, at one reception in a restaurant where the ladies were supposed to be in evening dresses, I saw a young lady in a dress with a deep back neckline. You know, like the Hollywood stars who stomp down the red carpet to various ceremonies. I must say that it looked luxurious - a moderately pumped-up embossed female back and an evening dress with a cutout in the right place.

It was then that I thought what pleasure the gentleman of such a lady probably experiences, knowing that his companion shines at a social event in such an outfit, and the lady herself is pleased, because most of the men present pay attention to her. Actually, I could not leave this back unattended :) and yet I found out that the young lady has been doing fitness and training with free weights for a decent time. Of course, I immediately thought about the readers of the project and found out about the training program of a beautiful stranger. You will see it and two others in the practical part of the note, so now you have an incentive to read this tedious thing to the end.

Another incident happened on the street. This time the protagonist was, as it turned out later, a guy. Why it turned out, because walking behind the girl, I thought from the back that her friend was walking next to her, because in general the complexion was the same, and the evening was quite dark. Having overtaken the couple, I realized that this was a couple - a girl and her young man, but I could not determine the gender on the back, apparently due to the absence of the latter. These two small foreplays explain that having a pumped up back is important for both a man and a woman. We will deal with the creation of its muscular frame further in the text.

Note:

For better assimilation of the material, all further narration will be divided into subchapters.

Back anatomy and muscle atlas

The back is one of the largest muscle groups of the human body, in which the following can be conditionally distinguished: 4 parts/zones:

• upper outer;
• average;
• lower;
• lumbar region.

Let's look at the main muscle units of the dorsal array in more detail.

I. Muscles of the upper/middle back

Latissimus dorsi

They run from the front of the humerus downwards, attaching to the shoulder blades, to the lower thoracic spine in the middle of the body and down to the very bottom of the back, where they attach to a large area of ​​seals in the lumbar region. These muscles are not called the latissimus by chance, because the width of the back, which is determined by the distance between their edges, depends on their development.

Trapeze

The trapezius muscles are made up of three parts, each of which (not just top) requires separate study. The top of the trapezium begins at the base of the skull and spine, runs along the neck and goes down to the place where the collarbone is attached. Middle of the trapezium - begins in the cervical spine (near 3-4 cervical vertebra), n crosses the back and joins the shoulder blade. The bottom of the trapezium - originates in the thoracic spine, goes up and attaches to the shoulder blade.

Rhomboid muscles

Muscles of deep seating, located immediately below the trapezium. They are located at an angle to the spine and are attached to the shoulder blades.

The muscles of the upper / middle back in a combined form is the following picture.

These are far from all the muscles of the upper / middle back, but the most significant in terms of volume and contribution to massiveness in the muscle group in question. The full muscle atlas of the top/middle has a view.

Usually they are not taken into account, because. they do not give mass, but they are important muscles that move the back.

Multifid muscles

Deep muscles of the back, which, as it were, are thrown over 2 or 4 vertebra, are an integral part of the transverse spinous muscle. They create an area of ​​motion for the spine and allow you to perform small movements while maintaining a deflection in the latter.

Square muscle of the lower back

Passes from the top of the thigh and rises to the muscles of the lower back. It is necessary for control and resistance to movement, and is also important when moving the body from side to side.

Back extensor muscles

They originate in the region of the sacrum and upper thigh and run along the entire length of the back, up to the base of the skull. They are important for movement control and create a strong frame, allowing you to take more load. (take heavy weights without risk of back injury) when performing basic exercises, such as deadlifts, squats.

The muscles of the lower back in a combined form are the following picture.

Skeletal anatomy

In addition to muscle units, it is important to understand the meaning of bones and joints and the role they play in the movements of the back. Understanding this will allow you to choose the best exercises and involve the target muscles in the work.

The most important skeletal units are:

Upper spine (thoracic)

Totals 12 independent bone formations starting from the base of the neck and extending along the entire length of the back. A stable, fixed upper back is important for safe and effective upper back training.

shoulder blade

A small triangular bone that connects the humerus to the collarbone. When doing back exercises (especially horizontal rods) movements are performed due to the shoulder joint and the reduction of the shoulder blades.

shoulder joint

It's a ball joint that keeps your hands mobile and agile. It is essential for any pulling movement. Mobility is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, such mobility allows you to perform a lot of exercises, on the other hand, the shoulder joint is extremely unreliable and prone to “flying out” and injuries.

Muscle functions in practice

It is important not only to know how the back is arranged, it is important to know its functions using real movements as an example, i.e. how muscles, bones and joints work together in weight training in the gym. And we'll start with...

Latissimus dorsi

Its tasks include the implementation of:

• internal rotation (pronation) - turning the humerus inward;
• bringing the shoulder to the body (example, pull-ups/lat pulldowns).

Trapezoidal/rhomboid

The trapezius/rhomboids are responsible for the elevation of the shoulder blades as well as their retraction, due to which the athlete can move the shoulder joint back and bring them together. The lower part of the trapezium is responsible for stretching the shoulder blades and lowering them down the chest. Performing shrugs, the top of the trapezium is loaded (when “shrugging” the shoulders, the shoulder blades move up). The rhomboids are responsible for scapular retraction and downward (downward) rotation. Top rotation of the scapula (for example, when raising your arms up above your head) created by the top / bottom of the trapezium and the serratus muscle. Downward rotation of the scapula (for example, when lowering the arm down from an overhead position) created by diamond-shaped and bottom trapezoids.

From the foregoing, the following conclusions can be drawn.

The back is a large muscle mass, and in order to effectively work it out and engage all segments, you need a set of different exercises with different grips. In general, the training strategy should include work on both the thickness and width of the back, and for this it is necessary to use 2-3 basic exercises with free weights and about 2-3 traction (including block). Moreover, it is extremely important to know which exercise mainly clings to which segment, and not to perform movements similar in biomechanics in one workout.

So, we go directly to the pumping-theoretical side of the issue.

How to pump up your back? Theory of swing.

The following information is applicable not only to the male part of the project audience, but also to its beautiful half. The two main pillars in building a total back array are:

• refusal (for the first time) from block-isolated simulators and focusing on deadlift, pull-ups;
• maintaining high testosterone levels (creating conditions for its natural increase).

Let's go through each item separately.

Big back formula S = X1+X2+T:

No. 1. X1 - deadlift

Do you know what trend I began to notice lately in the halls? How can you know this :)? Well, firstly, the ladies began to go orders of magnitude more - let's say, on 1 the guy now began to have to 4-5 girls (vs. 2-3 a year earlier). Well, okay, it seems like there are few of us, and there are more important things to do in the hall, for example, to kill a goat or drink beer with friends.

The saddest trend that our brother began to avoid (with relative health) basic hard work. Those. swinging, but everything is somehow isolated on a simulator or with a dumbbell. But when it comes to talking about large muscle groups, in particular the back, then serious work and multi-joint exercises, such as deadlifts and pull-ups, are needed here.

The frame builds every muscle on the back, besides, when it is performed, the largest amount of building hormones is released - growth hormone and testosterone. These hormones are released into the blood and create an anabolic environment in the body. The key point here is the relatively large number of approaches ( 3-5) , low reps (4-6) and big weights.

No. 2. X2 - pull-ups

The next exercise №2 in the list for creating an array of backs are pull-ups with different grips (reverse and forward wide).

Pull-ups require the combined work of many back muscles, and therefore quickly make it stronger. Adding weight with a kettlebell suspended from a special belt attached to the waist will add to the volume of the back. The technical parameters when performing pull-ups are similar to the diagram above.

Number 3. Testosterone level (T)

The two most important hormones in muscle building are and. It is with them that professionals stuff themselves in order to become more fun, bigger, stronger, faster. To create a hooded back, the male sex hormone is especially important, and here's why.

The upper body of men contains very many densely packed androgen receptors. The latter are receptors within the muscles, and testosterone is able to bind to them. After circulating testosterone molecules bind to androgen receptors, this causes protein synthesis inside the muscles. The latter process causes the muscles to grow much faster.

You can increase testosterone naturally by including the following foods in your diet.

So, now you are aware of the universal formula for creating a beautiful back, specific training programs and the best, from a scientific point of view, exercises, we will consider in the second part of the note, but for now ...

Afterword

Today we answered the question - how to pump up your back. The necessary theory is left behind, and next time we will deal exclusively with the practical side of the issue, so we don’t run far, we sit and wait for the continuation :)

That's all, I was glad to write for you, see you soon!

PS. how do you train your back? Share?

P.P.S. Attention! 12.07 it will be possible to send questionnaires for and meals. I will be glad to our joint work!

With respect and gratitude, Dmitry Protasov.