Back training

Geschatte leestijd: 14 minuten Training the Muscles in the Back: What Is the Best Way? Which Exercise Targets Which Muscle and How Does It Affect the Appearance and Growth of Your Back Muscles? What Technique and Grip Should You Use for Exercises Such as Pull-Ups and Lat Pulldowns? All these topics are covered in this article. Check the following link for all back exercises

Training the Back

Sometimes you hear: “Wide grip for a wide back” and “narrow grip for depth and thickness of the back.” However, you can also hear the opposite depending on who you ask. Based on research conducted on this matter, it will become clear that it’s not as simple to state, and there will still be much debate about the “best” execution of certain back exercises.

The Muscles in the Back

It will be no surprise that as often, I begin with anatomy. To know which exercises train a certain part of your body, it’s useful to know:

• Which muscles it contains
• What the function of those muscles is
• Which parts of the body they connect (origin and insertion)

Or you can skip the whole story about anatomy and go straight to the conclusions about the different grips. No problem if you don’t mind being someone who knows what to do but can’t explain why.

Various Muscles of the Back

The back contains various muscles, the largest of which are:

• Latissimus Dorsi
• Trapezius
• Erector Spinae
• Rhomboids

The Teres major, Teres minor, Infraspinatus, and posterior part of the Deltoid are also located in the back region, but I have previously discussed them in the “training shoulders” article due to their functionality.

Back Muscles and the Appearance of the Back

In the image above, you can see where the various major back muscles are located and how they determine the appearance of your back:

• Thickness of the back: Determined by all four muscles, with the difference between the depth of the spine and the surrounding muscles mainly determined by Trapezius and Rhomboids
• A wide back and wide “wings” are achieved by a well-developed Latissimus Dorsi, although this also contributes to thickness.
• Lower back, “Christmas tree effect”: Mainly determined by the lower fibers of the Erector Spinae. This also contributes to thickness in the middle and upper back but to a much lesser extent than the Trapezius and Rhomboids. The Erector Spinae has particularly large fibers in the lower back.
• Upper back, “Bulldog effect”: Determined by the upper fibers of the trapezius.

Now that you know which muscles determine the appearance of your back and how, you can focus on developing certain muscles. Regarding the back, for example, you may want to pay extra attention to the upper back or the lower back, or emphasize the width or thickness of the back. However, you can only target a specific part of the back to a limited extent, as you can isolate the Biceps from Triceps and shoulders in the arms (albeit to a much lesser extent from the Brachialis). The various exercises for the back involve multiple muscles at once, and it is quite possible that the same exercise that activates one muscle the most is also the “best” exercise for another muscle group. This is because the back muscles work together in most movements. If there is a large difference in strength between the different muscles, this increases the risk of injuries. It’s fine to emphasize a certain muscle group if you see that a particular muscle group is lagging behind, for example. However, consciously focusing on a single muscle is ineffective and may invite problems. So, you’ll need to train the entire back, but even then, you’ll want to know which exercises strengthen/enlarge the various back muscles and how, so that you also understand how these exercises should be performed and why. Most people are already familiar with all these back exercises, but often not with the execution of the exercise, which part of the muscle it targets, and how. Therefore, I will address them per muscle.

Latissimus Dorsi

If you want a broad “winged” back, you achieve this by training the Latissimus Dorsi, “the widest back muscle.” Latissimus means “widest” and Dorsi refers to the fact that it is a dorsal muscle, meaning a muscle at the back of the body. It is the largest muscle in terms of surface area!

Origin and Insertion of the Latissimus Dorsi:

Origin and insertion are the places where a muscle (via an attachment) is connected to bone. Origin, the starting point, is almost always closest to the heart and is usually connected to the non-moving part of the body. If you look at the images of the Latissimus, you’ll see that they have their origin in the spinal cord (the lower 3 or 4 ribs) and the lower part of the scapula. Especially in the second image, these different points of origin are clearly depicted. The insertion is in the Humerus, the upper arm.

Functions of the Latissimus Dorsi

The Latissimus Dorsi, or “the lats” in bodybuilding terms, has various functions. If you consider that a muscle can only pull and know to which points it pulls, you can also know for which movements the muscle is responsible. In the case of the Latissimus Dorsi, there are several functions such as:

• Extension of the arms: “Bringing the arms to the body” when they are extended upwards (flexion).
• Adduction of the arms: “Bringing the arms to the body” when they are extended forward or sideways. Most back exercises focus on these two adduction functions.
• Medial rotation of the scapula: “Turning the shoulder bladesinward.”

Exercises for a Broad and Thick Back

I love EMG studies. With EMG (electromyography), the activity of muscles can be measured. Often, this can provide answers in endless discussions about exercises and how they should be performed. However, even with the help of EMG, researchers can come to different answers to the same question. Unfortunately, that’s no different for the muscles of the back. Although it can be confusing, I’ll show them all anyway. If only to show that statements like “wide grip for wide back” (or the opposite) often cannot be substantiated by scientific research. Moreover, I see some of these studies being separately mentioned on many sites as a kind of final judgment on these discussions. That’s fine if, as a writer, you know that other studies came to the same conclusion. In the case of the back, however, it’s not so straightforward.

Toronto Research

Researchers from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in Toronto compared the activity of the Latissimus Dorsi during the lat pulldown and vertical row exercises. They found that the wide, overhand (pronated) grip in the lat pulldown activated the Latissimus more than the narrow, underhand (supinated) grip, although this difference was very small.

Lat Pulldown

They also concluded that the lat pulldown with the overhand, wide grip and the seated row with retracted shoulder blades, which do not come forward as in the video but are fixed, both activate the Latissimus Dorsi the most and that the seated row also activates the Rhomboids and middle fibers of the Trapezius.

The highest latissimus dorsi to biceps ratio of activation occurred during the wide grip pulldown and the seated row. – G.J. Lehman, Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College

Seated row example (without instructions):

Research Pennsylvania State University

The Department of Kinesiology at Pennsylvania State University also conducted EMG research on the activity of the Latissimus Dorsi (and Biceps and Trapezius) with different grips during the lat pulldown to see which execution engages the Latissimus the most. They found that an overhand wide grip engages the Latissimus as much as an overhand narrow grip. However, they also found that both overhand grips, wide and narrow, activate the Latissimus more than the underhand grips.

Based on these findings, an anterior LPD with pronated grip is recommended for maximally activating the LD, irrespective of the grip width (carrying width or biacromial diameter). – S.J. Lusk, Pennsylvania State University

Research University of Miami

Researchers from the University of Miami reached the same conclusion as the Canadians. They compared all the options mentioned above, but also compared pulling to the front and behind the head and the neutral grip (palms facing inward).

The results indicate that changes in handgrip position affect the activities of specific muscles during the lat pull-down movement. Also, performance of the lat pulldown exercise using the WGA* hand position produces greater muscle activity in the LD than any other hand position during both the concentric or eccentric phases of the movement. – J.F. Signorile, University of Miami

*Wide grip anterior = Wide grip in front.

So, at least an overhand grip and probably a wide grip as the best option? Not clear

There is much debate about these different grips during the lat pulldown. What is the best grip? Overhand, underhand, wide or narrow, in front of the head or behind the head? Both the researchers from Miami and the Canadians therefore concluded that the wide, overhand grip activates the Latissimus the most. However, the differences are not significant, and not everyone shares this opinion.

Pull-ups and Chin-ups: Pulling up with different grips

Pulling up can be done in various ways. In English, pulling up with an underhand grip (palms facing you) is often called chin-ups, and with an overhand grip, pull-ups, but both terms are frequently used interchangeably. Pulling up is one of the most well-known exercises for the Latissimus Dorsi. The exercise engages multiple large muscles and is therefore included in many programs to improve overall fitness, similar to push-ups. In a study on the effectiveness of a certain type of bands for pulling up, the involvement of different muscles was examined:

• Latissimus Dorsi: 117-130%*,
• Biceps Brachii: 78-96%,
• Infraspinatus: 71-79%,
• Lower fibers of Trapezius: 45-56%,
• Pectoralis Major: 44-57%,
• Erector Spinae: 39-41%,
• Oblique abdominis: 31-35%.

* Percentage MVIC. Maximal Voluntary Isometric Muscle Contraction is a way to quantify generated muscle strength. Especially the Latissimius Dorsi, but also a large number of other muscles are trained with this exercise.

Difference between chin ups and pull ups

“So what is the best exercise for the latissimus dorsi?”

• First of all, it’s very difficult to determine this because studies examining the same exercises with the same execution show different results. Moreover, often different exercises are compared in different studies, so you can’t rely on the results of one study in which this was done. For example, Dr. Bompa is the only one who looked at the T-bar row.
• More importantly, the differences are often not significant. At least not significant enough to outweigh the benefit of variation. What I mean by this is that your body gets used to every exercise and will respond less to it even if you train heavier. Even if an underhand grip, for example, activates the latissimus dorsi ten percent more, this is not a reason to only do this grip in the lat pulldown or only do a certain exercise instead of alternating it with other exercises. Most bodybuilders do multiple exercises per muscle group, which makes variation even more logical.
• It’s also important to realize that the extent to which you activate certain muscles not only depends on the movement you make, but also on how your brain controls the muscles. An experienced bodybuilder knows how to focus much better on the muscles targeted by a certain exercise. Inexperienced athletes, on the other hand, sometimes don’t even know which muscles they are training with a certain exercise, let alone focus on them. That mental focus can make a big difference, as you can read further in this article.
• Finally, studies often also depend on how the sensors for EMG measurements are placed. Different fibers of the muscle can have different functions. If the sensors are placed near fibers that are less or more stressed during a certain execution, this can give a distorted picture. I will illustrate this with the following question: “Can you train separate parts of the latissimus dorsi?”.

Training Different Parts of the Latissimus Dorsi?

As mentioned, you can make the back “thicker” by training mainly the Trapezius and Rhomboideus while the Latissimus Dorsi mainly contributes to a wider/broader back. However, could you specifically train the outer part of the Latissimus Dorsi for this purpose? Does this bring us to the source of “wide for wide and narrow for narrow” or vice versa? The answer to this may have to do with the fiber direction of the Latissimus Dorsi. You can see in the images (2 and especially 3) that the muscle fibers of the latissimus dorsi at the top and middle run horizontally from the center to the outside, while the fibers at the bottom run more diagonally upward. Moreover, the fibers on the outside have a separate point of origin. By seeing all fibers as separate strings and looking at “what each string pulls”, you can understand which movement they are involved in. Lat pulldown and pull-ups: For wide back up to 90 degrees with narrow grip? The fibers on the outside run diagonally, almost vertically from bottom to top. So these fibers mainly pull downwards (extension) from a position where the arms are raised. At least up to halfway and the elbows point outwards (arms at a 90-degree angle to the torso). From that moment on, the arms will be relatively pulled more from outside to inside (adduction), and the horizontal and diagonal fibers will help more. Because the horizontal and diagonal muscle fibers run across the entire width of the muscle and not just on the outside, it would be plausible that you target more the thickness of the entire back with this.

A Narrow Grip for a Wide Back?

You can see in the image above which fibers mainly pull downwards (the outer ones), which mainly pull inwards (the upper ones), and which fibers, to varying degrees, do both (the intermediate, more diagonal fibers). Besides, this already indicates the use of a wide or narrow grip. What I mean by this is that your arms no longer point completely upwards with a wide grip, but diagonally upwards and outwards. In the image next to this, you see two ladies with their arms raised. Forget the dumbbells in the left lady’s hands for a moment and imagine they both hold a bar to pull down or pull themselves up. The lady on the left has her arms straight up. You can see from the arrows that it takes longer for her to pull them down and reach 90 degrees. With the lady with the wide “grip”, this takes less time because, due to the position of her arms, she is already halfway to this point. So, the lady on the right will use the muscle fibers on the outside less than the lady on the left. In other words: the wider the grip, the less flexion and therefore less extension. For the outside of the Latissimus Dorsi, you would probably be best off with a narrow grip for the lat pulldown or pull-up movements. You can also emphasize this on the upper part of the movement. Attention! The above is an assumption based on the known functionality of the muscle as determined by fiber directions and attachment points. I am not aware of any studies that have measured the EMG activity of the different parts of the Latissimus Dorsi to demonstrate this. However, you now understand why EMG results can differ depending on where the sensors are placed on the fibers.

Underhand Grip Does Not Increase Biceps Activity?

It will not surprise many that according to two of the mentioned studies, the overhand grip activates the Latissimus Dorsi more than an underhand grip. From experience, most people know that you can train heavier with an underhand grip. In other words, it’s easier, meaning the muscles are less stressed overall. Almost everyone who knows this, including myself, attributes this to the fact that the biceps are more activated with an underhand grip and therefore contribute more to the movement. This was also evident from the study on the differences between pull-ups with an underhand grip (chin-ups) and an overhand grip (pull-ups). However, the research from Pennsylvania State and the Canadian study show that there is no difference in biceps activation between both grips, underhand and overhand (1,2). The difference in activation of the latissimus dorsi may be caused by the fact that a greater range of motion is made (range of motion) when the elbows point outwards than forwards (8).

Mental Focus on the Latissimus Dorsi Increases Activity

From the above, it appears that the fact that a muscle has to work more or less may not always depend on the degree of assistance from another muscle. You see that a different grip can make a big difference without the influence of other muscles. This is not always because a muscle is more or less isolated during an exercise. Researchers from the University of South Carolina found that you can also activate the Latissimus Dorsi more simply by concentrating on it (9). They had untrained women do the lat pulldown and looked at the activity of, among others, the Latissimus Dorsi and the Biceps. They had the women repeat the exercise to see if this activity would change due to getting used to the exercise. This turned out to have no effect. The different muscles were stressed to the same extent. Then they instructed the women to concentrate as much as possible on the Latissimus Dorsi. You can see the results in the image above. The Latissimus Dorsi (and Teres Major) were found to be more activated while the activation of the Biceps (and that of the Teres Major) did not decrease. In other words: the Latissimus Dorsi worked harder, and this was caused by the thoughts of the women and not because the Biceps and/or Teres Major did less. So, it pays off to really focus on the muscle you are training. If this applies to the Latissimus Dorsi, there is no reason to assume that this does not apply to other muscles.

The results show that untrained individuals can voluntarily increase the activity of a specified muscle group during the performance of a multijoint resistance exercise, but the increase probably does not represent “isolation” of the muscle group through voluntary reduction of activity in complementary agonist muscles.” B. Snyder, Florida State University

Shoulder Injuries from Lat Pulldown and Pulling Behind the Head with Overhand Grip.

Pulling the bar behind the head can lead to shoulder problems due to impingement of the shoulder joint (shoulder impingement) (10). If you already have a history of such shoulder problems, it is wise not to do the behind-the-head version or only do it lightly during warm-up. Unfortunately, however, the overhand grip for the head can also lead to shoulder problems because the shoulders are rotated outward. If you suffer from shoulder problems or are sensitive to them, it is wise to opt for a neutral or underhand grip. Better to slightly activate your back muscles more (if that’s the case) than to hardly be able to train for a few weeks due to a shoulder injury.

Trapezius

Many people train the Trapezius, also called the trapezius muscle, mainly because it gives the “bulldog” face. This is the thick neck region that slopes diagonally into the shoulders as illustrated here with the gigantic “traps” of four-time Mr. International and former Mr. Olympia, Dexter Jackson. However, the Trapezius is also largely responsible for the thickness of the middle of the back. If we look at the anatomy of the back and the placement of the Trapezius, which is not named after the shape of a trapezoid for nothing, we see that it runs in point up to halfway down the back and thus covers a large part of the middle of the back.

Origin, Insertion, and Functions of Trapezius:

You can divide the Trapezius in terms of origin and insertion into three parts:

• Upper fibers: The upper fibers are also called pars descendens because they run from the origin in the skull and cervical spine (neck vertebrae) downwards to the insertion point in the scapula. Function: Retraction (pulling back) and elevation (lifting upwards) of the scapula. Assists in carrying the weight of the arms.
• Middle fibers: Pars transversus. Fibers run horizontally from the point of origin, the lower part of the cervical spine and the upper part of the thoracic spine (chest vertebrae) to the insertion point at the tip of the scapula. Function: Retraction of shoulders.
• Lower fibers: Pars ascendens. Fibers run upward from the point of origin, the lower vertebrae of the thoracic spine to the insertion point, the outer edge of the scapula (“spine of scapula”). Function: Retraction and depression (pulling downwards) of the scapular point.

Due to the different points of origin and insertion and different fiber directions, emphasis can be placed on a particular part of the Trapezius muscle during training, although the other parts will also be activated to a lesser extent.

Training (Different parts of) Trapezius

Alright, I can simplify this for you by not overwhelming you with a bunch of EMG studies. It’s not necessary because the opinions on this matter are less varied. For training the Trapezius, you can choose to focus on the upper part for the Bulldog effect or the middle and lower parts for a thicker back. Below, you’ll see the anatomy of the Trapezius again. Based on the fiber directions and functions, it’s easy to determine which exercises you can do for the different parts:

• Upper fibers: Function to elevate the shoulder blades. For this, you mainly do shrugs (with barbell, dumbbells, or machine). With a long bar, you can choose to hold it in front of or behind your body. In the first case, the shoulder blades are pulled forward by the weight, and the middle fibers, and to a lesser extent, the lower fibers, work to hold the shoulder blades backward.
• Middle fibers: Function to pull the shoulder blades backward. You train these with any exercise where you pull the shoulder blades backward, such as seated/vertical row, T-bar row, and bend over barbell row.
• Lower fibers: Function to pull the shoulder blades backward and downward and rotate the shoulder blades upwards. You also train these with various rowing exercises, but also with the lat pull-down, where the shoulder blades are pulled downward, and pull-ups and chin-ups, which are mechanically similar movements.

Canadian researchers who looked at the effect of exercises for the latissimus dorsi found that the seated row activates not only the latissimus dorsi but also the trapezius and rhomboid muscles the most.

Highest levels of myoelectric activity in the middle trapezius/rhomboid muscle group occurred during the seated row. G.J. Lehman, Canadian Memorial Chiropractic CollegeToronto

Researchers from the Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions investigated which exercises activate the various parts of the trapezius (11). They had participants perform ten different exercises, including shrugs, but also less familiar exercises. They reached the following conclusion:

The unilateral shoulder shrug exercise was found to produce the greatest EMG activity in the upper trapezius. For the middle trapezius, the greatest EMG amplitudes were generated with 2 exercises: shoulder horizontal extension with external rotation and the overhead arm raise in line with the lower trapezius muscle in the prone position. The arm raise overhead exercise in the prone position produced the maximum EMG activity in the lower trapezius”. R.A. Ekstrom, Rocky Mountain University

For clarification, they suggest that the following exercises activate the trapezius the most:

• Upper Trapezius: Unilateral shrugs (lifting shoulders. Unilateral means one side at a time instead of both sides simultaneously).
• Middle Trapezius: Shoulder horizontal extension (also known as: reverse flyes/rear lateral delt raise. See video). The difference compared to training for the back of the shoulders, for which this exercise is often done and shown in the video, is that the arms should rotate outward.
• Lower Trapezius: Overhead arm raise (lifting the arm above the head. Prone means face down). Important is the position of the arms. Lifting the arms diagonally from the side (as you often see) mainly activates the middle part of the Trapezius, while lifting the arms straight up or diagonally from the front mainly activates the lower part of the Trapezius.