Tip: A Brand New Way to Use Your Foam Roller
Build your back, abs, and chest with a foam roller. Here's how.
September 11
Tip: Inverted Row Modification
This variation places better emphasis on the lats.
September 7
Tip: Build Your Back With Bodyweight
Pull yourself up and build a huge back. Master your own bodyweight with this mechanical drop set.
September 4
Tip: Lat Activation Drill
If you can't feel your lats, or your biceps take over, during pulldowns or pull-ups, do this drill first.
September 3
Tip: Inverted Face Pulls
This is the bodyweight version of the face pull. Great for posture, upper back size, and shoulder health.
September 2
Tip: Two Tips for Better Pull-Ups
Get more lat recruitment from chin-ups and pull-ups with these cues: 1. Chest to bar. 2. Squeeze a tennis ball between your shoulder blades.
September 1
Tip: The Eccentric Front Lever
Finish off your lats with 3 sets of 3-5 reps. Lower slowly and under control to trigger growth-inducing muscle damage.
August 23
Tip: No-Straps Dumbbell Row
This style of row is great for back hypertrophy and for building your grip for the deadlift. Go for at least 20 reps, Kroc-row style.
July 28
Tip: Do This for 20 Minutes, Feel Great
Deload your spine, fix your posture, function better. Here's how.
July 23
Tip: One-Arm Cable Row
Supplement your barbell and dumbbell rows with this great back training variation that also hits the core and even the glutes.
July 19
Tip: Kettlebell Row With Rotation
The variation of the one-arm row allows you to add rotation and it tweaks the weight distribution for a new stimulus.
June 30
Tip: The X-Pulldown
This is a great shoulder-friendly back exercise. Start thumbs-down, finish thumbs-up.
June 28
Tip: How to Build Mid-Back Muscle
Most lifters have underdeveloped mid-backs. Here's how to really attack that weak area to bring it up.
June 25
Tip: Rope Pulldowns for Lats
Sit on the floor, get a full stretch of the lats, then pull with your elbows as far behind you as you can. Arch your low back and get your chest out.
June 15
Tip: The Cable Pullover Lat Finisher
After your big lifts, finish off your lats and get a good stretch with this exercise.
Tip: The Rhomboid Pulldown
Rhomboids are a weak link for many lifters. Target them like this. Use a close grip attachment and pull down to the sternum. Flare the elbows out at a 90-degree angle.
June 13
Tip: The Inverted Pull-Up
Add this versatile back exercise to your program. Alter the grip, the angle, or adjust your feet to make it easier or harder.
June 6
Tip: The Very Best Way to Row
There are two ways to row: super strict or super cheated. Both are incorrect! Here's how to actually row right for gains.
June 5
Tip: The Back Exercise Form Fixer
Are you using bad form on back exercises without even realizing it? This little trick will fix that, and help you build a bigger back.
June 1
Tip: Two Backside Exercises You Should Be Doing
Your posterior chain contains a ton of musculature and you're probably not training all of it. Here are two lifts you should be doing.