How to Work Your Back Efficiently

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In bodybuilding “jargon”, people usually classify the Lats and other muscles of the upper back, collectively, as the “Back”. For example, when someone asks, “What are you working today?”, the answer would be something like “Chest and Back”, or “Back and Biceps”. What’s important, of course, is to know the individual muscles of the “Back”, and to understand their distinct functions, so that we can determine which exercises are BEST for each of those muscles.

[@pacorodriguez47]

EVERY SINGLE Video I become a better TRAINER.... thanks for the free EDUCATION...

[@mangoMango-ck3et]

R.I.P. Doug,,,,we will keep your Channel going...thanks for all the great bodybuilding education.

[@deanpaulson6714]

Thanks !! At 55 and having wrecked my skeleton over the years with heavy compound lifts and playing rugby I wish we had this info around 30 years ago 😀😀 although mid 20s wouldn't have listened

[@deanpaulson6714]

@Joseph Scott For sure -- Then all the training programs push Olympic lifts and powerlifts it's WAY to much . At those loadings and bad recruitment patterns the connective tissue is just getting destroyed

[@deanpaulson6714]

@Joseph Scott Trust me Olympic lifting and powerlifting over time alone will take it's toll eventually.

[@timmybear4449]

Tremendous. I would always watch Ric Drasin's channel, and I liked when Doug would come on. These videos are life saving. I was guilty of supinating during bicep curls for extra "peak" & these lat lectures are also making a lot of sense. Thank you.

[@SmartTraining365Biomechanics]

Great ,thanks Timothy

[@anthony342]

agree mate . miss ric

[@RedPillVegan]

i think this is the video i was thinking of!

[@rickj895]

Absolutely amazing stuff .

[@SmartTraining365Biomechanics]

Thank you

[@anthonylubic]

Thanks for sharing Doug 👌🏻

[@vlada]

Looking at the 1 arm row pic at 6:10 reminded me a chiro at the gym, Paul Charest, convince me over 2 decades ago to not do them this way because of risk of hernia. Ive since done them with legs on each side of bench (as opposed to this lopsided w/ leg leaning backwards) like you're in a 3 point football stance so you load your hips equally and with same arm position. I dont even mind if Doug debunks this 😉

[@murrayknox3321]

Arthur Jones / Nautilus did the work years ago: Behind Neck Torso Machine & Rear Delt Machine

[@adamsloane1748]

Every anatomy book I have seen says that the lat performs two principal functions--adduction AND shoulder extension. (The lats also are involved in other movements, including some lateral flexion of the spine, which you incorporate in your pull-in.) Shoulder extension involves pulling the humerus from in front to roughly parallel to the body. A straight arm pulldown on a cable machine is probably the purest example. It is true that the lats pretty much stop working when you go beyond shoulder extension into hyperextension (humerus behind the body). But I don't see the basis for you to say (as you do toward the end of this video) that lats aren't involved in pulling backward (shoulder extension). In fact, your pull-in, as I understand it, involves both shoulder extension and adduction (because the starting position has the cable both to the side and slightly in front of the body). While most internet "authorities" seem to over-emphasize shoulder extension at the expense of adduction, it is no more correct to eliminate shoulder extension from the picture altogether. For the first part of most one-arm rowing movements, a key aspect of lat function is being worked--shoulder extension. The same goes for the straight-arm cable pulldown which also works the teres major, which contributes to back width (though if you pull behind the body (hyperextension), the lats won't be working at the end of the movement).

[@SmartTraining365Biomechanics]

Back width?

[@adamsloane1748]

@@SmartTraining365Biomechanics Yes. In fact, shoulder extension seems to emphasize the upper lats (which are responsible for width). A number of analyses have shown this. Chris Beardsley has a helpful write-up of various studies on the topic. It's on Medium.com and is titled "How Should We Train the Latissimus Dorsi?" Others have reached similar conclusions. Beardsley does not have an axe to grind. Neither do I. In fact, I bought your book.

[@patpogoallroundguitarist5814]

Why should you even bend your underarm at all if the purpose is to isolate your back. Like for example like in a rowing or pullup exercise. The majority of the contraction is then on the biceps. I would actually call bent over trap training or rear delt with straight arm training actually more of a "true" back training exercises because of the majority of isolation you get on the back not the limbs.

[@Theo5555]

Doug I bought your book on amazon and 4 days later I already had it at home in Belgium (Europe) good book !! Doug, is there any news about you doing Ric’s Corner?

[@SmartTraining365Biomechanics]

Awesome enjoy it! Not yet...

[@cheriemaceachern9746]

Ric has passed.

[@anab0lic]

Sounds good In theory. But lets look at who has the best lat development in the history of bodybuilding... that would be without a doubt Dorian Yates. What did he primarily use to build those lats? The nautilus pullover machine, which brings the arms back and down, essentially performing a chin up, row and DB pullover in one complete range of motion movement, whilst eliminating the assistance of the arms for pure isolation, as well as providing varied resistance through the ROM with the built in cams that take into account the strength curve. Nothing has built my lats more than having access to a good pullover machine, every gym should have one, but sadly few actually do.

[@SmartTraining365Biomechanics]

When you combine good genetics, hardwork and steroids you can achieve great physique and huge lats, he did multiple exercises for the lats, the inefficient exercises won't undo the benefits of the efficient one. Dorian injured himself several time, due to the years of abuse and exercise selection. What we are talking about is efficient training, achieving the same results by loading each muscle optimally and safely without the injury risk. This is a new method, it will take some time for people to accept it.

[@anab0lic]

​@@SmartTraining365Biomechanics The thing about Yates is he didn't actually have the best back starting out, early on in his career he lost to another competitor who actually outclassed him from the rear, so to say it was a genetically good bodypart that easily grew for him isn't really true. After that defeat, Being the thinking type that he is, he went back to the drawing board (probably consulting people like Mentzer who he learned a lot from) and started incorporating movements that better isolate the area he I was trying to build. Its true he did more than just the pullover, but he has said himself that without access to that machine his back would not have reached the size it did. Also, the other movements he performed were following a similar angle of pull close to the body back wards not inwards as you are making a case for here. Steroids will not allow you to maximize growth of a body part if the training is not on point either, speaking from first hand experience here. I had some majorly over and underdeveloped parts whilst using steroids, simply because those less muscular bodyparts were not being isolated with enough intensity to illicit growth. What you are advocating for in these videos isn't really all that new to me, I have arrived at a lot of similar conclusions myself from 20 years of obsessive trial and error training and research, in that isolation not only produces the best results, but is also the best way to avoid injury's. What this does make me wonder though, is why you choose pressing movements as a chest builder? when fly movements much better isolate the pectoral fibres. Getting stronger on a pec fly machine did more for my pecs than years of pressing movements ever did. Because a aside from the stretch at the bottom, the chest is not getting sufficiently taxed when pressing. This is why in most pro bodybuilders today you see massive front delts and triceps and small chests in relation. Wheras bodybuilders from Arnolds era, that did a ton of flyes, all had much more proportional chests. The only other thing really find myself disagreeing with you on is it seems you take a more high volume approach to your training, personally I have found that lower volume with certain intensity enhancing techniques has allowed me to reach muscle mass levels I never could with a higher volume approach.

[@sabanangel]

​@@anab0licfriend All this comment has NOTHING relevant to this video... And if you, with your 20-year-old analysis, already knew this... open your KZbin channel and expand your knowledge... Nobody is interested that you already knew this. ...

[@izuki1245]

Just subbed to your channel very well explained, thank you

[@SmartTraining365Biomechanics]

Thank you for joining us

[@SalsBodybuildingArchives]

Hey Doug; What is the next best and efficient exercise to widen the Lats if I could not perform single Arm Lat Pull-In’s. Thank you.

[@michaelyoung6837]

What about if the lat pulldown bar has your palms facing each other

[@rg-pq1kb]

There is maybe a double edged sword to this great info… my inner hipster prefers it to be obscure but on the other hand I hate thinking of a new generation coming up destroying their bodies trying to look like out of context manipulated images they see on the internet

[@patkob2180]

Ok...the best pull up chin up is with rings placed away...you can alternate or same time(alternate better bcause you can twist)...boom!

[@incorectulpolitic]

please make a video about this exercise

[@TheAdskidids1]

so...what exercise do you do?

[@SmartTraining365Biomechanics]

As explained in the video, the ones that allow you to bring your humerus close to your side and elbow close to the hip bone

[@TheLusianPopa]

Dorian Yates who had the best back in bodybuilding history says the function of the lats is to bring the humerus down and BACK the lats do insert on the spine so they have to be pulling inward as well

[@SmartTraining365Biomechanics]

Many people can achieve great results using the best or worst exercises, they just have the genetics and everything else that comes with the sport. Most of the time, those who achieved great results, attribute their success to certain movements but that's not true, how many did Larry Scott curls and got Larry Scott arms? How many did Tom Platz Squats and got the same results? How many used Dorian Yates back exercises recommendations and got he's back?

[@TheLusianPopa]

@@SmartTraining365Biomechanics Dorian Yates really is one of the most knowledgeable bodybuilders, he knows his stuff. He never credited a certain exercise with his back development.If anything he was a huge proponent of the Nautilus Pullover, as he implies that it takes the biceps and forearms out of the movement. and all the stress is on the lats. Of course Dorian had great insertions in all his back muscles, and coupled with the intense training and amount of gear he used he was bound to get great results.

[@Ematuresco]

@@SmartTraining365Biomechanics Doug in your earlier videos, you were advocating rows for the middle back - videos are still online, what is your opinion on your old suggestions from just a few years back ?

[@davepazz580]

@@Ematuresco His training evolved over time... he no longer believed rows to be essential for back development.

[@REPSDirect]

Is the Nautilus Pullover machine good for lat work?

[@SmartTraining365Biomechanics]

Not a good exercise for the lats

[@lionheart93]

@@SmartTraining365Biomechanicschest?

[@patkob2180]

Doug...bought a sissy bench, have pulleys and ordered the book

[@SmartTraining365Biomechanics]

Your set👍

[@patkob2180]

@@SmartTraining365Biomechanics I am 42 Natural very strong guy (as they say) Have a 450 lbs bench 650 sqaur d lift

[@JohnSmeton]

What do you think about about Dorian Yates saying neutral or undergrip for pulldowns and never overhand? What about the pullover machine being the best exercise for back? How about deadlifts from the knee or rack deadlifts, hitting the lower n mid traps like no other?

[@patkob2180]

@@JohnSmeton Maybe it streched the lat abit more (insertion) so you get a better contraction.

[@AdolfSchicklegruber]

Just did my first brig 20 leg day. The sissy squats kicked my a$$. I can back squat 530 and was doing body weight sissy squat with cable assistance for less than 15 reps.

[@SmartTraining365Biomechanics]

How do you feel

[@AdolfSchicklegruber]

@@SmartTraining365Biomechanics much better than usual after a normal squat/deadlift day. I have a little Gumby legs going on but no joint pain. Looking forward to strength without feeling like garbage after.