Health and Fitness Vault: How To Build Solid Back Muscles

The back muscles are often neglected by many women at the gym. They train legs and abs all the time along with some arms and shoulders, but the back receives little work. Not only is this bad for muscle balance to ensure joints are stabilized, it also means they are missing out on developing muscles that help define a sexy figure. The back muscles help offset the hips and provide a nice top to the hourglass look. For those with narrower hips, it still helps with a great v-tape.

So are you ready to get to work?

Bringing Sexy Back

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The back is a very large group of muscles. The latissimus dorsi cover the majority of it but there are also the trapezius and erector spinae. All of the muscles should be worked not only for general health and protection of the spine but also for maximum shape.

Inverted Rows - 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps - inverted rows are performed by placing a bar in a cage or using a Smith Machine set at waist height. Get under the bar and hang from a shoulder width grip. With your legs and body flat, pull your body towards the bar until it touches your sternum, pause, and lower. If you need to make it easier then bend your knees.

Wide-Grip Lateral Pulldowns - 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps - This is a great exercise to really shape the lats and the traps. You can alternate between using a wide grip, underhanded grip, or even close grip. In fact, you should try them all! Keep the back slightly arched and pull the bar down to the top of your chest in a smooth motion. Imagine pulling your elbows back and down instead of using your hands to simply pull the bar down.

Single-Handle Seated Cable Rows - 2 sets of 8 to 12 reps - Typically this workout station has a dual handle, but instead try using a single handle. Start in a position with your back flat and arm stretched out towards the cable pulley. Pull smoothly towards your lower hip while keep your core tight. Hold the contraction and then let it extend forward again, getting a deep stretch.

Cable Lat Pullovers - 2 sets of 15 to 20 reps - Stand in front of the lat pulldown machine. Reach up and grab the bar with a close grip. Keeping your arms straight, bring the handle down in a smooth arc towards your hips. This works the outer portion of the lats and gets a great stretch to many of the back muscles.

Lower Back Machine - 2 sets of 15 to 20 reps - Finish things off strengthening the lower back. Use a moderate weight and focus on smooth reps without hyper-extending your torso.

There you have it, a simple yet very effective routine to help add muscle tone and create a very sexy back. If you need help creating more of an hour-glass or v-taper then you should definitely look at using this routine. Plus strengthening the muscles around your spine is always a smart idea to prevent injuries.