If you want to be considered physically fit, back exercise stand out as one of those exercises that really make the biggest difference. It is fairly easy to do back exercises yet many people do them incorrectly and hence never see the results they are looking for. The back is arguably one of the more challenging areas of your body to improve yet doing proper back exercises will eventually get you there. Here are some of the more effective back exercises you can do and some tips to help you get the most out of each.
The Deadlift. This is possibly the most popular of all the back exercises and it is also among the better exercises for building power. When you do deadlifts you are engaging most of the major muscle group in your body. From the hamstrings to the hips to the lats, all are worked out during the dead-lift.
To perform the deadlift stand in front of the get as close to the crossbar as possible. Keep your feet about a foot apart. Reach down and hold the bar with both hand shoulder width apart. Bring the bar up towards your waist keeping your legs bent and hands straight. Does this while bringing you back to an upright position. Bend at the waist and place the bar back on the floor.
When performing the exercise it is important that you keep your back as straight as possible. This will prevent you form arching your back and causing injury.
One other thing you can consider to, get a better grip on the bar, is to hold the bar with your hand facing forward and backward respectively.
Chin Ups. This exercise works the lats, rear deltoids, and biceps muscles. This is a challenging exercise since you will need to have the strength to lift your own weight.
To do this exercise you will need to hold a pull up bar with your hands straight and about shoulder width apart. Pull your body up against the bar so that your chin touches it. Count one than lower yourself down and repeat.
One tip when doing Chin ups, you can change the way you hold the bar from a wide grip to a narrow grip.
Lat Pull downs. This exercise focuses on the back muscles, forearms and biceps. To do this exercise position a crossbar onto a pulley that is high. Hold the bar with a very wide grip. Once you are situated at the exercise machine properly and with your arms straight out, pull down the bar towards your chest. Hold for one or two seconds then return to starting position slowly.
It is a good idea to change your grip when doing this exercise so as to engage your back muscles in different ways.
Since the back muscles are amongst the largest muscle group it best to use a number of different back exercises to get optimum development. When doing back exercises always make sure you are engaging your back muscles.