START HERE!
START HERE!
In training hundreds-of-thousands of clients, we have found that females tend to request workouts that mainly focus on arms, abs, and lower body.
Understandably, since those are the parts of the body that you see the most and are often considered “trouble” spots.
But just because you can’t see a muscle group doesn’t mean it’s not important in achieving your physique goals!
The back is a great example. It is often under trained in females because most people don’t realize how much of a role your back can play in your physique’s overall shape.
Building and toning your back can totally change the way your body looks.
Not only will the right movements help with that bra bulge area most ladies hate, but having lean muscle in your back will also help create illusions such as a smaller waist, which will give you more of that sought after hourglass shape.
In this article, we will tell you three key back exercises that every woman should be doing.
There are a lot of great back exercises. We say these are “the best” because they hit all of the key areas of the back females need to focus on.
If you need to see any of these exercises in action, click the video box at the top of the page, and Vince will walk you through exactly how to perform each one with perfect form!
BEST BACK WORKOUT FOR WOMEN
In the video above, we are demonstrating these movements in a gym with equipment. But there are always ways to modify these exact same movements with bands, db’s, or even weighted items you have around the house.
Reps and sets will vary based on your fitness level. Aim to do at least 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps of each exercise!
Exercise 1: Bent Over Row
The bent over row is one of our favorite back exercises because it is a compound movement. This means it recruits more than one muscle. The bent over row is an all-over back strengthener, especially for your lats, which is an area females really want to focus on to help create the illusion of a smaller waist and target the “bra bulge” area. But you will also recruit your core and, to an extent, even your biceps and shoulders.
You can do these with a barbell, pre-loaded barbell, DBs, or even a cable machine!
Pick whatever grip is most comfortable for you.
Your hands will be just outside your thighs. Slightly bend your knees and then hip hinge back. Drop your shoulders down and bring the weight in toward your belly button. Focus on driving your elbows back and keeping them as close to your sides as possible. Pause for a big squeeze and then return to the starting position.
Do not swing or use the body for any momentum. Keep your spine neutral and back flat, and your head down!
Exercise 2: Wide Grip Cable Pulldown
We are now attacking the lats from a different angle. Cables are great for this movement because you can keep constant tension on the muscle.
When done with proper form (shown in the video above), using a wide grip really targets the outer lats .. or that bra bulge area.
Sit at the lat pulldown machine with your knees firmly under the pad and your hips pushed against the pad. Don’t sit back on the seat. Keep your chest up as you slowly pull down and almost puff out your chest as you pull the bar down. Do not pull with your biceps – pull with your lats! Think of pulling your chest to your bar and leading with your elbows. Squeeze your lats and slowly return to the stretched position.
Exercise 3: Seated Close Grip Cable Row
Alright, now we are going to change our grip to a close/narrow grip.
Changing your grip to narrow will still hit your lats and targets the upper-middle part of your back. The seated row version we show you in the video above will also recruit some shoulders and biceps.
Using a close grip attachment at the seated cable row machine, let the weight pull you forward so you can get a good stretch in your lats. Use mind-muscle connection and focus on slowly pulling back low toward your bellybutton with your back and not your arms. Pull until you are in an upright or slightly leaned back position. Squeeze your back muscles together, and slowly return to that stretched starting position.
You don’t see your back everyday .. so it’s easy to overlook the importance of training it!
Make sure you are getting in these 3 exercises once or twice a week, and you will be well on your way to building a lean and toned back that will help enhance your curves in all the right way!
Exactly how you train your muscles, how much cardio you need to do, and even how you eat is will be different for everyone. Not because of your fitness level, but because of your body type. Your genetics play a huge role in how you need to eat and train to see optimal results!
We have a free body type quiz that is only 5 questions and will tell you what your body type is so that you know exactly what to do to achieve max results in the shortest amount of time!
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