Back Blaster
by Samantha Coogan, MS, RDN, LD
1. Close-Grip Chin-Ups/Pull-Ups
• A chin-up grip makes this movement a little bit easier, but you’ll get even more out of your back, especially your scapula, with a regular pull-up grip.
• A narrow grip increases the range of motion and allows for more muscle activation, but is more challenging than a wider grip, which will target certain back muscles a little differently so don’t leave them out either.
• Since these are tougher, you probably won’t be able to do quite as many in a set as you would the wider grip, which is just fine.
2. Renegade Row
• These can be done with dumbbells or kettlebells.
• Start at the top of a push-up position with a dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand (if using kettlebells, use ones with a good size bell base so that you don’t fall off of them or twist your wrist with your weight on top of them).
• Staying in a push-up position, row one elbow straight back. Lower that same arm to the ground and repeat with the other arm.
3. Push-Ups
• You don’t need to get fancy to get results. Push-ups are the perfect back exercise.
• And not girl push-ups here! I’d much rather see someone snake/worm themselves up (laying flat on the ground, “worm” your way up by pulling your chest from the floor, then hips, then thighs until you’re in a straight plank position, then lower back down to the ground).
• You’ll get much stronger this way and will be able to perform more strict push-ups eventually rather than doing them on your knees.
4. Reverse Fly
• These are great because you can use dumbbells, the cable machine or a fixed weight machine to get the job done.
• Start with your arms straight in front of you, with weights/resistance in hand, and spread hands out in opposite directions, keeping your arms as straight as possible.
• You will really feel your back working on this one.
• You can do these standing, bent over, or on an incline bench for a little bit of variation in muscle activation.
