Beginners Back Workout Guide

By Phil Sims

Always remember to warm up for these exercises. Lie on your front and open your arms to do a press up style motion (without lifting your body from the ground). Holding your pelvis to the floor push up with your arms, lifting your chest from the ground, this will stretch the lower back muscles.

Another technique used for stretching and warming the back can be done, by lying on your back, hand at your side, palms down. Lift your knees up with you feet flat to the floor, and then rock your knees slowly from side to side stretching the back muscles. Try these two exercises for 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

Pull Ups: Pull ups are a good starting exercise as no weights are involved. Address the pull up bar with both hands about 9 inches apart, with the forearms parallel to each other. Slowly pull your body up to the bar ensuring stability until your chin is level with the bar. Hold for a couple of seconds and then slowly return. Repeat this exercise as many times as possible (to failure) for 3 sets.

Back extensions: mount the back extension apparatus ensuring your legs are supported with the pads, and enough room is available to lower your body. With your arms folded across your chest, slowly lower your body to the floor in a downward arc motion. Then slowly return ensuring abs and buttocks are tight. Be careful not to over extent the back muscles on return as this may damage your back muscles. Attempt this exercise for 10-15 reps over 3-4 sets.

Seated Row: Sit on the apparatus with your legs out straight but slightly bent at the knee, ensuring you have a suitable weight attached to the cable. Grasp the handles of the seated row machine with your palms facing upwards. Slowly pull back the bar to the upper abs, ensuring your elbows are tucked in to the body. As you pull the handle back to the body, be sure to allow the elbows past your sides until the bar almost makes contact with the abs slowly return, and repeat. Attempt this exercise for 10-15 reps over 3-4 sets.

Lat Pull Down: Ensure the correct bar is on the Lat Pull Down machine. This bar should be around 3 feet in length. Using the correct weight suitable for you, grasp the bar and sit down ensuring the knees are secure under the support pads, with your feet firmly on the floor. Slowly allow the bar to return to the start position. Start the exercise by slowly pulling the bar to the top of the chest, holding and slowly returning to the start position again and repeat. Attempt this exercise for 10-15 reps over 3-4 sets.

One Arm Row: With a dumbbell in your right hand and your left knee on a training bench (from the knee down to the ankle, with your foot hanging over the edge). Bend forward so your back is parallel with the training bench. With the dumbbell hanging down toward the floor and your palms facing inward, slowly pull the dumbbell to your side, ensuring the elbow is tucked in tight and pointing toward the ceiling. Slowly lower and repeat. Attempt this exercise for 10-15 reps over 3-4 sets.

After all exercises are complete, always remember to do a full warm down of the muscles used in you routine. Warming down is still an essential part of training and does help to combat muscle.

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