Back Exercises with Resistance Bands.

So we've covered some Leg Exercises and Arm Exercises with Resistance Bands, and now let's focus on some Back Exercises.

The back is another muscle group that is often overlooked. From the spinal erectors, to the rhomboids, lats, trapezius and a ton of other muscles, the back is pretty complicated.

This complexity is important for the functionality of our Posterior Chain.

I can't tell you how many people I've known or met who have back problems. In our day to day lives we all do a lot of lifting. Grocery bags, dog food or whatever else it may be; the majority of these lifts involve the back in some way shape or form.

First off, let's focus specifically on the spinal erectors or Erector Spinae. These run the span of our back and protect our spine from injury, which (considering that the bulk of back problems are in the Low Back) is why these muscles are perhaps the most important in our Posterior Chain for injury prevention.

A Powerlifter isn't likely to injure his/her back when lifting a 50 pound object. A small statured person who doesn't have a strong back, however, could do some serious damage to themselves if they lift incorrectly. So let's get buff.


The Romanian Deadlift:

This is not a Back Specific movement, as it targets the Hamstrings and Glutes; but it also targets the Spinal Erectors. From a standing position with the bands under your feet as shown, slowly lower down as far as you're comfortable with while keeping your back straight. Now lift your upper body back up to the starting position, squeezing your glutes at the top. Perform for 3 sets of 8-12 reps.


Seated Rows: 

The Lats, or Latissimus Dorsi are another crucial part of a strong back. Refer to the back diagram above to see their location. Seated rows with Resistance Bands are a great way to target them, and have the added bonus of toning your biceps in the process.

From the seated position shown, start with your arms extended out in front of you. Then, keeping your elbows to your sides begin pulling back until your reach the position shown in the picture above, making sure to retract your scapula (squeeze your shoulder blades together) at the end of the motion repeat for 5 sets of 8-12 reps.

 Shrugs:

Another important member of the back muscle club is the Trapezius but I always feel like a dork when I say 'Trapezius' so I call them traps. The traps play a key part in many lifts. For instance when you have a bag of groceries in each hand, you are working your traps. As with before, refer to the back diagram to find their location.

For our purposes, let's disregard the first in these three positions and start from a standing position. With a firm grip on the bands, raise your shoulders up towards your head until you've reached the ending position shown in the image above, making sure to squeeze at the top. This is a great finisher and can be performed for three sets of 8-12 reps.

A strong back is not only important for overall functionality, but also for injury prevention. Make sure yours is strong enough to stay injury free and make day to day tasks easier.

Cheers,
John.

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