Before we start describing you the exercises for toned back it is very important that you understand the technique of doing the exercises correctly.

If you do not maintain the perfect form it is pointless exercising since you will not get the desired effects. You need to do them slowly and with complete control.

Remember you control the weight do not let the weight control you. There should be no swinging or yanking in your moves. Make sure that the muscle is doing the entire job. Try to isolate the muscle you are working on by concentrating on the technique of the exercise.

Clench the muscle at the end of each movement to make sure you are really using it. There should be a constant tension through each movement in the set.

When you finish the set clench the muscle to stimulate it to the maximum. The correct form requires you to do full movements in each repetition unless you are doing some special exercising technique of partial repetitions.

You should extend the muscle full and then flex it back. This is the only way to stimulate the entire muscle and each muscle fibre. Also, you will realize that the only way to clench the back muscles completely is to push your chest forward at the end of the movement.

Pull the weight with your spine completely straight but always finish the movement with pushing your chest forward and bending your back to completely contract the back muscles.

The position of the elbows is the key to determining which part of the back muscles will be affected by the exercise. To isolate the latissimus as much as possible you should hold the elbows close to the body.

If you do not do that your exercise will affect the back of your shoulders, bottom of traps and rhomboids.

fit man doing exercises for toned back

Cheating

Since we repeated so many times that correct form is very important while doing the exercises we have to point out that it is also important to implement bad form (cheating) into your sets since it can largely help the development of muscles.

Now you are probably wondering what are we talking about? Are you supposed to do both correct and incorrect exercises in the same set?

The answer is yes. You should do two completely different techniques in the same set but at a different time. The biggest part of your set should be done correctly only a few last repetitions should be done with a little bit of cheating.

Cheating can be critically important in maximum stimulation of muscle growth. Reps in which you cheat are those in which you slightly sway your body and use the momentum to lift the weight.

Cheating is an advanced training technique which you should use only after you mastered doing the exercise perfectly correct and only when you are warmed up.

Injuries usually occur when you are trying to lift heavy weights in a bad manner or when you are not warmed up enough. Let’s say for example that twelve repetitions is your maximum in a certain exercise when you do it correctly.

You could probably do three or four more reps if you were to cheat a little or do the exercises in a bit more relaxed form. Well, those three to four additional reps would increase the muscle stimulation way more than if you were to stop after twelve reps.

When you are doing these additional reps your muscles get tired so quickly that you do not need more than three or four reps. If you were to do more such reps there is a high possibility you would exhaust yourself too much.

So, you should do the set for as long as you feel you are no longer capable of doing a repetition in the correct form and then extend the set beyond that point by using a slight swing with your body to lift the weight extra few times.

Back Exercises

Bent-Over Barbell Rows

The bent-over barbell row is a version of rows that allows you to use heavier weights, unlike single-arm dumbbell row. Doing the exercise with heavier weights will cause more muscle growth in your middle and lower traps, rhomboid major, rhomboid minor, upper traps, rear deltoids, and rotator cuff muscles.

This should be your go-to exercise for your middle back muscles. You just need to be careful to use proper form and not overload the bar because you can easily hurt yourself.

To do this exercise grab the barbell with an overhand grip with your hands a bit further than shoulder width apart. Bend the hips and knees and lover your upper body until it is almost parallel to the floor.

Keep your back arched and lower back straight to avoid injuries. Pull the bar to your upper abs and squeeze your shoulder blades toward each other. Pause a little then slowly lower the bar to starting position. Try to do at least twelve repetitions in a set.

Pull-Ups

The pull-ups are the best back exercises for getting that V-shaped torso since they affect the lats, large back muscles that wrap around the sides of the upper body just below the arms.

Grab the bar with an overhand grip with your hands a bit further than shoulder width apart. Raise the legs by bending them in the knees so you are hanging from the bar. 

From a hanging position start pulling your body up making sure you are holding the elbows back. Stay up for a second. The bar can be behind or in front of your neck, your choice.

Pull-ups on the chest give you a longer movement radius but that does not mean that that technique is more superior than the other.

Go back to the starting position slowly with complete control over the movement and then repeat. Try to do five sets of fifteen reps. 

I can’t emphasize enough the importance of correct form in this exercise. You have to do it with complete control. Staying in the upper position for a second will ensure that the exercise will affect the targeted muscle. Slowly go all the way down and then back again touching the bar with your neck or chest. 

There is a tendency to do partial reps but you will get better results if you do full reps. If you move the hands closer together you will work the lower end of lattisimus. 

Start with the wider grip and then narrow it from set to set. Focus on the muscles constantly clenching the back muscles at the upper part of the movement. Try to keep the period of rest between sets on about 60 seconds. 

after you finished the first set and you are warmed up try to do each following with a few extra reps with cheating. Once five sets of fifteen reps are no longer a problem for you to do add a 5kg weight on your waist.

This will probably lower the number of reps to ten but you have to continue training like this until you are able to do five sets of fifteen reps with additional weight around your waist.

Rowing On A Rowing Machine

Sit on the machine and place your feet on the places that are meant for them on the machine. Make sure they are firmly and securely placed. 

With slightly bent knees extend your arms and grab the handles. Lean forward so you feel the back muscles stretched. Pull the weight horizontally to your belly and focus on the back muscles.

Pull the weight with your elbows. Once the hands touch your belly you should be sitting straight not to the back. Hold that position for a second and then slowly extend the arms and move forward at the same time until you can feel full stretching in the back muscles.

Focus on the muscle you are working during the entire movement. Do eight to twelve reps in five sets and increase the weight progressively in each set.

Conclusion

Correct form is the key for every exercise and a critical component for proper muscle growth. Ther is nothing you can do to go around it and still be successful.

You might never have a back as huge as some of the famous bodybuilders whatever you do, but with this programme, you will see incredible progress in the development of your back muscles.