strength training

The Ultimate 7 Exercises for a Strong Back

When I started in the gym, the main focus was on the muscles on the front of the body; these were easiest to see in the mirror. But now, we’re living in the age of the strong back.

Training for well-rounded back strength should encompass the following areas:

  • The back of the legs (hamstrings);
  • The bottom muscles (glutes);
  • Lower back muscles (the erector spinae, among others)
  • A wide range of upper back muscles.

Why a Strong Back is Important

  • Strong hamstrings are often recommended for building knee resilience and hamstring injury prevention;
  • A strong lower back and glutes will prepare you for daily lifting tasks and reinforce many of your compound exercises;
  • Upper back strength can help with posture and support the lower back.
  • It’s just really satisfying to be strong in these areas!

The muscles of the back comprise a variety of movements, angles, and functions, so your back training has to be well-rounded. A lot of back exercises will also take a toll on your grip, so pepper your back training exercises across multiple workouts and cycle them between training programmes.

The Best Exercises for a Strong Back

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Quick Exercise Formats That Will Make You Strong

It’s frustrating when you do everything you can to get to the gym but there still just isn’t enough time to complete every aspect of your brand-new gym programme. In these moments it’s important that you don’t give up, and it can be useful to have a back-up plan for when you only have 20-30 minutes to train. Social media sites are drowning in HIIT workouts designed to exhaust you in 30 minutes or less, so let’s focus on how to perform a quick strength workout instead.

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Squatting shoes
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How to Get The Most Out Of Your Deadlifts

In the Gym

Now that you’ve made the majority of your choices regarding how to perform your deadlifts, it’s time to get to the gym. This part of the guide will help you make the most of the workout.

Not sure what to start with deadlifting? Check out 10 Things You Need to Know About the Deadlift.

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10 Things You Need to Know About the Deadlift

Whenever I take someone through a new gym programme for the first time, I find myself wishing there was a resource I could direct them to with all the information they need on each element of their training. This is my attempt at creating such a resource for the deadlift.

People have a lot of questions about deadlifts. From concerns about proper deadlift form to wanting to hit a new personal best, it’s a nuanced exercise. For some people, the deadlift is just about grabbing the bar and ripping it off the floor. For others, it’s about being as cautious as humanly possible to avoid your back exploding. If you’re a regular reader of this site, you know by now that the answer lies somewhere in the middle.

Part 1 – Before You Lift

As with my previous squat guide, Part 1 will focus on the things you need to know before you go into the gym on deadlift day. Part 2 will focus on execution of the deadlift, BUT this is not a step-by-step guide to performing the deadlift. That would be much more effective in video form.

Note: My online deadlift programme is now available. Check it out if you want a stronger deadlift!

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The Most Effective Superset Choices for Your Workout Type

Adding supersets to your workouts is a fantastic way of saving time in the gym. Depending on your training aims, you can use different superset types to convey different benefits. Each category of superset that will lead to different considerations so that you can get the most out of them.

Antagonist Muscle Group Supersets

Antagonist supersets use muscle groups that work against each other. They perform opposite actions, such as the biceps and triceps, which bend and straighten the arm respectively. When one muscle contracts (shortens), its antagonist will relax (lengthen). Due to their opposite nature, antagonist supersets carries a very low risk of the two exercises interfering with one another. This makes them great for either high-volume work or strength training.

Examples

  • Biceps curls and tricep extensions;
  • Dumbbell bench press and bench rows;
  • Squats and leg curls;
  • Romanian deadlifts and leg extensions.
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Take Your Squat to New Levels – Part 2

In the Gym

Previously, we discussed the decisions you have to make when adding squats into your routine. I answered some of the most common questions that will prepare you for the best squatting workout. In this post I’ll be discussing the finer details of performing the squat itself.

Although anyone can learn how to squat from a Youtube video, the devil is in the detail.

Was there something I didn’t cover? Let me know!

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How Should I Warm Up for Squats?

When preparing for squats, you should focus on mobility for the ankles, hips, and back. You can dedicate more focus to the areas you struggle with. I have attached a sample warm-up, including variations for back and front squats.

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Take Your Squat to New Levels – Part 1

Whenever I take someone through a new gym programme for the first time, I find myself wishing there was a resource I could direct them to with all the information they need on each element of their training. This is my attempt at creating such a resource for the squat. If it’s well-received I will make similar guides for other exercises.

This won’t be a step-by-step guide through the act of squatting. This would be much better demonstrated in a video, not to mention the fact that writing 1000+ words about squatting would probably make it easier to overthink the exercise. Instead, I’ll be focussing on those nitty-gritty decisions that will get the most out of your squat workout.

Part 1: Before You Squat

This part will focus on things you should know about squatting before you even set foot in the gym. Part 2 will be focussed on things you need to know to get the most out of your squatting session.

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  1. Part 1: Before You Squat
    1. Why Should I Squat?
    2. What Muscles Are Worked by the Squat?
    3. Am I Ready to Squat?
    4. How Low Should I Squat?
    5. Squatting to Parallel
    6. “But When I Try To Squat Low, I Feel Like I’m Going to Fall Over…”
    7. Do I Need to Be Completely Upright?
    8. Do I Need Weightlifting Shoes?
    9. Should I Squat Barefoot?
    10. What Kind of Squat Should I Do?
    11. But Aren’t Squats Bad for My Knees?

Why Should I Squat?

It’s a fundamental movement pattern, which means it is a blueprint for a number of other key movements such as:

  • Sitting and standing;
  • Jumping and landing;
  • Decelerating suddenly from a forward sprint;

Any task that requires moving up and down using our legs!

Squatting and Jumping
By Fabio Jock on Unsplash
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6 Things You Need to Know Before You Start Strength Training

If there’s one training service that I’ve provided the most (besides trying to convince people to stop worrying about getting “bulky”), it’s introducing novice gym-goers to strength training. And when I say strength training, I am referring to dedicated strength training as I described previously.

What is strength training

There is an unfortunate stigma that this is “meathead” training, which discourages many people from trying this training style, and in turn missing out on a huge number of benefits. Because of this barrier, most people don’t know where to start with strength training.

If you can relate, please don’t be discouraged. I spent the first two years of my life as a PT oblivious to the benefits of true strength training, and only changed my ways when I went to University to get my strength and conditioning degree. In the years since, I have identified the key lessons people need when they start strength training.

1. In Strength Training, Technique is King

This is an adage that has been repeated so often that it mostly falls on deaf ears now, but if you want to get stronger, you can’t just focus on what you lift – you need to focus on how you lift it.

Strength training is often seen as a physical process; we get less soreness and more muscle, then we can lift more weight. But strength is a skill – a lot of improvements occur because the nervous system gets more efficient at managing our muscle contractions. That means lifting weights is practice, and good, mindful practice makes perfect.

When I was a strength and conditioning intern, I shadowed a coach who told his athletes that starting a set should be like stepping onto the stage in a theatre. You need to be dedicated to your performance – your setup, your bracing, your tempo, everything. Finding this focus will elevate your strength training to new heights.

strength technique is king
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