If there is one piece of fitness advice I will give every young woman, every mom, everyone for that matter, I’d tell them to work their back muscles. Ever since I can remember, working my back in the gym has been my most favorite body part. There is something so sexy and empowering about a woman who stands tall and has a sharply defined back. I love being able to lift heavy things like groceries, furniture (my husbands hates that) and all those Amazon Prime boxes (Shh, don’t tell Mario). Today I want to help you fix your posture.
Your back muscles
You have your upper back muscles, your erector spinea which is your lower back and your lats which all together basically form the most significant muscle area of your body. You also have the rhomboids that are between the shoulder blades. When you do any sort of rotations or retractions, the rhomboids assist in the movements.
Think about this
If you sit for many hours during the day, if you stand a lot or if you focus more on chest workouts in the gym (which causes imbalances), I will bet you ten dollars that you tend to get slouchy during the day and your shoulders are hunched forward. Goddesses! You’ve got to fix this! You do it by working your back and making it a priority in the gym. I see it every day. A woman will walk into the gym and immediately hop on a piece of cardio for an hour. After that, the same woman will start to curl dumbbells for bicep curls, do a few crunches straining her neck because she doesn’t have proper form, and then she’s done. I immediately want to help her, but as you know, these days us trainers and coaches don’t approach people much unless they ask for help. Most people get offended. Anyway, perhaps she isn’t mindful of her posture or slouching. Maybe she doesn’t realize her back is weak.
Be more mindful of your posture.
It doesn’t get easier as we get older, that’s for sure. It’s so essential to work the muscles you can’t see. Your back, your hamstrings, your glutes.
Do you realize how much taller you look when you stand tall with your shoulders back? You look more confident, as well. After you read this, go stand and look at how you stand in the mirror. What do you see? Rounded shoulders? If you do, take a second to pull them back and notice how much better you look. Taller perhaps? Leaner?
Why it’s so important.
If you sit for work all day, you probably get sloppy by the end of the day. Strengthening your upper back and lats is so crucial for that reason alone. Since my second breast implant surgery, I’ve worked my chest less, simply because I was starting to feel my shoulders roll forward and that basically tells me there may be some sort of imbalance. Breast implants are heavy. All the more reason to get your back healthy. In my opinion, a strong developed and defined back on a woman is sexy as hell!! As we get older, it’s even more important to keep our muscles healthy. Just to be able to do everyday things, like walking up and down the stairs, stepping into your car or SUV, carrying heavy bags and well, picking up your babies and grandchildren. You should want to be able to do these things as long as you can without injuries.
My Strongest Bodypart
People have asked me for years if I was a dancer or a gymnast and while I wish I were a dancer, I’m not. Never was. I did gymnastics when I was a little bean but nope, no more. I stand so tall and erect because my back is my strongest body part. I make sure to hit every muscle group hard every week, with the main focus on my back, glutes, and legs.
How to strengthen your back
It starts with being mindful. Mindful of how you stand, how you sit, and you walk. Next, you need to make sure you have a plan. I write out my workouts a week in advance. I usually do a back workout twice a week where I do compound moves one day, and accessory moves another day. On heavier days, I keep my rep range between 6-8 reps, and on accessory days, you can find me doing higher reps of around 12-15.
As I always tell my clients and friends, it’s not about having this ripped and sculpted body (which a great to have), it’s more about being able to function in everyday activities without worrying about hurting yourself.
Work your back
Here are some of my favorite exercises for back day. There are so many varieties and ways to do each of these. The main thing is to have a plan, be consistent, and have good form. One more thing, we all want results faster than you can blink an eye, but that won’t happen, so in the meantime, have patience, get to the gym, and get to work!
- Lat pulldowns + 1 arm rows
- low cable rows
- barbell bent-over rows
- chin-ups
- pull-ups
