Score a strong, sexy rear view by
training your traps, lats, and delts.
When checking out your reflection, you
likely give a quick spin to see how your butt looks, but barely notice your
back muscles. That’s a shame, because they’re crucial to getting a healthier
body (and can look damn sexy too). A strong back not only improves posture but
also lets you do more physically, from running faster to lifting heavier
weights, says Mark Merchant, cofounder of As One studio in New York City.
Though it’s easy to neglect these muscles, it’s also easy to train them
incorrectly, and while doing any move wrong is bad, using imp4’oper form for
back exercises is especially dangerous. “A common mistake is not activating the
core, which can put detrimental stress on the spine and lead to back injuries
or even nerve damage, says Merchant, who created this routine to target all the
major muscles in your back while holding proper alignment. Perform this routine
as a “ladder”: Do 10 reps of each move, resting 30 to 60 seconds in between.
Return to start and repeat, this time doing nine reps. Continue this pattern
until you’re down to one rep of each move. Remember to engage your entire core,
even your glutes, to keep your back flat.
1.
Bent-over row
Hold a pair of dumbbells at your sides,
bend your knees slightly, push your hips back, and lean forward, keeping your
back flat and core tight (a). Slowly bend your elbows, keeping them close to
your body to pull the dumbbells to your sides (b). Pause, then slowly lower
back to start. That's one rep.
Bent-over
row
2.
Bent-over Lat Pull
Loop a resistance band around a sturdy
object, hold both handles, and back away until your arms are straight With your
feet hip-width apart and knees slightly bent, lower your torso toward the floor
and extend your arms past your head (a). Pull the handles toward you, bending
your elbows out to the sides until your hands are next to your shoulders (b).
Reverse to return to start. That's one rep.
Bent-over
Lat Pull
3.
T Extension
Lie face down with your arms resting on the
floor, directly in line with your shoulders so your body forms a T shape,
thumbs pointing toward the ceiling. Slowly raise your arms as high as you
comfortably can, hold for one or two seconds, then return to start. That's one
rep.
T
Extension
4.
Superman
Lie across a stability ball, feet hip-width
apart and resting against a wall or other sturdy object, arms extended past
your head, and palms facing each other. Squeeze your gluts and lift your chest
off the ball to straighten your back while reaching your arms overhead. Pause,
then slowly reverse the motion to return to start. That's one rep.
Superman
