Back Exercises and Feeling it.

bigstar

Hey peoples,
this may be a stupid question but whenever i do upper back work- pullups, rows etc i find it hard to feel anything going on in my back. what i mean is if i squat i feel it in my legs, if i bench i feel it in my chest etc. just wondering is this common enough and i just dont have enough muscle there to 'feel' something.

am i probably doing something wrong, overcompensating with my arms maybe? when i row i try squeeze my shoulder blades together first then pull the bar up, is this right or not?
thanks.

brutusthebarber

bigstar wrote: »

Hey peoples,
this may be a stupid question but whenever i do back work- pullups, rows etc i find it hard to feel anything going on in my back. what i mean is if i squat i feel it in my legs, if i bench i feel it in my chest etc. just wondering is this common enough and i just dont have enough muscle there to 'feel' something.

am i probably doing something wrong, overcompensating with my arms maybe? when i row i try squeeze my shoulder blades together first then pull the bar up, is this right or not?
thanks.

I'm the same, the rows dont seem to affect the back that much the next day. I've found that doing a load of pull ups/chins in one session will really wreck by back, in a good way. Do you feel like you dont get enough back work?

I usually try to just do one complete session of pull up/chins, as many sets as I can possibly manage. Throw in some weighted chins too to push the boat out.

Which type of rows do you do? Maybe try another type of row..

bigstar

brutusthebarber wrote: »

I'm the same, the rows dont seem to affect the back that much the next day. I've found that doing a load of pull ups/chins in one session will really wreck by back, in a good way. Do you feel like you dont get enough back work?

I usually try to just do one complete session of pull up/chins, as many sets as I can possibly manage. Throw in some weighted chins too to push the boat out.

Which type of rows do you do? Maybe try another type of row..

its the same with the pullups, im just feeeling anything happening, i might try some high rep rows or negative pullups after pullups till i feel a burn, just to get used to feeling the muscles being used. im fairly lacking in muscle there anyway so it could be that.

how much back work do you do, id normally just do 3 or 4 sets of either rows or pullups, going close to failure. even if i cant get another rep im still not feeling much happening in my back, more like my arms giving in first.

cardio,shoot me

maybe try rev hypers, always get my back going

bigstar

cardio,shoot me wrote: »

maybe try rev hypers, always get my back going

isnt that primarily a lower back exercise. i prob should have said upper back. its no problem with my lower back you can REALLY feel that during deadlifts.

WolfForager

I'm the same.. i never feel anything in my back. Even after doing pull ups and chins ups till i can't move my arms doesn't work. At the most i might get some DOM's in my lats the next day, but they're so faint that i don't really notice them.

podge57

when your doing a back exercise, like rows or pulldowns, try and hold and squeeze the static contraction, you will really feel your lats working.
I think it was in a dorian yates article where i picked that tip up, and his back speaks for itself

also, try using straps, i find on exercises like pulldowns (which are one of the best back exercises imo) i can use them and have a thumbless grip and my arms get involved

brianthebard

Yeah I think straps are great for rows, definitely makes a pull in it. I also find it hard to feel anything happening in pull ups, but I figured that might because I suck at them.

brutusthebarber

bigstar wrote: »

its the same with the pullups, im just feeeling anything happening, i might try some high rep rows or negative pullups after pullups till i feel a burn, just to get used to feeling the muscles being used. im fairly lacking in muscle there anyway so it could be that.

how much back work do you do, id normally just do 3 or 4 sets of either rows or pullups, going close to failure. even if i cant get another rep im still not feeling much happening in my back, more like my arms giving in first.

I find that doing a session of pull ups/chins really helps. You could try increasing the sets instead of the reps. So say if you can do 5 chins/pull ups handy enough, try do 6 sets of this. Your still getting 30 reps in, its just over a larger number of sets. I find that this is a good way of getting a lot of volume in.

When I do the barbell rows I do 5 sets of 5 reps, I find that works as it feels like its just enough reps for the rows. Maybe on a day that you do RDL or SLDL, you could try throwing in some inverted rows in between each set. Just for some extra back work.

It might be worth just doing a day of the exercises to find out which works for you.

rccaulfield

Describe your pull up technique- im taught palms facing away, wide grip(forearms pointing straight down), also not to quick a pace!

Brian?

podge57 wrote: »

when your doing a back exercise, like rows or pulldowns, try and hold and squeeze the static contraction, you will really feel your lats working.
I think it was in a dorian yates article where i picked that tip up, and his back speaks for itself

I've started doing this as well after reading a Yates interview, wonder if it was the same one. Hold for 2 seconds at the bottom of each rep and concentrate on a really slow negative. I've also been experimenting with holding the negative until failure on the last rep of the last set.

bigstar

rccaulfield wrote: »

Describe your pull up technique- im taught palms facing away, wide grip(forearms pointing straight down), also not to quick a pace!

same, wide grip palms away.


thanks for the feedback ill try some of stuff mentioned. i havent done lat pulldowns or inverted rows in ages so ill give em a go. ill try a few rep/set combinations too to see if i can get anything different from them.

FunkZ

T-Bar Rows do it for me! So does Bonnie Tylar :P

rubadub

bigstar wrote: »

i might try some high rep rows or negative pullups after pullups till i feel a burn.

Heavy negatives can leave me with DOMs for a few days. Also changing hand positions can do it. If it is a totally new hand position I can get DOMs. Last time I got them with only bodyweight was when hands were at 90 degrees to each other, they were at 90 degrees by hanging on the corner of a overhanging ledge.

bigstar

rubadub wrote: »

Heavy negatives can leave me with DOMs for a few days. Also changing hand positions can do it. If it is a totally new hand position I can get DOMs. Last time I got them with only bodyweight was when hands were at 90 degrees to each other, they were at 90 degrees by hanging on the corner of a overhanging ledge.

i dont really get DOMS much tbh, maybe slightly from RDL's but thats it, i do get a bit stiff from heavy squats but thats all, never really DOMS. im more concerned about feeling something while actually doing the exercise if you know what i mean, getting some feedback from my body that muscles are actually doing something. ill try the heavy negs though, at least if get DOMS ill know ive done something, thanks.

Hanley

I'm REALLY liking chins with a slow negative at the moment.

Pendlay Rows are awesome too.

Pulldowns with a grip just outside shoulder width with a slight lean back and pulling to your nose should work well too (make sure you pin your shoulders on these and don't let them move).

Inverted rows are good too.

I'd probably say if youcan't feel your back working, use straps and grip the bar lightly.

brianthebard

Interesting stuff about pinning the shoulders, hadn't thought about that before.

Brian?

Hanley wrote: »

I'm REALLY liking chins with a slow negative at the moment.

Pendlay Rows are awesome too.

Pulldowns with a grip just outside shoulder width with a slight lean back and pulling to your nose should work well too (make sure you pin your shoulders on these and don't let them move).

Inverted rows are good too.

I'd probably say if youcan't feel your back working, use straps and grip the bar lightly.

By pinning your shoulders do you mean sliding your shoulder blades down and back as the first part of the movement and then pulling down?

Noffles

I used to have a similar problem but in the last couple of years I've managed to overcome it by simply getting my back to do as much of the work as possible. I find I have to concentrate more as I have to stop my arms doing all the pulling but it does seem to work, I always feel a number of sore points in my back for the next couple of days so the proof is in the soreness... so they don't say!

chuck eastwood

i find that my forarms tend to get sore long before my back gives up.have always had small enough arms but its not a problem until i start working my back. holding me back a lot.not to sure how to work on forarms strenght

Hanley

briankeating wrote: »

By pinning your shoulders do you mean sliding your shoulder blades down and back as the first part of the movement and then pulling down?

Yeah, but hold them in that position for all your reps. Pull them down and back on the first rep and keep them there. Pretty strange feeling, but I really like it.

Brian?

Hanley wrote: »

Yeah, but hold them in that position for all your reps. Pull them down and back on the first rep and keep them there. Pretty strange feeling, but I really like it.

Cheers Hanley, I was actually doing that at the start of each rep.

mack32

i was having the same problem a while back and found that when doing pull ups these tips helped, you prob know them already but sure what harm

1.instead of trying to pull your shoulders up to the bar concentrate on trying to pull your elbows to your hips
2.concentrate on feeling the muscle working instead of completing the pull up