If you want a stronger , more defined back , tune in today as I break down my top four favorite lifts for building a powerful back . This is the first in a weekly series of quick quits that are devoted to my favorite lifts for each body part and muscle group . Welcome to the Whits and Weights podcast . I'm your host , philip Pape , and this twice a week podcast is dedicated to helping you achieve physical self mastery by getting stronger , optimizing your nutrition and upgrading your body composition . We'll uncover science backed strategies for movement , metabolism , muscle and mindset with a skeptical eye on the fitness industry , so you can look and feel your absolute best . Let's dive right in . Welcome back to another quick wits , the place where we get straight to the point about fitness . Today we're zeroing in on the back , a crucial but often underappreciated part of our anatomy . I'm starting here with a weekly drop of our quick wits episodes devoted to lifting . I've had a lot of demand and requests for covering my favorite lifts and I thought I would sprinkle them by body part or muscle group once a week . In between the other quick wits , I'm starting with the back because it's my personal favorite . It's the part of my body that I'm most proud of and I think I have a slight genetic advantage compared to the rest of my body . For whatever reason , I love to build the back and have some pretty good experience doing so . I'm going to share my top four lifts for developing a strong , muscular back , targeting the key muscle groups like the lats , the latissimus dorsi , the lats , the trapezius , the traps which if you look on an anatomy chart , is much more than just the upper part of around your neck , which would be focused normally with shoulder type exercises . We can also target the full of the trapezius across the middle back with back exercises . The rhomboids that are kind of buried in there in the mid back , so to speak , and the erectors the erector spiny , we call them which are the rope like muscles that go along the spine , and these are important for supporting your spine . This is where I like to say it's better to have a strong bad back than a weak bad back , and why something like dead lifts are going to be super helpful if you've had back issues .
Philip PapeSo let's start there . The dead lift it's not just a back exercise , it's a full body movement . It's one of the kings of compound lifts , but the benefits for your back are undeniable . Dead lifts engage the entire posterior chain , including the lower and upper back muscles , the erectors , because they are stabilizing the movement through an isometric contraction and lifting very heavy loads . The trick , as always , is in the form keeping your back straight , neutral , engaging your lats there's the slightest extension in your lower back and , of course , driving into the ground through your heels over mid foot . So I'm not going to get into all the form of all these lifts on these short episodes . I just want to identify the ones that I think are the most important . If you were to prioritize your lifts for the back , next up after dead lifts , dead lifts have to be in there .
Philip PapeNext up we have rows , and I'm talking about all the free weight variations of rows , whether it's barbell , barbells or dumbbells , but especially barbell rows . Rows are fantastic for targeting the mid and upper back , particularly the rhomboids and the traps . The key with rows are not only the back angle , and there are variations of rows , from almost 90 degrees to very upright , what we call yates rows . There's a whole bunch of variations . The key , though , is to pull back with your elbows , don't pull up with your hands and with your arms . We really want to feel that squeeze in the back muscles . So rows are number two .
Philip PapeNumber three are going to be pull ups and chin ups , and I was arguing whether this should actually be number two because for a newer lifter , you don't really have to do rows . You can just definitely include chin ups or pull ups in addition to your dead lifts . This is a classic pull ups . All you need is a bar . They target your lats like no other exercise wide grip , narrow grip , weighted , neutral grip . I include chin ups in there as well . Chin ups are with your palms facing you . Those are going to engage more of your biceps and a little bit less of your back . But if you really want to hit the back , pull ups are the way it's going to get done and it's about really the form , about how will you do them . You don't want to be kipping yourself up , you don't want to be using momentum , but nice and strict and really pull with the lats , not with the arms .
Philip PapeThe last exercise for your back is going to be machine rows . I've been very much into bodybuilding style training lately with my coach , andy Baker , and there are some really good machines , like T-bar rows , for example , that can help you focus on the contraction and the mind-muscle connection . Really target those muscles , especially if you have a good feel for them , with the barbell rows , and then that can translate over to the rows , but also the seated rows OK , when you're on a bench and you're pulling with an attachment , or even lat pulldown . So I'm kind of blending those all together and it gives you a ton of options for developing the back . If you can combine two to four of these exercises in your routine on a regular basis , with the deadlifts being an absolute must or some variety of them , this will ensure a well-rounded back development .
Philip PapeAnd remember your back is the center of everything . It's integral to almost every major lift and your daily movements , so don't neglect it . That's it for our first in a series of lifting , quick wits . Think of your back as the foundation of your body's temple strong , sturdy and capable . And until next time , keep lifting and stay strong . Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Wits and Weights . If you found value in today's episode and know someone else who's looking to level up their wits or weights , please take a moment to share this episode with them . And make sure to hit the follow button in your podcast platform right now to catch the next episode . Until then , stay strong .