How to do it:
- Get set up in a reverse fly machine, making sure the seat’s support is at a comfortable level.
- Embracing your core and maintaining tension against the pads, drive your arms back as far as you can, then pause for a count at the top of the rep.
- Slowly return your arms to the starting position with control. That’s one rep.
Trainer tip:
If you don’t have access to a reverse fly machine, you can still get the job done with a bench and a set of dumbbells. “The most common way to do it [without a machine] is to sit at the edge of the bench, lean way forward, and then lift your arms out to your sides,” says Carlson.
Shrug
The trapezius, or “traps” as they’re affectionately known in weight rooms around the world, are one of your only back muscles that people can see from the front. You don’t have to train your traps to the point where it looks like your body is growing an extra set of shoulders, but a little attention can go a long way in improving the appearance of your back by just taking aim at your traps. “This is such a huge muscle, and there’s just so much muscle tissue that can be developed there,” says Carlson. The seated cable row already handles a good portion of the middle and lower traps, and the shrug is one of the best ways out there to target the top, says Carlson. And with a small form tweak, you can make it even more effective. “With a little more shoulder retraction, you can hit the upper traps more effectively,” says Dr. Corbett. “So, rather than pulling your shoulders completely vertically, go up and diagonally, so you’re getting the shoulder blades pulled backwards.”
How to do it:
- Stand straight, holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
- Keeping your elbows totally straight and maintaining tension throughout your arm, squeeze your raise your shoulders towards your ears.
- At the top of the rep, hold the contraction for a count, and then slowly return to the starting position.
- Allow for a stretch at the bottom of your range of motion. That’s one rep.
Trainer tip:
“This is one of the classic exercises where almost everyone uses too much weight,” says Carlson. “And by too much weight, I just mean they use so much weight that they’re not getting very much range of motion. If someone really wants to really develop their traps, I would say to cut the weight literally in half and get your shoulders up higher. As high as possible. Really exaggerate an isometric hold up there. The weight might feel light in the first few reps, but when you go through that really good range of motion, you’re going to have improved trap development as a whole.”
Back Extension
The lower back isn’t as flashy as something like the lats or traps, but there’s no getting around its importance. There’s more to your core than the abs you can see in the mirror, and about half of it is on your back. The lower-back erector spinae muscles run parallel with one another down either side of your spine, says Dr. Corbett. One of the reasons we know so much about them is because of back pain. “As you could imagine, there’s just a tremendous amount of scientific research on this topic, because we know that training the lower back is a great way to mitigate lower back pain,” says Carlson. “And so there’s a lot of medical research on this, and the back extension is a great way to target those muscles.” The version Carlson is referring to is called the “Roman chair” back extension, but most people at your gym probably just call it the back extension. You might have used one in college with a plate against your chest. “It’s the best, and that’s one where the research is pretty clear on that,” says Carlson.
How to do it:
- Set up in a Roman chair machine with your feet on the platform and your thighs and pelvis resting on the main pad.
- With your hands by your head, on your hips, or holding a plate against your chest, bend at the hips and slowly lower your torso towards the floor. This is your starting position.
- From here, brace your core and raise your torso until it forms a straight line with your lower body.
- Slowly return to the starting position with control. That’s one rep.
Trainer tip:
“There are a lot of ways people are trying to target their back, and unfortunately most of those exercises probably work the glutes more than the back,” says Carlson. “The key to doing [the back extension] is you want your feet pigeon-toed—your toes together and your heels out. What that will do is it will take the glutes out of the equation and focus more on the lumbar extensor muscles.”