Did you know there are over 650 muscles in the human body? The “back” has a plethora of posterior muscles. The main muscle I will be discussing today is the Latissimus Dorsi, aka the lats. In Latin this word means wide and that's exactly what it is – I call them the wing muscles. They make you look super tough if they're developed and you're a guy. Ladies, you will achieve a tapered look and also define your arms. Everytime you do a “pull” exercise, you are engaging your biceps. Some other muscles on the back are the posterior deltoids, trapezius and rhomboids. Directly below the lats are the teres major. Beneath that group; the lower back and aka erector spinae muscle. Sorry, I had to show off my anatomy vernacular – it's pretty good. Don't get tricked into playing a game of strip anatomy poker with me, you will lose. Anyhow, do this workout 1-2 times per week. Aim for 5-7 sets with 1-2 minutes of rest. Try not to workout longer than 90 minutes; I don't want you to begin burning muscle as your fuel source. Make sure that you compliment this exercise with a chest workout. Ideally you want to have an equal push to pull ratio. Every time you work out your back, you need to do a chest workout to even out the ratio. As I previously mentioned in my deltoid article, people typically workout their mirror muscles. It is extremely important to exercise your back so you can avoid an anterior tilt. With every set, you will be increasing the weights and lowering the reps. It will look something like this&
Set 1, 15 reps @ 100lbs, Set 2, 12 reps @ 120lbs, Set 3, 10 reps @140lbs, Set 4, 8 reps @ 175lbs, Set 5, 5 reps at 200lbs.

Exercise 1, Super Set:
Lunges, Pull-ups then 1 minute of jump rope

Exercise 2, Super Compound Set:
Burpees, Lat-pull down (compound) wide grip cable row then V-ups for abs

Exercise 3, Super Compound Set:
Standing bent-over row, aussie pull-ups then straight arm pull-down then 1 minute of planks

YOU'RE DONE.

Follow my workouts and you will get that summer bod in no time; Male or Female! Ladies, stop using bands and body weighted exercises, your body will not adapt as effectively. We had a female client bench press 135lbs the other day (that's the bar and 45's on each side). She we extremely cautious to begin using heavier weights because she thought she would bulk up. I told her to just trust us and do what I instructed. Since then, her arms have decreased in size and she has definition she never even imagined! Guys, lighten up the weight and work on proper form. I know it's fun to push around a lot of weight, but your bones and joints don't like it. Proper form will engage the whole muscle and yield a more developed one. If you want to walk for 15-30 minutes after the work out, that's fine. I highly recommend stretching as well. Email me any questions that you have, keep SHOWING UP, eating your fruits and vegetables, smiling and as always, SHAKE AND BAKE!