The back, especially for guys, is a great muscle to tone up. A toned, muscular back is what absolutely completes any summer body type look, separating you from some guys who just hit the gym every now and again. Toning up your back can help you get rid of things like love handles, as well as give you a bit more of a “V” shaped body that makes you look much better.
For the most part, people tend to not store a lot of fat in their backs. It mostly ends up being a lack of muscle that makes it look untoned. So, for the most part, toning up your back involves a good amount of weightlifting in order to get it looking strong. There’re tons of different exercises that you’ll want to do or try in order to get your back toned up.
If you can do them, pullups are always a great back exercise. They put a lot of work into your lats, which are the upper side parts of your back that give you that “V” shape. Pullups can be done even at home with a cheap piece of equipment that attaches to your door frame, so you don’t even need a gym membership for those. If you can’t do pullups properly, lots of gyms have an assisted pullup machine, in which you can adjust the amount of weight that it helps push you with to make the pullups easier.
Rows are a big part of back toning. Whether it be a common low row machine, or bent over rows with a barbell, rowing is great for your lower and middle back. This basically covers the muscles that aren’t the lats, but are still important for having your back look toned.
Rowing is a very simple motion, in that all you’re really doing is pulling something towards your stomach, so that your back does the work. Rows can be a bit dangerous if you don’t do them properly, though. Pulling with your back should be done with an appropriate amount of weight and should be done in a controlled way. If you’re flinging the weight towards yourself as hard as possible, you’re probably going to injure yourself long before you put on any muscle.
There are tons of variations of these two common workouts that make back exercises very versatile. From lateral pulldowns to replace pullups to all kinds of dumbbell exercises to replace rows, you’re sure to find something that you’ll enjoy.
