back day

Group: General Fitness & Exercise

Created: 2011/12/31, Members: 382, Messages: 54581

Various general exercise related discussions. Find out what it takes to reach your fitness goals through daily effective exercise. With so many options we try to find out what works best.

Join group

tarab21 Posts: 508 Joined: 2003/03/31	2003/07/23, 11:05 AM I've only been doing a "back day" for a few weeks, and there's still only about 5 excercises I am able to do. I'm not strong enough yet to do chin ups, and the ones where I have to hold a barball and bend at the hips don't work either. I tried it with only the bar, very very carefully, and it still caused pains in my back and was very heavy and akward. any suggestions?

7707mutt Posts: 7,686 Joined: 2002/06/18	2003/07/23, 11:15 AM Are you talking about bent rows? or deadlifts? And do you go to a gym i forget sory LOL let me know! I see what we can do for ya!! -------------- Eat More, Drink More, and Lift Harder than you thought you could, welcome to Becoming!
tarab21 Posts: 508 Joined: 2003/03/31	2003/07/23, 11:18 AM Yes, I go to the gym. I'm talking about bent rows. There's a machine I can do for that one though. I just don't feel like I have enough excercises! and deadlifts just plain frighten me, I don't know what "cage" or "area" to go to for them, or how to change weights on those things, or anything.. and I also think I'd kill my back! Thanks Mutt
7707mutt Posts: 7,686 Joined: 2002/06/18	2003/07/23, 11:30 AM LOL ok bent rows are a great exercise, a question that always comes up is how far to bend over? I go about 45 degrees, I know others that go almost to 90. I think part of you problem with them is that you are bent over to far, and remember to bend your knees a little. However a good sub for them are the Db one armed row. As for deadlifts, if you go slow and light you will be fine and most likely will instantly love them. Try them out with just a curl bar (about25-30 lbs) just by itself and see what happens. Also lat pull downs and seated rows as well as machines are ok for you . Hope this helps -------------- Eat More, Drink More, and Lift Harder than you thought you could, welcome to Becoming!
tarab21 Posts: 508 Joined: 2003/03/31	2003/07/23, 11:44 AM okay, thanks again mutt. I still think I'll only have about 5 or so, plus deadlifts if I'm actually brave enough to try them. I really felt like I was careful and kept my knees bent during bent rows but I don't know. I really don't have a very strong back, plus I have misaligned vertebraes and have had pinched nerves in the past, so I'm kind of a chicken when it comes to that. Thanks again!
tarab21 Posts: 508 Joined: 2003/03/31	2003/07/23, 11:45 AM okay, thanks again mutt. I still think I'll only have about 5 or so, plus deadlifts if I'm actually brave enough to try them. I really felt like I was careful and kept my knees bent during bent rows but I don't know. I really don't have a very strong back, plus I have misaligned vertebraes and have had pinched nerves in the past, so I'm kind of a chicken when it comes to that. Thanks again!
tarab21 Posts: 508 Joined: 2003/03/31	2003/07/23, 11:47 AM oops sorry about the double post. one more question though. I feel like an idiot asking this, but basically I don't know exactly how to properly do deadlifts, and I can't find anything on the fitness resources here. Is it on here somewhere?
7707mutt Posts: 7,686 Joined: 2002/06/18	2003/07/23, 11:49 AM 5 is more than enough for a good workout. I do Chins (assisted machine), bent rows, deadlifts, and lat pulldowns, and that is it 3-4 sets of chins, 3 of bent rows, 4-5 of deadlifts, 2 lat pulldowns that is all. -------------- Eat More, Drink More, and Lift Harder than you thought you could, welcome to Becoming!
tarab21 Posts: 508 Joined: 2003/03/31	2003/07/23, 11:53 AM okay cool. how long does all that take you?
BicepBri Posts: 40 Joined: 2003/03/03	2003/07/23, 12:03 PM If your gym has a seated row machine, that works the back really well too, and it supports your body to prevent excess strain on the back.
7707mutt Posts: 7,686 Joined: 2002/06/18	2003/07/23, 12:04 PM Well about an hour cause I take 2 mins between sets on the deadlifts at times. There should be a deadlift link here, but if you feel like you can ask i would see if someone who does them at your gym take a look to make sure you are doing them right. And just be very careful with you back problems, but this may indeed help that out..... -------------- Eat More, Drink More, and Lift Harder than you thought you could, welcome to Becoming!
7707mutt Posts: 7,686 Joined: 2002/06/18	2003/07/23, 12:06 PM There is a picture and description on the back exercise page. It is under lower back..... -------------- Eat More, Drink More, and Lift Harder than you thought you could, welcome to Becoming!
tarab21 Posts: 508 Joined: 2003/03/31	2003/07/23, 12:29 PM oh i found it, thanks. damn i'm all freaked out. there'll be all these big buff dudes going "what the heck is she doing??!!" haha oh well, I'll report back, okay? on my way out.. thanks a million
7707mutt Posts: 7,686 Joined: 2002/06/18	2003/07/23, 12:38 PM Cool Another convert to the Deadlift!!!!!!! -------------- Eat More, Drink More, and Lift Harder than you thought you could, welcome to Becoming!
Deby Posts: 333 Joined: 2002/08/05	2003/07/23, 12:42 PM I don't know what happened to my post, but my trainer and I were talking about this last night. He said to be sure to push your hips forward when coming back up because that takes the strain off of your lower back. -------------- Gramma
bb1fit Posts: 11,105 Joined: 2001/06/30	2003/07/23, 12:46 PM If you have problems with bent over rows(which by the way are maybe the "king" of back work), you may try incline rows. This will support your back while you do them. Set a bench at an incline of 30-45 degrees, and put your chest against the bench flush. This will support your back/spine. Use 2 dumbbells of your choice and row them up, squeezing your back together at the shoulder blades on the full up movement. You may do them flat on the bench too if you like for a bit of variation. An idea that may help you, and with the same rowing motion as bent over rows. -------------- Great people never want it easier, they just want to be better! Ron
azredhead57 Posts: 1,651 Joined: 2003/04/11	2003/07/23, 01:36 PM Sounds like you've got lots of help here. I haven't conquered the form for deadlifts either and decided to try at home with just a broom until I figured out proper form, it is a tricky one. (That way I don't have to look like an idiot at the gym.) Once it feels right then I will try at the gym. I agree with mutt that 5 is plenty, I only do 3, but I do back with biceps and sometimes abs. I have found that there are at least 6 different attachments for the lat pull down machine at our gym and each one seems to work a different part of my back. Even changing from a wide grip to a close grip, chin-up position is 2 different exercises. I just started doing them with an attachment that looks like the wide, bent down on the ends, bar-but it has stirrup like handles on the ends that face your hands in toward your shoulders. I really felt it the next morning. I've said this before, but M&F Hers has great pictures and how-to's on exercises. Good luck tara. -------------- ~Victoria~ ...There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.--Beverly Sills
tarab21 Posts: 508 Joined: 2003/03/31	2003/07/23, 02:23 PM POST DEADLIFT REPORT: Okay I had a nice guy there who's actually on his 5th year of school to become a personal trainer help me out. I learned HOW to do them, with jsut the bar at first, but he recommended that I wait until next time because I had already done back extensions and he thought that both together would be too much. Next time, I'm all about deadlifts. Thanks for all the input! And azredhead, I'll own that book someday, when I have some money!
7707mutt Posts: 7,686 Joined: 2002/06/18	2003/07/23, 02:24 PM Nice see they are not as scary as they seem!!!! -------------- Eat More, Drink More, and Lift Harder than you thought you could, welcome to Becoming!
kirby00 Posts: 238 Joined: 2002/11/05	2003/07/23, 03:28 PM Hi Tara - Earlier on in this thread you mentioned that you're not strong enough for pull-ups yet...negatives are a really good way to go here. Definitely helped me out. Just get yourself up to the top (easy if you've got a spotter, not as easy alone being a shorty) and s-l-o-w-l-y let yourself down. There's also machines that will take some of your weight to help "spot" you. At some gyms they're called Gravitrons. Excellent work with the deadlifts - and finding someone nice & knowledgeable to help you. -Kirby
tarab21 Posts: 508 Joined: 2003/03/31	2003/07/23, 04:11 PM Not as bad as I thought, Mutt. Thanks for pushin' me! Kirby, Thanks for the advice on pull ups. Perhaps I'll give them a try next time. I don't know if I've heard of a gravitron but it could be called something else. Thanks much for the compliments!