Back Workout Routine

Awesome back workout routines!

There are roughly two main areas of the back which require attention. The lower back and the lats. If your goal is to achieve that V shape back muscle then you will need to focus on your lats. A strong lower back is something I recommend that everyone have, therefore everyone should give it attention at least once a week. There are many exercises a person can train for their back, but generally they're all just variations of one of two different movements. For your upper portion of your back this movement is a pulling motion, for your lower back it will be a raising motion.

Latissimus Dorsi (Lats) Exercises

Barbell Rows or Dumbbell Rows
These are one of the core essential back exercises which should be implimented in every back workout routine. If you're using a barbell you will want to perform this exercise with an overhand (or sometimes underhand) grip spaced a bit wider than shoulder width apart with your knees bent slightly and your back leaned forward. You will want to pull the bar straight up until it reaches your stomach, emphasizing a squeeze in your lats. For dumbbells you can choose to use a bench to kneel on, or simply hold onto something with your free arm for stability and perform the exercise much like that of the barbell row except with the dumbbell.
Lat Pull-Downs
These can only be performed with a cable machine that has a grip attachment. There are different grip attachments, the most common is the wide bar. Many people make the mistake of swinging their entire body when pulling the bar down. You shouldn't do this, you should keep your back stable and pull only with your arms/back.
Seated Cable Rows
Much like the lat pull-downs except focusing on a slightly different angle of movement.

Lower Back Exercises

Deadlifts
These are a great exercise for building a lot of lower back strength and also a lot of overall body strength. It is one of the most difficult exercises for people to achieve proper form. I won't begin to explain how to perform the deadlift here, I suggest visiting google.com and searching for a video representation of how to perform this very important back exercise.
Good Mornings
This is a great exercise for women particularly as it is pretty straight forward in nature. It helps to have a special bench for doing them instead of using a barbell. But if your gym doesn't have it, stick with a lightweight barbell.

And that pretty much wraps it up for a back workout. For those looking to build considerable mass through their back, I suggest doing 3 to 4 sets of each exercise mentioned above for the lats at around 12 to 8 reps per set, and same set/rep scheme for just the deadlifts as well. Do this once a week and your back will be on a road to great shape in no time.

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