Fitman, who is an NGA Pro Natural Bodybuilder, a USATF Masters Sprinter, and the owner of The Fitman Performance & Physique Center in Roslyn says that training the back and the legs separate the contenders from the pretenders on the natural bodybuilding stage.

“Many lifters in the gym only train what they can see,” Fitman said. “For the upper body this means that the chest, biceps, and abs get most of the work. For the lower body it means that the quads will receive most of the attention. But you cannot build a balanced physique without training your entire body!”

“At a natural bodybuilding show weaknesses stand out like a skunk in a perfume factory,” he said. But even if you are not a natural bodybuilder or an athlete, you will build a stronger and more muscular body by training your entire body. You can’t skip training your back or your legs.”

Fitman says that many lifters avoid training their back, because back workouts are hard. “Listen when I first started doing pull-ups, I couldn’t even do 1,” he said. The experience was revealing and absolutely embarrassing. But I did not quit because I was lousy at them. I kept doing them until I got great at them.” “Nothing in life worth anything comes easy.”

Back Workouts

Fitman says that there are two components to an effective back workout: exercises that add width and build thickness.

“The goal with training is to add width and thickness to your back. You can add width to your back by doing exercises such as pull-ups, pullovers, and pulldowns. You can add thickness to your back by doing exercises such as rows and deadlifts.”

“Most people will initially struggle with pull-ups and that’s ok. You can do inverted rows or pull-ups with a band for assistance until you are strong enough to do them unassisted.”

Check out the videos below to see Fitman perform two advanced back workouts that he would use to prepare for a natural bodybuilding competition.

Follow Fitman

Fitman is on multiple websites and social media platforms. To get the unvarnished truth about natural bodybuilding, athletic performance, fitness and health, follow him at:

Websites
FitmanPerformance.com
FitmanClassicBodybuilding.com

Social Media
Instagram: @FitmanEB
Tik Tok: @FitmanEB
X: @FitmanEB
YouTube: @FitmanEB
Facebook: @Fitman

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