Working the Opposite.
There’s a real science to bodybuilding that the average person will never understand. There’s more to molding and shaping a form you can be proud of by just simply doing a few sets of curls or hitting the bench. It’s a process that requires a person to know how the human body works – in particular, and this is most important, how their body works. As bodybuilder you come to understand that the only person who’s going to know what’s best for your development is you.
What’s also true is that sometimes building up one part of the body can ultimately improve another muscle group as well. There are plenty of guys who focus all their attention on one muscle group to the point that other parts of their body is under developed. The key to making an aesthetic physical form is by not only working out the muscle group that you wish to improve, but the antagonizing muscles as well.
What’s an antagonizing muscle? Well, it’s the opposite muscle group to the one that you may be working on, the easiest example being the triceps versus the biceps. Shaping one or the other is great, but shaping the whole thing brings the package together.
In terms of building up muscle groups there’s no doubt that the chest is one of the biggest body parts that are attacked by men. Having a strong and developed chest is the dream of most any man out there and it’s the reason so many beginners target them frequently. But if you desire a great chest then you’re going to have to work your antagonizing muscles as well.
The lats can make your form look extremely impressive if you give them the proper attention. When you have wide lats it’s hard to be ignored and it gives your physique an even more domineering appearance. Check out some of these exercises to get some massive lats to compliment the rest of your form.
Seated Cable Row
A great exercise that holds a number of benefits, the seated cable row is an exercise that give you some great development. The movement of this exercise allows for improvement in the upper, middle, lower, and outer parts of the back. It’s definitely an exercise that should be apart of your back day routine.
Lat Pulldowns
This is a great exercise to isolate the lat muscles for some very specific development. The lat pull down is very similar to the wide grip pull up but the fundamental difference is that the body remains stationary. This allows for the user to emphasize the lats specifically.
Wide Grip Pull Ups
This is often compared to the lat pull down, seeing as how they both work the outer lat muscles, but there’s a major difference – where the lat pull down is stationary and focuses solely on the lat muscle, the wide grip pull ups not only improve your outer lat development, but your overall strength as well. It’s great for giving you functional strength along with working your back.
What’s your favorite back exercise? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
