Do You Need to Deadlift to Build a Good Looking Back

On my back exercises page, I list my favorite ten back exercises and recommend a few workouts that I think would build a strong back.  The core recommendations hasn’t changed much since the days when Eugene Sandow ruled the weightlifting world.

In fact, just recently, I was reading an article by a behometh named Matt Kroc where he essentially lays out what I have always suggested.  The core of any back routine must be deadlifts, chins, and rows.  And interestingly, he doesn’t list seated cable rows as an example – just barbell, T-bar, and dumbbell (like me).

Now, I just gonna swag that he’s a bit younger than me.  And I’m guessing I grabbed my first barbell with my spaghetti arms before he was even a twinkle in his dad’s eye.  What am I getting at – well – he may have more muscle in his left delt than I do in my whole body and be about 200X stronger than me; but I ain’t taking no backseat to him on what builds a strong back.

That said, I want to talk a little bit more about building back muscles.  Because I’ve been following Rusty’s Visual Impact Muscle Building  program for the last 2 months (1st month – not so much; last month – a lot more) and he’s redefined some of my thought process.  By the way, you can read more about my thoughts on his program here, Bucking Conventional Wisdom With Visual Impact Muscle Building.

As you might know, Rusty Moore is famous, or infamous, for not recommending squats and deadlifts.  He’s against the big, bulky, or cut, look of a bodybuilder.  He prefers a lean, Hollywood look.  And squats and deadlifts work against that.

I still think deadlifts are great but in following his program, I am not doing squats and deadlifts.  Now in his 3 phase program, squats and deadlifts are a part of it, initially, but with my fat butt, I’m just doing the upperbody program.

So, what’s the point?

The point is…

This is not me - Dorian Yates, the most dense in all creation, yes, he deadlifts, heavy rows, heavy everything

You need to determine what kind of body you want before you start lifting.  It’s the “begin with the end in mind” mentality.  Know what you want and then go seek it.

If you want a big, freaky back that is powerful and makes all the muscleheads stop and say, “damn, that’s one big ass back!”; then you need to do the following:

1. Deadlift – 5 to 7 sets of low reps, no more than 6
2. Wide Grip Chins – 3 to 4 sets of max reps
3. Rows – 4 to 5 sets of low to medium reps, between 8 and 10

Most certainly not me - note the lack of density in the lower back - he doesn't deadlift, yet looks aesthetically good

But what if you don’t want that huge, cobra hood like back; what do you do?

Here’s where it probably makes sense not to do deadlifts beyond the first couple of months.  You still want to do deadlifts – if for no other reason than to build some core strength.  But past that point, you want to focus on building your lats more so than your lower back, hip, glutes, and upper leg tie-ins.

As a part of my tweaking Rusty’s program, what I’m currently doing is:

• Wide Grip Chins – 4 sets of max reps
• Bent Over Rows (similiar to a Yates row using my Bodylastics bands) – 4 sets pyramid from 12 to 6
• Stiff Arm Standing Pullovers (Rusty recommends Nautilus pullovers – hate those – plus again, pullovers work better with my bands) – 4 sets of max reps

The focus of the work out is really on the outer lats. The rows work the lower lats and middle of the back, plus give some static work to the lower back.  But the chins and pullovers are all about the outer lats and working the width.

This is me.  Don’t Laugh Too Hard – Middle Age Crazie

I like this threesome.  When you think about, these three really work your lats in all the possible arm movements.  And after my last set of stiff arm pullovers, my lats feel pumped up like a pair of helium balloons under my arm.

So what should you do?

First, decide what kind of physique you want.

When you know what you want, then formulate the workout that will get you the body you want.

And don’t be afraid to not do the conventional.  Sure I recommend deadlifts but at 50, I just don’t do them.  Of course, that I do not go to a gym and don’t have 100′s of pounds of weight at home kinda limits.  Still, my resistance bands are strong enough to give me challenging deadlift session; but again, now officially over 50, I just don’t see the need.

Your thoughts – do you still do deadlifts and what kind of back routine do you follow?

Oh by the way, that’s me a couple of days ago (7/17) trying to do a rear lat spread and providing, or rather being an unending source of amusement for my wife.  Hey, what can I say – I’m fifty – no young buck am I!

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