Back: Low/Heavy or High/Squeeze

[Gooch]

I'm hearing two schools on massing your back at my gym.

I hear and see people using the heaviest weight and horrible form, like swaying and swinging, and doing like 6-10 reps.

Then I hear someone say to concentrate on form and fell the squeeze in every movement of your back excercises. I did this one day and seemed to have been sore the next.

Can anyone shed some light on this for me?

How about a pyramid sets?

Thanks.

[RiNgMaSteR]

Use the heaviset weight you can handle with good form. Form is more important than weight.

[reFLEX]

First of all, you don't want to gauge the effectiveness of a workout based on how sore you are.

I don't know about you, but the people I see using horrible form for any exercise in the gym are not usually the type of people I'd want to use as a role model physique wise.

Using bad form is usually just inviting injury, and probably isn't gonna do much for your gains in the long run. If you can't even feel your lats/rhomboids contracting, then it's probably a good sign that your back isn't doing enough of the work. On the other hand, I don't think it's necessary to hold each rep at complete contraction for 3 seconds or whatever, except maybe on the last rep or two of a set.

As for pyramiding, I don't do it, but that's because I've found it's just a waste of time for me. Not saying that it won't work for others. You've just got to figure out yourself what your body responds to.

[Gooch]

I agree...I'm still trying out different things. I think form is most important.

When I say the squeeze, I mean feeling the contractoin of the muscles.

Thanks.

What's good reps...6-10 or 6-8?

[Zensuji]

Originally posted by Gooch


What's good reps...6-10 or 6-8?

It's an individual thing and it varies from muscle to muscle

for instance if i'm doing bb rows i keep it around 6-8
but if its traps i keep it around 10-12

[hyp3r3xt3nsion]

neither; use the proper weight with good form and just bring it up and down; don't worry about any of this squeezing nonsense.