Chest, shoulders and arms: probably the most worked body parts for most gym goers. Not only does this create an unbalanced physique but it also makes it impossible to reach your full strength potential and puts you at risk of injury. Prioritize your posterior chain: work your back for a stronger front.
It’s very easy to over work the front of the body, with too much bench pressing and quad dominant leg exercises causing imbalances, pain, and injuries. When your pecs and front delts are disproportionately stronger than your back muscles, your shoulders begin to round forward putting a lot of pressure on your shoulder joint. Also, if you’re a quad dominant squatter (higher bar and narrower stance), you might start developing pain in your knees and hips.
However it’s next to impossible to overwork the posterior chain. Having back muscles that are bigger and stronger than your chest will not only keep your shoulders healthy but will also allow to bench more. Strong glutes will keep your knees and hips stable and will in turn help you squat and deadlift to your maximum capabilities.
The posterior chain muscles consists of:
– Upper back muscles (including traps, lats, rhomboids)
– Spinal erectors
– Glutes
– Hamstrings
– Calves
How to prioritize your posterior chain:
Upper back:
- Important for a strong and stable bench press.
- Your upper back muscles and traps act as a platform to sit on when bench pressing and work to keep your shoulder blades retracted.
- Strong lats stabilize the shoulders during heavy benching.
- Squats
- Squeezing your shoulder blades together and tightening your traps creates a shelf for the bar to sit on during the squat.
- Deadlift
- Strong lats assist the spinal erectors to help keep the spine from rounding during a deadlift
- Every day posture
- A strong upper back is good for your posture and keeps your shoulders from rounding forward.
Exercises to do: Add in lots of rows and pullups/pulldowns in your workouts. As a rule of thumb you should aim for a minimum 1:1 ratio between bench press and rows.
My favorite are Yates rows. I find the more upright position of the Yates easier on the lower back compared to conventional barbell rows. Squats and deadlifts are already taxing enough on the lower back, no need to fatigue it more.
I also like DB rows for the same reason. I can use one hand to lean against a bench or a rack while doing them.
Pullups are not only great for lats but also work the biceps enough that I rarely perform bicep curls. If you’re not able to perform bodyweight pullups, cable pulldowns are a good alternative.
Spinal erectors:
- keeps your spine straight during the squat and deadlift.
Exercise to do: There’s no need to add in direct work for your erectors, they get enough work with squats and deadlifts.
Glutes:
- strong glutes keep your knees and hips healthy and stable
- strong glutes keep you from tipping forward during deadlift and squat
- good for proper posture and help keep your hips and pelvis properly aligned.
Exercises to do: Wide squats and sumo deadlifts will work all three glutes. If you find you have sore knees and hips when squatting, you probably have weak glutes or aren’t using them properly.
Glute activation exercises like the glute bridge is an excellent way to strengthen and activate them. I know what your thinking, isn’t that a ladies’ exercise? It absolutely isn’t! Here’s a great article on glute bridges by Bret Contreras for T-Nation. https://www.t-nation.com/training/bigger-better-glute Focus on squeezing your butt cheeks together when performing them.
RDLs (Romanian Deadlifts) are also a good exercise for the glute/ham tie-in. Again focus on squeezing your butt cheeks together at top of the lift.
Hams:
- Important for knee health
- Will help increase your deadlift
Exercises to do: Squats and deadlifts work the hamstrings but not in the form of knee flexion. Perform leg curls or glute/ham raises if your gym has one.
For working hip extension, stiff leg deadlifts are also great for strengthening the hams. Use them as an accessory exercise on squat day.
Calves:
- Symmetry
- Balance and stabilize during squat/deadlift
Exercises to do: Calves are part of the posterior chain so I included them on the list. However they play no major role in any of the big lifts.
A lot of people don’t give a fuck about calves and don’t work them. That’s fine. If you also don’t care about calves, then don’t work them. After all if you get to the beach early enough and stand knee deep in the water no one will know you’re standing on toothpicks! However for the sake of symmetry, I suggest you work them. An easy way to fit them in to your weekly workout schedule is to super set them in with other exercises.
Prioritize your posterior chain. Not only will your body thank you but your squat, bench press and deadlift will also get stronger.