Angel Taves bikini model, fitness model

This was article was inspired from a conversation I had with Erik Ledin, CSCS, CISSN (Lean Bodies Consulting) a while back.

A massive back is a beautiful thing. Like Michelangelo's statue of David, it is a work of art. Some of the greatest bodybuilders - Ronnie Coleman, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dorian Yates - all possessed well developed backs. Their backs were both wide and thick, giving a depth to their physiques that many pros lack nowadays.

A well developed back leaves a lasting impression. A lot of people look good from the front, but from the back can be a disaster: sunken shoulder blades and a narrow frame can leave a person looking like they've been starving their posterior chain.

Not only does a well-developed back look impressive from all angles, taking a balanced approach to back development can ward off injuries and promote good posture. And let's face it, nobody EVER says, "That guy's back is just TOO big"!

Building the Ultimate Back

The back can be thought of as being divided into vertical and horizontal planes. So, back training should really be split into two workouts - one devoted to horizontal pulling (thickness based workout / rowing movements) and one devoted to vertical pulling (width based workout / pull ups). As for heavy Deadlifts, they will round out your back workout.

I have divided some exercises into the two planes of motion you will be working in.

Horizontal Pulling

* Barbell Rows (vary the grip between pronated and supinated)
* T-Bar Rows (vary the grip between pronated and supinated)
* Rack Pulls (vary the pin height, usually set them set below the knee/mid shin area)
* Seated Cable Rows

Vertical Pulling

* Lat Pulldowns (various grips and widths)
* Pull Ups
* Chin Ups
* Pull-Overs (Nautilus, cable, bar)

Ange Bernard figure competitor, bikini competitor, fame competitor

by Christopher Mason

If one were to poll strength trainees nearly all of them would tell you that testosterone is the most important hormone for size and strength. Testosterone's importance cannot be argued, but insulin rivals it in terms of results in the gym and plays an even more crucial role in overall health.

Insulin's association with blood sugar is generally well known, but what is less known is its ability to mediate protein synthesis and thus skeletal muscle recovery and potential growth.

Insulin sensitivity, or the body's receptiveness to its effects, is key to optimal health and results in the gym. While insulin can be taken exogenously (from outside of the body), its management via dietary manipulation is the method of choice for optimal long term results (in healthy individuals). Insulin management to maximize protein synthesis and thus potential and actual muscular growth will be the focus of this article.

Eating Specifically for Hypertrophy

Whether you are trying to gain body mass for athletic or aesthetic purposes, the end goal of eating for size is to add as much lean muscle mass as possible while mitigating increases in body fat. Make no mistake; optimization of lean muscle accruement necessitates the addition of some body fat.

In order to foster optimum growth, the body must have the nutrients necessary to do the job when needed. This translates to essentially a continuous need. Why? Muscle growth does not follow any exact timeframe. It is nigh impossible to assure the correct nutrients are in abundant supply at all times without consuming an excess of calories. Interestingly enough, even without training, a percentage of excess caloric intake will be stored as lean muscle tissue. The addition of resistance training can greatly increase this percentage, and the combination of an excess caloric intake and resistance training is the only way to truly optimize the addition of lean muscle mass.

Eating a lot is important, but there is a limit to the benefit derived from excess caloric intake. Too many calories for too long of a period of time results in an unacceptably high increase in body fat and the potential health problems associated with it (depressed testosterone, insulin resistance etc.). How does one consume a surplus of calories in order to foster optimal muscular hypertrophy, but avoid excess deposition of body fat? The key is nutrient control and timing.