It’s tough to ignore the back muscles. They are involved in just about everything. You feel them when you are carrying things, and they are key to helping you maintain good posture. And good posture – well that’s a whole post’s worth of information, but long story short, having good posture helps you avoid injury and pain. A great way to help your posture and avoid injury is to strengthen your back muscles.

Although it may sound redundant by now, just as with most exercises, you need to keep your abs tight and back straight to get the best form and to avoid injury.

Your lat muscles are the one of the largest of the back, and you can engage them in your exercise by squeezing your shoulder blades together behind you.

To get your best workout, don’t forget to focus on tempo. This includes pausing momentarily and holding the contraction at the point of maximum resistance before returning to starting position.

Since your back is so involved in everything you do, it is also important to focus on avoiding injury. Do this by focusing on proper form and using a lower resistance.

If you are ready to get started, check out the lat pulldown to work your mid and upper back, or come back tomorrow for a new move.