How Men Over 40 Can Build Up Their Backs
Author, fitness model, and trainer Kirk Charles, NASM-CPT CES, knows that as you get older, life can get more complicated. But that shouldn’t prevent you from being on top of your game. He’ll help to answer the tough training questions that come with age so you too can be Fit Beyond 40.
Working with a new client is always an interesting experience, especially when we’re trying to develop new habits. Last week I worked with a 46-year-old financial executive who stopped his personal training workouts during the coronavirus lockdown. His only physical activity was some light jogging, a few abdominal crunches, and bench press sessions at home with his 16-year-old son a few times a month.
Aside from the lack of consistency, his biggest problem was that his focus was only working his chest and belly to prevent his clothes from becoming tighter. I asked him if he ever thought about working the back of his body, too, and he responded that he’d never thought about working his back.
Unfortunately, that’s a common response from many older men who work too many stressful hours and don't get enough exercise. The last thing we think about are the body parts we don’t immediately see in the mirror, but the back of the body deserves just as much attention for posture, strength and shoulder stabilization.
Pushing exercises (pushups and bench presses) are great for the shoulders and pecs, but they must be balanced by working the upper back and should muscles with pulling exercises. One exercise I recommended for my client was a reverse fly with a resistance band to work his rear deltoids, traps and rhomboids (upper back muscles). The reverse fly has been one of my favorite exercises since I first started training clients. The movement helps to break the tendency to overload the front side of the body.
To start, attach your band slightly lower than shoulder height on a stable anchor point. If you're working at home, make absolutely certain that can take the weight to avoid injury. Back away from the anchor holding both handles of the band with your palms facing each other, with your elbows slightly bent, until the band is taut. Squeeze your glutes as much as possible and brace your core, keeping your feet planted solidly on the floor. Lastly, relax your shoulders and pull them back to avoid slumping your upper back.
From this starting position, pull your arms backward slowly as if they’re sliding on a table. As your arms draw father apart, focus on squeezing your shoulder blades together. When you’ve pulled back as far as possible, pause and hold for a moment. An inhibited range of motion may restrict how far you are able to pull back (this could be due to tight pectoral muscles). Don’t be discouraged if you are unable to pull your elbows back in line with your shoulders—just work within limits for safety. Maintain a tight core as the resistance band pulls you forward at your maximum range of motion. Then slowly bring your hands back forward to the starting position. That’s one repetition.
If you’re new to this exercise, start with one of the lighter resistance bands to aim for muscle stabilization and endurance. When pulling away, count to three, hold for three to five seconds, then release back to your starting position counting to three. Time under tension is more important than loading with lots of resistance, especially when you’ve pulled all that way back and you’re squeezing the shoulder blades together to increase the mind-muscle connection. Start with 4 sets of 8 to 10 reps, three times per week.
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