The title of this newsletter is a bit misleading because the muscle I’m talking about isn’t only located in your midsection…
It runs from your glutes all the way up to your neck, but only the lower part is visible. Which is why it’s often referred to as the “lower back.”
Your spinal erector muscles, or erector spinae, extend vertically up the length of your back. However, the top two-thirds are hidden under the lats and traps.
I’ve always done very little direct work for the erectors, believing that stiff-legged deadlifts train them sufficiently, as well as squats.
New information has proven me somewhat misguided—and also, I no longer squat with a barbell, as it’s inefficient for quad development and not worth the risk. When I do squat, I hold dumbbells at the sides of my thighs for less vertebrae stress.
Even so, barbell squats and stiff-legged deadlifts—or regular deadlifts for that matter—have a limited range of motion for the erectors…
That’s because you don’t or shouldn’t round your back on those exercises. The erectors are stabilizing your torso during each rep. So it’s basically isometric work—or should be unless you want to leave the gym on a stretcher.
So how do you train your spinal erector muscles? What is the ideal exercise?
Mr. America and 2019 Drug-Free Mr. Universe Doug Brignole opened my eyes to a number of facts, like the erectors have a fairly short range of motion, much like the rectus abdominis on the front of the torso. And you should train them directly.…
The erectors simply allow your spine to round forward and then “curl” the spine back to straight. They also stabilize the spine, as in the aforementioned exercises.
To develop them properly, however, you should use movement with full range of motion and the correct strength curve…
If you have the new ebook Old Man, Young Muscle or you’ve been following the most recent issues of this newsletter, you’re familiar with the proper strength curve for muscles…
A rep should be hardest near the stretch and easiest at contraction—that is, early phase loaded and late phase unloaded.
That’s because a muscle is strongest near its stretch position and weakest at contraction when it’s flexed and the fibers are bunching up.
Most hyperextension benches have you hang your torso vertically and then bring it up to horizontal. That strength curve is backward—too easy at the bottom, too hard at the top. Plus, most people do not round their back when doing hypers…
Doing hypers with a flat back makes the exercise more glute-centric than an erector stimulator—but the strength curve is still backward for either muscle…
My solution is much like that for the abs, which I discussed a few newsletters ago—an incline bench. I call this exercise the incline erector curl…
Notice that I’m standing on a riser. That’s so the top of the bench hits me at about belly-button level. From that position I can round my back forward…
Doug prefers no bench—simply put your butt up against a wall, bend over at 90 degrees and round and straighten your back. I find that a bit awkward…
Also, the wall version feels like the strength curve is not quite right—still too much resistance at the top; however, I do often put them in my workouts for variety or as a contracted-position exercise after my incline version.
For my complete workouts, ideal move for each muscle, exercise start/finish photos, and details on building muscle fast and efficiently like reloaded Positions-of-Flexion mass training, see Old Man, Young Muscle.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
Steve Holman
Former Editor in Chief, Iron Man Magazine
www.X-Rep.com
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