Q: What can I do to target the muscles of my middle back?

A: The muscles of the middle back are not easy to isolate and many trainers go about training them incorrectly. The key to an effective mid back workout is to use cables and machines. This will allow you to adjust the movement to target specific areas of your back – something that you can’t do with free weights.

The number one mid-back developer is the seated cable row. Unfortunately, this is also one of the most poorly executed exercises of all time. Most people get a powerful bicep and thigh workout on this one but very little back stimulation. If you’ve got access to the Pumping Iron video, put it on and forward to the part where Arnold is doing seated cable rows. Watch his form and you’ll notice the following: his legs are slightly bent in the start position; he begins with his shoulder slightly rounded forward; as he pulls back his elbows are in line with his body; he pulls his shoulders and upper arms all the way back until his back muscles are fully contracted; he avoids bending forward from the waist or hips: he holds the fully contracted position for a couple of seconds; he pulls in to the mid region of his stomach: he uses a full range of motion – as he comes in towards the machine on each rep, his lats get a full stretch as his shoulders come forward, then back as far as possible to squeeze together at full contraction; at the point of peak contraction his lower back is arched.

Try to emulate this form when you’re on the seated cable machine. Keep in mind, though, that to get a full contraction of the back you can’t go too heavy. Too much weight will not allow for full shoulder contraction and you will be forced to over recruit the biceps – so lighten up slightly to target that mid-back area. You’ll know the weight is too heavy if your elbows tend to flare out as you draw the cables towards you. Experiment with a variety of handle grips to get to different parts of your middle back.

A total back workout should work the lats, middle back and lower back. A good rule of thumb is to start with a basic mass builder like dead lifts or bent over rows, then move to a specialized mid-back movement such as the one we’ve described here before finishing with a lower back movement like hyperextensions.