Back stretches

These back stretches will help to keep your muscles loose and improve your posture

Back stretches are crucial to help improve your posture and avoid muscle soreness after training.

Lat stretch

Put both arms straight above your head and hold your left hand with your right. Lean your body over to the right. Roll your upper body forwards until you feel the stretch in the middle of your back. Stretch for ten to 20 seconds and repeat two to three times.

Bottom to heels stretch

Kneel on all fours, with your knees under your hips and your hands under your shoulders. Don’t over-arch your lower back. Keep your neck long, your shoulders back and don’t lock your elbows. Slowly take your bottom backwards, maintaining the natural curve in your spine. Hold the stretch for one deep breath and return to the starting position. Repeat eight to ten times.

Knee rolls

Lie on your back, keeping your knees bent and together. Keep your upper body relaxed and your chin tucked in. Roll your knees to one side, followed by your pelvis, keeping both shoulders on the floor. Hold the stretch for one deep breath and return to the starting position. Repeat eight to ten times on each side.

Back extensions

Lie on your stomach, and prop yourself up on your elbows, lengthening your spine. Keep your shoulders back and your neck long. Arch your back up by pushing down on your hands. You should feel a gentle stretch in the stomach muscles as you arch backwards. Breathe and hold for five to ten seconds, then repeat eight to ten times.

Once you've done those stretches to get your back nice and limber, try out this effective upper-back move to strengthen the muscles too.

Changing your hand position during this move recruits more muscle fibres across your upper back.

Dumbbell twisting bent-over row

How to do it

• Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand.
• Bend forwards from the hips and lower into a shallow squat, keeping your core braced and back straight and parallel to the floor at all times.
• Turn your wrists so you’re holding the dumbbells with your palms facing you.
• Row the dumbbells up towards your chest, rotating your wrists so you finish with a semi-supinated, or palms facing, grip at the top of the move.
• Pause to feel your back and biceps muscles contract, then slowly lower the weights back to the start.

Why it works

Starting with your arms internally rotated then moving them to a semi-supinated position causes a greater contraction in the large target muscles of your upper back, resulting in more of that muscle-fibre damage that’s essential to rapid, big gains. Plus the biceps get involved to complement your gains and build a better torso.