We’re here today to talk about one of our favorite topics in the world: ripped backs. At Jump Rope Dudes, we don’t talk very often about backs, which is kind of crazy, because our jump rope training heavily incorporates back training. Getting a shredded back is more than just having that sexy v-taper like Superman. With a strong back, you’re less prone to injury and you’ll have better jump rope technique.

Get Started With Pull-Ups and Chin-Ups

The first part of our training routine when it comes to training our backs and getting a ripped back while doing jump rope type training is pull-ups and chin-ups. We’re doing pull-ups or chin-ups just about every other day because they’re great for upper body muscle growth. So, about three to four days a week, we are doing at least 50-100 chin-ups and pull-ups.

If you’re looking for a place to start, try to build yourself up by doing pull-ups and chin-ups 2 to 3 times per week. If you can’t do regular pull-ups, do negative pull-ups where you jump up and slowly bring yourself down. We want you doing at least two to three days a week where you’re doing 10 sets of 5 pull-ups. That means you should be doing a minimum of 50 pull-ups per workout. We’ve built our way up now, so sometimes we’ll do up to 100 every day, but for you just start out with 50 and work your way up, as you get stronger.

Mix up the variations such as close grip, wide grip or regular pull-ups to target all of your different back muscles. The main difference between pull-ups and chin-ups is hand placement. For pull-ups you use an overhand grip on the bar,while you use an underhand grip on the bar when doing chin-ups. One exercise isn’t necessarily better than the other; it’s just that they simply target different muscles. Pull-ups really target the trapezius and lat muscles and chin-ups tend to be easier to start with for beginners.

Get the Right Form and Gear

Now we’re going to talk about the cool stuff, which is the specific Jump Rope Dudes form that engages your back muscles. So when we do our normal jump rope form, we pull our shoulder blades, or scapula, back. When we do that, we create tension in our back. All the back muscle groups including the traps, lats and rhomboids are all engaged and that consistent resistance helps maintain the muscle you have.

The type of jump rope you use can also play a role in engaging those back muscles. If you use a heavy rope when jump roping, you can also potentially build new muscle in addition. You can pick up the same set we use from CrossRope to help you get those back muscles nice and shredded.

We like to use the 1/4 pound agility rope, which isn’t super heavy but really forces our muscles to work hard the longer we work out. After going consistently with set after set of 30 seconds to a minute or more, we really have to pull our scapula together to engage those back muscles to keep up the momentum that keeps the rope going forward. As time goes by, the muscles get worked more and more so you get closer to that lean physique you want to create.

If you are interested and you really want to increase the resistance on your back, you can also look into more weighted ropes. You can check out the energy rope, which is a 1/2-pound, or even the 2-pound heavy rope. For the most part in our training regimen, we stick with the 1/4-pound rope and the one-pound rope.

Get the Proper Nutrition

So that wraps up the tools and techniques we use to maintain and gain muscle mass to get those shredded back muscles. Make sure to get those pull-ups and chin-ups in and use proper form when jumping rope. In addition, the way you can get a really ripped back is by removing body fat from your back. If there is fat tissue on your back, there won’t be as much definition when you flex it up. So when you have more body fat in general, you can’t spot reduce. You can’t remove body fat from your back by doing back exercises. Instead, what you can do is eat at a calorie deficit, so you can remove fat from your back and your entire body at the same time. That’s what’s going to give you that ripped look on your back.

Now if you want to know how to calculate your calories so you know what we’re talking about when it comes to eating at a calorie deficit, check out our Nutrition Calculator. It’s a super easy online form that you fill out with information like your height, weight and fitness goals and it’ll spit out exactly how many macronutrients and calories you need to hit your fitness goals. If you want more in depth information on nutrition, we’ve got a great video tutorial where we walk you through all the basics and get you all set to start losing weight and building muscle.

Shredded Back Workout:

*Do 2-3 times per week

*Do 10 sets of 5 pull-ups or chin-ups from list below

*Aim for at least 50 pull-ups or chin-ups total

Regular Pull-Ups or Chin-ups

Start off by just doing regular pull-ups, where your hands are about shoulder-width apart.

As we said before, if regular pull-ups are too difficult for you or you’re just not quite comfortable with them yet, start by doing negative pull-ups. You can also use a chair or bench as a footstool to give you a little support while still allowing you to engage those back muscles.

Close Grip Pull Ups or Chin-ups

Make sure you’re using proper form when you’re doing chin-ups and pull-ups on the pull up bar to avoid a back injury. For proper form here, make sure to grip the bar with your hands inside shoulder-width. Focus on pulling those shoulder blades together to raise your entire bodyweight and get your chin over that bar.

Wide Grip Pull Ups or Chin-ups

To perform a proper wide grip pull-up or chin-up, place your hands about five inches wider than your shoulder-width. Aim for perfect form, even when you’re getting gassed and worn out towards the end.

More Exercises for a Shredded Back

You can also supplement your back workout with some gym time if you want to really target those major muscle groups in your back.

Focus on lat pulldowns to really build those lower lat muscles beneath your shoulder blades. Some of the best exercises to really add great definition to your back in the gym are cable rows, barbell rows and dumbbell rows. You can also do other rowing exercises such as heavy rows and bent over rows along with compound lifts and bench press to strengthen your back.

Workout Recap:

Shredded Back Workout:

*Do 2-3 times per week

*Do 10 sets of 5 pull-ups or chin-ups from list below

*Aim for at least 50 pull-ups or chin-ups total

• Regular Pull-Ups or Chin-ups

• Close Grip Pull Ups or Chin-ups

• Wide Grip Pull Ups or Chin-ups

Nutrition Recap:

• Eat at a calorie deficit

• Use our Calorie Calculator to find the right amount of macronutrients and calories

Do The Thing

Take our advice when it comes incorporating pull-ups and chin-ups into your workout routine. Do that and focus on maintaining the Jump Rope Dudes form to engage your back and you’re gonna have a ripped back, my dude. Head on over to our YouTube channel to get more workout tips and videos so that you can get the best results possible. Jump rope, get lean, have fun and live a more awesome life!

#dothething