Is A Strong Back the Key to Health & Performance?

There’s an old saying in iron gym circles, that “big pecs equal big paychecks.” It comes from a time when bodybuilding and the muscles seen in front of you were deemed “most important.” Film and television only helped reinforce this, as a big chest was almost mandatory for any male action hero in the 1980’s and early 1990’s.

We’ve come a long way since then in our understanding of musculoskeletal health and the muscles involved in unlocking peak performance across many different sports and for general health.

“Big pecs” and “big paychecks” may work better from an alliteration standpoint, but the real key muscle group in your torso is actually on the other side: if you have a strong back, you’ll very likely stay healthier and be a much better athlete. Regardless of sport, pursuit and general health, your back strength directly contributes to your quality of life and performance.

Famous coaches and educators like Joe DeFranco, Matt Wenning and others have long advocated for a 2:1 ratio of training your posterior muscles to your anterior. If you know you’re lacking in back training, this is sound advice. In the end, everything is individualized.

A good example of a population who is in need of consistent and frequent back training are jiu jitsu athletes & grapplers of all disciplines (wrestlers too). The focus of the sport is so anterior-heavy, that the muscles of the posterior really need to be up to snuff to handle the demands of the sport and hopefully work to prevent injury.

There are of course, examples where the 2:1 training ratio rule is not ideal. Tall athletes in sports like basketball, or athletes with weaker quads and anterior muscles may need to make some alterations here, but again, everything is specific to the individual.

I’ll close this by talking about an athlete who I had the pleasure to work with in the summer of 2022, Ruan Alvarenga— a top 66kg competitor in No-Gi jiu jitsu and ADCC veteran. He recently competed in the 2022 ADCC -66kg division. He’s know for his strength and explosiveness on the mats, and his back health is a great reason for why he’s able to so consistently hit you with such a barrage on the mats. In short, to be explosive and to do so repeatedly without hurting yourself takes a lot of structural integrity…. and that integrity is provided by his back.