Can't Activate Back Muscles | How 2 Solve That Problem 

Been trying to activate my lats for a year. And this video solved my problem in 7 mins. I appreciate you so much!

Got my mind connected with my back muscles for the first time , it's an amazing feeling...

Wished I got here before turning my back workout into a biceps pump. Thanks

I’d always been able to kinda feel my lats by thinking of pulling with my elbows but never felt a pump in them. This solved my problem instantly, thank you so much and RIP

Okay so been lifting for 2 years and after watching this its definitely the first time I've ever felt my lats lmao.

Ever since I have found this page I can’t stop watching. I have had trouble activating my lats for YEARS to the point where I almost didn’t even want to train back anymore. I would just go thru the motions and lie to myself about how good I “trained” them. Today was the greatest lat workout I have ever had. Seriously, thank you.

I've gotten bigger triceps and traps from incorrectly doing back workouts ... now I can start doing them correctly thank you this video was life changing

This just blew 10 years of training without a real mind muscle connection in my lats out the water. I can not wait to implement this after I get off work in a few hours. Thanks!

Yesterday I did a Back Workout while implementing these tips. It felt kind of weird yesterday, but today I have my first real back sore! Thank you guys! Stay hard!

Great content as always John. So many people benefit from these videos.

RIP Brother, you were amazing.

dude im so glad i stumbled onto your page and found these video s

This guy is a messiah! I did his chest activation workout today and my chest was so pumped and the weight was medium! Wish I knew this stuff years ago!

Finally...now i feel my lats after a year at the gym...now i know what i was going wrong... everything... thank you so much

5 years wasted lol, thank goodness im discovering this video right now

Sitting at work the day after back day wishing I’d seen this video yesterday. Doing these movements with no weight and I can really feel them working. Can’t wait to try them out in the gym. Godspeed John.

Eugene's the man!

Great to see anatomy / kinesiology applied to exercise.

John and Eugene...you guys are the best !!! EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT advice.Thank you so much for posting this. God Bless both of you.

Holy crap, I feel my lats! Eugene is so visual in is explanations. Top notch 👌

I love these pre-activation videos. For a lot of people, myself included, it's not enough to just say "focus on the mind-muscle connection". It helps to have ques to understand exactly how to do that. I've been training for 20 years but I'm only 33, so I'm somewhere between old school and modern. It's great to see that an old mountain dog can learn new tricks. I believe taking new science based information and combining it with that old school hard and heavy approach is the best of both worlds.

Hand to God John your videos have improved my performance so much. Thanks!!!

Been working out for 8 years and always had problem with feeling my lats. I even stopped working then because I felt like it was harder on my arms (bic,tric and forearms) than my back. Ive watched a lot of videos, asking a lot of buddies at the gym but this videos is probably the greatest advice. thank you!

This is hands down THE BEST video on mind muscle connection for back exercises. I've struggled with this for ages. I actually felt my lats for the first time - Thank you!

Honestly, all I can say is thankyou! I have watched countless videos and tried various techniques to help try build a mind muscle connection with my lats and to be able to as you could say it "feel" my lats. All of this lead to me still not feeling my lats and I was getting quite frustrated and upset with the fact I couldn't feel my lats. My endless searching for videos lead me to this video, to my surprise using this method I finally realised and was able to experience the feeling on my lats contracting and I am sure this method will assist me in building a great mind muscle connection. THANK YOU!

Honestly I feel like every beginner at gym needs to see this video as mind to muscle connection isn’t talked about as much as it should be

Holy fck, RU-vid and IG should be full of this kind of content, amazing!!!

I use resistance bands for the rowing exercise. I’ve often wondered why I couldn’t engage my lats. But after watching this video I thought, why don’t I hold the bar underhanded? That forced me lower my shoulders when I did the exercise and I engaged my lats because I definitely felt it! Thanks for the advice!

I don't think I need a gym instructor anymore. Thanks for sharing this. It works the first time.

Always struggled when it comes to back and this was really helpful advice. Sometimes the little adjustments can make the biggest changes. Thanks guys!

I like to see more exercises using this principle

This was a great video! I loved how you spent the first few minutes explaining the function and patterns of movement of the lats. I spent the last year trying to develop my back and finally within the past few months have been making progress. I would give this video 1000 thumbs up if I could!

This guy is very helpful when it comes to the mind muscle connection technique.

So glad I've found these videos on your page!! Been struggling with growing my back for the last year and after following these tips it's grown more in 4 months than it has ever before!

It's nice to see a pro who is open to outside advice. These are great videos on feeling the muscle. This is something that often takes many injuries and years to understand, so is extremely helpful to all of us. Thanks

I like this guy. If you can't feel or move your muscles lifting heavy ass weight is futile effort!

Had my head phones on. At 5:30 I thought it was me clearing my throat. 😉 Thanks for the advice. I'm trying to build my back

Spent so much money to pay gym membership & personal trainer. My complaint is always cant feel the back muscles and always feel it in my arms, biceps, triceps etc. and you’re telling me the i can solve the problem by just watching this for free 😭 Thank you so much!!

Rest in peace & thanks for the lessons

Rest in peace legend, you still helping thousand of people. I was just searching a video about back activation and I surprised

God damn, I've been asking for years (of other youtubers) about my back issues. Athleanx, Jeff Nippard, Elliot Hulse, name a fitness youtuber and you'll probably find my complaints in the comments. Not just that I can't feel certain muscles, but my entire left side. Now I've overworked my right side and messing up my back. Finally, I find one of the videos I needed.

Damn this channel is a great discovery.

WOW! I have never been able to feel my lats contract while doing seated cable rows and lat pull downs. This video really helped me feel my lats and now my workouts are 10 times better. Thank you so much for the great videos. Keep up the good work!

Even without weight you can feel your lat scrunch up ....gna try this next back workout wicked tips

Because of your great vids I just ordered some anatomical muscle charts so I can better understand where the connection points are and get a more productive workout.

I’ve never felt my lats contract this hard before. I’ve been working out for 2 years now and always struggled with contracting my lats, this video solved it in the first few minutes.

THANKS a lot !! I tried the no-weight cramp technique, it's still cramped !!! Good video!

The lat part of this just changed my life my lats thank you

so helpful, i wish i had found your page when i first started training.

I went to the gym yesterday after watching this video. I never felt my lats during my pull days, not only I got a really good pump yesterday, my lats are sore for the first time in my 2 years of working out. Thanks!

This is the best advice I've ever heard for back activation by far. Great job guys. Thank you

Great video the only thts straight to the point finally got a back pump of the first excecise good job

Thanks for these activation videos, they are so important for beginners like me. I’ve watched lots of videos and no one points out that you need to learn how to feel the muscle you are working. I’ve been going a few weeks everyday and although my bench has gone up 10/20kg I still haven’t found that mind muscle connection with my chest and same with other muscles. These are really helping thanks

Such a good vid... Ive been bodybuilding for 5 years and still learned some cues to improve that mind muscle connection!! 💪🏾

This content is gold, thanks for sharing.

Omg you guys seriously have no idea how much this means. Ive been hurting my back off and on the last 2 years struggling with this. 7mins and already notice a huge difference thank you so much

I'm tearing in joy right now, after feeling my back again!!!

The only single best video on lat activation.

good tips. back tomorrow. will try.

Rip John you are missed but never forgotten!! I will watch your videos for the rest of my life!!

These videos with Eugene are really good. I'll start doing them at the start of every workout.

Oooooh man, I'm glad I have that MMO, that's the hard thing to do. I've tested and felt that nasty cramp John talked about. Now, why the hell I never tried to applied this in a workout, is the one million dollar question. Maybe because I always do this exercice with a heavy load. I'll drop the weight and progress back up again the right way. Old but gold. Thanks, John!

I've been dealing with this problem for years. Thank you.

John, I love your Kayak Row's for that same reason ! I think I saw you perform them like 4 years ago... Im loving this mix with you and Eugene !!!

I just recently discovered both of these guys and what a huge help they both have been

Thank you for you advice, that preworkout muscle flex movement really works

Yeah...that absolutely fired my lats up instantly! Eugene you are incredible..

That's actually some really good advice I struggle getting a good squeeze and contraction on my back

Awesome video. Miss you John, I'm John too but in Spanish. I'm a Juan amigo. Hope you are In a great place and that your family is doing great as well. The great ones always go early and I don't know why. Somebody up there is greedy taking all the good people.

Eugene is brilliant explaining things!

I'm having some massive problems activating my back muscles in back excersises and mostly feeling my biceps and abs. For the first time in forever I actually feel my back muscles. Thank you so so much

Thanks john you are and will always will be a treasure. Same to eugene teo!! Id reccommend his channel if no one has watched

I have just started lifting and i was concerned that my back was not getting fatigued and used properly in my pull workouts, ig i could say that i was using it to bout 45% now its like 2 am and i just saw this on my feed, this was a real blessing i legit got out of my bed and tried this technique with all of my pull day motions like the bent over row, seated row , close grip lat pulldowns , normal lat pulldowns etc, and even without the weight i could feel my back working. Cannot wait to try this out on my next back day. Thanks a lot dude !

One of the best videos I’ve watched on lats.

yooooooo. if i only knew john 1 year ago when i started. that contraction was CRAZYYY! . Its a big loss in the bb comunity.RIP🕊️

Not a row, but a stiff arm pull down. It finally clicked for em. Thanks

You my friend are a saint, the only part of my body that’s lacking is my back and you have solved that, thank you!!!

I have been a gym rat my whole life and I've never seen anyone explain this better than that!

I've never seen a more helpful video pertaining to lay exercise in my life, thank you

These activation exercises have been absolutely clutch before my workouts!!

That was excellent; learnt something new, a different perspective. I'm going to try that out right now! Great talk guys!

I just started doing workouts and realized I couldn't feel my back. Thanks so much!

Dude... My mind-muscle connection is 1000% better!!! DUDE!!! Just got a pump with only body weight!! Gonna keep this up till Pull day!

Informative!! Thanks John and Eugene!! Keep posting these kind of videos

Perfect. Felt it instantly. Thanx for good content

God bless them both with a healthy happy and a long life.

we lost a great one, rest in peace john, you the man!

This is a very powerful video. Anyone can do the exercise but what good is it if the targeted muscles not even involved right.

Very very informative! Thanks guys. I'll definitely be trying this out.

You learn something new every day

Wish I knew about you when you came to Australia. Would have loved to meet you

Great video John, Eugene seems like a great coach. I have no problem feeling my lats contracting during exercises however, feeling my rhomboids, teres, and lower traps is very difficult for me. Is there a chance you could cover that in another video?

As someone who really struggles to activate the left side of their back, thank you and Eugene for the knowledge and awesome tips!!

I tried the first movement and I definitely wasn't feeling the contraction he was!

Wow I thought pulling your shoulders backwards was enough... turns out there's 3 more steps to it! THANKS

Incredible video, I knew I was feeling something… but back is tough to get the connection with for me. It confirmed my doubts are wrong and the form really made me feel it more than before.

Thank you for continuing posting Sir Mt Dog videos 🙏

That demonstration was insanely effective! Thanks a lot.

Have to try it. Been doing the pull with your elbows technique!

I’m watching this a little late but thank you so much! I’ve been having trouble activating my back but I feel it now! Thanks Man!