Mr. Gironda, I read your column in MuscleMag International all the time and I have just bought your book at B. Dalton’s booksellers.

I have learned more from that book than anything else.

I do have a problem. It is my back.

I have a wide V-shape, my lats are thick and really spread out well, but my back is smooth. There are no lumps when I spread my back and even when I do a double biceps pose showing the back there are no lumps.

Please help me. I do plenty of bent over rowing exercises each workout, but I just do not know what else to do. My lower back is OK.

Rowing is a basic back exercise. You need isolation movements to bring up different areas of your back.

I suggest you try medium grip chins pulling the bar to the sternum 5 x 8.

Seated cable rowing (arching the torso each rep) 5 x 10.

Prone dumbbell rowing (on high bench) 5 x 8.

I would also do some trapezius work and posterior deltoid exercise.

More detail will be built into the upper back area if you build these two areas.