Hi,

I'm a newbie at this whole thing, I just started out (I'm 148lb). I really want to work my entire body, but at the moment I can't seem to work my back - I don't know why. All the exercises that are supposed to work your back just don't seem to work - at least, I can't feel my back muscles being strained or used at all, it feels like I'm only using my chest. Is that a common thing? Is there one exercise that just uses your back so that I can try and isolate it?

Also, I'm really planning to get in shape by four months (which involves going to the gym thrice a week). Is this a wacky idea or does it sound like a good idea: I'm going to eat a /lot/ and train a lot these next two months and get big (at least bigger ) and then combine intense cardio and weight-training the following two months. Would it work (ie. get me in good conditional shape and bulky) or would the cardio just strip away all the work I put into the weight-training? That may sound like a weird question, but I know nothing about this. Thanks!

If its size you want, make sure your lifting enough to make you struggle and keep your reps low. As for eating a lot, thats fine, but make sure its healthy food which and proper food to give you the mass you want. Diet is very very important in terms of how you want your body to look, make the food you eat your main focus.

Have you done back extensions?

Here is a crossfit video of them. Xercise Factor - Back Extensions

If that does not work. Get into a bridge:

http://www.aemma.org/images/gymnastic_bridge.jpg

Then walk back and forth. If you do not feel that in your back, I do not know what to tell you.

I do power cleans, dead lifts and pull ups for my back mainly.

You tried any of these exercises?

You might consider cardio and flexibility exercises that complement/reinforce your back workouts, like swimming, rowing, pilates, or yoga. One of my favorites is an adaption of the Navy Seal upper body workout- it's essentially a pyramid/superset of Pullups, Dips, and Pushups done as a circuit:
1 Pullup 2 Dips 3 Pushups
2 Pullups 4 Dips 6 Pushups
3 Pullups 6 Dips 9 Pushups
4 Pullups 8 Dips 12 Pushups
5 Pullups 10 Dips 15 Pushups
4 Pullups 8 Dips 12 Pushups
... you get the idea ...
1 Pullup 2 Dips 3 Pushups

Don't take breaks in between sets unless you're in dire need of water or just can't finish a set, and your heart rate should elevate fairly nicely somewhere on the way down from the mid-set point.

My diet pretty much consists of two bowls of Special K for breakfast (300 calories), a weight-gain shake (about 900 calories), a footlong Subway sandwich (700 calories), a large fruit smoothie with Whey (about 500 calories) and then a large combination of (usually) spaghetti, chicken and salad, not sure how many calories that is. Of course I eat snacks and small things in between and I try to drink a lot of water. But that sounds reasonable right?

As for reps, I try to model it so that I can do 3x6 and no more (if I can do more, I push it to 7 or max 8) and I can definitely feel it the next day, but I'm not really sore - is that how it's supposed to be? Should I try to lower my reps even more or are there some exercises where it's a good idea to vary, ie. more sets and more reps?

I haven't done back extensions, I'll definitely try that! But is it just me or does it look like you work your abs more? In any case, it seems pretty good - sofar I've been doing chin-ups, pull-downs and whatever it's called where you push down the levers at your side sitting down. Could it be that it's because I'm too weak armwise to lift myself in those exercises that all the strain is put on the biceps/triceps and not very much (relatively) on my back?

I've never heard of power cleans, I'll check that out. I haven't tried dead-lifting because it seems hard to get it right, and I'd like to get a little stronger before I begin working with free-weights - somehow it feels like I'm doing it wrong because I'm so scrawny. And yes, I do assisted chin-ups.

That Navy Seals exercise looks really good, I'm definitely trying the combination of chinups and dips! Also, I've heard that it's a good idea with a cable to lift (biceps) a smaller amount of weight and do something like 3x16 reps (double up) really quickly to make your biceps burn and grow, and then do the same with triceps... is that a myth? Somehow it sounds plausible, and somehow it sounds ridiculous - can anyone clarify?

Thank you all for your answers!

Don't fear the free weights. While it is very important to have proper form on deadlift, that shouldn't be a reason not to do them. Get someone whose in the know to teach you, and start deadlifting! It's one of the most important back exercises.