newbie to the site with back trouble

hey all,
first off... went through the critique pics and transformations in the forums and I'm very impressed with the dedication put forth.  im  5'8" 150 (came down from 180), and cant seem to get my back up to par.  my goal is to bulk up my back (all of it: lower, upper lats, and oblique area). idealy i want to pack on as much muscle without going over 160(small frame).  any advice is appreciated.  good luck to everyone and happy transformations. oh by the the way, the pics are freeze frame stills from a web cam vid that i did while i was overseas. so they're pretty crappy quality









ps:
i also got asymmetical abs.  anyone know of a fix?

You look good bro, good cuts and proportions. I'm no expert but just clean bulk and hit the back as hard as poss. Pull ups, deads, rows. Maybe incorporate an ab circuit to work the obliques. I see not fault in your physique though. Good job! Asymmetric abs, as far as I know your born that way, it's not something you can manipulate, you look great so don't worry about it, or just get fat and you'll only have a 1 pac, no symmetry problems there :-)

hehe, i actually miss my beer belly 1 pac.  iv'e been cycling between strength and cutting every few months now but everytime i cut my gut... i wish i'd see symmetry.  oh well, i've done more research online and what I've deduced is that it comes down to genes.  I've read that you could work on posture and chiropractic work, but we'll see.  thanks for the reply.

"...the greeks were conviced, if you strengthen your body and strengthen your muscles, you strengthen your mind and strengthen you character."
--bill phillips "former CEO of EAS"

The shape of your abs are genetic. It's totally fine to have some asymmetry.

Your middle traps and rhomboids seem to be lacking (judging from the fuzzy, poorly lit pic I have to go on). Make sure that you're depressing your scapula when you do pullups and retracting it fully during rows. Your arms could be taking over your lifts - leading to the imbalance you see.

Add me on facebook!

Thanks for the reply rippedchick.  You actually said the word i dread most in workouts: PULLUPS!.  They're a great exercise but i just hate doin' them.  I've been doing alot of pulldown exercises on machines to compensate along with dumbbell rows, but I think its time to face my fear.  BTW, great numbers... 205 on a deadlift!

Pull ups are much better then any pull downs you can do. Isn't it funny usually the thing we hate the most is the thing that will help us reach our goal...but yeah Pull ups (BW and weighted), BB rows/tbar (close and wide) and deads will all help.

anyway your lookin good, I wouldnt sweat the ab's like RC said its genetics and just be happy you have them...haha.

I would slowly add the extra calories and monitor your progress so you can get to your goal as cleanly as possible.

6'3"  @213

Squat 1x20x275

press:200, Deadlift:475, Bench:300, P.clean:235, Squat:385

"The only failure that is final is to stop trying to improve"

Looking tighy bro,  i vould just do as everyone else said and incorporate more pull ups into your program

thanks for the replies, sorry been away for a few weeks ( military) but I'm back... I'll post new pics and hopefully my back is up to comp. status.  I enjoy seeing all the pics on the other threads 'cause it inspires me to push.  thanx