Back Workouts
Any great back workout will have you training for width and thickness. I like to start with lat training followed by middle back training. By using some intensity techniques you can get more done in less time for more training efficiency. Here are my favorite back workouts.
Weight Pull-ups – 4 sets done with varying grip widths, I like to start with close grip underhand pull-ups with my heaviest added weight and widen my grip using lighter weight on each subsequent set.
Machine Pullover – I go for one set of about 20 to failure before getting ten seconds of rest before continuing with more reps, I do 3 of these short pauses before dropping some weight to get my final set of reps.
Lat Pulldown Superset – For this I start with a wide grip to do pulldowns, then drop the weight and continue repping out with a closer grip. I usually do 3 drops on this to finish off my lats.
Bent Over Rows – 4 sets, 2 done with an underhand grip and the other 2 done overhanded. Do one heavy and one light set with each grip to total 4 sets.
One Arm Dumbbell Rows – I like to use a weight I can do for about 15 reps. After training each side, I go back to training the side I started with and go back to back like this 3 or 4 times.
Bent-Over Lateral Raises – Drop set with 3 or 4 drops.
Dumbbell Shrugs – Drop set with 3 or 4 drops.
My other back workout features different exercises that focus on the same muscles. This one features it’s own challenges to keep the muscles guessing.
Pull-ups – These are done with bodyweight for this workout. The difference is that I start with wide grip pull-ups and work my grip inward with each following set. By the last set I’m doing either close-grip underhand or v-bar pull-ups.
Straight Arm Cable Pushdowns – Drop set here starting with around 15 reps the first set. This is an exercise to go for focusing on the lats rather than going heavy. I then do a few drops in weight for a long set.
One Arm Machine Pulldown – This is a high rep alternating superset to really blast the lats. Rep out with one before going to the other. Then go back to training with the arm you used first and so on. You can drop some weight for the last alternating round of this set.
T-Bar Rows – This is done for 4 straight sets. I use a v-bar on this with weights loaded on one side of a barbell. Fortunately most gyms have anchors to do these more easily. I start heavy after warming up and go down in weight each proceeding set. By the last set I’m aiming for around 20 reps.
One Arm T-Bar Rows – I do these by gripping the bar and training one side at a time. My pattern of alternating from side to side is done here for 3 or 4 rounds. Sometimes I prefer to grip the very end of the loaded side of the barbell for variety.
Face Pulls – These are done for 3 to 4 round drop set.
Barbell Shrugs – Once again, drop set here for 3 or 4 rounds.