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I know that some bodybuilders are very effusive in their “love”
of training this bodypart. But, believe me, no such simile
comes to mind when I’m engaged in an all-out set of
lat pulldowns or strongest-range, max-overload deadlifts.
Let’s face it, it’s painful work, and putting
yourself through the kind of vigorous training sessions required
to build maximum muscle mass to the back can leave you pretty
wiped out.
Many people look at my back development and comment that I
must have had a Hercules in my family tree that resulted in
my favorable genetics for such development. However, I’m
not a big subscriber to the genetics theory. Here’s
why: My grandfather used to be a wrestler in the army. He
took me to the gym when I was 13 and got me interested in
health and fitness. His father was also into fitness. In fact,
my grandfather, who’s now 70, still does three aerobics
classes a day and trains in a gym. Yet, despite the fitness
conscious individuals in my family tree, none of my relatives
ever displayed much in the way of muscle mass or, more specifically,
back development.
Fortunately, I found a way to counter this genetic paucity
through bodybuilding. If I had done all the calisthenics that
my family did, then I would be built like they are, as opposed
to the way I am now. My point is that people who say, “If
you don’t look big before you start bodybuilding, then
you don’t have the genetics to go very far in this sport,”
are wrong. The application of heavy basic movements (and,
occasionally, a shaping movement as well) and hard-ass work
will result in all the muscle-mass gains you’ll ever
want.
My reps on the basic movements are always in the six-to-eight
range, unless I’m doing seated pulley work like cable
rows, in which case I might go to 12. But even before a contest,
I’ll stick with six to eight reps for most of my basic
compound movements.
ON TO THE BACK I will typically train my
back as part of a five-day-on/one-off schedule that consists
of the following breakdown.
DAY BODYPART
1 chest, calves
2 shoulders, calves
3 back, calves
4 arms, calves
5 legs, calves
6 off
7 repeat
Here are the exercises that I feel are the most efficient
for building width, density and thickness into the entire
back complex.
Lat Pull Downs - I begin with pull downs
to the front. I’ll start with 200 pounds and work my
way up to 400 over four sets with a reverse grip for six reps
per set. I make sure to get a solid stretch at the top of
the movement and a nice firm contraction in the finish position
of the exercise. I became so strong using this movement that
my gym had to build special hooks onto the lat machine so
that I could add additional weight.
Dumbbell Rows - After my
last set of behind-the-neck pulldowns, I’ll head
over to a flat bench for some one-arm dumbbell rows. The
dumbbell typically weighs 140 pounds, and I’ll bang
out five sets of 10 reps in this exercise, making sure
to bring the dumbbell all the way up to my lower ribs
and squeezing the contraction for a two-count. Then I’ll
lower the dumbbell all the way down to the floor, once
again making sure to get a pronounced stretch in the fully
extended position.
Barbell Rows - I work up to three 45-pound
plates per side for these. Again, it’s a full movement
for me; all the way up and all the way down. I also make
it a point to sustain the fully contracted position for
a two-count with every rep I perform. Sometimes, if I’m
feeling stronger, I’ll work up to |
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| four 45-poundplates per side, but I feel
more comfortable staying at the three-plate mark. My reps
are the same here: six to eight. |
Lat Pulldowns (behind the neck) - This
is a great movement for the entire belly of each lat. The
stretch at the top is the key. I’ve seen many trainees
sell themselves short by not getting a full stretch at the
beginning of each rep. Get that stretch, and your Iats will
reflect the benefit of having done so. I’ll work up
to whatever the stack holds, which is typically 200 or 300
pounds (depending on the brand of machine) for four sets of
eight reps.
Strongest-Range Deadlifts - I always finish
off my back training with this movement, performed on a power
rack. I find these to be highly effective for two reasons.
First, the heavy weights I can employ in the strongest-range
position really stimulate fibers into growth that I wouldn’t
normally be hitting. Second, because I have short arms, doing
deadlifts from the floor is really hard for me, as the bar
keeps hitting my knees. With the rack, however, I can bypass
my knees while still giving my erectors all the weight they
can handle. With dead-lifts, I’ll typically work up
to five or six 45-pound plates per side for five sets of six
to 10 reps.
THE ROUTINE
Lat pulldowns to front: 4 x 8-12
Barbell bent rows: 4 x 6-8
Behind-the-neck pulldowns: 4 x 8-12
Dumbbell rows: 4 x 6-8
Partial deadlifts: 4 x 6-8
VARIETY IS THE KEY I’m a big believer
in varying my workouts; no training session is ever the same.
Sometimes I vary them by forgoing barbell rows and concentrating
on seated cable rows, using the stack for 10 to 12 reps. Sometimes
I might do more than that. It all depends on how I feel.
Sometimes I like to use slightly higher reps, usually on the
pulley movements, as I feel that doing so brings into play
muscle fibers that otherwise would lie dormant. It’s
good to continually shock your muscles to prevent them from
getting too used to any certain type of exercise.
| TRAINING
PRINCIPLE ASSESSMENT |
| INSTINCTIVE TRAINING I’ve always
been instinctive, so I’m naturally inclined to train
that way.
FORCED REPS I’ll do forced reps
nearly all the time, typically two or three at the conclusion
of each set.
PRE-EXHAUSTION I don’t pre-exhaust
that often, only occasionally with legs or chest.
STRONGERT-RANGE REPS I’m quite
keen on partial reps. I use them on several exersices
or at the end of a set of full-range reps to really
blast the hell out of my mucles.
SUPERSETS I don’t like super
setting too much. I’ll sometimes do it before
a contest, but not all that often. |
NUTRITION I’d be remiss if I didn’t
touch on the importance of nutrition in not only building
my back, but for all other muscle groups. To ensure growth,
I make sure to eat adequately and frequently. To serve as
a guideline, here’s what I’ll consume during the
course of a typical day.
For breakfast, I’ll have a bowl of some sort of cereal,
usually oatmeal, either Quaker Oats or Star Brand. Then I’ll
have two blueberry muffins and a cheese omelette consisting
of 10 egg whites and two whole eggs. Sometimes I’ll
also have sausage and a glass of orange juice and a protein
drink. After I train, I’ll have pancakes and a chicken
breast. For lunch, I’ll have steak and vegetables. For
my mid-afternoon snack, I’ll eat almost the same meal
that I had for breakfast before I train again, so I get carbs
and protein in my system before I hit the gym. After that,
I’ll have chicken or steak again with rice or pasta.
If I’m not dieting, I’ll also consume some ice
cream or yogurt.
In the offseason, when mass is my priority, I’ll take
in between 5,000-8,000 calories a day. Before a contest, that
number will drop down to about 3,500-4,000. (Sometimes I’ll
even sneak in a little chocolate or ice cream on the side!)
As long as you get enough of the proper foods, you won’t
run the risk of overtraining. I don’t fear over-training
as much as not getting enough rest or sleep. As long as I
get enough food and sleep, I don’t feel overtrained.
Admittedly, I get tired some days, and the last place in the
world I want to go is the gym. But after the workout, I feel
rejuvenated and glad that I made the effort instead of staying
home and watching TV.
THE ROLE OF SUPPLEMENTS Another dietary component
that needs to be discussed (but seldom is) is supplements.
I’ve found that desiccated liver tablets and aminos
are great for building mass. In fact, when I’m in hard
mass training, I’ll take up to 30 to 40 a day of each,
with each milligram count in the neighborhood of 10,000. I’ll
take five liver tablets and five aminos with each meal. I
take them that way so that I have a constant nitrogen balance
throughout the day. The liver tabs help keep your body in
a positive nitrogen balance and facilitate high energy levels.
INTERMEDIATE ADVICE Does such a training
and nutritional marriage work? Let me put it this way. When
I last taped my chest and waist, my chest was 50 inches, while
my waist was 28! I honestly believe that intermediates can
benefit from my back routine just as well as advanced trainees.
The only differential would be in the amount of weight used.
Obviously, an intermediate hasn’t the same strength
level as an advanced trainee.
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