Working out the back is very important for building a solid foundation for anyone wanting to start lifting. If done right, the rest of the body will follow suit. I like to get quality sets in while resting as little as possible. One thing that I have to work on personally is my lower back muscles. I have neglected them, but that does not give you a pass to do the same.
This back workout is designed to get a solid pump and to build muscle among all of the different muscles of the back. The lats, traps, and rhomboids are the focus, but we also have a low back workout to end it alls. Enough of the small talk, let’s get into the workout breakdown!
Workout Breakdown:
Stretch & Warmup: I like to begin every workout with a great full-body stretch along with 50+ pushups and 20 pull-ups. (You can skip the pull-ups for the warmup since it is built into the workout.)
1. Pull-ups: 2 failure sets
We are starting off with overhand wide grip pull-ups to get the blood pumping. Both of the sets should be completed as failure sets. To complete a failure set, you need to push through each rep until you can no longer complete a quality rep. These sets are best when you have a spotter, so always be careful if you do not have one for the workout.
2. Wide Grip Lat Pulldown: 3 sets of 12 & 1 partial set of 12-15 reps
This is an extension of the previous set, but we are finally getting into the working sets. Make sure you are giving yourself a full extension of your lats during the first 3 sets. Extending your arms all the up and pulling them down to your chest. Be sure not to swing on these to get the bar down. Sit up straight and pull your elbows in as you complete the exercise. You will be performing a partial set after the first 3 sets. On this set, you will not go all the way up. Stopping half-way allows for you to focus a quality contraction for the final reps.
Single Arm Shotgun Rows: 3 sets of 12 reps
This workout will take some getting used to. Take a look at the videos below and start with low weight to practice your form before starting your first set. You will be completing a set for each arm.
Dumbbell Chainsaws: 3 sets of 12 reps
This is one of the more well-known workouts for the back. Partly because of the name. If you didn’t know, the workout got its name from the motion of starting up a chainsaw. The main difference in this workout that I want you to focus on is the placement of the dumbbell when you bring your elbow back. As you concentrate on pulling the elbow back, be sure to focus on pulling the dumbbell to your pocket. This will keep you in line for working out the correct section of the back.
Straight Arm Cable Pulldown: 3 sets of 12 reps
If it is your first time performing this exercise, always start with low weight to get the form just right. It is easy to swing with this workout, but try to keep that to a minimum. You can see me swinging a bit in the video below. You want to focus on getting as full of a motion as you can. This may require you to bend at the knees and step back a little more than usual.
Lower Back Flex: 3 sets of 12 reps
Throwing this workout in allows me to feel comfortable with doing at least one lower back exercise. If your lower back is a bit stronger than average, you can grab a 10-25 pound plate and hug it against you like I am doing below. After these working sets, you will hopefully feel pretty tight and you back will be fatigued. This is a great sign of a killer workout. I like to finish off by hanging on a bar to get a full stretch of the lats.
Motivation for the day:
“If I always do what I’ve always done, I’ll always be where I’ve always been.” – 1:50
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