Today was back training for me and my training partner Zach. Zach is a patient mine but have quickly become good friends and now training partners. He's a top level amateur bodybuilder that is on the verge of turning pro at either middle or lightweight. He competed very well this last season and is looking to make some serious off-season improvements.
This where I come in. Zach reached out looking to take his training to the next level. He has an enormous amount of potential and If I can help make some tweaks to his training to add some serious slabs of muscle then hell fuckin yeah. So we will be stepping up his off-season and training and my plan is to document our training, when I can, so you can see his progress. I will also keep the logs coming of our training with detail and videos. So, today was back training.
Just like any new relationship we are still feeling each other out. Seeing what modifications need to be made and what to look out for and how we both respond to feedback. A true bromance in the making. So here's a breakdown of todays training with a video of some of our training.
A1. Started with a hammer strength mid row. We worked up in sets of 8-10 until we reached a heavy set while still maintaining good form. I worked up to 5 plates per side for 8 or so and Zach worked up to 5 plates for 5-6 reps. See first exercise in video.
B1. Medium supinated Mag Grip pull-downs, (not filmed). We worked up for 4 sets of 10-12 reps with strict from focusing on keeping the elbows tucked and driving them down first. After our heaviest set we did two additional sets of 6 reps for a long pause each rep and then 6 continuous reps to finish them off.
C1. Chest Supported T-Bar row: This was our main compound heavy movement for the day. We worked up in sets of 6-8 reps until we reached a heavy weight then we did a strip set with 10 sec partner assisted stretches before each drop. We did two drops. I started with 5 plates and ended with 3 for a bunch of reps and Zach started with 4 and dropped once and pumped out some more. (SEE VIDEO)
D1. After this we went to a nautilus pull over machine to continue working the stretch (lengthened) portion of the lat. We worked up to 3 sets of 12 reps and used partner assisted help in the contracted position to really feel the squeeze. Both worked up to 6 plates total.
E1/E2. Bent over cable row (lat focus) ss seated row (rhomboid focus). We did this superset for 3 rounds of 10-12 reps each exercise to finish off the pulling portion. The key with the first exercise is to really focus on keeping the shoulders depressed the entire movement so scapular depression doesn't over take the lat focus. On the second part it is all about the scapular movement. Initiate with the scapula and let it be the last to move on the eccentric. This really is a great exercise combo to end back training because it encompasses everything.
Once the holidays are over we will be able to be more consistent with when we can meet up. Until then we will both get in when we can and document it for you in detail. Thanks for reading!