The following details my primary back workout from this past week as designed by my coach John Meadows.  I made a couple modifications.  It was performed in the early morning hours at Kirkland Gold’s Gym.

 

Meadows Rows

 

Set 1 x 10 reps with 25lbs added (warm-up)

Set 2 x 10 reps with 50lbs added (warm-up)

Set 3 x 8 reps with 75lbs added (warm-up)

Set 4 x 8 reps with 80lbs added

Set 5 x 8 reps with 85lbs added

Set 6 x 8 reps with 90lbs added

Set 7 x 8 reps with 95lbs added

 

*Meadow rows are performed by adding weight to one end of a barbell and then rowing with one arm by grabbing the end of the barbell.  The key is to get a full range of motion and keep your elbow out to your side.

 

Banded One Arm Barbell Row

 

I looped this small band over the bar about where I place my back foot so that I could stand on the end of it.  This added a perfect amount of tension at the top of the movement and made for an awesome contraction!  Here is the band: https://www.elitefts.com/shop/bars-weights/bands/pro-short-mini-restistance-band.html.

 

Set 1 x 8 reps with 75lbs + band

Set 2 x 8 reps with 75lbs + band

Set 3 x 8 reps with 75lbs + band

Set 4 x 8 reps with 75lbs + band

 

*Unlike the Meadows Rows you keep your elbow tucked to your side on this exercise.  Be explosive as the band will add some tension at the top.

 

Here is a video from a previous workout.  It doesn’t show the band, but if you look at the placement of my back foot you will see the location in which I would have looped the aforementioned band.

 

[youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBapHRw904E]

 

Wide Grip Scapulae Stretch Pulldowns

 

Set 1 x 8 reps with 190lbs

Set 2 x 8 reps with 200lbs

Set 3 x 8 reps with 210lbs

Set 4 x 8 reps with 210lbs

 

*These are simply heavy pulldowns where you only bring the bar to the top of your head and then let the bar really stretch you at the top.

 

Dead Squat Bar Deadlifts

 

As you know if you follow my log I have a jacked up lower back.  As such I went really light on these and simply focused on max tension.  I used my T-Nation Dead Squat Bar.

 

Set 1 x 5 reps with 225lbs

Set 2 x 5 reps with 225lbs

Set 3 x 5 reps with 225lbs

Set 4 x 5 reps with 225lbs

Set 5 x 5 reps with 225lbs

 

*The key here is to flex your lats as hard as possible before pulling the weight off the floor in a slow fashion.  I went extremely slow up and back down while keeping my lats flexed.  5 sets of 5 reps here.

 

Cambered Bar Shrugs 5’s

 

Set 1 x 15 reps with 225lbs (warm-up)

Set 2 x 15 reps (5’s) with 315lbs

Set 3 x 15 reps (5’s) with 315lbs

Set 4 x 15 reps (5’s) with 315lbs

 

*I called the working sets 5’s.  What I mean is you are going to do 5 reps, then let the weight hang and stretch your traps for a 5 second count, then do another 5 reps, 5 second stretch, 5 reps and one final 5 second stretch.  Each set has a total of 15 reps and 15 seconds of stretching.

 

That concluded this primary back workout.

 

Train hard!

Mark