Today we’ll be training back and biceps. These are complementary body parts, which means they work well together. You really can’t work your back without working your biceps. For that reason, we’ll start with back and finish up with some burn-out moves for biceps.
The first exercise for back is wide-grip lat pulldowns. This is a basic move that targets the largest muscles of your back. Don’t go crazy with the weight at first. Just warm up your lats and emphasize a good squeeze at the bottom of the movement.
The second move is one of my favorites: Supported pull-ups. There are many different forms of these, and you can use the one you like best or that is available in your gym. I use the one where you kneel on a pad. One of the biggest benefits of the supported version is that it allows you to perform more reps than you can with regular pull-ups. You also choose the weight that allows you to get the best contraction and stretch.
Next up are demi-grip pulldowns. This move is similar to standard lat pulldowns with a couple of exceptions. First, you’ll be facing away from the weight stack; second, you won’t be anchoring your body under the knee pads. This means that you’ll need to choose a weight that allows you to maintain control of the weight using only your body. Still, you should be warmed up by this point, and I want you to use enough weight that you challenge yourself. You should be able to complete 15 reps without cheating, but you should really feel this in your lats.
For low pulley rows, I like to use a V-bar, but you can use whatever handle you prefer. The key with this move is to control the weight and hold your upper body in place. Check out my video to see how I keep that position throughout the set—I don’t use momentum the way many people do. Again, that risks injury and takes some of the work off your target muscles.
Our last move for back training is dumbbell pullovers. While this move is often used for chest, I like to use it to train back. It’s great for tying in the muscles between your front and back. The way I perform this move, you’ll really stretch out your lats. Take a look at my video to see how I drop my hips to get a larger range of motion for more lats recruitment.
My biceps training is fairly minimal because I’m concerned about them getting too large and out of balance with my physique. I perform dumbbell hammer curls and regular dumbbell curls. I keep the weight light, and I perform reps for both sides at the same time rather than alternating. I realize that others may want to include more biceps work than I do.
Today, you won’t be performing cardio. We’ll give the lower body a bit of a break. Tomorrow you’ll train lower body, and you’ll also perform cardio. So today is a bit of rest and recovery day for your lower body. Still, you should get in some abs work. I’ve added hanging legs raises and ball crunches to finish up your workout.
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Wide-grip lat pulldowns
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4 SETS / 15 REPS
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Supported pull-ups
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4 SETS / 5-10 REPS
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Demi-grip pulldowns
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4 SETS / 15 REPS
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Seated low-pulley rows
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4 SETS / 15 REPS
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Lying dumbbell pullovers
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4 SETS / 15 REPS
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| Hammer curls |
4 SETS / 15 REPS
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Standing dumbbell curls
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4 SETS / 15 REPS
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Hanging leg raises
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3 SETS / 15 REPS
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| Ball crunches |
3 SETS / 15 REPS
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CYDNEY SAYS:
For pull-ups, you can also perform regular ones if you don’t have a supported version available in your gym. You can turn these into “supported” pullups by using a spotter or by standing on a training band that’s secured to the bar.
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