I like to include both rowing and pulling moves in all of my back workouts. I like to hit a lot of rows to work on thickness in my back. Pulldowns target width. It’s important for you to think about the purpose of each exercise as you’re performing it. That will help you develop the mind-muscle connection that’s crucial to making improvements in your physique while you’re dieting.
My back workouts include a lot of techniques to help with this—I like burnouts, drop sets, and other high-intensity strategies. Remember that back isn’t a mirror muscle, so you can’t see how it’s working without the proper mirrors. I recommend that you check out the appearance of your back more while you’re on a fat-loss program. See if you can rig up a way to watch your back as you train. If not, then spend some time posing in front of a mirror to see how the muscles in your back are coming in as you shed body fat on Operation Aesthetic.
OPERATION AESTHETIC NOTES
*I like to begin with a heavy compound movement for back. During Phase One we’ll be going with bent-over barbell rows as our primary mass builder.
*Remember that you can perform warm-up sets for bent-over barbell rows or other moves in this workout, but warm-ups don’t count toward your working sets.
*After two thickness moves, I include three pulldown moves to add width to my back. You can rearrange this workout if you want to target thickness over width, but for now I’m working on thickness and detail to help create those bubbles in my back.
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Early morning cardio
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1
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25 minutes
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Don’t consume whole foods before you perform this cardio session.
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EXERCISE
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COMMENT
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Bent-over barbell rows
Make sure you’re pulling through your elbows to really target your lats.
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6 SETS /12, 10, 7, 3, 15, 15 REPS
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One-arm machine rows
I like to perform this move unilaterally, but you can use both arms if you prefer.
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4 SETS / 12, 9, 6, 15 REPS
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Lat pulldowns
SUPERSET: I’m supersetting lat pulldowns with straight-arm pressdowns to hit width in two different ways. Lat pulldowns emphasize a squeeze in your lats, while straight-arm pressdowns help tie in your chest and back by working the serratus. For supersets, perform one set of each exercise without rest, and then rest as long as needed before the next superset.
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5 SETS / 12, 10, 7, 3, 15 REPS
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Straight-arm pressdowns
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5 SETS / 12, 10, 7, 3, 15
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Rack pulls
We’re going to finish this workout with another compound movement to seal in all the tension we’ve created for back growth and detail.
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5 SETS / 12, 10, 7, 3, 15 REPS
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Post-Workout cardio
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1
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25 minutes
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You can get in RE-KAGED as you’re performing your post-workout cardio.
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TIP: Check in with your nutrition and supps program, and keep track of your meals and supplement protocols. Don’t forget that the purpose is not just to strip body fat, but also to maintain or build muscle mass. I’ve designed the nutrition side to help prevent muscle breakdown while you’re dieting, and the supps will help fuel you through workouts while you’re restricting calories.
