Back:Week 5

This week we’re hitting five back exercises in a circuit. This may be the hardest week of this entire series for back. The key is to concentrate on each exercise and each rep as you complete them. That’s how you overcome a weakness in a specific bodypart.

NOTES:

* The key of this circuit is to fully exhaust your full back, so use straps if needed. You want your back to fail—not your grip or forearms.

* For Smith machine deadlifts you only need to lower the bar to your knees—your back can be at about a 45-degree angle with the ground.

* Keep your back in its natural position and squeeze the target muscles in your back with each rep of every exercise. Ultimately, you’re not going for numbers—you’re trying to get your target muscles to fail at a specific rep range. Adjust the weights to hit your reps rather than using sloppy form to get your reps.

* Rest is important between each of these circuits so you can recover and be ferocious during the next round.

EXERCISE	COMMENT
Smith machine deadlifts	4 SETS / 12 REPS CIRCUIT: You’ll perform 1 set of each of these exercises before resting for 4 minutes between each of these 4 back circuit sets.

Chins	4 SETS / FAILURE Only perform as many reps as you can with good form. Don’t cheat.

Seated cable rows	4 SETS / 12 REPS Continue this circuit without rest

Lat pulldowns	4 SETS / 12 REPS

Reverse-grip pulldowns	4 SETS / 12 REPS Don’t forget to rest 4 minutes after this move and before you begin your next circuit.

TIP: I recommend that you do a couple sets of Smith machine deadlifts with a light weight as a warm-up before you begin this back circuit. Also make sure to reserve your equipment by keeping it close to you so that you aren’t interrupted in the middle of a circuit.

Check out my video for detailed tips on how to perform each exercise.