Back workout

**nsa** · 06-15-2004, 10:53 AM

Please critique my back day workout.

Back

Wide grip chins - 4 sets, 8-10
Wide grip lat pulldowns - 4 sets, 8-10
Barbell rows - 4 sets, 8-10
T-bar rows - 4 sets, 8-10
Deadlifts - 4 sets, 8-10

**radar1234** · 06-15-2004, 11:14 AM

that is alot of work.
i do deadlifts and rows.and thats it!(always heavy,always intense)

**nsa** · 06-15-2004, 11:23 AM

It definately is a good amount of work. Trying to figure out if its overtraining.

**JayDawg** · 06-15-2004, 11:31 AM

I have a similar routine except that I deadlift on shoulder day along with some shrugs. I felt tired if I did deadlifts at the end of back day and if I did them first the rest of my workout I was wasted.

**nsa** · 06-15-2004, 11:36 AM

Yeah, im pretty tired by the time i do deads but i fight through it and get the weight up. Does anyone think im overtraining my back doing this once a week?

**Jack87** · 06-15-2004, 11:39 AM

Looks good, but both wide grip chins and pulldowns?
Kind of hitting the same thing with both, I'd throw
in close grip pulldowns instead or just cut one...

Kind of how I do it, but I know by the time you are
getting to your deadlifts you are about shot... I would
alternate the bent-rows and t-bar rows and add seated
rows in there before deadlifts so you have more left to
hit the deadlifts harder...

Wide Grip Chins or Pulldowns 4 sets
Bent-Row or T-Bar 4 sets
Seated rows 4 sets
Deadlifts 4 sets

**Powrlftr** · 06-15-2004, 05:08 PM

You can get away with that for a month or two, like if you really want to shock your back. After that I think you'll stop making gains and will need to lower the volume.

**Prime** · 06-15-2004, 05:20 PM

i have a rule of doing 4 exercises MAX for a bodypart and thats only for the main ones. You have over 20 sets there for your back. I gotta ask, by your fourth set of pullups are you still in the 8-10 rep range? If so then you cant have been anywhere near maxing out on the first 2 sets, or the 3rd. I would cut it down to four exercises max and cut the sets down. Either up the reps on pullups for the first set eg.max reps 15+ or buy a dipping belt and hang a few kilo's off it to do your 8-10 reps.
As for deads, 4 sets of 8-10? Again the first two sets must be a warmup here or the weight is steadily lowered. After you have reached 8 reps on deads with a weight even 80% of your max for 8, there is no way you can do it another 3 times. Personally i do a few warmup sets for deads then one set of 6. You may not like that, but what about 8,6,4 reps. I suppose it also depends on what your training for, size or strength. The way i see it, if i wanna be a big SOB i got to lift some big ****ing weights!

**nsa** · 06-15-2004, 05:54 PM

Yeah the first set is a warmup for each exercise and the second is a little more than a warmup and the last 2 are my heavy work sets.

**nsa** · 06-15-2004, 05:55 PM

And i really don't think the back is the same as other bodyparts, their are so many muscles to be worked.

**Mu'min** · 06-15-2004, 06:22 PM

With my back workout, I switch emphasis each week. This past week I focused more on my lats. My workout was weighted chins, reverse grip bentover bb rows, reverse grip cable pulldowns, and then I moved on to rear delts and rowing motions for my medial delts. I did bb upright rows, and the rear delt machine. I finished off with seated cable rows. I only do two sets per exercise. I feel that it keeps my intensity up. I just cannot bring myself to rely on only one set. I try to push like I am only doing one set and the reps that I am able to do drop for the next set. I feel that if I am able to do the same amount of reps on my second set like I did on the first then I did not push myself hard enough on the first set and I am short changing myself.

My next back work out, I will focus on my traps and lower back. I'll do something like heavy deads, overhand bentover bb rows, and shrugs. Then rear delts and a finishing exercise. I include rear delts because they are already pre-exhausted.

Since it is impossible to completely isolate the lats from the traps because they are both involved in moving the shoulder blades in various motions, I feel like everything gets hit sufficiently. In fact, my back has blown up tremedously since doing this workout. I keep a mental edge by splitting my back into these two parts also. I am always sore in my lats or traps depending on what I worked that week. Yet, when I consistently tried to hit both equally, it was difficult to get sore.

Long post and just my opinion. Thanks for y'alls patience!

**AandF6969** · 06-16-2004, 03:13 PM

I'd put barbell or Tbar rows first and then deadlift. You have to have a lot of energy to do deadlift and make it effective. Also, you don't need both chins and lat pulldowns, and you dont need both Tbar and barbell rows. Use one for a couple weeks then switch.

**UnNaturalBuff** · 06-16-2004, 04:41 PM

I'd drop one of the wides grips and add some shrugs or something.

**nsa** · 06-16-2004, 04:45 PM

The deads are good for traps and I do shrugs with shoulders...

**doby48** · 06-16-2004, 04:52 PM

Close to my workout, but I'd switch out the Wide grip lat pulldowns for the closed grip.

**nsa** · 06-16-2004, 05:06 PM

Why would you switch out wide grip for close grip? I want to get my lats as wide as possible, do you think close grip will help me do this?

**ImmmtheIceman** · 06-16-2004, 05:26 PM

I switch up my workouts constantly, wide grip, close grip chins, pulldowns, tbar rows, cable rows, dumbell rows, etc. etc. etc.

Although doing that every now and then im sure is ok. Everyone reacts differently to workouts though, so maybe that would be ok for you. Personally, Id say dont do that much. Keep it 12-15 sets (unless on the sauce of course)

**doby48** · 06-16-2004, 05:42 PM

Originally Posted by nsa

Why would you switch out wide grip for close grip? I want to get my lats as wide as possible, do you think close grip will help me do this?

Hey if its working for you then stick with it. Both closed and wide grip work your lats, but the wide grip works more mucles different than the closed grip does. If more muscles are doing the work, then I figure that means that they are all working a little bit less, but that just my theory, I'm no expert. I do wide grip chinups with closed grip pulls or closed grip chinups with wide grip pulls just to mix thing up a bit and make sure I am using different muscle combinations.

**nsa** · 06-16-2004, 05:46 PM

Ok, thanks doby. Im really just trying to figure out what works best for back width.

**decadbal** · 06-16-2004, 05:50 PM

i like those workouts, back muscles arnt the same as far as the rest, alot of guys do mor than that, i do more than that, always have.... depends if you feel over trained really..

**doby48** · 06-16-2004, 05:55 PM

One of my favorite ones for lats that I didn't see on your list is the Barbell or Dumbbell Pullovers. Just something to consider if you are looking to make changes.

**sepjuice** · 06-16-2004, 05:56 PM

Originally Posted by nsa

Please critique my back day workout.

Back

Wide grip chins - 4 sets, 8-10
Wide grip lat pulldowns - 4 sets, 8-10
Barbell rows - 4 sets, 8-10
T-bar rows - 4 sets, 8-10
Deadlifts - 4 sets, 8-10

hey bro, just a suggestion, when doing wide grip chins do 2 sets of 10. then get a dip belt and do 3 sets of 6-8 weight chins....you might find the results interesting.

**Quake** · 06-17-2004, 03:25 PM

I'd have the wide grips on alternate weeks, this will take care of any overT worries and will give a shock system to an exercise that should widen your back, might make it more effective. I'd also drop the t-bars for one arm rows. Machines are no substitute for free weights and with one arms you can really stretch your back on the negative, also helping to give that back width you are looking for. Some people hate one arms just as much as squats, that's got to tell you something.