Bigger, Stronger Back?

Training Bodybuilding
1

Hey lads,

I was reading the pullover thread and decided to ask a strategic question of the mind pool here at T-N.

I look like a square. thick obliques. ass like I’m riding a duck. Chest and shoulders are not too bad. But I can tell my back is sorely lacking.

I’ve been concentrating on O lifts as of late. Great strength progress there. but I now need to add a bit of body building style stuff, of which I have no left-handed clue.

Now before you rape my ear about reading articles that’s what ive been doing. A good one seems to be CT’s HSS-100 spec routine but minus the pillars day.

What I really need to know is what has worked for anyone else out there? Has anyone actually done HSS back prog? any other prog’s? So far if i don’t do CT’s thing then I’m just going to train rows and pull overs after each session. or before which ever. If you don’t care or are ashamed of humanity due to my stupidity, then let it float to the bottom. let it go :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Thanx in advance

-chris

2

CT is having alot of success with his specialization programs.

Also, check out CW’s 100 reps to bigger muscles. You could use rows, or chins depending on how strong you are.

3

[quote]realpeanutbutter wrote:
Hey lads,

I was reading the pullover thread and decided to ask a strategic question of the mind pool here at T-N.

I look like a square. thick obliques. ass like I’m riding a duck. Chest and shoulders are not too bad. But I can tell my back is sorely lacking.

I’ve been concentrating on O lifts as of late. Great strength progress there. but I now need to add a bit of body building style stuff, of which I have no left-handed clue.

Now before you rape my ear about reading articles that’s what ive been doing. A good one seems to be CT’s HSS-100 spec routine but minus the pillars day.

What I really need to know is what has worked for anyone else out there? Has anyone actually done HSS back prog? any other prog’s? So far if i don’t do CT’s thing then I’m just going to train rows and pull overs after each session. or before which ever. If you don’t care or are ashamed of humanity due to my stupidity, then let it float to the bottom. let it go :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Thanx in advance

-chris[/quote]

Hi Chris,

I haven’t actually done CT’s back spec prog. So I can’t really give you any personal experience as to what results to expect from it.

However, from my experience if you want to add muscle to your back then one of the best ways is to increase the frequency with which you train it. I know that CW and CT both agree on this and have both stated that it’s one of the most effective ways to bring up a lagging body part.

So, your idea of training your back at the end of each training session is probably a good one. But, I wouldn’t suggest doing the same 2 exercises every time (rows and pullovers). I would suggest using a variety of rows, pull-up/chin-up variations, pullovers, and shrugs. This will ensure that you’re not burning out any one specific movement pattern, and will ensure that you hit your back from as many different angles as possible.

Also, I would suggest picking one back exercise for each workout. That way you’re training more often, but it will also allow you to give that one exercise the intensity that it deserves. And, depending on how many times you train per week, you may have to work up to training after every session.

If for instance you only train back once per week at the moment, and you train say five times per week, then you probably don’t want to jump straight into working your back out five times per week. You’ll probably want to work up to that point.

It might also be a good idea to switch up set/rep schemes from day to day.

Of course, that’s just my opinion. If you feel your advanced enough to do CT’s program, and you think you want to try it out, then go for it.

Good luck and good training,

Sentoguy

4

whats your back/pull routine like now? are you ONLY doing oly style lifts as of late? for someone who appears by their posts to be an experienced trainee, Im probably not telling you anything new, but chins/pulls/rows are your best bet.

not sure how you want to work them into your current program. Ive had better hypertrophy results with a push/pull/legs split and TBT, both 3x a week, than a 4-5x a week ‘body part’ split.

5

The HSS-100 back spec is really nailing my back completely. I’m seeing progress within the program, even though the real magic is supposed to happen afterward.

I think you could probably take out the pillar day and add a third general back day…I mean, the chest spec is basically bench press variations three days a week, so I see no reason why you couldn’t row/pull shit three days a week.

6

think about adding goodmornings to your movements, they are a movement like squats that are thought of by all the spectrum of weightlifing from o lifting to bb to powerlifting/strongman as a very good movement.

They work your post chain but for me they have allowed me to transfer the strength in my legs to my back and allowed me to use greater poundages for my back movements.

You appear to have all the details sorted in re to what program, consider them for the future as they have been of great benefit to me.

7

[quote]Frank Castle wrote:
whats your back/pull routine like now? are you ONLY doing oly style lifts as of late? for someone who appears by their posts to be an experienced trainee, Im probably not telling you anything new, but chins/pulls/rows are your best bet.
[/quote]

I agree with the Punisher.

I’d say rowing and chins/pulldowns are the primary movements, followed by straight-arm pulldowns/pullovers.

Deadlifts are an option too.

8

I’m into the train it more crowd too. I had NO back muscularity whatsoever 6 months ago. Straight, flat up and down line going to my ass, and that was it.

The thing I found to help the most was to train it in different planes. If you do rows one day a week, chins one day a week and deadlift one day a week, thats 3 different days you’re hitting your upper back. My back caught up QUICK.

When I was doing my 5x5 program, horizontal push and pull were the same day, 5x5 on rows and bench. But every other bench/row workout I would leave chest out and then do 2 different types of rows 5x5, so the volume was higher, but not ignoring chest for long enough to lose strength. This helped me a lot also.

Good luck! Let us know how everything goes for you!

Kubo

9

thanks fellas, I don’t think I’ll hit the CT program just yet. the mention of CW’s 100 rep to bigger kungfu muscles reminded me. I think I will try to do a 100 rep injection shot at the end of every workout.

Right now I’m doing either EnSys work like litvinovs and complexes or o lifts. I do a “ground up” type of training where the bar always starts down and I clean or snatch it up to do jerks, PP, front SQ, OHead SQ, etc. this way I never do more than a single on the clean or snatch, keeping practice perfect. the others like jerks and shit i can do in reps and not worry.

So at the end of that crap I’m going to start doing 100 rep shots of Chins, rows to chest, rows to waist (DB). I think that sounds decent. Maybe I’ll make them 10x10’s or something. I think frequency is key. Thanks for the perspective guys. I get too focused on shit, like o lifts and BJJ and forget other shit. then I got this short haircut and I noticed that my back doesn’t look as big as it used to with this haircut.

Chime in if you have any other stellar ideas. time to go read the CW article.

-chris

10

I agree GM is hawt. But my lower back is thick from wrestling, GM’s, and a recent affair with deadlifting that I’ve replaced with O lifts. So I’m essentially the converted. It’s the upper back that I think needs thickness.

Also I think It’s psychological. I’m cutting fat right now, till dec 23 and then from jan 1 to feb 1. So I’m feeling “skinny” despite PR’s in C&P. When my abs start shining through I start to feel a little “abercrombie” if you will. Hopefully I will get over it when my back thickens out. I noticed today that I’m a bit weak in the rows movement too. better fix that.

-chris

[quote]aussie486 wrote:
think about adding goodmornings to your movements, they are a movement like squats that are thought of by all the spectrum of weightlifing from o lifting to bb to powerlifting/strongman as a very good movement.

They work your post chain but for me they have allowed me to transfer the strength in my legs to my back and allowed me to use greater poundages for my back movements.

You appear to have all the details sorted in re to what program, consider them for the future as they have been of great benefit to me.[/quote]

11

Chris,
my $0.02…

Incline bench rows and full ROM close grip chins have done wonders for me as of late. Consistently hitting these two mvmnts on an alternating basis each session has netted favorable reactions of interested onlookers of the female persuasion.

Can’t beat that!

peace

12

[quote]Pauli D wrote:
Chris,
my $0.02…

Incline bench rows and full ROM close grip chins have done wonders for me as of late. Consistently hitting these two mvmnts on an alternating basis each session has netted favorable reactions of interested onlookers of the female persuasion.

Can’t beat that!

peace[/quote]

Yeah I’m hitting up the close grip chins for my first direct arm work in years. I suppose if i try not to look up they will hit my lats too right. hmmmm… Also I’ve been reminded of one arm DB rows on the bench. Those will be the real McDeal. Thanks a ton guys.

-chris

13

Chris,
Definitely check out CW’s Hypertrophy Booster Shot article, which I believe is the same thing as 100 Reps to Bigger Muscles. I noticed that you had written that you plan to do a 100 rep booster shot at the end of your workout, but CW discusses the extra 100 reps in terms of an extra session later on in the day. I really think that of all the things that can bring up lagging body parts in a hurry, a higher frequency would be it. I’ve used a higher frequency, not necessarily the 100 rep method, but a 2x/day method, to bring up my lagging bi’s with a lot of success. Godspeed.

14

My back didn’t start really growing until I began doing the olympic lifts, but with dumb bells for high reps. Once I bought a set of kettlebells (good tool, but just a tool) I really started getting into the lifts and my back got a lot wider. Worked for me.