I want to add more volume to my back routine and am wondering if t bar rows could be a viable addition.
My routine so far is
pullups- 3 sets to failure
dumbell rows - 3 sets of 8-10
lat pulldowns- 3 sets of 8-10
cable rows- 4 sets of 10
rack pulls- 3 sets of 5
behind the neck shrugs- 4 sets of 10
[quote]tiktokz1 wrote:
I want to add more volume to my back routine and am wondering if t bar rows could be a viable addition.
My routine so far is
pullups- 3 sets to failure
dumbell rows - 3 sets of 8-10
lat pulldowns- 3 sets of 8-10
cable rows- 4 sets of 10
rack pulls- 3 sets of 5
behind the neck shrugs- 4 sets of 10 [/quote]
If you aren’t getting much from the exercises you’re already using I’d question how intense you are? Especially putting rack pulls next to last…
Do you not work up to a max set on each exercise?
Why do you feel that 20 sets for back is not enough?
If your back is lagging (compared to other muscle groups) and you’re only doing it once a week, I’d consider increasing the frequency to twice a week.
Agreed with above. I do 3 exercises for back once a week and it grows fine but thats just me. Read the bodybuilding bible where it talks about ramping up. Do that. How’s your diet and sleeping? If you aren’t growing, maybe you need more of both. 8-10 hours and another quality 500 Calories should do it.
[quote]tiktokz1 wrote:
I want to add more volume to my back routine and am wondering if t bar rows could be a viable addition.
My routine so far is
pullups- 3 sets to failure
dumbell rows - 3 sets of 8-10
lat pulldowns- 3 sets of 8-10
cable rows- 4 sets of 10
rack pulls- 3 sets of 5
behind the neck shrugs- 4 sets of 10 [/quote]
Questions:
Why do BOTH pull ups and lat pull downs in the same workout?
Why do “behind the back shrugs” when regular shrugs are what will put most of that size on you? I could see if you were already huge and were trying a different variation…but the original question along with the fact that you think you even need that many exercises in one session would indicate you probably aren’t advanced at all.
My back day is
Lat pull downs
HS high rows
HS mid rows
and either another lat move or a high row cable movement.
I do that because I am working on more lat width. You seem to be adding exercises ju8st for the sake of adding exercises.
[quote]tiktokz1 wrote:
I want to add more volume to my back routine and am wondering if t bar rows could be a viable addition.
My routine so far is
pullups- 3 sets to failure
dumbell rows - 3 sets of 8-10
lat pulldowns- 3 sets of 8-10
cable rows- 4 sets of 10
rack pulls- 3 sets of 5
behind the neck shrugs- 4 sets of 10 [/quote]
I wouldn’t bother doing shrugs in a back workout (but then I never do any direct trap work, deadlifts work for me), I’d put them in with shoulders. And what about rear delts? Or do you do those on a different day?
But like everyone else has said, I don’t think volume is the issue here.
[quote]Rational Gaze wrote:
but then I never do any direct trap work, deadlifts work for me)[/quote]
I hear this a lot but I haven’t seen the massive traps on this site that make the statement justified.
I do shrugs. I think I look like it.
Any pics of your traps?
I am just being skeptical because most here seem to make the deadlift out to be the end all of all exercises yet their development isn’t exactly knocking me out of my seat.
This is not an attack on you either.
I think your volume is pretty high already
[quote]Professor X wrote:
[quote]Rational Gaze wrote:
but then I never do any direct trap work, deadlifts work for me)[/quote]
I hear this a lot but I haven’t seen the massive traps on this site that make the statement justified.
I do shrugs. I think I look like it.
Any pics of your traps?
I am just being skeptical because most here seem to make the deadlift out to be the end all of all exercises yet their development isn’t exactly knocking me out of my seat.
This is not an attack on you either.[/quote]
FINALLY somebody agrees with me on this.
I’m shrugging three times a cycle to get the results i want. To tell me all you need is deadlift for traps is insulting my intelligence.
To tell me deadlift is a substitute for ANYTHING is just stupid.
[quote]WormwoodTheory wrote:
[quote]Professor X wrote:
[quote]Rational Gaze wrote:
but then I never do any direct trap work, deadlifts work for me)[/quote]
I hear this a lot but I haven’t seen the massive traps on this site that make the statement justified.
I do shrugs. I think I look like it.
Any pics of your traps?
I am just being skeptical because most here seem to make the deadlift out to be the end all of all exercises yet their development isn’t exactly knocking me out of my seat.
This is not an attack on you either.[/quote]
FINALLY somebody agrees with me on this.
I’m shrugging three times a cycle to get the results i want. To tell me all you need is deadlift for traps is insulting my intelligence.
To tell me deadlift is a substitute for ANYTHING is just stupid.
[/quote]
There are no substitutes only variations!
[quote]WormwoodTheory wrote:
[quote]Professor X wrote:
[quote]Rational Gaze wrote:
but then I never do any direct trap work, deadlifts work for me)[/quote]
I hear this a lot but I haven’t seen the massive traps on this site that make the statement justified.
I do shrugs. I think I look like it.
Any pics of your traps?
I am just being skeptical because most here seem to make the deadlift out to be the end all of all exercises yet their development isn’t exactly knocking me out of my seat.
This is not an attack on you either.[/quote]
FINALLY somebody agrees with me on this.
I’m shrugging three times a cycle to get the results i want. To tell me all you need is deadlift for traps is insulting my intelligence.
To tell me deadlift is a substitute for ANYTHING is just stupid.
[/quote]
For me personally, I just don’t like my traps to get big relative to my delts (tends to make my shoulders look narrower)…and my wife thinks they’re “icky” 
So I can understand it from a balance/symmetry perspective if someone doesn’t want “abnormally large traps” and is happy with the development from deadlifts.
I do
Pullups (as a warm up)
Pulldowns
T Bar Row (Vertical Grip)
Rack Pull
Seated Row (Horizontal Grip)
All with 1x10-2x8-2x6 Ramping
My back isnt as developed as I’d like it to be and that routine kills it pretty good
[quote]its_just_me wrote:
[quote]WormwoodTheory wrote:
[quote]Professor X wrote:
[quote]Rational Gaze wrote:
but then I never do any direct trap work, deadlifts work for me)[/quote]
I hear this a lot but I haven’t seen the massive traps on this site that make the statement justified.
I do shrugs. I think I look like it.
Any pics of your traps?
I am just being skeptical because most here seem to make the deadlift out to be the end all of all exercises yet their development isn’t exactly knocking me out of my seat.
This is not an attack on you either.[/quote]
FINALLY somebody agrees with me on this.
I’m shrugging three times a cycle to get the results i want. To tell me all you need is deadlift for traps is insulting my intelligence.
To tell me deadlift is a substitute for ANYTHING is just stupid.
[/quote]
For me personally, I just don’t like my traps to get big relative to my delts (tends to make my shoulders look narrower)…and my wife thinks they’re “icky”
So I can understand it from a balance/symmetry perspective if someone doesn’t want “abnormally large traps” and is happy with the development from deadlifts.[/quote]
Wait…so because they actually work to make your traps bigger, you avoid them?
I only hope my traps are big enough to be “icky”…and LO fucking L at “abnormally large” anything as if that isn’t the freaking GOAL.
[quote]WormwoodTheory wrote:
[quote]Professor X wrote:
[quote]Rational Gaze wrote:
but then I never do any direct trap work, deadlifts work for me)[/quote]
I hear this a lot but I haven’t seen the massive traps on this site that make the statement justified.
I do shrugs. I think I look like it.
Any pics of your traps?
I am just being skeptical because most here seem to make the deadlift out to be the end all of all exercises yet their development isn’t exactly knocking me out of my seat.
This is not an attack on you either.[/quote]
FINALLY somebody agrees with me on this.
I’m shrugging three times a cycle to get the results i want. To tell me all you need is deadlift for traps is insulting my intelligence.
To tell me deadlift is a substitute for ANYTHING is just stupid.
[/quote]
I just see all of these posts where people swear off certain movements for others and very rarely are the guys writing this stuff walking around with corresponding body parts that would cause anyone to stop in their tracks.
I am not in this for “a little development” yet there seem to be many here with that goal…so it would help if you guys who make it seem like no one needs regular shrugs and all of these newbs doing shit like “behind the back shrugs” actually SHOWED THEIR PROGRESS.
Words on a screen do not show what any of you have accomplished and if you guys are going to make it seem like what you are doing WORKS…how about some proof? Otherwise, what is the point of acting like this works better than that if it ISN’T EVEN WORKING BETTER?!
Anyone who does behind the back shrugs must be seriously lacking ass muscles.
[quote]LankyMofo wrote:
Anyone who does behind the back shrugs must be seriously lacking ass muscles.[/quote]
Agreed…and I could see the point of doing them as “something different” if you are walking around weighing over 230lbs relatively lean…but most of this is coming from guys that would probably look closer to beginner level. Then they wonder why everyone who is “doing it wrong” is growing faster than them.
If you want big traps, learn what a regular shrug is and get really fucking strong without straps on that movement. By the time you are shrugging in excess of 4 plates a side with no straps, you will have way bigger traps AND bigger forearms.
Deadlifts alone are not enough unless the weight you are using is enough to put you into the running at a powerlifting competition…and even then direct training is going to produce more results.
[quote]LankyMofo wrote:
Anyone who does behind the back shrugs must be seriously lacking ass muscles.[/quote]
X 3
Pretty worthless in my book, I dont know how people do them, its near impossible to get decent enough form to target the traps, due to the curvature of your ass. I cant even get the bar to travel in the correct path to target my traps.
Here is my back routine, in this specific order:
Now, my back isnt amazing when compared to some more advanced guys on this site, but that is my best area. I just started training my back properly about 2 years ago, but these work great. I swap the two exercises every few weeks when I feel like doing something different, for a total of 4 per session.
Traps are definately on shoulder days for me, and personally, I think heavy DB shrugs and heavy hang/power cleans are what hits my traps the hardest.
[quote]smithers584 wrote:
[quote]LankyMofo wrote:
Anyone who does behind the back shrugs must be seriously lacking ass muscles.[/quote]
X 3
Pretty worthless in my book, I dont know how people do them, its near impossible to get decent enough form to target the traps, due to the curvature of your ass. I cant even get the bar to travel in the correct path to target my traps.
Here is my back routine, in this specific order:
Now, my back isnt amazing when compared to some more advanced guys on this site, but that is my best area. I just started training my back properly about 2 years ago, but these work great. I swap the two exercises every few weeks when I feel like doing something different, for a total of 4 per session.
Traps are definately on shoulder days for me, and personally, I think heavy DB shrugs and heavy hang/power cleans are what hits my traps the hardest.
[/quote]
Agreed on the traps, I only do them on shoulder days, and DB shrugs/Hang Cleans tear em up good
Agree with all the posters so far, would definitely do Rack Pulls first…My back routine usually goes something like this
Rack Pull 4 Sets
BB Shrugs 3 Sets
Bent Over Row 3 sets
Chest Supported DB Row 3 sets
Low Overhand Cable Row 3 sets
I also do pullups usually 40 - 50 total and inverted rows as finishers for other exercises on different days and DL on a leg day. I have also tried this haney shrugs, and my ass is always in the way, when using a Smith machine and angling my body forward I can sometimes do it.
I usually do weighted chins with my biceps.
I love doing Shrugs
I do behind the back shrugs in a smith. Leaning away from the machine. Any other type of shrug causes pain and doesnt allow me to get a good enough contraction. I dont see a need or reason to do them on back day if youre doing rack pulls though.
I also think rack pulls are good in the middle of the workout so you dont need to use a ton of weight that would drain energy. Using less energy during rack pulls leaves more energy to give to the rowing and pulldowns that will really focus on the lats and mid back.
And OP there is no way you need more volume. If anything you probably dont feel your back muscles working so yo dont get a good workout. Fix that. Or preexhaust the lats with machine pullovers so you can feel them working in later exercises.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
[quote]its_just_me wrote:
[quote]WormwoodTheory wrote:
[quote]Professor X wrote:
[quote]Rational Gaze wrote:
but then I never do any direct trap work, deadlifts work for me)[/quote]
I hear this a lot but I haven’t seen the massive traps on this site that make the statement justified.
I do shrugs. I think I look like it.
Any pics of your traps?
I am just being skeptical because most here seem to make the deadlift out to be the end all of all exercises yet their development isn’t exactly knocking me out of my seat.
This is not an attack on you either.[/quote]
FINALLY somebody agrees with me on this.
I’m shrugging three times a cycle to get the results i want. To tell me all you need is deadlift for traps is insulting my intelligence.
To tell me deadlift is a substitute for ANYTHING is just stupid.
[/quote]
For me personally, I just don’t like my traps to get big relative to my delts (tends to make my shoulders look narrower)…and my wife thinks they’re “icky”
So I can understand it from a balance/symmetry perspective if someone doesn’t want “abnormally large traps” and is happy with the development from deadlifts.[/quote]
Wait…so because they actually work to make your traps bigger, you avoid them?
I only hope my traps are big enough to be “icky”…and LO fucking L at “abnormally large” anything as if that isn’t the freaking GOAL.[/quote]
For some people the goal is to flow with their “easy” responding muscle groups and make them stand out, that’s where the abnormally large comment came from. For others, they’re more interested in aesthetics (symmetry).
I get decent growth for my traps from rack pulls in the high rep range, they seem to be easy responders. Not saying that they’re huge, but they’re not small in comparison to other muscle groups…
If it wasn’t for the fact that rack pulls put decent strain on my traps, then I would hit them more directly like I do every other muscle group.