The thing is that we are not powerlifters. We do not compete in the bench press, squat, and deadlift. And while I am all for the “big lifts,” bodybuilding is not just all about them. There are dozens of other exercises that are useful for specific people in specific situations. So, statements such as “if you don’t deadlift, you are missing out” are misleading.
Dorian Yates is an example of someone who started out with the regular bench press, squat, and deadlift. Over time, he excluded these exercises for leg presses, Smith Machine squats, Hack squats, incline and HS presses, and top range deadlifts (not in the rack). Who is to argue with his results from the late 80s to 1997?
Pulldowns
Dumbbell row
Machine pullover
Seated row
Rear delt raises
So you do not do Deadlifts or ANY version of chin/pull ups ??
Between the Lean Away Chin Ups and Deadlifts your missing without doubt the 2 biggest mass builders for back… would you even try barbell rows maybe ??
Chins/pull-ups and DL’s are indeed great back builders, but seriously, making blanket statements like this is just silly. Did you fail to read that Brick has done DL’s in the past? I’m also fairly certain he’s done BB rows in the past as well.
Not all exercises are equally as great for all people at all times in their lifting career. My guess is that these are the exercises that Brick uses right now, not the only ones he’s ever done. I’d also wager that these are the exercises that he feels work best FOR HIM atm.
If anyone likes doing chins/DL’s (or any other exercise for that matter for any body part) and feels that they work well for you, then by all means do them. But acting like others don’t know what they’re doing because they might not do the same exercises is, again, just silly.[/quote]
Erm maybe we got wires crossed, i in no way wished to insinuate that he doesnt know what he was doing. If that is how it came across i apologise and put it down to the internet.
But that man took YEARS to get there, and for quite a LONG time he did deadlifts. I have met Mr. Yates 4 times at different shows and got to ask him a few questions. He is without doubt my favourite bodybuilder bar none.
He said that untill one gets to around 240lbs with low bodyfat then keep doing the major lifts. For adding mass the smaller/substitutes just dont cut it. To maintain your muscle is easier than to build it.
Now i dont know what weight you are, maybe you are in that range and i applaud you if you are… but if not then i would argue that your current back setup looks weak.
Do you do alot of shoulder work maybe ?
And again, i did not wish to insinuate that you do not know what you are doing… far from it sorry if it was taken that way.
And speaking of back training, here he is in Estonia doing said training:
I don’t take offense to things on the internet anyway. Its hard to express oneself properly on IM, emails, and posts. So its no biggie. I see us all as online acquaintances trying to do and loving the same stuff! I actually made a “real-life” friend from this site who lives nearby.
Well, I did weigh 240 lbs about two and half years ago when I was trying to get into powerlifting but I was NOT lean. I was around 20% bodyfat and drug free. I felt fat and was fat. But I was the strongest I had ever been. I could still do pullups but this is also when I started feeling them more in my biceps than in my lats.
I am now 230 but with a better body composition. I still want to lose more fat rigth now. My muscle gains in the past two years have been great! But I still do not feel the other exercises as much in my back. I did back today. For rowing exercises, I get the best effect from exercises that really stretch my lats, rhomboids, mid traps, and teres, like cable, supported T-Bar, and dumbbell rows.
Even with form, I have to use somewhat strict form. People like Ronnie and Branch Warren just snap shit up when they row. That doesn’t work for me. I have to lift it, PAUSE, and lower it under control.
I met Dorian once too, at Roosevelt Field Mall in Long Island, when I was 19 years old. He was shopping with Steve Weinberger. They were NOT friendly.
[quote]Bricknyce wrote:
I met Dorian once too, at Roosevelt Field Mall in Long Island, when I was 19 years old. He was shopping with Steve Weinberger. They were NOT friendly. [/quote]
I tried to speak to him and it seemed Dorian did not care much to speak to me or give me his autograph. He did not even crack a smile. Weinberger looked like he didn’t give a rat’s ass to speak to anyone.
Not the most polite way to treat a 19 year old kid who admires you or the only person in the fuckin’ mall who even knew who you were!
[quote]Bricknyce wrote:
I tried to speak to him and it seemed Dorian did not care much to speak to me or give me his autograph. He did not even crack a smile. Weinberger looked like he didn’t give a rat’s ass to speak to anyone.
Not the most polite way to treat a 19 year old kid who admires you or the only person in the fuckin’ mall who even knew who you were![/quote]
ya that is kind of bullshit lol, what time period was this like 90s im guessing
You should have met Markus Rühl instead, he’s one hell of a funny guy and always friendly… His English sucks balls, though, so you probably wouldn’t have gotten much out of such an encounter
I check Matt Kroc’s log every now and again…
Surprisingly, he seems to admire Rühl. And he now wants to bring his arms up, haha. Said they are the only bodyparts of his which haven’t grown in I dunno how long.
Curious, as his DB Rows have gone from like 120 * 20 to 250*15 or whatever (don’t quote me on the exact numbers) in that time.
So much for the rows building big biceps theory.
As for deadlifts, back exercises, or whatever this thread is supposed to be about:
Rack pulls with shrug-back motion at the top of each rep(for thickness) + Rack chins (for width) all the way for me (if I had to pick two exercises).
Kroc Rows come in third as the only row variant that has really done something for my back… I like wide-hammer-grip rows to the chest for rear delts, but that’s about it. Rows just don’t seem to give me much thickness compared to the weight I’m using (with strict form to boot, except for the krocs, of course).
I even get some width out of Kroc’s.
Don’t like loose form on seated or standing rows, though, my lower back starts rebelling whenever I don’t do 'em fairly strict.
Regular floor deads I don’t like due to:
Rack pulls allow for greater weight and upper back thickness without compromising the low back with such a terrible starting position as regular deads do.
I already train hamstrings directly, so no need for that component of dl’s.
[quote]crod266 wrote:
Bricknyce wrote:
I tried to speak to him and it seemed Dorian did not care much to speak to me or give me his autograph. He did not even crack a smile. Weinberger looked like he didn’t give a rat’s ass to speak to anyone.
Not the most polite way to treat a 19 year old kid who admires you or the only person in the fuckin’ mall who even knew who you were!
ya that is kind of bullshit lol, what time period was this like 90s im guessing[/quote]
Pulldowns
Dumbbell row
Machine pullover
Seated row
Rear delt raises
So you do not do Deadlifts or ANY version of chin/pull ups ??
Between the Lean Away Chin Ups and Deadlifts your missing without doubt the 2 biggest mass builders for back… would you even try barbell rows maybe ??
Chins/pull-ups and DL’s are indeed great back builders, but seriously, making blanket statements like this is just silly. Did you fail to read that Brick has done DL’s in the past? I’m also fairly certain he’s done BB rows in the past as well.
Not all exercises are equally as great for all people at all times in their lifting career. My guess is that these are the exercises that Brick uses right now, not the only ones he’s ever done. I’d also wager that these are the exercises that he feels work best FOR HIM atm.
If anyone likes doing chins/DL’s (or any other exercise for that matter for any body part) and feels that they work well for you, then by all means do them. But acting like others don’t know what they’re doing because they might not do the same exercises is, again, just silly.
Erm maybe we got wires crossed, i in no way wished to insinuate that he doesnt know what he was doing. If that is how it came across i apologise and put it down to the internet.
[/quote]
No problem.
My post was more in response to the mindset that a lot of newb’s have (due to reading articles that either are written by authors who are themselves inexperienced in BB’ing, or taking what authors say out of context/as law) that if you aren’t doing certain exercises you are missing out/you don’t know what you are doing.
I’m glad to hear that this mindset isn’t something you’ve bought into. But your post did come across as doing so.
I see us all as online acquaintances trying to do and loving the same stuff! I actually made a “real-life” friend from this site who lives nearby.