Bodybuilding Simplified: Back

Summary

This video script offers comprehensive advice on back workouts for bodybuilding. It emphasizes two key exercise types: horizontal pulls (rowing exercises) and vertical pulls (pull-up variations). The script advises against overdoing deadlifts for pure bodybuilding, suggesting they yield low gains for high fatigue. It recommends training traps as an extra, not a replacement for primary exercises. The ideal workout frequency is two times per week, with 12-24 sets total. A rep range of 8-15 is suggested, alternating between vertical and horizontal pulls in each session for balanced back development. The script also stresses the importance of controlled movement and full muscle stretch for optimal results.

Takeaways

• 💪 There are two critical types of exercises for back training: horizontal pulls (rowing exercises) and vertical pulls (pull-up variations).
• 🏋️‍♂️ Barbell row is recommended as the top horizontal exercise, with alternatives like dumbbell row, chest-supported row, and others.
• 🧗‍♂️ For vertical pulling, pull-up variations or lat pulldown machines are preferred, with straight-arm pulldowns and single-arm pulldowns as options.
• 🚫 Deadlifts are not essential for bodybuilding-focused training due to high fatigue and low return on gains.
• 🤔 Training traps is not mandatory but can be done additionally after focusing on primary vertical and horizontal movements.
• 📈 Two back workouts per week are ideal, with a recommendation of 12 to 24 sets in total, avoiding excessive volume.
• 🔢 A rep range of 8 to 15 is suggested for both main and secondary exercises, prioritizing one vertical and one horizontal pull each workout.
• 🔄 Splitting exercises into a main and secondary helps ensure full back development and varied rep ranges can be utilized effectively.
• 🧘‍♂️ The stretch at the top of the movement is crucial for back training, emphasizing control and full extension.
• 🚫 Avoid neglecting the negative portion of the exercise; control is key for optimal muscle engagement and growth.
• 🔗 For a full stretch, consider adjusting equipment or body position to ensure maximum muscle extension.

Q & A

What are the two types of exercises necessary for a back workout?

The two types of exercises necessary for a back workout are horizontal pulls and vertical pulls.

What is an example of a horizontal pulling exercise?

An example of a horizontal pulling exercise is the barbell row.

What other exercises are considered horizontal pulls?

Other horizontal pull exercises include dumbbell row, chest supported row, seated cable row, and any exercise with 'row' in its name.

What is an example of a vertical pulling exercise?

An example of a vertical pulling exercise is a pull-up variation or the lat pulldown machine.

What is the trainer's stance on including deadlifts in a back workout routine?

The trainer suggests avoiding deadlifts if the goal is purely bodybuilding due to the high fatigue and low gains in return.

Is it necessary to train traps as part of a back workout?

Training traps is not necessary, but can be done as an extra after completing necessary vertical and horizontal movements.

How many times per week should one train their back?

Two times per week is recommended for back workouts.

What is the recommended number of sets per week for back training?

The recommended number of sets per week for back training is between 12 to 24 sets.

What rep range should be used for back exercises?

For the main exercise, a rep range of 5 to 8 is suggested, while for the secondary exercise, a range of 12 to 15 is recommended.

Why is it important to prioritize one vertical and one horizontal pull in each workout?

Prioritizing one vertical and one horizontal pull ensures that the back is trained from all necessary angles and prevents one type of movement from being neglected.

How should one perform the negative portion of a back exercise?

The negative portion of a back exercise should be controlled all the way back to the starting position, ensuring a full stretch and maintaining proper form.

Outlines

00:00

💪 Essential Back Training Techniques

This paragraph focuses on the crucial components of a back workout for achieving a 'V-taper' or 'epic weapon' look. The speaker outlines two fundamental exercise types: horizontal pulls (rowing exercises) and vertical pulls (pull-up variations). The barbell row is recommended as the top horizontal exercise, with alternatives like dumbbell rows and seated cable rows. For vertical pulls, pull-ups or lat pulldowns are suggested. The speaker advises against overdoing deadlifts for bodybuilding purposes due to high fatigue and low gains. Training traps is considered optional and should not replace primary back exercises. The importance of performing exercises with full range of motion and adequate stretching is emphasized, with the lat pulldown used as an example to illustrate proper form and execution.

05:00

🔍 Mastering the Art of Stretching in Back Exercises

The second paragraph delves into the importance of stretching the back muscles during exercises, particularly during the negative phase of the movement. The speaker uses the lat pulldown as an example to demonstrate how to control the weight throughout the entire range of motion, ensuring a full stretch at the top. They also share a personal tip for achieving a deeper stretch by adjusting the seat position. The paragraph stresses the need for controlled movements and time under tension to effectively build the back muscles. The speaker also humorously mentions a fictional encounter with 'science-based aliens' to lighten the mood before concluding with a call to action for viewers to visit their website for more bodybuilding resources and a thank you to patrons.

Keywords

💡Horizontal Pull

Horizontal pull refers to exercises that involve pulling a weight horizontally towards your body. In the context of the video, these are primarily rowing exercises. The script emphasizes horizontal pulling exercises as crucial for achieving a well-developed back. Examples from the script include barbell row, dumbbell row, and seated cable row.

💡Vertical Pull

Vertical pull exercises involve pulling your body upward against resistance, typically using your arms. The video mentions vertical pulling as another essential category for back workouts, with pull-up variations and lat pulldowns being the primary examples. These exercises are highlighted as key for achieving an 'epic v-taper'.

💡Barbell Row

The barbell row is a specific horizontal pulling exercise mentioned as the number one recommendation for back workouts. It involves bending at the waist while holding a barbell with both hands and pulling the bar towards your abdomen. This exercise is used to target the back muscles effectively.

💡Pull-up Variations

Pull-up variations are exercises that involve pulling one's body weight upward using the arms, which are part of the vertical pull category. The video suggests that these are straightforward exercises for back training and can be a primary choice for vertical pulling movements.

💡Deadlift

The deadlift is a compound exercise that was discussed in the context of its benefits for bodybuilding. The video suggests that while it's good for beginners to learn the technique due to its carryover to other exercises, it may not be necessary for those whose goal is purely bodybuilding due to the high fatigue it causes relative to the gains.

💡Training Traps

Training traps refers to exercises that specifically target the trapezius muscles. The script suggests that while it's not mandatory, it can be done as an extra after the primary vertical and horizontal movements. The video implies that trap training should not replace the more comprehensive back exercises.

💡Sets

A set in the context of the video refers to a group of repetitions of an exercise performed consecutively. The video recommends a range of 12 to 24 sets per week for back exercises, suggesting that this is an optimal amount for muscle stimulation without overtraining.

💡Rep Range

Rep range refers to the number of repetitions (reps) performed for a set of an exercise. The video suggests an 8 to 15 rep range for both main and secondary exercises in back training, which is intended to balance muscle growth and strength.

💡Main Exercise

The main exercise in a workout routine, as discussed in the video, is the first exercise performed and is meant to target the primary muscle group with heavier weights and higher intensity. For back workouts, the video suggests prioritizing either a vertical or horizontal pull as the main exercise in each session.

💡Secondary Exercise

A secondary exercise follows the main exercise and is typically performed with slightly higher repetitions or after the primary muscle group has been sufficiently stimulated. The video recommends using a secondary exercise to complement the main exercise by targeting the back from a different angle.

💡Stretch

Stretch in the context of the video refers to the full range of motion during an exercise, which is crucial for muscle development. The script emphasizes the importance of fully stretching the back muscles during exercises like lat pulldowns and pull-ups to maximize muscle engagement and growth.

Highlights

Two types of exercises needed for a strong back: horizontal and vertical pulls.

Horizontal pulling exercises include all rowing exercises.

Vertical pulling exercises include pull-up variations.

Barbell row is the recommended horizontal exercise.

Pull-up variation or lat pulldown machine are recommended for vertical exercises.

Deadlifts are not necessary for bodybuilding purposes.

Training traps is optional and should not replace vertical and horizontal movements.

Two back workouts per week are recommended.

12 to 24 sets per week is the recommended range for back exercises.

Splitting exercises into one main and one secondary is beneficial.

8 to 15 rep range is suggested for both main and secondary exercises.

Prioritizing one vertical and one horizontal pull in each workout is effective.

Controlling the negative portion of the movement is crucial.

Achieving a full stretch at the top of the movement is important.

Using a full stretch to maximize time under tension and muscle stretch.

Progression is key to achieving a big back.

Free resources are available on the website for more bodybuilding information.

Transcripts

this is the last back video that you

will ever need to watch we will work our

way through every single piece of

information that you need to know to

achieve that white back there are two

types of exercises that you need to

include in your back workout to achieve

that epic weaper the first type is a

horizontal pull and the second type is a

vertical pull don't worry if you are

confused about which exercise is

horizontal and which is vertical because

I'm going to explain it to you right now

horizontal pulling exercises are

basically all the rowing exercises and

vertical pulling exercises are basically

all the pull-up variations so which

horizontal exercise do you recommend my

number one recommendation would be the

barell row other exercises that you can

also use can be for example the dumbbell

Row the chest supported row seal row tar

row seated cable row or The Meadows row

or pretty much anything that has the

word Row in its name now let's talk

about the vertical pulling exercises

here it's pretty straightforward either

use a pullup variation of your choice or

go with the let pull down machine the

these two exercises would be my number

one choice but you can also pick

exercises like the straight arm pul down

or the single arm pull down all right

these were the horizontal and vertical

exercises but some of you are now for

sure wondering what about the deadlift

at this point I have talked about this

way too many times that I feel I'm

repeating myself a little bit but if

your goal is purely bodybuilding then

you should stay away from the deadlift

for beginners it's good to learn how to

do the deadlift because the technique

has some carryover to other exercises

that you will be doing down the road but

after that point I just don't see a

reason to do the deadlift as the amount

of fatigue you get from it is very high

in contr with how little gains you get

in return all right we cleared it up

about the deadlift but there is still

one elephant in the room left and that

elephant is training traps is it

something that you 100% have to do

definitely not but if you want to go

right ahead but the priority should

always be on the vertical and horizontal

movements first and training traps

should be as just doing something extra

and should never replace the vertical

and horizontal movements so if you want

to train traps then do it after you have

already done all of the necessary B

exercises doing something like three

sets of shacks twice per week will be

more than enough to stimulate your traps

I don't even recommend doing more

because at that point you are going to

be inflicting so much extra fatigue to

yourself that it might become really

hard to recover from I used to Rack pull

above the knee with like 800 lb and it

just completely kills you obviously

there is a very big difference between

doing extremely heavy rack pulls and

shrugs with 225 but it helps to get the

point across all right now that we have

cleared this up let's quickly discuss

how many workouts and how many sets you

should do per week and also what kind of

rep range you should use as per usual

two workouts per week is pretty much

where you want to be but you can easily

increase the number a little higher if

your bag needs some more work and when

it comes to number of sets per week I

would recommend something between 12 to

24 sets per week I would definitely not

go over that number as it is already

pretty high and before we talk about the

rep ranges let me show you why it is a

good idea to split your exercises into

one main exercise and one secondary

exercise this will make it much easier

to understand and it will also make sure

that you hit your back from all angles

necessary while also taking advantage of

every single useful rep Ranch the

exercise that you select as the main

exercise will be the one that you will

do first in your workout and the

secondary exercise will obviously be the

second one in your workout last week

when we were talking about the main

exercise for the chest I recommended

that you use the 5 to8 rep wrench but

for the back I feel like it's not

necessary to have the rep wrench that

low in most cases you can basically use

the a215 rep wrench for both the main

exercise and the secondary exercise so

if you would select for example 8 to2

Reps for both the main and the secondary

exercise that would be completely fine

what you can also do is to select 8 to

12 Reps for the main exercise and then

12 to 15 for the secondary exercise

there is all also completely valid the

most important role that the main and

the secondary exercise fulfill when

training your bag is that you can

prioritize one vertical and one

horizontal pull in each one of your

workouts so if you had two B workouts

throughout the week you could set it up

like this you can see that on the first

B workout you do your vertical pull

first but on the next B workout you

start out with the horizontal pull this

will allow you to get the best of both

worlds and even if you have more than

two back exercises per workout it's

still going to work the the same exact

way we do it like that because if you

for example started every single one of

your back workouts with a horizontal

pull then your vertical pool would

suffer in the long run but with a setup

like this it's not going to happen

because each pool has its time to shine

I bet that you have never thought about

it like this pretty cool right but there

is some other thing that you also might

not have ever thought about and there is

the stretch of your back when doing the

exercises oh yeah I hear you the stretch

of the muscle blah blah blah but the

back is the body part where this is

essential don't be like everyone else

when they hear that statement and they

go yeah I already knew that but the

funny thing about it is most of the

people say that they know that but they

don't actually do that they hear the

information they acknowledge it but they

actually never realize it it's like some

kind of defensive coping mechanism but

you need to listen up and actually make

it happen so here is exactly what you

need to do the best example I can give

you would be on the light pull down

because that's where most of the people

are committing their gym crimes when you

pull the bar down you need to hold your

chest up and pull your shoulder blades

together almost like if you did the arch

on the bench press and then you squeeze

at the bottom this is the part that the

majority of people gets right but when

it's time for the negative portion of

the movement that's where everyone fails

I don't want to see you just yank it

right back you need to be in control of

the rep even on the way back and that

goes for the whole way back because most

of the people just go like 60% back and

then they try to do another rep right

away but pretending that the negative

portion of the movement doesn't exist is

not going to bring you very good results

try controlling the negative all the way

and when I say all the way I mean all

the way do it until your hands are

basically almost straight but still try

to hold your shoulder blades together if

you get to a point where you can't hold

your shoulder blades together anymore

it's a sign that you have reached the

top I know that this might not be

possible for some people because

sometimes you can reach the top of the

machine before reach the maximum stretch

but I got a solution for that what I

used to do personally to combat this

when I was going to the gym where this

was the case I would just completely

ditch the seat and I would just sit on

the ground below the seat so it doesn't

pull me back that way I can get a full

stretch at the top I don't know why more

people don't talk about it it seems like

it's some kind of forbidden knowledge uh

what's going on you guys just made a big

mistake sorry the science-based aliens

tried to abduct Me but they had almost

no muscle so I escaped so where were we

oh yeah you will have to drop down the

weight because this is not the place to

mindlessly throw around the weight this

is the place where you want constant

time under tension and a painful stretch

of the back and the same exact thing

applies to all the pull-up variations

and to all the rowing variations this is

exactly what is going to get you a big

back but don't forget don't be just a

stretch enjoyer you still need to

progress forward well the that's all you

need to know about training back and if

you want to learn more about

bodybuilding check out my website where

I have tons of free resources prepared

for you that will simplify your

bodybuilding Journey so what are you

waiting for it's just that

simple and as always a big thanks to all

the supporters on my

patreon did you like this video then you

will for sure like this one

[Music]

too