The Bulk Day 69 - Back Is Back

Summary

In this fitness-focused video script, the speaker discusses various back exercises, emphasizing the importance of not sticking to the same routine. They share personal experiences and insights on training, including the significance of muscle engagement and mind-muscle connection. The script covers exercises like pull-downs, rows, and pullovers, highlighting the need for variation and proper technique to avoid plateaus and ensure comprehensive back development. The speaker also touches on the impact of taking time off from training and the importance of resuming with caution to avoid injury.

Takeaways

• 🏋️ The speaker emphasizes the importance of proper white balance and manual settings like ISO and Kelvin in recording videos.
• 🤔 The speaker is attempting to avoid using profanity in their dialogue, as challenged by a viewer.
• 💪 The workout plan includes back exercises such as pull-downs, rows, and pullovers, focusing on different muscle groups within the back.
• 📚 There's a mention of the influence of previous sports activities like gymnastics on the development of back muscles.
• 🏆 The speaker discusses the significance of muscle memory and mind-muscle connection for effective training.
• 🚫 The speaker warns against doing the same exercises repeatedly, advocating for variety in workouts to prevent plateaus.
• 💊 The speaker acknowledges that taking time off from training can lead to a decrease in strength and suggests being cautious when resuming heavy loads.
• 🔥 The script describes the feeling of a 'pump' during exercises as an indicator of effective muscle engagement.
• 🤸‍♂️ The speaker shares personal experience with gymnastics and its impact on their back development, drawing parallels to other sports like rock climbing.
• 📉 The speaker admits to having taken a break from back training recently and expresses the need to re-stimulate the muscle group.
• 🎥 The speaker concludes with a discussion about recording a post-workout pose to showcase muscle definition and progress, highlighting the difficulty of maintaining a pose with a pumped back.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video script?

The main focus of the video script is on back training, discussing various exercises and strategies for effectively targeting different parts of the back muscles.

Why does the speaker mention 'Auto' and 'Manual' in the context of recording?

The speaker is discussing the settings on a recording device, indicating that they are not using automatic settings but rather manual adjustments for ISO, white balance, and Kelvin to ensure the best recording quality.

What is the challenge the speaker has accepted in the video?

The speaker has accepted a challenge to avoid using profanity, specifically the 'f bomb,' in their commentary during the video.

What exercises are mentioned for back training in the script?

The exercises mentioned for back training include pull-downs, rows, pullovers, and various combinations of these movements.

Why does the speaker emphasize the importance of changing up back training routines?

The speaker emphasizes changing up routines to prevent monotony and to ensure that all fibers of the back muscles are worked, promoting better muscle development and preventing plateaus.

What is the speaker's background with gymnastics and how does it relate to their back strength?

The speaker has a background in gymnastics, which involved a lot of pull-ups and calisthenics, leading to naturally strong lats. This background contributes to their current back strength.

How does the speaker describe the importance of muscle engagement during back exercises?

The speaker describes the importance of muscle engagement by emphasizing the need to feel a stretch, open up the shoulder blades, and squeeze down to activate every fiber of the back muscles, especially when performing pull-downs.

What is the speaker's approach to back training when it's not a weak point?

The speaker's approach is to not overthink changes to their back training routine since back has always been a strong point. However, they still pay attention to ensuring proper stimulation and avoiding complacency.

How does the speaker plan to finish the back workout session?

The speaker plans to finish the back workout with a superset of a row and a pull-down to completely pump out the back muscles.

What is the speaker's strategy for maintaining or improving back strength after a break?

The speaker's strategy includes being aware of potential strength disparities after a break and gradually reintroducing high loads to the muscles to regain strength and stimulate growth.

What does the speaker suggest about the importance of muscle soreness after a workout?

The speaker suggests that muscle soreness is a sign of effective training, indicating that the muscles have been worked hard and are likely to recover and grow.

Outlines

00:00

🏋️‍♂️ Back Training Strategy and Gymnastics Influence

The speaker discusses the importance of proper white balance in recording and transitions into a conversation about manual ISO and Kelvin settings. They mention a challenge to avoid swearing and reflect on their back training routine, emphasizing variety in exercises like pull-downs, rows, and pullovers. The speaker acknowledges their natural strength in back exercises due to a history in gymnastics, which has contributed to their lat spread and overall muscular development. They also touch on the importance of not neglecting back training even when it's a strong point, citing personal experience with taking breaks and the potential impact on strength.

05:02

💪 Returning to Training After a Break

The speaker anticipates the challenges of returning to chest training after an injury and the need to adjust the weight accordingly. They discuss the importance of not overloading and the expected soreness following a back workout, especially after a period of inactivity. The focus then shifts to the workout itself, starting with light weight pull-downs with an emphasis on feeling the stretch and squeeze at the bottom to engage the shoulder blades and lats. The speaker also talks about the choice of grip width and weight during the exercise, aiming for a balance between challenge and proper form.

10:04

🔄 Upper Back Focus and Machine Variations

The speaker describes their workout routine, focusing on upper back exercises using different machines to target specific muscle groups. They mention the discomfort and unfamiliarity with one machine due to its focus on the upper back, but recognize its value for targeting mid traps and other muscles above the lats. The speaker also discusses the importance of the squeeze in exercises, the feeling of muscle engagement, and the transition to different exercises to maintain variety and intensity in their workout.

15:27

🔚 Concluding the Back Workout with a Superset

The speaker outlines the final stages of their back workout, which includes a superset of a row and a pull-down to maximize the pump and engage the back muscles fully. They discuss the benefits of using a cable stack for rows, which prevents momentum from building up and allows for consistent tension throughout the set. The speaker also mentions the importance of controlling the speed of the reps, especially during the burnout phase of the workout, to maintain muscle engagement and achieve a thorough workout.

20:29

📸 Post-Workout Posing and Reflection

After completing the back workout, the speaker talks about posing in front of natural and artificial light to highlight muscle details, striations, and veins. They express excitement about their morning weight of 264 pounds and discuss their bulking goals, aiming for 270, 280, and possibly 300 pounds. The speaker acknowledges the difficulty of holding a back pose, especially with a pumped back, and concludes by looking forward to the recovery meal after the workout.

Keywords

💡White balance

White balance is a camera setting that adjusts the color tone of an image to match the lighting conditions. In the video's context, it refers to ensuring the video looks natural under the current lighting. The speaker mentions 'make sure that the white balance is right' indicating the importance of color accuracy in the video's visual quality.

💡Manual ISO

Manual ISO refers to the camera setting where the sensitivity of the camera's sensor to light is adjusted by the user. In the script, the speaker talks about not using 'Auto' and instead using 'manual ISO,' which implies taking control of the camera's settings for better control over the exposure in the video.

💡Kelvin

Kelvin is a unit of measurement for color temperature in photography and videography, affecting the warmth or coolness of the image. The speaker mentions 'Manuel uh Kelvin,' indicating the adjustment of color temperature to achieve the desired visual effect in the video.

💡Back pull-downs

Back pull-downs are a gym exercise targeting the back muscles, specifically the lats, by pulling a bar down towards the chest. The video's theme revolves around back training, and the script mentions 'back pull Downs, rows pullovers,' highlighting the variety of exercises used to work different parts of the back.

💡Barbell row

A barbell row is a strength training exercise that targets the back muscles, particularly the lats and rhomboids, by pulling a barbell towards the abdomen. The script refers to avoiding just doing 'Straight bar pull down and like, barbell row,' suggesting the need for a diverse workout routine to avoid overemphasis on certain muscle groups.

💡Lat spread

Lat spread refers to the width of the latissimus dorsi muscles when they are flexed, often used as a measure of back development in bodybuilding. The speaker mentions 'my lat spread has always been a strong point,' indicating their focus on developing the size and appearance of their back muscles.

💡Gymnastics

Gymnastics is a sport that involves physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and endurance. The script mentions the speaker's background in gymnastics, which contributed to the development of their back muscles, as they 'did a lot of like pull-ups and kind of calisthenic work.'

💡Hypertrophy

Hypertrophy is the increase in muscle cell size, leading to muscle growth, often the goal of bodybuilding and strength training. The speaker discusses the effect of 'squeezing pull Downs' on their lats, implying the pursuit of hypertrophy through specific exercise techniques.

💡Mind muscle connection

Mind muscle connection refers to the mental awareness and focus on a specific muscle group during an exercise, which can enhance the effectiveness of the workout. The script includes 'you mind muscle connection,' suggesting the importance of mental engagement with the muscles being worked during back exercises.

💡Cable rows

Cable rows are a strength training exercise that uses a cable machine to work the back muscles. The speaker prefers doing rows on a 'cable stack' because it prevents swinging and maintains tension throughout the set, as mentioned when discussing the benefits of the exercise setup.

💡Bulking

Bulking refers to a period of weight training with increased calorie intake to gain muscle mass and size. The speaker mentions their current 'bulking face' and the goal to reach '270' pounds, indicating they are in a phase of bodybuilding focused on muscle growth.

Highlights

The importance of correct white balance in recording.

Manual settings for ISO and Kelvin are discussed for better control in recording.

Challenge to avoid using profanity in the video.

Plan for back exercises including pull-downs, rows, and pullovers.

Emphasis on variety in back training to avoid monotony and promote muscle growth.

Mention of Dorian Yates and the influence of proper form in back exercises.

The significance of mind-muscle connection for effective back training.

Personal experience with back training and its role in the speaker's fitness journey.

The role of sports like gymnastics in developing back muscles.

Comparison of gymnast and rock climber's body types, particularly the prominence of lats.

The speaker's strategy for maintaining back strength even during periods of no specific back training.

The potential impact of taking time off from training on strength levels.

The use of bodyweight pull-ups for burnout to specifically target lats.

Preference for cable rows over traditional machine rows for better control and tension.

The speaker's current weight and goals for bulking up.

Challenge of holding a back pose, especially with a pumped back.

Final thoughts on the back training session and plans for post-workout nutrition.

Transcripts

[Music]

it gets tricky it gets [ __ ] tricky to

make sure that the uh that the white

balance is right you know I'm not uh

we're not recording this back day in in

Auto right we're talking we're talking

manual we're talking manual ISO we're

talking we're talking Manuel uh Kelvin

but uh enough behind the scenes chat

what's the plan plan is back the plan is

back [ __ ] man back is back gosh dang it

I got uh somebody challenged me to not

say the f bomb in one of the comments

I'm going to see if I can obl to that

character

uh I hope I didn't already say it in

like the one sentence I said before that

but either way plan for back pull Downs

rows pullovers and every combination of

the three because there really is a

[ __ ] oh Jesus oh whatever there

really is a lot of ways to hit back you

know there's no um there's no reason to

just do Straight bar pull down and like

barbell row uh we've all seen the the

Dorian Yates Clips yeah it's [ __ ]

badass

but I mean as long as you're kind of

getting a reasonable stretch with with

your with your shoulder blades and you

can feel your traps opening up and your

lats really open up and then you squeeze

down and try to get every [ __ ] okay

well I already failed I can't do it and

get every fiber of your like all the way

down to the bottom of your lower back

just like firing which half is just

experience from getting a little bit

better of a you mind muscle connection

and everything else but you know as long

as you're pulling as long as you're

pulling some [ __ ] you're getting a pump

I think that's all you need to worry

about so you know change it up don't do

the same stuff over and over again but

back uh back is a

very and I'm saying this in uh from the

context of back is a strong point for me

like I never have to um uh what's the

word I'm thinking of here like i' I've

never had to think okay I got to change

my back training up what I'm doing is

not working like for me back has always

been a reasonable strong point uh to the

point where even when I was a not a

beginner but you know like over the

course of the last few bulks that I've

been doing I think over the last like 3

years I've gone like three four month

periods of time where I did no back

training and the point was I mean my

back was just too big you know my the

lat spread has always been a strong

point for me even when I was a complete

beginner and half of that is just sports

related you know when I did gymnastics

we did a lot of like pull-ups and kind

of calisthenic work like lats really

came into play you know we um I didn't

get that high level or anything but if

you look at somebody who's a real like

uh like real legit D1 college level

gymnast or like the uh the Olympics The

Olympian kind of guys they uh their

build is

very specific right their lats are huge

the biceps are pretty big and that's

those are kind of the predominant the uh

the predominantly like pronounced

muscles of uh of the gymnast which makes

sense you know you're swinging around

you're holding your whole body up by

your hands so your lats need to be kind

of strong to accommodate for that right

it would uh it would just make sense to

the point where if somebody were to do

some rock climbing training I would

imagine the same thing would happen you

know their ability to pull with your

upper body is the primary uh you know

Vector of your force that you're doing

for what uh what your sport is but need

all that to say my back has never been a

weak point but that does not mean I want

to make it one so don't uh

oops accidentally had a green light on

the left turn but what I'm saying there

is I uh I think I've had enough time off

you know back needs to back needs to get

its stimulation again and since I

haven't done a back day for the last uh

I don't know like [ __ ] well I've done

a couple all right I guess that's uh

that's not totally true for me to say

cuz I have done a couple for these last

2 months but maybe what a third is as

many as everything else like I I

definitely haven't done back in the last

like two weeks or week or so so since I

haven't done it for a little bit and I

had to give it a little bit of a break I

can tell that my strength may be a

limiting factor potentially because if

you don't if you're not exposed to high

loads then your body's basically saying

oh [ __ ] I don't need to be able to move

these loads anymore you know but um I

don't expect I'll be moving like 100 lb

on the pull down is like my Max or

anything

but it's just something to be aware of

if you had to take some time off chest

because you like wrecked your shoulder

or something and you come back after

like a month your bench isn't going to

be where it was now it's going to come

back like nothing but just you know

maybe don't load three plates if you

haven't done it for a month is the point

I'm getting out and then apart from any

potential like strength disparity I'm

going to be sore tomorrow I think and

even just during the sets today they're

probably going to burn extra bad just

because I haven't really worked my lats

and my traps to like you know total

muscular [ __ ] failure so I'm in for a

little bit of a treat there

but like I uh like I was about to say a

second ago pull Downs rows and pullovers

and that is pretty much going to be it

so I think no we're chatting let's let's

just get through it well get through uh

get through the process of it I guess

and go home and eat something so let's

just get

started let's start with something light

squeezing so only a little more than

half the stack and these are going to be

a hold at the bottom I want to feel like

my shoulder blades are going to [ __ ]

bump into each

other yeah

[Music]

yes few more like that at least yes

[Music]

I'm not done

[Music]

holy

crap one more

okay W all

right little bit of a wider grip than

normal which I'm not going to say is

like fing a million times better than a

shoulder width grip but for this

specific set I kind of like the feeling

of like pulling my elbows in not just my

elbows down so not better or worse just

different

need for anything crazy heavy two plates

in a 25 and I wouldn't want to go any

heavier than this at least not today

because with a movement like this which

is very akin to like a tricep push down

oh [ __ ] with a there we go with um with

like a rope of something there's a

certain limit to the weight you can

really move and still get that kind of

actual legit burning squeezing feeling

in a good way you know if I do the rope

with uh 40 lbs on the sack dude I can do

a complete rep and seriously squeeze at

the bottom of it whereas I mean if I try

to do the full Sack or even heavier sure

I could maybe do a complete rep but it's

almost like I'm using my entire triceps

musculature to just get the weight here

and I don't have anything left for that

extra squeeze you know now I couldn't

tell you exactly where science stands

I'm like oh does squeezing help

hypertrophy but I can tell you this when

I do this set of squeezing pull Downs my

lats are going to be on fire and as long

as you know I do some heavy [ __ ] too I

think it's fine so let's let's start

with the left side first failure on my

left side match the Reps in the right

side because my uh my left lat is

lacking

there we

go a

who yeah

all

[Music]

okay one more

oh my gosh

[Music]

oh my

God okay so even though those were

rows that was still like a 90% lats so

let's move on to something actually

upper back focused well that's a I mean

five sets deep this is already going

perfect a little funky a little funky I

will admit and it kind of turned me off

from this row machine for a long time

because it's like it's

very upper back focus like I'm not

sitting here pulling to like my belly

button and my just kind of nipple line

or anything I'm pulling up here towards

my shoulders but in the context of doing

a movement where I'm trying to work my

mid traps R boids all that fancy stuff

above my lats this one seems [ __ ]

perfect so let's just play some kind of

song get hyped up and squeeze this [ __ ]

no Jesus

Fu okay

Let's

uh I got to raise the starting position

up one peg but one more

okay let's change gears do one more set

of um an upper back focus row a

different machine and then I think we're

getting close to the finisher whatever

that ends up being another machine I

haven't really used much at all but

after a fer rep felt pretty [ __ ] good

again it's a freaky strength

curve but that's

enough my traps are wrecked

everything in between my traps and my

lats is wrecked let's finish with a

super set of a row and a pull down to

completely pump out my

back pose down and scram man we

done all right so here's the plan which

actually do I have

to maybe I'll move this forward over

here so I'm gonna burn out with body

weight pull-ups which even though I just

had a full actually [ __ ] I don't

know I can do a couple burn out my lats

specifically with some body weight

pull-ups then pop a squat and do some

just cable rows and I really like doing

rows on a cable stack like this which

has the pulley because it just keeps me

from like swinging too much you know

like when you're doing a seat of cable

row where the pulley is directly

connected to the weight and every foot

you pull the weight goes up one foot

what happens is if you do your reps too

quick the weight is going to start to

build up momentum and kind of just float

so and I mean if you do a slow set

that's fine but sometimes I like to kind

of burn out with faster reps so if I

want to burn out with quick reps at the

end of this set with this little you

know setup I don't lose any tension

there's never like a light spot and then

a heavy spot you know what I'm saying

but if you uh if if you if you're

accustomed with the cables at your gym

you don't need you don't need me to

explain you know what I'm talking about

so let's uh let's just get started

what do you think what am I get for at

least three

oh God

[Music]

okay all right let's pose down we are

fully pumped and I'm going to [ __ ]

feel this back day

tomorrow sh there we go all right we got

some we've got some nice natural

lighting coming in from the left side a

little bit of unnatural lighting coming

in from the top let's hope that those

two uh play nicely with each other and

show off a couple of uh details and

striations and potentially even a few

veins you know we're not uh I'm Not So

Soft yet that veins are out of the

picture for this bulking face

but yeah morning weight which I was very

excited about

264 26 freaking four pounds so 270 is

going to be within reach rather [ __ ]

soon and then 280 and then who knows

maybe we take it to

300 maybe not but we'll see just how uh

we'll put it to as crazy as we can but

let's uh let's see if I can get a freaky

lat spread here

no oh my gosh it is [ __ ] hard to hold

a uh hold a back pose especially with a

back [ __ ] pump

oh goodness but back done let's go home

and [ __ ] grub up something ASAP