Monday, November 11, 2013

Back Development/Incorporating major lifts

So today I decided to hit back. I hit legs yesterday and like all of my leg days, I ate A LOT that day. We had a pizza party at work, then Raunel's birthday get together after work. Needless to say, I helped myself to 2-3 plates. I had to hit something hard today, so why not back? Back days feel great even when you kill yourself with heavy weights. It only makes sense.

I recently lifted with Keith and we happened to hit back that day. Keith is currently doing a strength program, so most of his sessions consist the major lifts. For those of you who do not know what the major lifts are, they are bench press, squat, deadlift, and overhead press. These lifts are crucial to develop a well rounded body.

I haven't incorporated deadlifts into my training for a while, which I know is a huge mistake. It is always hard to try to incorporate a movement that is somewhat uncomfortable and unnatural. However, like squats, I have incorporated it into today's sessions. I know the movement will become easier throughout time and learning the technique. Honestly I hated squats and deadlift, but you need to learn to LOVE these lifts. Nothing will help you develop a more fundamentally sound body like these lifts. I have been killing myself with squats recently with tremendous growth resulting from it.

Practice makes perfect, don't be afraid of the unfamiliar and familiarize yourself with it!

Back
5 x 6-8 Deadlift
4 x 8 T-bar Rows
superset w/ 4 x 10 Iso-lat Pull-downs (underhand)

4 x 10 Lat Pulldowns
4 x 8 Hammer-strength Low Rows

The session was around 40 minutes. I decided to do a high volume vs low frequency workout because I myself am trying to bulk up, converting from hypertrophy to strength training. I am keeping the rest time to a minimum, trying to push my body's limit. I don't do enough cardio, so this keeps my heart rate elevated. My v-taper and lats are coming in well, but doing deadlifts really pointed out flaws within my training. It exposed my lower back, which will need better development to keep my core strong. It's always important to improve ourselves with these movements instead of avoiding them. Felt great afterwards, took an updated progression shot:

Felt traps playing a role, it shows!

4 comments:

  1. Good work! Keep hitting the lower back with those dead's and to help out throw in some back extensions on other days as assistance. I have discovered almost immediately that training lower back helps with my other compound lifts as it is easier to stabilize my core during the movement.

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    1. YEAH BUDDY. Gotta make some.... gaiinnnnnnnnzzzzzzzzzzz

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  2. Glad your learning to love deads man. I've been doing 4 rows on my back day, seated cable, bent over barbell, t bar and kroc row. my deadlift went up 75lbs in a few months. Hope you guys been well. Tyler and I are getting kinda bored of our shoulder and chest days, what do you guys do? also mirin ;)

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    1. For shoulders, try to superset it in wth your chest lifts for a push day or do full range of motion sets with the shoulders. With a ball and socket joint, you wanna strengthen it for a full range to develop overall stability unlike a hinge joint muscle group like legs for example. I just did chest and shoulders and incorporating a complex with those two in my opinion creates a better lift day, frequency and volume wise. Just remember to work two working sets in. Pyramids into a heavy working set also does wonders!

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