This workout is the back & biceps day from chapter 1 of the MJ Lifting Club. It incorporates exercises to target the upper, middle and lower back, as well as biceps to finish. In this workout we'll be utilising a variety of different techniques to ensure your back muscles get the attention they deserve.
The MOST IMPORTANT part of any back workout is to ensure you’re using proper form, especially as your muscles start to fatigue. Make sure you’re not jerking through the movement and you’re keeping constant tension on the targeted muscle groups.
A few essentials we used for this workout include the TMJ Apparel Figure 6 Lifting Straps, as you’ll be moving some heavy weight and we don’t want your grip to be a limiting factor. Another essential is your TMJ Apparel Legend Lifting Belt, to increase abdominal pressure and ensure you're maintaining good posture. You’re also going to need a good, strong, reliable training partner for this workout. Somebody who can help you force out some heavy reps, and scream at you when you convince yourself that you’ve had enough...Enjoy
Exercise 1: Standing Rope Cable Pullover
Our first exercise for this workout is a standing rope cable pullover. Doing this exercise first will ensure that your back and shoulder joint is warm, while reducing risk injury and helping with mind muscle connection. To complete this exercise, connect a rope attachment to a cable machine ensuring that the cable is up as high as it can go. Once you’re all set up, take 1-2 steps back, bend at your hips and hold your arms out so that they’re almost in line with your head (make sure your shoulders are back to put tension on your lats). To complete a rep, drive from your elbow pulling the rope down towards your hips. Ensure that you keep a straight arm and your chest up. To get the most out of this exercise, pull your elbows as far back as you can throughout the movement. To finish the rep, slowly raise your arms back up until you’re in your starting position and feel a full stretch on your lats.
For this exercise, we'll be doing four total working sets.
Set 1 & 2: The first two sets, we’re going to do 15 reps at a 6 RPE with a moderate weight, leaving around 5 reps in the tank.
Set 3 & 4: For the final two sets, we’re going to crank it up a notch. Increase the weight and bang out 10 reps at a 9 RPE, coming 1 rep away from failure.
Rest time: 1-2 mins between sets.
Exercise 2: Chest Supported Overhand Grip T-Bar Row
Your back should now feel pumped and warm which is now perfect timing to jump into our heavier exercise. For exercise two, we’ll be completing an overhand chest supported T-bar row. This exercise targets the upper and mid back; traps, rhomboids and rear delts. Firstly, set yourself up on the chest pad of the machine so that your lower chest is at the top of the pad. Once in position, grab the bar or handles with an overhand grip, just outside shoulder width. To row the weight up, retract your shoulders and pull with your elbows to raise the weight up to your chest. When lowering the weight, let your shoulders spread apart, making sure that you’re not rounding your upper back.
NOTE: This exercise is perfect to incorporate your Lifting Straps and your Legend belt.
Set 1, 2 & 3: This exercise is going 12 reps at a 8 RPE. Pick a weight that you can do 12 reps with, leaving 2-3 reps in the tank.
Rest time: 1-2 mins between sets.
Exercise 3: Single Arm Lat Pulldown
For our third exercise, we’re going to do something a little different. We’re going to take the regular lat pulldown, and make it more efficient. To complete this exercise, set up an adjustable bench, with the back set at around 65 degrees. You want the bench positioned so you are sitting facing away from the cable station. Ensure that the cable is all the way at the top, with a D-handle attachment. Sit facing the bench so your chest is supported firmly up against the padding. To complete a rep, hold the handle with an overhand grip and pull your elbow down towards your hip. As you do this, rotate your arm so that when you finish the rep, you have an underhand grip, squeezing through the lat as you come to the bottom of the movement. To finish the rep, let your arm rotate back to an overhand grip as you’re lowering the weight. Adding in the rotation will add extra stress onto your lat, and help increase the contraction at the bottom of the rep.
Set 1 & 2: Pick a weight that allows you to complete 10 reps at a 9 RPE, stopping one rep away from failure.
Set 3: Back off the weight so that you can complete 15 reps at a 8 RPE with about 2-3 in the tank.
Rest time: 1-2 mins between sets.
Exercise 4: Seated Underhand Grip Cable Row
By now you’ve probably got the pump of a lifetime, but we’re not done yet. For this exercise, we’re really targeting the lower lats with an underhand cable row. To set up this exercise, you’ll need either a straight bar or an ez curl bar attachment on the seated cable row machine. To complete a rep, grab the bar at around shoulder width, stick your chest out and pull through your elbows driving that bar towards your hips. When lowering the weight, go slow to really get a burn in your lats.
To make things interesting, this exercise will incorporate a drop set.
Set 1 & 2: Use a weight that will get you 12 clean reps at a 9 RPE.
Set 3: For the last set, still do the 12 reps at a 9 RPE, but then once completed, drop the weight by 30% and smash out as many reps as you can.
Rest time: 1-2 mins between sets.
Exercise 5: Weighted Hyperextension
For our final back exercise, we’re going to burn out the lower back with some weighted hyperextensions. To do this exercise efficiently, set yourself up on a hyperextension bench at around 70 degrees. Secure yourself in the machine and let the weight hang in front of you with straight arms. To complete a rep, hinge at your hips, lifting the weight, allowing your lower back to round slightly and get a nice stretch. Once in the stretch, hinge yourself back into the starting position, flexing your lower back.
Set 1 & 2: Use a weight that will get you 12 reps at a 9 RPE.
Set 3: For the last set, still do the 12 reps at a 9 RPE, but then once completed, drop the weight to bodyweight and smash out as many reps as you can.
Rest time: 1-2 mins between sets.
Exercise 6: FST-7 Barbell Biceps Curls
Now that the back portion of the workout has been completed, we’re going to move on to biceps. For our first bicep exercise, we’re going to incorporate an intensity technique called FST-7. You'll need to grab a ez curl bar or a straight bar, whatever you feel is more comfortable on your wrists. To complete a rep, hold the bar out in front of you with your arms Shoulder width apart. Curl the bar up to the top of your chest, ensuring that your elbows stay by your side and don’t drift up too far. Then lower the weight back down until you're back to the starting position.
For this exercise, we’re doing 7 sets of intense muscle building.
Set 1-7: Pick a weight that you can do 12 reps with rather easily, leaving 3-5 reps in the tank. Complete the 7 sets with less than a minute rest in-between to really force blood into the biceps.
Rest Time: 45-60 secs between sets
Exercise 7: Standing Alternating Dumbbell Hammer Curls
You made it... to our final exercise of the workout. Now, we’re going to hit our forearms, brachialis and biceps with some hammer curls. To do a rep, hold a dumbbell with a neutral grip, and curl it as you would with a regular bicep curl. Make sure that your elbows are tucked by your side, with little movement, and you’re doing one arm at a time for maximum contraction.
Set 1, 2 & 3: We’re going to do 20 reps per arm at a 9 RPE. To really make sure that the biceps have been finished off
Rest Time: 45-60 secs between sets
And that's a wrap, MJLC Workout #1 completed. Better go grab a protein shake, you’re going to be sore for the next few days.
