Best Workout for Back

After taking 11 days off of weight training I was glad to be back tonight pounding my best workout for back muscles.

I enjoyed the time off though. I took the family to Canada's Wonderland this past weekend and we spent a couple of nights at the Super 8 in Vaughn, which is only a quick drive from the Wonderland theme park.

We spoiled ourselves with some decent meals out, a few movies, some shopping and a full day at Canada's version of Disney land.

I prefer the water park mostly, but the lineups to scoot down a pipe in a rubber tube lasted upwards of an hour. It was worth the wait though ; )

My wife.. well she's a roller coaster gal. She drove us crazy until we finally broke down and did the Wild Beast, a 3000 foot wooden coaster.

She really wanted to try the Behemoth ride... but a 3000' wooden roller coaster seemed safer to me.



It was our daughter's first time on a coaster (she's 11) and she was not too thrilled about it... but she agreed. The ride was indeed "wild"! The funny thing is by the time we got off, our daughter wanted to go again.. but the wife wasn't having it. She had enough. I had to laugh because it scared her more than it did our daughter. And me? Well let's just say I prefer the water park and floating around on tubes.

Anyways... back to the workout journal.

After 10 weeks of DC blasting, taking the time off has really helped my forearm heal up to where I was able to do a complete back workout (as well chest, shoulders and triceps today).

I enjoy saving the big back workout until the end of the work out, as I can really give it my all and annihilate my lats, then my lower back.

There's not much more that can be done in a workout after a solid back workout exercise. IMO doing back width exercises and then the heavy back thickness movements leaves nothing left in the tank, nor should there be if given 110%.

So here's the workout and the start of a new blast. I will be setting my baseline lifting numbers for the next 2 weeks.

Week 1 - Workout 1A

Notes:
LL=Last Time
TT=This Time
RP=Rest Pause
SS= Straight Set
WM=Widow Maker

All sets shown are working sets only. Warm up sets are done for every exercise.

Chest
Decline Smith Machine
275lbs x 8+4+3 = 15RP

Shoulders
Lifefitness Machine Shoulder Press
155lbs x 9+6+5 = 20RP

Triceps
Dips
Body weight + 55lbs x 10+6+4 = 20RP

Back Width
Close Grip Pulldowns
190lbs x 9+6+5 = 20RP

Back Thickness
Smith Machine Under Hand Rows
245lbs x 6 SS, 215lbs x 12 SS

My best workout for back in a long time! I'm pleased that I was able to do 190lbs for the close grip pull downs as well. There is still some pain in my forearm, but nothing compared to a month ago.

I was also happy with the baselines I set in general, because they are not too far off where I left last blast. I actually beat shoulders and back width from the last time I worked them over 2 weeks ago (time off does the body good).

Although each new blast I need to set new baselines, I am pleased when I'm not too far off from my previous training cycle.

In 2 weeks I'll be trying to beat tonight's above numbers; either with more weight, more reps or both. That's the goal after all the baseline weights are set, and the key to progression. If you want to get stronger, you have to keep consistently challenging your body to grow; lifting the same amount of weight over and over will keep your strength the same.

Well I'm off to rest up after the best workout for back muscles that I've had in a long while.