6 MOVES FOR A MONSTROUS BACK

Build a barn door back with these eight moves that add size and strength.

 

IFBB Pro chisels out the final details of his back 17 days out from the 2021 Mr. Olympia. Watch the video and follow the workout guide below for your next back workout.

Nathan Epler’s Back-Blasting Workout

Before every bodybuilding workout, Nathan supercharges his energy, endurance, pump, focus and strength levels with the help of HOSSTILITY pre-wrokout.

Pullups
Grab the bar slightly wider than shoulder distance apart. Begin to pull yourself up towards the bar and drive your elbows down towards the floor. Once you pull yourself up to eye level with the bar and hold for a second and lower control yourself down towards the floor, getting a good stretch in the lats. Avoid swinging and using momentum to get more reps. 

Exercise Breakdown:
3 sets of 12 reps 

Hammer Strength Iso Row
Grab the handles with both hand and ensure that you are holding your chest up high and your shoulders back tight. Pull the handles and drive your elbows back and hold for a second before controlling the weight back down.

Exercise Breakdown:
1 warm up x 12-15 reps
1 working set x 15 reps
2 failure sets x 10-12 reps

Lat pulldown
Here Nathan is using a lat pulldown machine with handles that move independently, if you do not have a similar machine at your gym, you can perform a wide grip pulldown. Begin by pulling the handles down towards the floor, leading with the elbows. Once at the bottom, slowly return the weight back up and get a good stretch in the lats at the top.

Exercise Breakdown:
1 warm up x 12-15 reps
2 failure sets x 12-15 reps

Seated Single-arm Row (sitting slightly sideways) Superset with Rope Lat Pullovers
Set yourself up so that you are sitting slightly sideways on the bench. Grab a single handle and put the same leg as the arm you are doing on the opposite side of the foot platform. Begin, by pulling the handle back, leading with the elbows and allowing your body to twist with the movement. Once the lat is fully contracted, control the weight back down and complete 12 reps before switching sides. Once done both arms immediately go over to the cable machine and perform rope pullovers. Grab the rope and stand far enough away so that you’re able to get a full stretch at the top. Bend over to a 45-degree angle with chest up and shoulders pulled back. Pull the rope down towards your waist and drive your elbows as far back behind you as possible. Remember to lead with the elbows and not with the hands to engage lats. Control the weight back down and get a good stretch in your lats at the top.

Exercise Breakdown:
Single-arm Row 3 sets of 12 reps
Rope Lat Pullovers 3 sets of 15 reps

Rack Pulls
Set the safeties in the power rack to just below your knees. Bring your shins right against the bar and grab the bar slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Pull shoulder blades back and keep back flat, stand up tall and drive your hips towards the bar. Once Standing, slowly return the weight back down and let the bar stop completely on the safeties, increasing weight each set until you take the last 2 set to failure.

Exercise Breakdown:
1 set of 6 reps at 225 lbs.
1 set of 5 reps at 315 lbs.
1 set of 10 reps at 405 lbs.
1 set of 10 reps at 455 lbs.