Tom Venuto's BodybuildingSecrets.com - 100 Different Ways To Do Lat Pulldowns???

100 Different Ways To Do Lat Pulldowns???

Tom Venuto, CSCS, CPT

Monday, July 11th, 2005. My lower back feels a lot better today, but I still decided to skip the unsupported types of rows and stay with pulldowns and supported rows/rowing machines like the hammer strength. I think maybe next time it will be back to some low cable rows and or one arm dumbbell rows. Then if all goes well, it will be onward to bent over barbell rows or t bar rows, (careful and strict on those!) Gotta thicken up the back - and rowing is how it’s done!

UPPER BACK / LATS

A1 Reverse Grip Lat Pulldown: 3 warmup sets; 3 sets X 250 lbs (stack) X 12, 10, 9 reps X 3010 tempo
A2 Lean-Back Pulldowns (facing away from machine, pull low): 3 sets X 140 lbs X 10, 8, 7 reps X 4021 tempo; *No rest between exercises in superset, 90 seconds rest after each superset
B1 Hammer Strength Iso Lateral Rowing One arm at a time: 1 set X 180 lbs X 12 reps (warm up); 3 sets X 360 (4 plates per side) X 12, 10, 8 reps X 2010 tempo
C1 Prone Incline Bench Low Cable Rows: 3 sets X 160 lbs X 12, 12, 12 reps pull low to stomach strict @ 4032 tempo, then 8, 8, 8 reps pull high to chest quick @ 1010 tempo
C2 Prone Incline two dumbbell rows: 3 sets X 45 lbs X 12, 11, 10 reps X 3011; *no rest between exercises in superset, 60 seconds rest after each superset

LOWER BACK

A1 Hyperextension (low back extension): 3 sets X 25 lbs X 20, 16, 14 reps

CALVES

A1 Calf Press on Cybex Horizontal (Supine) Leg Press Machine: 3 sets X 160 lbs X 20 reps, 16 reps, 14 reps X 2122 tempo, speed up on last few reps
A2 Standing Calf Machine: 3 sets X 500 lbs (stack) X 20 reps, 18 reps + 5 burns, 14 reps + 5 burns; *no rest between exercises in each superset, 60 seconds rest after each superset
B1 Seated Calf Machine: 3 sets X 190 lbs (4 plates + dime) X 15, 15, 14 reps

Workout Commentary

I skipped the usual starting exercise, pull-ups, today in favor of some heavy reverse grip pulldowns. Pulled the entire stack (250 lbs) for 8-12 reps (controlled but not “super strict”), then dropped the weight to only 140 lbs, turned around and faced away from the stack, leaned back and did super strict “lean back” pulldowns. I also pulled these to the low pec line/xiphod area for a different effect (harder too). It’s almost like an inverted row.

A pulldown is not just a pulldown, by the way. The “lean-back, low-pull” pulldowns I did today are just one of, oh… a hundred or more different ways I could show you how to do a pulldown. Just think about the number of variations you could do with different grips and handles alone. If you add the grip variations and exercise variations with technique variations, the possible combinations are infinite.

Minimalists will argue, “Squat, bench, row - everything else is a variation,” or something like that. True. You can build a very strong and muscular physique with only basics and very brief workouts. For the competitive bodybuilder, however, the more angles you hit it from, the more detailed, polished, and complete your development will become. Variation can also reduce injuries from repetitive pattern overload.

I recently started working on a new training course - just for serious bodybuilders - about how to use over a hundred of these unique technique variations. With this information, if you wanted to, you could stimulate continuous new growth and literally never repeat the same workout twice - ever, for the rest of your life. I’ll put up a page on this site with more information as the course gets closer to completion. Over the next several blogs, I’ll give you some specifics (“sneak previews”) on some of these techniques to give you an idea what I’m talking about and you can try them for yourself.

Anyway, I digress. After pulldowns, it was on to hammer strength isolateral rows, one arm at a time this week and heavier - 4 plates per side. Controlled, but not super strict form.

Then it was another superset of incline bench prone cable rows, same as last week (but heavier), into 2 dumbbell incline bench prone rows. The former really nails the “lower lats”, while the former gets the rhomboids right where they need it.

Finished up back with weighted hyperextensions. I know my lower back still isn’t 100%, but these felt fine - easy actually. Good sign!

Wrapped up the workout with calves - continuing on the same routine with more weight than previous sessions.

My nutrition is still the same as last several days - going into second round of medium-carb cycle until Thursday, which will be the next carb up day (3 days low-medium, 1 day high). After Friday’s weigh in/ body fat/ assessment I’ll decide whether to lower the carbs more or hold em’ steady. Cardio was 45 minutes stairmaster, 585 calories. Most of my cardio workouts are now 35-45 minutes, once a day.

Until next time, train hard, and remember - your muscles are stubborn old buggers… they like to stay exactly the way they are… if you want them to grow and develop completely, you gotta mix up the exercises, grips, angles and techniques you use regularly.

Posted 11 July, 2005 in Workouts

Comments

Ken Leonard said:

Tom,

Great site. I really have been motivated by your information and your training progress. I have a question about your supersets, is it alternating between exercises? ie: B1 Hammer Row, C1 Prone Incline Bench, rest; then another B1 Hammer Row, C1 Prone Incline Bench, etc. Or do you do all B1 Hammer Rows sets and immediately do C1 Prone Incline Bench sets?

Posted on Jul 15, 2005 08:45 AM

Tom Venuto said:

From this point forward, I will put an asterisk after my supersets indicating how the superset is performed, as I am getting tons of mail from people who are NOT familiar with superset (and triset) shorthand.

A1, A2 indicates a superset - two exercises together with no rest in between exercises, then a brief rest interval after the second exercise.

If I were doing the first and second exercises as regular straight sets it would have looked like A1, then B1, indicating exercise #1, then exercise #2, with normal rest periods.

In the case of this back workout, I supersetted reverse grip pulldowns (A1) with lean back pulldowns (A2). Then I did regular straight sets (NOT supersetted) on the hammer machine (B1) which is why you don't see B2, etc. Then I supersetted prone incline cable rows (C1) and prone incline dumbbell rows (C2)

Five exercises all done as straight sets with 1-2 minutes (or more) between every set would make for an awfully long workout, but two pairs of supersets and one exercise with regular sets has me done in approximately 30 - 35 minutes, give or take a few minutes.

I always train with more volume before a show, but I train quicker (meaning less rest, not faster reps). I train heavier, slower and with less volume in the off season. I like a lot of volume, but ONLY if I can squeeze it into a short period of time.

Posted on Jul 15, 2005 10:16 AM

Matt K said:

Tom, I'm a competitive bodybuilder and always looking for ways to improve...For the past 6 months (since my last competition) I have been really sticking to the basics with my lifting. I have put on some great size by doing pretty much the same exersizes with low volume and pretty low reps, and I've stayed pretty lean by consistantly doing cardio and eating very clean. On this site, You've just pretty much been describing your "contest prep", and I'm assuming its different than your "off-season". I am staying at 7% BF and around 215 pounds for the off-season and still not doing another show for 7 months in effort to add some additional size. Now, you have an awesome physique, and I have all the respect in the world for a natural bodybuilder that looks like that (I too am lifetime all-natural). Here's my thing tho-most people that I've learned from along the way have always taught me use more "loose form" and heavy weight, rather than super strict form. Now, I know this has helped me put on size, and I'm almost "scared" to dramatically change my workout when i get around my competition and i feel like i lose mass when i superset and sacrifice weight for form. And i usually work in the 4-6 rep range, so it's hard to mentally decrease the weight so much and add reps...Do you know successful bodybuilders that just "stick to the basics" and are more "consistant" rather than always changing their rep range and exersizes? I use the most basic exersizes and stay away from cables...I'd appreciate your imput for "off-season" recomendations. Thanks!!

Posted on Jul 17, 2005 02:29 PM