Tom Venuto's BodybuildingSecrets.com - "Stuff THAT In Your Blog" (Back Day With Richie)

“Stuff THAT In Your Blog” (Back Day With Richie)

Tom Venuto, CSCS, CPT

Thursday, July 28th. Back day with Richie. I’ve been a competitive bodybuilder for 16 years and I swear the pulldown supersets Richie had me do today had to be the most painful workout I have ever experienced in my life (muscle burn). I should have a back like Ronnie Coleman after this! (DAMMIT, why don’t I have a Ronnie back yet????)

BACK

A1 Wide Grip Lat Pulldown: 2 warm up sets; Set 1: 180 lbs X 12 reps; Set 2: 180 lbs, 195 lbs, 210 lbs X 6 reps, 6 reps, 4 + 4 forced reps (ascending set)
A2 Rope Straight Arm Pulldowns: Set 1: 110 lbs X 12 reps; Set 2: 110 lbs X 10 reps, drop to 90 lbs X 10 more reps; No rest between exercises A1 & A2, approx 2 minutes between supersets
B1 Lat Pulldown to Rope Straight Arm Pulldown (Giant Drop Superset): a) Wide grip lat pulldown 210 lbs X 10 reps with 4 sec hold in stretched position between every rep; b) Straight arm rope pulldown 120 lbs X 10 reps with 4 second hold in stretch position; c) Wide grip lat pulldown 180 lbs X 10 reps with 4 sec hold in stretch position; d) Straight arm rope pulldown 120 lbs X 10 reps with 4 second hold in stretch position; e) Wide grip lat pulldown 135 lbs X 10 reps with 4 second hold in stretch position; f) Straight arm rope pulldown 120 lbs X 10 reps with 4 second hold in stretch position; * This is the giant set from hell: No rest at all — all six sets in a row nonstop
C1 Low Cable Rows (strict, “mechanical, 3-segment rows*): Set 1: 180 lbs X 8 reps; Set 2: 150 lbs X 10 reps; Set 3: 130 lbs X 12 reps; Set 4: 120 lbs X 12 reps
D1 T-bar Rows (wide palms down grip): 3 sets X 90 lbs (2 plates) to failure (8-12 reps), strict, chest up, full stretch, zero momentum

CALVES

A1 calf Press machine: 2 warm up sets; 4 sets X 7 plates (630 lbs) X 20, 17, 16, 15 reps
B1 Donkey Calf Machine - One Legged: 4 sets X 150 lbs X 20 reps

Workout Commentary

This workout was focused on back (lat) width. Richie and I set some goals a few weeks ago, and one of them was to improve my V-taper and to develop more width in my lats, especially as seen from the front in a front double bicep, a front lat spread or the relaxed “symmetry” round stance. The first combination of exercises was designed to do just that.

Richie started me with wide grip pulldowns supersetted to straight arm rope pulldowns. The rope pulldowns are especially good for working that part of the lats that inserts right up under your armpit and is visible from the front poses.

The rope pulldowns were done with particular attention to a certain form. I did the rope pulldowns with straight arms, bent knees, sticking my butt out and keeping the back flat or slightly arched. This position, (especially the butt out, arched back part), added ten times the stretch that you would get doing these with loose form. Richie said to me, “If you don’t maintain the proper body position, “YOU MISS THE TARGET.” (trust me, we hit the bullseye!)

Two supersets of the wide grip pulldown/ rope pulldown combination, then he had me superset back and forth SIX times NONSTOP - three sets of each exercise.

What Richie did to add intensity is to have me hold every rep in the stretch position for approximately four seconds, then start each rep from a dead stop with no momentum. I have a high pain tolerance, but I gotta tell you, I have never felt so much “BURN” in my life. It was a burn combined with the stretch that made it so painful. And Richie knew it too. Richie finally checked out this blog last week and when he finished putting me through this torture, he looks at me and says, “STUFF THAT IN YOUR BLOG!”

Next we went on to seated low cable rows. These were done in three segments: (1) Pull from full stretch to stomach, chest up and squeeze/contract hard WITHOUT leaning back AT ALL, (2) extend the arms with no forward lean or stretch, (3) AFTER arms are fully extended, THEN lean forward into full stretch… then repeat. We started off with 180 lbs, which is light weight for reps in normal form, but with the 3-part “mechanical” reps, even that was heavy, so we dropped weight each set and worked on the form and stretch and deep contraction.

We finished back with T-bar rows with the wide palms down grip. Only two plates (90 lbs) to go easy on my low back. (I’m very pleased when my back feels good enough to do ANY T-bar rows). Many people slap on tons of plates and they do these almost standing up, which hits more upper back, rhomboid and lower trapezius. Richie had me do the T-bar’s very strict, bent over completely and going for the full stretch, and a full contraction with the chest up and back arched at the top. Doing them with this kind of form really hit the belly of the lats.

That was it for back. I did heavy calves on the leg press, followed by one legged donkey calf raises. When you reach the full stack with both legs, you can always go one leg (or arm) at a time, then work your way back up the stack.

Posted 28 July, 2005 in Workouts

Comments

ian dorgan said:

we need a dvd of those workouts ...very hard to understand those exercises! Keep up these blogs, Ian

Posted on Aug 06, 2005 11:49 AM

Marc David said:

"Rope Pulldowns"

When I think about this, I'm thinking of sitting down at the lat pulldown machine with a rope attached.

But the more searching I do and the more I read this description, it sounds like doing a straight arm lat pulldown on a cable machine except with a rope attachment rather then a traditional straight arm bar.

Am I correct in thinking this?

How's the tempo on these? Since you do not mention it, I'm thinking it's just controlled but nothing like a 4014 thing.

This back workout is nothing I could even dream up if I WAS trying to tortune myself.

Can't imagine the burn.

Posted on Aug 07, 2005 01:44 AM

Tom (will work for carbs) Venuto said:

Theres a picture of me doing straight arm pulldowns with a bar in a previous blog (a new way to do pullups youve never seen before). The rope version is the same thing, with a rope (standing, facing the weight stack, knees bent, back flat, butt out). Tempo and form are BOTH keys. To increase intensity, adjust your tempo by holding for four seconds in the stretch position. use no momentum. The proper form as your knees bent, slightly bent forward and sticking your butt out when you get into the stretch position. Good luck!

Posted on Aug 07, 2005 10:49 PM

Marc said:

I tried this one. Absolutely fantastic!

But I'm at the point now where I can really see that having a partner there to push me would have been the kicker.

The workouts by themselves are damn intense.

But if a partner was around, I think I could have done 100% better.

Best back workout I've had in a long time.

All completed in under 60 minutes. Fantastic!

Loved the giant set! It was much harder then expected and after the 3 set was a mental game at that point to keep going.

Posted on Aug 08, 2005 12:25 PM