Advice for back workouts?

The biggest thing for me is actually feeling and engaging the specific part of the back I’m working. I’ll hold the concentric for a couple seconds just before the eccentric and then lower slowly. That gives a solid pump. I do barbell rows, close-grip supinated pulldowns, lat machines that let you twist the grip, and dumbbell rows. I finish with one-arm lat pulldowns to add a little extra. Maybe you already do this, but it’s what I do on back day and for other muscles too.

Starting back day with neutral-grip pull-ups made my lats grow a lot and gives an awesome pump. I also switched to machine lat pulldowns because I couldn’t hit my lats properly with the old technique.

For the last six months I’ve started with 3–4 pulldown exercises then finish with 1–2 row movements. My lats have blown up since I made that change. I like neutral-grip pulldowns, MAG grip, and a lot of the Hammer Strength or machine pulldowns. For rows I usually do chest-supported rows or single-arm DB rows. Rep range stays around 12 ±2. After the pulldowns my lats are totally pumped and it feels amazing.

Try German Volume Training. I think bent-over rows (barbell or dumbbell) are king. Ten sets of ten with a steady weight or running the rack works great. You can’t beat deadlifts or pull-ups either. Hit every angle on seated cable rows with every attachment you can.

I love the burn of 12–15 reps—especially when you push as heavy as possible to get those reps.

One simple thing that helped me: use straps for back work. They reduce forearm and biceps takeover and let you isolate the back more.

Use straps to limit forearm involvement on pull movements. For warm-up, do scapular mobility work. Start your session with an isolation for the lats—single-arm high rows are a good example.

Totally—straps are clutch. I didn’t use them much before, but now I use them on most back days, especially when I’m going heavier.

1) Use straps. 2) Start light to find the squeeze; if you can feel it, go up until you can’t squeeze well, then drop one notch and use that as your working weight. 3) Try lots of variations until you find what pumps your back. 4) Activate the back first—hang from a bar, try flexing your lats while hanging, then do ~50 very light assisted pull-ups to get blood in there. 5) Form matters—lots of muscles get involved and you can cheat through some back exercises without using your back. For low cable rows, pull until your elbows move behind you to get the real squeeze. My back needs high volume or heavy sets (or both), but don’t lift so heavy you just yank the weight. And straps will change your life for pulls.

My back day rotates between upper, mid and lower focus. For any of those I’ll pick 4 exercises and aim for a total volume around 12–16,000 lbs moved, concentrating on contraction and the negative. Maybe that helps.

12–16,000 lbs? Nah, I don’t buy that. What do you eat pre-workout for a pump? I think weight moved matters less than a solid mind–muscle connection using lighter loads.

My pre-workout these days: breakfast at 7am—4–5 eggs, 2 slices whole-grain toast, and 5 bacon slices—then a one-hour nap and I lift around 10am. The weight number I mentioned comes from sets like 5 reps with fingers-out and 8 reps with fingers-in on pulldowns trying for a lat stretch with a wide grip. For other moves it varies—could be a plate-loaded low-high pull or a mid-row tower. Just my two cents.

Pull-ups build a good back. Do wide-grip sets to failure and neutral-grip sets to failure. I usually put several sets of those after lat pulldowns and rows.

Mind–muscle connection is key. Squeeze at the top of every rep. You’ll probably have fewer reps or need to drop weight at first, but it helped me—everything except calves, haha. Seated rows give me the best pump. Deadlifts help too if you pause a bit at the top. If lat pulldowns are your last move, on the final set strip weight down until you can’t move even the light plates.

Back work is tricky. Add pull-ups or machine rows and really squeeze at the top. Slow your reps and focus on driving with your elbows instead of your hands. I barely felt my back until I started doing that.

Have you tried finishing with a Widowmaker? I like to end back day with one Widowmaker set on the seated Hammer Strength where your chest is supported—totally fries them and gives a huge pump every time.

If your gym has a high lat-row machine, use it. Really squeeze at the bottom and get a full stretch at the top. Then do rows with different grips: wide neutral, narrow supinated, wide pronated. Lift heavy but keep reps slow and controlled. Those give me the best back pump.