Tag: old school
An Old School Back Workout For a Wider and Thicker Back
Get Golden-Era Back Workout for a Cobra Back
As the gyms and exercise equipment get better with new research and technology, more people are falling into the trap of relying solely on machines in their workouts. A chiseled V-taper is the result of a carefully crafted workout.
While the machines can bring you the separation and definition, if your goal is the golden-era aesthetics, you’re better off sticking to the old school back workout. We’ll be focusing on compound movements for building width and thickness in your back.
Pull-ups – 50 Reps
Pull-ups should be a staple in your back workouts. Start your workout with 50 reps of military-style strict pull-ups. Don’t use momentum by swinging your legs or jerking to lift yourself up.
If you can’t complete the 50 reps in one set, use as few sets as possible. Shorten your rest periods between sets to keep the tension on your lats. Use a pull-up assist machine if you can’t perform bodyweight pull-ups.
Deadlifts – 3 Sets 8-6-4 Reps
Perform the deadlifts at the beginning of the workout to exhaust your backs. A good back workout should be as brutal as a leg workout done to the max. Deadlifts are a compound exercise and one of the key movements to build strength, conditioning and muscle mass.
Since you’ll be performing fewer reps on the deadlifts, your goal should be to move as much weight as possible. Make sure you’re don’t lose your form while performing the exercises listed in the workout.
Behind the Neck Lat Pulldowns – 3 Sets 15-12-10 Reps
Behind the neck lat-pulldowns can better recruit your lats as compared to the orthodox version. While the pulling exercises work the width of your back, the rowing movements work the thickness.
It’s important to have a mix of pulling and rowing movements to build a cobra back. People with stiffer shoulder joints can have a problem performing the exercise and should warm-up their rotator cuffs before beginning to train.
T-Bar Rows – 3 Sets 12-10-8 Reps
T-Bar rows are one of the most underutilized back exercises and are sadly fading out. If you don’t have access to a T-bar row machine at your gym, you can perform the exercise on a barbell by placing one side in a corner and attaching a V handle.
Bend over at your hips so your upper body forms a 60-degree angle with the floor. As you pull the bar towards your chest, pause and contract your lats at the top of the movement. Return to the starting position and repeat for the recommended repetitions.
Dumbbell Pullovers – 3 Sets 12-10-8 Reps
Dumbbell pullovers are incredibly effective in shaping the v-taper. Lie down across a flat bench and place your shoulders on the bench. Your knees should be bent, feet placed flat on the floor, and hips as close to the floor as possible.
Hold a dumbbell right above your chest with your elbows slightly bent. Maintain the slight bend in your elbows as you lift the dumbbell off your chest and lower the dumbbell to the floor when it passes over your head.
Barbell Rows – 3 Sets 12-10-8 Reps
Barbell rows target the upper and middle back and help in building the thickness in your back. Pulling the barbell towards your lower abdominal will target your middle back and bringing the bar towards the upper abs will train your upper back.
Using the wrist straps can help you get a better pump in the exercise as it eliminates the wrist and forearm recruitment. In the compound exercises like the barbell rows, your grip strength is more prone to fail before your back.
Who do you think has the best back? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
*Header image courtesy of Envato Elements
6 Forgotten But Incredibly-Effective Exercises Which Need To Be Brought Back
Reliving the Golden Days
The beautiful sport of bodybuilding has evolved with time. Machines, juices, and glamour have taken over the bodybuilding world. Don’t get us wrong, we are not complaining, and neither is this article meant to compare the current bodybuilders with the good old days. We’re here to talk about the six forgotten exercises that need to be brought back for bodybuilding’s sake.
With the emergence of the online fitness scene, we see a lot of “influencers” posting their workouts online. We can’t help but notice how different their workouts are from the typical old-school training routines.
It’s almost as if the workout vanity is as important as the physiques that are a result of it. Now, there is nothing wrong with that but we miss watching nasty bodybuilders grunting through their workouts in pain, sweat, and sometimes even blood.
We have put together a list of exercises that were a hit with the golden-age bodybuilders but have now faded with time. Make these exercises a part of your exercise arsenal if you love the golden-age aesthetics as much as we do.
6 Forgotten But Incredibly-Effective Exercises Which Need To Be Brought Back
Bench Tricep Dips
Imagine a sunny day in LA, and now picture yourself in a bare-bone gym in California surrounded by jacked dudes sporting staches, wearing tank tops and short shorts. Yep, we just narrated a scene out of the legendary documentary – Pumping Iron, and this is going to the theme of the article.
The triceps are an overlooked muscle. They don’t get the same love as their siblings – biceps. When people think “arm training” they usually picture themselves curling heavy dumbbells. Hardly anyone imagines themselves performing skullcrushers when arm training is brought up.
The bench tricep dips are on the verge of extinction and need to be rescued.
Steps:
Place your hands at a shoulder-width distance on a bench and lockout your elbows.
Your arms should be perpendicular to the floor at the top of the movement.
Extend your legs until your upper legs are parallel and your lower legs are perpendicular to the floor.
Place your feet flat on the floor.
Slowly lower your upper body until your chest reaches bench height.
Return to the starting position with an explosive movement and repeat for the recommended reps.
Modification: If you find this exercise too easy, you could add resistance by keeping your feet on an elevated platform or do what Arnold did – place a few weight plates on your lap and knock out the reps until the horseshoe muscles pop out at the back of your arms.
Barbell Wrist Curls
A few more years and you’ll only see people perform the barbell wrist curls in old bodybuilding videos or if a bodybuilding museum opens up someday. Forearms, these days, are considered nothing more than accessory muscles. People slap on a couple of fatgrips on their dumbbells or barbells and call it a day.
Steps:
Keep your forearms and elbows flat on a bench while holding a barbell with an underhand grip.
Curl the barbell using your wrists and pause at the top of the movement for a couple of seconds.
Return to the starting position and repeat for the desired reps.
Mod: While holding the barbell with an underhand grip targets the sides of the forearms, grabbing the bar with an overhand grip will work the top of your forearms. Don’t let your ego get the better of you while performing this exercise. Use weights you’ll be able to follow a full range of motion with.
Donkey Calf Raises
Back in the day, hitting the gym was about training with buddies. These days, machines and Instagram have consumed the roles of training partners. Most people like working out on machines in isolation.
We would recommend performing the donkey calf raises with people on your back as it adds a new dimension to your training – stability. Aesthetics are fine but you should also focus on training for functionality. Donkey calf raises ranks high on the list of forgotten exercises that need to be brought back.
Steps:
Place your toes on an elevated platform.
Bend over at your hips so that your upper body is taken out of the equation. It’s best to perform this exercise near a bench press or a smith machine as you’ll have something to hold on to.
Ask your training partner to hop onto your back while you perform the calf raises with a full ROM.
Hold and squeeze the life out of your calves at the top of the exercise.
Cross-Bench Dumbbell Pullovers
Dumbbell pullovers are one of the best exercises for building a V-tapered back, and yet only a few people consider adding them to their training routines. Performing the cross-bench dumbbell pullovers with a strict form will help open up your rib cage and add muscle mass to your lats.
Steps:
Lie down on a bench with your shoulder placed on the pads.
Grab a dumbbell with both your hands over your chest.
While keeping your elbows locked out, slowly lower the dumbbell until it is a few inches off the floor.
Return to the starting position and repeat for the recommended reps.
Keep your hips low to the ground and make sure you don’t lift them while you’re performing the exercise.
Arm Blaster Curls
The arm blaster curls have to be one of the most badass bicep exercises of all times. We still don’t understand how it lost its charm with time and ended up on a list of forgotten exercises. If your gym doesn’t have an arm blaster, add one to your gym bag, and your arms will thank you later.
Steps:
Adjust the arm blaster so it fits snugly under your chest.
Place the back of your elbows on the pads and grab a barbell while your arms are fully extended in front of you.
Curl the barbell by bending at your elbows with a strict form.
Only your lower arms should move while your upper arms stay in place.
Roman Chair Situps
How often do you see the current Mr. Olympias train abs on a Roman chair? Back in the day, a Roman chair was a staple in an ab training routine. The Roman chair situps can be much harder than normal crunches as it requires a lot more control from your stabilizers and a strong core.
Steps:
The Roman chairs usually have a lot of moving parts so you’d want to have the roller height and seat distance adjusted right.
Once you’re in position, place your hands on your chest or behind your head.
Slowly lower your torso backward until you’re at least parallel to the floor.
Return to the starting position with a slow and controlled motion.
Mod: You could make the exercise harder by adding resistance to the mix. Hold a dumbbell or a weight plate in front of your chest and perform the exercise to failure.
Do you use any of these forgotten exercises in your workout schedules? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.