Back

As part of our switching over to the "low and slow" lifting philosophy, Matt and I were in search of a new back routine. I've been feeling for a while that deadlifts are the least productive lift that I do. They don't really isolate much in the back. They fatigue you for doing any significant work after it. And...if you're not training to be a powerlifter (where it's one of the three required lifts), why do them?

I went searching for a better back routine. I looked through a number of the lifting books that I have, and then thought, "Hey...why not look at the training section on bodybuilding.com? I'm sure someone, probably many well-informed someones, have asked this question before and designed some good answers."

Right on. Bodybuilding.com was a gold mine. Out of the many links, I found Matt Weik's Back-Building 101 to be one of the most accessible. We did the first workout tonight, and wow...what a difference. Cutting down the weight, doing it slow, following the protocol - it'll tax the muscles well. By the end of five exercises, we were both more exhausted than we ever have been on a back day, and felt like we had hit the back itself more than we ever had before. I think I'm going do more exploring of the site to see what else I can find. There's a ton there.

So, for tonight:

Sunday, January 6, 2008 - Back

Elliptical	8:03 / 1.0 miles
Wide grip pulldowns (M)	120 x 12 : 120 x 12 : 120 x 8
Close grip pulldowns (M)	120 x 12 : 120 x 12 : 120 x 8
Wide grip barbell rows (F)	115 x 10 x 3
Close grip dumbbell rows (F)	50 x 10 x 3
Barbell shrugs (F)	145 x 12 : 145 x 10 : 145 x 12