Bigger Back Workout | IFBB Pro Regan Grimes

IFBB Pro and Primeval Labs Athlete Regan Grimes is back with another high-volume muscle building workout. Today, Regan takes you inside his personal back and biceps training routine to help you grow a wider back and bigger arms!

Here’s the workout:

Regan Grimes Bigger Back Workout

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Pull Ups	3	10
Chest Supported Rows	4	12-15
Hammer Strength Low Rows	4	12-15
Hammer Strength High Rows	4	12-15
Seated Rows	4	12-15
Underhand Lat Pulldowns	4	12-15
Kayak Grimey Rows	4	12-15
Smith Machine RDL	4	12-15

Regan Grimes Back Training Tips

Pull Ups

Pull ups are a fantastic upper body mass building exercise and a phenomenal way to start back day.

When performing pull ups, make sure to pull the shoulders down and back and think about initiating the movement from the lats and pulling from the elbows. This mental cue helps you avoid relying too much on the biceps to do all the majority of the work. When you rely on your arms to do pull ups and chin ups, not only are you giving your lats a less effective workout, you’re also limiting how many reps you can perform on the pull up, as you’re not properly engaging the rest of the muscles of the upper back.

When you reach the top of each pull up, make sure to lower yourself under control, maintaining tension on the lats the entire time. Lastly, make sure you go to complete extension at the bottom of each rep and get a full stretch on the lats.

Chest Supported Rows

For this exercise, Regan uses a wide pronated grip, which helps hit more of the rhomboids and rear delts, compared to a neutral or supinated grip which emphasizes more of the lats.

The added benefit of performing chest-supported rows compared to barbell bent over rows is that the prone position helps reduce strain on the lower back, and it also help lessen the possibility of cheating the weight up.

As with pull ups, make sure to control the weight down and get a full stretch at the bottom by letting the scapula protract.

Hammer Strength Rows

Regan performs two different versions of the hammer strength row in this workout.

The first version is a low hammer strength row using a supinated (palm facing up grip), which helps emphasize the lower lats. The second version is a “high” hammer strength row (again using a supinated grip), which closely resembles an underhand pulldown.

Attacking the lats from both the high and low positions allows for maximum development of the lats -- one of the largest muscle groups in the entire body.

Regan performs these unilaterally as it allows him to really focus on the mind-muscle connection and fully contract a muscle group that is notoriously hard to train for most gym rats.

Seated Cable Rows

Following hammer strength rows, Regan moves onto the seated cable row. 

The added benefit of cable-based exercises in the workout is that it provides constant tension on the back muscles throughout the entire range of motion. When using free weights (dumbbells and barbells), tension on the muscle changes as you move the weight through space.

Additionally, since free weights heavily challenge your core and lower back, you are sometimes forced to use lighter weights than you do for other types of rows. Plus, there’s also the problem that many lifters run into -- twisting their torso at the top of a row to help generate momentum and get the weight up.

Seated cable rows eliminate these problems and allow you to really focus on strengthening the muscles of the upper back without working about your core or lower back fatiguing prematurely.

Kayak Grimey Rows

The kayak Grimey row is sure to be one lat exercise you’ve never tried before, so make sure to watch the video for exactly how to do it!

The movement resembles something similar to what you would do if you were rowing a kayak with an oar -- pulling to one side, and then to the other.

Attach a straight bar to a high cable pulley, grab the bar with a wide pronated grip, and slightly hinge at the hip as you would if you were to perform a straight-arm pulldown.

Row the right side of the bar to your right hip, return the bar to the top, then on the next rep, row to your left side. Alternate back and forth until you’ve completed all of the prescribed reps.

Also, when you are rowing to your right side, the left side should not be doing any real work. It’s just there to stabilize the bar and prevent it from slipping.

The added benefit of pulling to just one side at a time, is that you are able to get the elbow further behind the torso, allowing for a more complete contraction of the lats, which yields better growth and development.

Smith Machine RDL

To finish off this high volume back workout, Regan performs Romanian deadlifts in the Smith machine. RDLs are a great posterior chain exercise that hammers the glutes, hamstrings and lower back. Strengthening the lower back will pay dividends into your other training as it will help injury-proof the body and allow you to lift heavier in your other compounds movements as the lower back is often the weak link in many lifters kinetic chain.

Regan Grimes Back Workout Pre Workout Stack

Mega Pre

As you know, Regan loves getting a savage muscle pump during training. And, to get a massive pump, you need to drive as much blood as possible into the muscle.

Mega Pre is a non-stimulant pump pre workout specifically designed to support optimal blood flow, performance, and focus during training. Each serving of Mega Pre contains quality doses of research-backed ingredients, including 6 grams of L-Citrulline and 3 grams of Betaine, to help you train harder and perform better in your workouts.

Vasogorge Black

To take today’s pumps to the next level, Regan stacks Primeval Labs capsule-based pump product, Vasogorge Black, with his serving of Mega Pre.

Vasogorge Black is a another stimulant-free pump pre workout containing 1500mg HydroMax alongside 254mg VasoDrive-AP.

HydroMax is a high-yield form of glycerol that promotes cellular hydration and volumization. VasoDrive-AP contains a patented combination of lactotripeptides noted in scientific research to inhibit ACE -- an enzyme that causes vasoconstriction.

Regan takes ½ serving (3 capsules) of Vasogorge Black alongside his full serving of Mega Pre.

Intracell 7

For a high volume back workout like this, Regan needs to keep his energy levels high. To help sustain his performance during the workout, he mixes up two scoops of Intracell 7 and sips it throughout the training session.

Intracell 7 is a complete intra workout supplement containing 20 grams of fast-digesting carbs along with a full-spectrum profile of essential amino acids. The combination of carbohydrates and EAAs helps promote better athletic performance, reduce fatigue, and support protein synthesis.

Intracell 7 also contains valuable electrolytes, cell volumizers, and vasodilatory agents to support optimal blood flow and combat the dehydrating effects of hard training.

ISOLIT

Following the workout, Regan gets in his post-workout protein shake consisting of two scoops of ISOLIT.

ISOLIT is a high-quality, delicious-tasting protein powder containing 100% whey protein isolate. Every serving of ISOLIT supplies 25 grams of complete protein from our triple cold-filtered whey protein isolate.

And, to support optimal digestion and nutrient absorption, ISOLIT also includes a comprehensive digestive enzyme blend, featuring DigeSEB.