Cydney Gillon is leaving no stone unturned in her quest to become an eight-time Figure Olympia champion. On September 9, 2024, she took on a brutal back workout in preparation for her title defense next month at the 2024 Mr. Olympia.
Gillon won her first Figure Olympia title in 2017. At the time, little did fans know what a dominant force she would become in the growing division. With each season passing, her muscularity, symmetry, and conditioning reached new levels, further separating her name from the rest of her rivals on stage.
Last season, Gillon laid claim to her seventh Figure Olympia title dominantly, solidifying her legacy in the historic contest as the most winningest champion of the category’s 19-year history. But with Masters Olympia winner Jessica Reyes Padilla and Lola Montez gunning for her crown, Gillon understands she needs to elevate her physique to unforeseen heights if she hopes to leave Sin City as an eight-time Olympia winner.
2024 Mr. Olympia Prep: Cydney Gillon’s Figure-Back-Building Workout
Find the exercise names below:
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- Machine Lat Pullovers
- Machine Low Row
- Super Lat Pull Down
- Seated Cable Rows
- Cable Lat Pull Down
- Cable Lat Pullover
Machine Lat Pullovers
Gillon’s coach Damian Segovia started her on the Panatta lat pullover machine, where he emphasized that they were looking to take her biceps out of any back movements.
“One of the biggest corrections that we made was trying to eliminate anything that was trying to activate too much biceps when it comes to her back movements. Just again, her arms have always been nice, really strong, really powerful, but just trying to minimize the balance of the physique and not just have the arms up here bigger than her shoulders.”
“Everything doesn’t have to be built. At the end of the day, he’s creating an image of what he wants to see on stage. I’m just following directions. There’s an image in his mind and it should be sculpted based off what your genetics are.”
Machine Low Row
Using a strong squeeze and holding at the top of her repetitions, Gillon focused on the stretch through her arms during each contraction.
“Let’s focus on that stretch, really allowed the shoulder blades to open up. Just stretch through your arms and let those shoulder blades open up in the back,” he shared.
Super Lat Pull Down
In between sets, her coach explained why they take advantage of unilateral machines.
“Any time you can use a unilateral machine, I would advise using it because if you notice, most of the time one side of a muscle group, especially back, will tend to hit a little bit harder than the other so you’re really able to focus on it by using unilateral movements.”
Seated Cable Rows
She continued to focus on slow and controlled repetitions on the seated cable row machine, keeping her chest flared upward with a firm posture.
Cable Lat Pull Down
Gillon says when she looks in the direction of a muscle not firing, it can help her ‘turn that muscle on.’ Her coach explained that mobility work will be required post-training after noticing a spot on her back that is struggling to activate.
“If you notice me on one side of her back more so than the other, her right side is a little jammed up I assume it’s just from traveling and sleeping in different hotel beds. She’s not used to being on the airplane. If I saw that earlier, we would have probably focused on some mobility work before the lift to try to open it up but I just saw it now. So afterward, she’ll spend a little time rolling to try to get that area to open up,” he shared.
Cable Lat Pullover
They finish off with cable lat pullovers and call it a day.
Back training has always been a massive priority for Gillon regardless of the time of year. She shared a tip-filled back workout tutorial for beginners who intend to grow the tricky body part. This demonstration is perfect for first-time gym-goers who want to strengthen and accentuate the muscles in their back.
Her latest training session is proof she’s doing everything within her power to leave Las Vegas with another title. Don’t miss the 2024 Mr. Olympia show next month from October 10-13 for its 60th anniversary celebration.
RELATED: 7x Figure Olympia Cydney Gillon Shares Glutes-Building Workout With or Without Machines
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