Two-time Figure Olympia Erin Stern shares a wealth of health and fitness knowledge with her fans. In a recent YouTube video, Erin Stern revealed her ultimate V-taper back workout, which can give the illusion of a smaller waist.
Having found success in both the Figure and Bikini categories, Erin Stern has shifted her focus to helping others on their fitness journeys. Stern has built an impressive following across several social media platforms where she shares easy-to-understand workouts and motivational tips.
From tightening the inner thighs to targeting the ‘bra fat area,’ Erin Stern has a vast understanding of fitness and has an exercise for every body part. In a recent YouTube video, Stern shared her ultimate V-taper back workout, which can help make the waist appear smaller.
“Have you ever heard the phrase bodybuilding competitions are won from the back? If so, then you understand the importance of training your back versus only training mirror muscles or muscles that you can readily see.”
Erin Stern’s V-Taper Back Workout
- T-Bar Row
- Paused-Rep Lat Pulldown
- Single-Arm Smith Machine Row
- Wide Grip Lat Pushdown
- Incline Bench Lateral Raise
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In addition to strength and posture benefits, Stern explains that the aesthetic benefits of this back workout make it highly desirable.
“A lot of times as competitors we’ll get on stage and the front of the competitor looks great and then when they turned around it’s almost like they forgot back day.”
“You have those aesthetic benefits. Now, in terms of health benefits, you’re looking at improved strength, reduced risk of injury, and also improved posture.”
She adds that if you neglect the rear delts the physique as a whole won’t look complete.
“If you neglect those rear delts, then it looks incomplete. So, we are just going to go through some of my favorite exercises for building width across the upper back so you can create that V-taper or superhero physique.”
T-Bar Row
While performing T-bar rows, Stern said she favored the landmine attachment to control the movement of the bar. She also prefers 25-pound plates for this exercise.
“Now the landmine attachment is very helpful for this exercise as it can control the movement of the bar. If you don’t have this, don’t worry, you can actually place the bar in a sturdy corner. So, make sure you have concrete or something reinforced behind it not just dry wall.”
“I like to use 25-pound plates as it gives you a bit more range of motion and your range of motion is important when it comes to muscle growth. Feet are going to be about 1 and a half times shoulder width and you’ll need a DD attachment so you can do a neutral grip.”
Paused-Rep Lat Pulldown
To engage the lats effectively, Stern utilizes paused-rep lat pulldowns with an overhand grip.
“Now pause reps are really effective when it comes to engaging the lats and also improving mind-muscle connection. So, what I want you to do is take an overhand grip and really think about just your hand all the way to your elbow as being part of the bar itself” said Erin Stern.
“Focus on pulling through the elbow keeping your upper body nice and tall making sure that you have the pads set so that you are in a static position so the bar is not pulling you up and creating any kind of momentum.”
Single-Arm Smith Machine Row
Next, she moves into single-arm Smith machine rows, underscoring that isolateral exercises are ideal for improving symmetry.
“Single arm exercises are excellent for improving symmetry from right side to left side and I would recommend starting with your non-dominant side so that’s starting with your weaker side and how many reps you can get on the weaker side that’s what you’re going to do on your stronger side.”
“Setup for this exercise, you want to be relatively close to the bar and you’re going to use an overhand grip on it which turns out to be a neutral grip so your palm is going to be facing your body.”
Wide Grip Lat Pushdown
Stern prefers wide grip lat pushdowns which build the width of the back, further creating the illusion of a smaller waist.
“The wide grip you’re going to go a little bit lighter than you would normally go on pushdowns. This is also going to help build width across the back.”
“So beautiful rippling muscles if you will, now you’re taking an overhand grip, the grip is going to be about one and a half times two times shoulder width,” says Stern. “Instead of thinking of pulling the weight down, I want you to think about hollowing out your upper back just a bit and think about pushing that bar to your knees.”
Incline Bench Lateral Raise
She favors incline bench lateral raises because the bench helps with eliminating body momentum during each rep.
“I love performing it on the incline bench for a couple of reasons. One, you’re going to limit or eliminate the use of momentum so your chest is going to be against the bench, momentum is not going to be used.”
While performing this exercise, Stern says you should push the dumbbells outward as if you’re opening a door or opening a cape.
“You’re going to think about pushing the dumbbells away sort of like you would push a door open or think about you have a cape on and you’re opening a cape. So, those are a couple of queues that might be helpful.”
When it comes to working out, Erin Stern always takes an analytical approach. However, she doesn’t just provide workouts that target specific areas of the body, she also shares information on how to train while injured and ways to improve mind-muscle connection.
Stern continues to serve as a prominent voice within the fitness and bodybuilding community. If aesthetics, a smaller waist, and a more defined back are among your goals, perhaps this workout is best for you.
RELATED: Erin Stern Shares Time Efficient Superset Upper Body Workout With Bench & Dumbbells
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