Fitness coach Jeff Cavaliere continues to blend science with training strategies for optimal muscle building. In his latest effort, shared via YouTube on December 22, 2024, he detailed his most effective workout for building a wider back.
From helping shape Major League Baseball players to celebrities and your average gym-goer, Jeff Cavaliere created ATHLEAN-X to impart wisdom to individuals of varying fitness levels. With over 13.9 million YouTube subscribers, he’s become one of the most followed and watched coaches in the industry.
Back training can present unique difficulties. While some struggle with mind-muscle connection, others are unsure of which exercises to include in order to make the most of their time inside the gym. Luckily, this problem has reached Cavaliere, who took the opportunity to break down his most effective back workout.
Jeff Cavaliere’s Science-Based Workout for a Wider Back
Find his exercise selections as well as his set/rep layout below:
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- Barbell Row – Ignition Set then 20 Effective Reps as a Rest/Pause as a Dead Row
- Seated Cable Row – Ignition Set then 20 Effective Reps as a Rest/Pause
- Lat Pulldowns – Ignition Set then 20 Effective Reps as a Rest/Pause
- DB High Pulls – Ignition Set then 20 Effective Reps as a Rest/Pause
- Underhand Grip ROM Pulldowns – Ignition Set then 20 Effective Reps as a Rest/Pause
Barbell Row
Using ignition sets or what many people refer to as a warmup set, Jeff Cavaliere explained how to start your back workout in his latest YouTube video.
“I promised you an effective back workout and this is what it’s going to look like. The first exercise up, I would say make it a compound lift like the barbell row but stick to that 12-rep max load you’re using on that first ignition set.
Remember the ignition set doesn’t count it just sets the stage for the subsequent repetitions that you’re going to work towards.”
Seated Cable Row
Maintaining an elbow-high position, he recommends hitting your first 10 repetitions before lowering them for the additional 10 reps.
“This is the seated cable row and I talked about the two different positions that you can get into. What I’d like you to do here is do your first 10 repetitions when you’re working on your effective reps and in that elbow-high position.”
“You can compensate for that [cumulative fatigue] by just dropping the elbows down, focusing a little bit more on the lats where there’s a little bit more strength, and finish off with 10 more effective reps,” he shared.
Lat Pulldown
He advocates for lifting heavier on the lat pulldown as you can safely pull the load with more body momentum if need be.
“This is where we introduce yeah you can use some heavier weights on the ignition set to kind of set the stage for fewer effective reps but still very difficult high tension productive reps. Why do we use it here? Because on the lat pulldown, if needed, we can safely get more momentum and full body momentum to get that down.”
DB High Pull
During dumbbell high pulls, he instructed lifters to keep their thumbs higher than their pinkies.
“Here, I recommend the 12-rep max as the weight, going for those full 20 effective reps. Remember, on the high pull, this is not an upright row, this is actually with your thumbs pointed up higher than your pinkies.”
ROM Pulldown
He suggested using an underhand narrow grip with elbows in front to ensure a good stretch during ROM pulldowns.
“We just flip the grip underhand and make sure we’re getting those elbows out in front of us, narrow grip and get a good stretch on the lats on every single repetition.
It’s almost lingering in that stretched position at the top. You can go with actually an eight-rep max here if you wanted to because once again, you have the opportunity on a pulldown to utilize a little momentum to do 10 effective reps in here total.”
With just these five exercises, Jeff Cavaliere is confident that you can make adequate gains using his set and repetition formula. Feel free to try his workout and accompanying tips the next time you attempt back training!
RELATED: Jeff Cavaliere Shares Best Dumbbell Exercises for ‘Bigger, Stronger, Healthier Shoulders’
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