Bodybuilding veteran Lee Priest‘s resourcefulness in the gym set him up for an iconic career. In a YouTube video from June 30, 2026, he explained how to use calisthenics and time under tension to sculpt an impressive back.
Priest remains among the most outspoken bodybuilders in the IFBB Pro League. Though he never hoisted the Sandow trophy above his head, he gave top-tier stars a run for their money. Having competed across multiple eras, Priest shared the stage with massive legends, including Ronnie Coleman, Jay Cutler, and Kevin Levrone.
At 53, training demands have changed for Priest. Since he maintains a busy traveling schedule, weights aren’t always available. To shore up missed sessions, he sometimes includes calisthenics to maintain his health and athleticism.
Lee Priest on How to Build a Good Back With Just Calisthenics
In the video, Priest emphasized that calisthenics and time under tension go hand-in-hand. He believes that anyone can sculpt their back with chin-ups, as long as they stay consistent.
“It’s all about just putting the muscle under time under tension, using your body as the weight. I said, if you’ve done just chin-up after chin-up, and by the end of a three-month lockdown, if you’re doing over a 100 chins a day, you’re going to get a good back,” shared Lee Priest.
He shared that there are a variety of grips that can target different areas of the back:
“You can go wide grip, close grip, you can go reverse grip, so you’re working the width for your back, the middle of your back, you’re using a bit more biceps doing this way, doing dips on a bench, you can go wide, you can go close, you can do close-grip push-ups for triceps, push-ups in general for chest. There’s so much you can do just with your body.”
In his prime, Priest boasted 24-inch biceps. He previously broke down how to train arms effectively while avoiding injury. He prefers an arm-only workout each week, which he credits for helping him avoid fatigue build-up.
Even if your only options are body weight exercises, Priest believes that’s enough for progress. He encourages lifters to explore different grips and movements to see what fits best in their routine.
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