Men’s Physique Athlete Ryan Terry Shares Absolute Fire Back Workout Routine

British model and top Men’s Physique competitor recently posted a back routine on his Instagram page that looks really tempting… so we had to share it!

Be warned though, it’s not for the faint of heart and includes a lot of training volume. Therefore, we’d say it’s more of an intermediate/advanced back routine. Plus, you want to be able to complete the provided sets/rep per each exercise while still using challenging weights. And beginners will likely find this very difficult unless you have amazing endurance. Although, you likely inevitably end up lightening your loads as the workout progresses.

The routine involves utilizing different training methods to maximize your efforts and really challenge the muscles. These methods include time under tension (TUT), rest-pause sets, pyramid sets, and a high-volume finisher. 

Related: The 13 Best Methods For Increasing Training Intensity

Terry also included clips of him performing each exercise which you can use for reference. But, of course, we’ll explain each movement, as well as how to maximize each method that we just mentioned, below each exercise. 

Before you do the workout, make sure to do a few minutes of cardio to condition your joints and get some blood flowing. Alright, let’s get into it…

The Workout

We’ve provided some details and recommendations for each exercise. Feel free to modify according to what works best for you. 

We recommend 45 seconds to one-minute rest between sets and a little longer between exercises. But you can determine an optimal rest period for you. Just don’t rest too long though to keep things moving! 

We’d also suggest training no more than one other body part for this session seeing as it does involve a lot of sets/reps. 

Here’s the back workout… 

Wide grip pull-up

• 5 x 10-12 TUT reps

It doesn’t get much better than the pull-up for back development. This exercise works everything from traps to rhomboids, to lats and even the rear delts. But using a wide-grip can really emphasize the activation of the teres major which is located between the shoulder and the elbow, just below the armpit.

The teres major medially rotates, adducts (moves toward the midline of the body), and stabilizes the humerus (upper arm bone), and it also assists the lats in the extension of the humerus. 

This exercise utilizes “time under tension” which is simply increasing the amount of time your muscles are working against resistance for a single set. The average set with a moderate tempo may take 15-25 seconds to complete. But to maximize TUT, you want to slow it down a bit and aim for 30-40 seconds.

And the best way to do this is to slow the eccentric or negative portion of the movement, maintain a steady tempo, and not rest during the lockout. It may take a little time for you to get real good at this but do your best. 

To do it:

1. Grip the pull-up bar wide and move your shoulders down to make sure your head doesn’t sink into your shoulders. Keep your shoulders back. 
2. Keep your legs fully extended if possible and close together slightly in front of your body. 
3. Pull yourself up as high as you can and then slowly lower yourself back down. Make sure to maintain the same position for the starting position, not letting your head sink into your shoulders. 

Seated machine row

• 5 x 8-10 reps rest-pause 5 seconds, additional 5 reps

The seated machine row is a great overall back builder but it can be easy to cheat by rocking back and forth and using momentum. Focus on your form and lighten the weight up a little if you have to. 

A rest-pause set is when you complete the desired reps, rest for a few seconds, and continue to pump out more reps. This allows your ATP stores to re-synthesize so that you can perform more reps with the same weight without taking a long rest in between sets. 

So, for this exercise, you’ll perform the 8-10 reps, rest for 5 seconds, and then pump out 5 more reps. 

To do it:

1. Adjust the seat so that the handles are positioned at about mid-back level or whatever is most comfortable for you. 
2. Keep your back straight, chest up, core tight, flex your lats, and pull the handles back as far as you can. Make sure to pull with your lats by focusing on driving your elbows back. 
3. Slowly return the handles back until you feel a stretch in your lats and repeat. 

Wide grip pulldown

• 2 x 15 reps
• 2 x 12 reps
• 2 x 10 reps rest-pause 5 reps

Similar to the wide-grip pull-up, the pulldown is done on the seated cable machine and you’re more in control of the weight. That doesn’t mean you can slouch here though as you’ll still need to train with the same intensity. Use a long bar of your choice for this variation. 

And again, you’ll use the rest-pause method here but only for the last two sets of 10 reps. 

To do it:

1. Grip the bar wide and keep your shoulders down as you did for the wide-grip pull-up. Make sure your legs are secure under the machine padding.
2. Keep your back straight, chest up, and core tight. 
3. Pull the bar down to down to mid-chest level while leaning back slightly.
4. Reverse the motion until you feel a slight stretch in your lats and repeat. 

Hyperextensions 

• 4 x 12-15 reps

The hyperextension is an often underutilized exercise but it’s a really great option for working the lower back muscles. You can hold a weight in your hand for extra resistance otherwise your body weight should be sufficient. 

To do it:

1. Secure yourself with your hips above the padding. 
2. Keep your back straight and core tight then lower your upper body down to get a good stretch.
3. Use your posterior muscles to lift yourself to the top until your body is neutral. Do not overextend your lower back. 
4. Repeat. 

Single-arm dumbbell row

• 4 x 12-15 reps on each arm

Dumbbells rows are very effective for working the back symmetrically from top to bottom and you should always include a row variation in your back workouts. 

But the advantage of the dumbbell row is that you’re training one side at a time which is referred to as unilateral training. This allows you to identify and correct a strength imbalance, not to mention, you can work on improving equal mind/muscle connection on both sides. 

To do it: 

1. Use a bench or the dumbbell rack. 
2. Bend your knees and lean your torso forward until slightly above parallel to the ground. 
3. Keep your back straight, chest up, and core tight. 
4. Drive your elbow up and back as far as you can go. Lighten the weight if needed to ensure you’re maximizing a full range of motion. 
5. Lower the dumbbell until you feel a stretch in your lats and repeat. 
6. Make sure to alternate between both your left and right side. 

Dumbbell deadlifts 

• 4 x 8-10 reps

There’s probably not a single muscle that the deadlift doesn’t work. It’s one of the most effective movements for building your entire posterior chain (backside of the body), core muscles, grip, and mental fortitude. And using dumbbells for this variation, in particular, will improve total-body stability, coordination, and physical development too, of course. 

To do it:

1. Place the dumbbells on the floor in front of you about shoulder-width distance apart from each other. 
2. Take a hip-width stance or adjust your foot position to find a comfortable position for you. 
3. With your back flat, chest up, and core tight, bend down and grip the dumbbells. 
4. Drive through your heels to stand up and when the dumbbells reach mid-thigh, move your hips forward to lockout. 
5. Lower the weight back to the floor but keep the upper legs slightly above parallel to the ground. 

Supported dumbbell rows 

4 x 18-20 reps (high volume finisher)

This is a great finisher because it’s going to really allow you to focus on isolating the back muscles. By lying face down on an incline bench, you’re forced to use the target muscles and really focus. 

To do it: 

1. Set up a bench to an incline position as shown in the video clip.
2. Lie face down on the bench so that your chest is at the top and your feet are still on the floor. 
3. Drive your elbows back behind your torso by using your back muscles. 
4. Lower the weight and repeat.

That’s it! If you’re up for the challenge then this is an awesome back routine from a Pro that will definitely put on some muscle. Follow it the best you can and we’d recommend doing it once per week if you choose to include it in your repertoire. 

You can watch each training clip below by scrolling through the post… 

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A post shared by Ryan Terry 🇬🇧 (@ryanjterry)