Katherine Williford

This workout will focus on working with HIGH VOLUME. Volume is the end goal for progressing as a lifter, bodybuilder, athlete, or general health nerd. Without progressively higher volumes, growth will eventually stagnate, and regression will begin. 

So here, the key is volume. 
Volume = (weight x reps x sets)

THEREFORE, this back workout will aim to optimize the amount of volume per exercise. So get READY, FOCUS, and perform each rep with INTENTION to insure the volume is GOOD volume. 

🐅🐆

Find a resistance band of medium to light resistance, hold out in front of you, push both arms outwards to generate tension on the band, then SLOWLY bring the band behind you. 

Try shrugging you shoulders UP before rotating the band behind you to help warm up the your trapezius muscles. 

Always keep the motion SLOW and CONTROLLED.

Resistance Band Around the Worlds

Find a jump rope that feels comfortable and jump in a controlled fashion. Start slow until you feel you can increase the speed.

Jump Rope

This is a warmup exercise intended to wake up the central nervous system and the lower body. 

One rep is shown in the video. 

Pulse in each of the stretches that this movement takes your through (the lunge stretch, the split stance hamstring stretch, and downward dog.

World’s Greatest Stretch

Feet shoulder width apart, back neutral, CORE BRACED. 

Grip the handles to initiate tension between the bar and your body. 

Tuck you shoulder blades, and observe proper breathing technique, see my “Insights” page regarding breathe technique. 

Tuck your chin as well, try to keep your spine ALIGNED.

NOW, raise the bar by pushing your HIPS forward. This shouldn’t be a squat, as much as it is a hinge movement. So work on generating the movement via your hips firing as opposed to your quads pushing the bar up.

Trap Bar Deadlift

Grab the bar and really SQUEEZE it, don’t let it hang loosely in your hands. 

Hinge at the waist by pushing your butt back and letting your chest hang over your knees, facing towards the ground. 

Lift the bar, tracing a line along your quads, and SQUEEZE at the top. Go light so you get FULL contractions.

Bent Over Barbell Rows (Pronated)

Step into a resistance band of the appropriate strength and place your hand at about SHOULDER WIDTH. 

Your thumb can either rest next to your other fingers on TOP of the bar or UNDER. Placing your thumb under will help activate your biceps more while taking some pressure off of your lats. 

Execute these reps slowly and in a controlled fashion, and SQUEEZE at the top. Build the mind/muscle connection between your lats!

(If you can’t get all 15 reps cleanly, get a thicker band!)

Pull Ups

Grab the bar and really SQUEEZE it, don’t let it hang loosely in your hands. Grab the bar with an UNDERHAND grip, this will incorporate your biceps more than an overhand grip. 

Hinge at the waist by pushing your butt back and letting your chest hang over your knees, facing towards the ground. 

Lift the bar, tracing a line along your quads, and SQUEEZE at the top. Go light so you get FULL contractions.

As reps go down per set, increase the weight (even if only by 5 pounds or so)

Bent Over Barbell Rows (Supinated)

Grab the bar with thumbs under or over, either way is acceptable, play around with what feels right. 

IMPORTANT: With lat pulls, you want to pull to your chest, not straight down, so visualize pulling your elbows down AND back. 

Get comfortable with a full range of motion before experimenting with more restricted ROMs. 

Really feel the squeeze at the bottom.

Go LIGHT to complete this high volume rep scheme.

Shoulder Width Lat Pull

Grip a single arm handle, with two hands interlocked around it. 

With your feet against the cable machine, pull with both arms, keeping the elbows stable and squeezing as your elbows come past your body. 

A little bit of momentum is acceptable, but don’t get out of control, keep it slow and steady. Mix up the range of motion and tempo. 

Squeezing here is important, it’s literally the name of the game 😏

Cable Squeeze Row

Seated on a bench, bend slightly at the waist, and lat your arms hang through below your thighs. 

Pretend strings are attached to your elbows and raise the weights up with arms extended but slightly bent. 

An important point here is to raise your arms with your HANDS rotated inwards, so that your pinky fingers are the first part of your hand to raise up.

Dumbbell Reverse Flys

Grip the barbell slightly wider than shoulder width. 

Grab the bar FIRMLY, and slide it along your frontside, pushing your elbows back as you do so. 

Try to initiate the contraction in the PEAK of your bicep (the part that sticks up)

Barbell Slide Curls

Use an EZ bar (with the zig zags) if your wrist hurts while grabbing a straight barbell.

Grab the bar with a pronated grip, so that your palms face the ground. 

Perform curls, making sure to squeeze your forearms and biceps. Make sure you go SLOW to ensure good contractions.

Reverse EZ Curls

Barbell Curl Superset

Using a cable rope attachment, pull the rope down as you hold it behind your head. 

Initiate the movement from your CORE. Fully exhale before each rep to help activate your core.

Squeeze all the way down!

Cable Crunch

Week 4 Day 1:
Back and Accessories with VOLUME Focus

Great workout! Do you happen to have a PDF you could send me with a weight log to keep track of my weight progression?

Tyler Mathena

John Williford

Week 1 Day 1:
Chest with Shoulder and Tricep Accessories

Christian

Week 1 Day 2:
Back with COMPOUND Focus

Week 1 Day 3:
Legs with a COMPOUND Focus

Week 1 Day 4:
Arms

Week 2 Day 1:
Chest and Shoulders with CONTRACTION Focus

Week 2 Day 2:
Back and Accesories with CONTRACTION Focus

Week 2 Day 3: 
Legs with CONTRACTION Focus

Week 2 Day 4
Arms with CONTRACTION Focus

Week 3 Day 1:
Back and Accessories with TEMPO Focus

What are alternatives for Hammer strength machine chest press? I don’t have the machine.

Week 4 Day 1: Back and Accessories with VOLUME Focus

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