Name: Playbook - Sam Sweeney - 8/20 Back, Shoulders, Biceps
Uploaded: 2026-06-17T00:04:43.638Z
Duration: 75 min
Description: 8/20 Back, Shoulders, Biceps

Fire workout . The second and the last workout was tough

Christina

Alexis

Big back and shoulders 🔥 that was a great one ☺️

Marta

Loved every single piece of that 😍😍😍 back and bicep day continues to be my absolute favorite day of this split 💕

Megan

Lamia

Gabrielle

Thiana

April

Audry

Manda

Morgan

Good one!! More modifications but find the workouts very challenging. 🔥

Great back and biceps day! Added pulls up to stay consistent with them

Deja

Quick & tough, definitely a favorite of this split so far

Jenna

Upper body days are always golden 🥰💪🏾👊🏾

Kimmy

Porchia

Rosa

Always such a great workout! 🙌🏼💪🏼

Mia Arrowsmith

Happy Tuesday!

Week 6 of 8 week split [week 9 deload]

Goal of Split: To build absolute strength [1RM strength] with a focus on legs and glutes.

Pre Training Mobility and Warm Up: please choose appropriate warm up from the “Warm Up and Activation” bubble in the app. [previous warm ups can all be found here]

Tap the ‘start now’ button to find the training day overview.

Strength Training: Back, Shoulders, Biceps: 

1. Supinated Grip Pendlay Row: 4S/5R
*120 seconds rest*

2. Barbell Z Press: 4S/6-8R [3 second eccentric]
*90 seconds rest*

3. Single Arm Chest Supported Neutral Grip Pulldown: 4S/10-12R each side 
*75 seconds rest*

4. Seated Double Cable Y Raise: 3S/8-10R 
*90 seconds rest*

4a. Seated Kettlebell Curls w/ Iso Hold: 3S/6-8R each side 
4b. Head Supported Kettlebell Hammer Curls: 3S/8-10R [3 second eccentric] 
*75 seconds rest*

8/20 Training Day Overview

Rep Count: 5R 
Tempo: power
Modification: kettlebell pendlay row or dumbbell bent over row

*working up to ~%85-90 of your 1rm. Reference your numbers from week 4 of this split*

*using rubber plates will put you at an appropriate start point. Feel free to use blocks to raise the bar and lessen the range of motion. 

Set Up: 
- load the barbell with appropriate weight
- stand behind the barbell, hip width stance, toes forward
- squeeze your glutes, pull belly button to spine, and set your brace
- push your hips back, keep only a slight bend in your knees [do not hyperextend] 
- lean your torso forward so your chest is facing the ground 
- extend your arms to grip the barbell under your chest
- grip the bar with a supinated grip, shoulder width apart
- roll the bar over your toes, directly under your front delts 
- depress your scapula, contract your lats 
- tuck your chin, keep a neutral head, neck and spine 

Execution: 
- pull the barbell off of the ground
- retract your scapula
- bend your arms and drive your elbows towards your waist on each side
- squeeze your elbows in close by your sides and row the bar to your chest
- contract your mid back and lats
- extend your arms and lower the bar to the ground again with control 
- come to a dead stop between reps

Supinated Grip Pendlay Row

Rep Range: 6-8R
Tempo: 3 second eccentric
Modification: dumbbell z press, or seated military or dumbbell overhead press

*set barbell up on the rack, just above head height when you are sitting on the ground, or clean the bar off of the ground and into the front racked position 

Set Up: 
- sit on the ground, spread your legs wide or extend them straight in front of you [you may criss cross them in front of you if more comfortable]
- grip the barbell with a pronated grip, shoulder width apart
- squeeze your glutes, pull belly button to spine, and set your brace
- lift the bar into the front racked position and overhead, start with bar directly over your head
- point your armpits forward, contract your lats, and think about breaking the bar in half, keep tension 
- keep a tall torso, and a neutral head, neck, and spine
- use your core to keep your torso upright *this is a core heavy movement when sitting on the ground

Execution: 
- bend your arms, drive your elbows forward slightly 
- lower the bar in front of your face to your collarbone
- extend your arms and press the bar straight up and directly overhead
- contract your delts
- keep your knuckles facing the ceiling 
- keep your wrists straight 
- keep a tall toros, chest facing forward

Barbell Z Press

Rep Range: 10-12R each side
Tempo: steady
Modification: banded lat pulldown or single arm decline bench pullover

Set Up: 
- set your bench to ~75 degree incline and position it in front of one side of the cable, bench facing away- high end of the bench closest to the cable
- attach a single arm handle to the cable and position it high 
- face the cable and grip the handle with a neutral grip 
- pull the cable as you step back to straddle the seat of the bench, press your chest and hips against the pad
- extend your arm overhead, wrap your other arm around the end of the bench
- drive your hips into the bench, squeeze your glutes, pull belly button to spine, and set your brace
- pin traps down, shoulders back 

Execution: 
- depress your scapula
- bend your elbow and drive it towards your hip
- squeeze your elbow in close by your side
- contract your lat
- guide the cable overhead again, extend your arm with control 
- be sure to reset your scapula between reps 
- keep chest and hips glued to the bench

Single Arm Chest Supported Neutral Grip Lat Pulldown

Rep Range: 8-10R
Tempo: steady 
Modification: dumbbell bent forward or chest supported Y raise

Set Up: 
- sit on the bench of the seated double cable row bench, facing the handles
- grip your handles with a pronated grip 
- plant your feet on the platform in front of you, slight bend in your knees
- sit up tall, extend your arms straight forward, handles in line with your chest
- squeeze your glutes, pull belly button to spine, and set your brace
- keep chest facing forward
- pin your traps down, shoulders back 

Execution: 
- keep your arms straight and pull the cables
- raise the cables overhead in a Y shape
- contract your rear delts, high back/traps at the top of the rep 
- lower the cables to in line with your chest again 
- try not to use momentum or swing your torso as you pull the cables
- keep traps down, arms straight

Seated Double Cable Y Raise

Rep Range: 6-8R each side
Tempo: steady, hold on opposite side
Modification: switch kettlebells for dumbbells

Set Up: 
- grip a kettlebell in each hand, supinated grip 
- sit on a bench, plant your feet on the ground
- extend your arms down by your sides
- pin your traps down, shoulders back 
- pull belly button to spine and set your brace
- keep a tall torso
- keep your traps pinned down, shoulders back 
- squeeze your elbows by your sides

Execution: 
- drive your elbow into your sides and curl the kettlebell to 90 degree bend in your arm on one side, hold the contraction in your bicep
- bend your other arm, drive your elbow into your side
- curl the kettlebell towards your delt
- contract your bicep
- keep elbow pinned and extend your arm towards the ground again with control 
- keep your wrist pinned straight

Single Arm Seated Kettlebell Curls [w/ iso hold]

Rep Range: 8-10R
Tempo: 3 second eccentric 
Modification: head supported dumbbell hammer grip hang curls 

Set Up:
- set your bench to ~60-75 degrees
- step behind the bench, facing the highest end of the bench 
- grip a kettlebell in each hand, hammer grip
- step 1 step back, away from the bench 
- squeeze your glutes, pull belly button to spine, and set your brace
- push your hips back, bend your torso forward, and lightly rest your forehead on the end of the bench
- keep a neutral head, neck, spine
- extend your arms down towards the ground, under your delts
- keep your wrists pinned straight

Execution: 
- keep your elbows pinned below your delts
- bend your arms and curl the kettlebells towards your chest
- contract your biceps, tension in your forearms
- lower the kettlebells and extend your arms towards the ground again 
- hold tension in your forearms, wrists straight, tight grip on the handles of the kettlebells

Head Supported Hammer Grip Kettlebell Hang Curls

Compound Set

8/20 Back, Shoulders, Biceps

No modification for hack squat. No weight is not modification. Overall okayish workout.

Jennifer

6/16 Quads, Glutes

Jessica

6/15 Shoulders, Arms

Really loved the trap bar grip on the stiff legs, hit soooo right ❤️‍🔥

Lizz

6/12 Hamstrings, Glutes

This felt great and the burnout was especially awesome!

Janet

6/11 Chest, Shoulders

💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻❤️🔥❤️❤️

6/10 Back, Core/Abs

Elaine Rondon

Loved the ladder SS! As always such a good leg day! 🔥

6/9 Quads, Glutes

How many times can I say perfection in a single split? The limit does not exist ♾️

Katie

6/8 Shoulders, Arms

Please make this split a permanent workout option on the app! I have extremely mixed feelings about it, but I can’t deny the growth I’ve been seeing!

Emily

Michelle 

6/5 Hamstrings, Glutes

Nyakeh

6/4 Chest, Shoulders

Absolutely loved everything about this one, a favorite for sure!

6/3 Back, Core/Abs

The burnout leg extensions were a really cool variation!

BabyLuv

6/2 Quads, Glutes

Love the lat raise variety, hit just right ❤️

6/1 Shoulders, Arms

Calling the authorities because that box squat into reverse lunges superset-pyramid-drop-set shenanigans was attempted murder.  😤🥵

Mandy Rigsby

Alice

5/29 Hamstrings, Glutes

Vanessa

Shoulders and chest annihilation 🤸🏻‍♀️🥇🪂

5/28 Chest, Shoulders

I would love if there were more abs on ab day. But I adore all of the diff ways we worked the back.

I surprised myself today! Didn’t know i had the strength or stability to do the one leg pullover and I did!!! This split has really made its way into my top favorites already!

5/27 Back, Core/Abs

5/26 Quads, Glutes

All the corkscrews felt SOOO good today 💪🥰

5/25 Shoulders, Arms

Heather

5/22 Hamstrings, Glutes

Solid chest day. Those around the worlds depleted the tank fully!

Tamara Feist

5/21 Chest, Shoulders

I'm trying to fall in love with the gym again and the structure of this split is helping significantly! Thanks Sam!

5/20 Back, Core/Abs

First day back! Almost 11 months postpartum. That was tough but so glad to be back at it.

5/19 Quads, Glutes

The trisets flowed so perfectly together!

Trisha Jones

5/18 Shoulders, Arms [NEW SPLIT!]

This day always feels so aligning for me 🥰

Just did the running part …needed that this morning 🔥

Yesenia

5/15 Shoulders, Core (sprints- DELOAD)

Wall sits never fail to bring the quad fire 🔥

Vonny

5/14 Quads, Glutes (abs-DELOAD)

Shoulders have been feeling a lot stronger to support these chest day moves!!

Lorena

5/13 Chest, Triceps (sprints- DELOAD)

5/12 Glutes, Hamstrings (abs- DELOAD)

Bicep endurance has improved so much over the course of this split 💪🥰

5/11 Back, Biceps (sprints- DELOAD)

Linz

Great split. Ready for a deload week though

5/8 Shoulders, Core (sprints)

Holly

5/7 Quads, Glutes (abs)

Flavia

Has anyone got triceps I can borrow? Mine are on 🔥🔥💪

Carol

5/6 Chest, Triceps (sprints)

Really love the eccentric focus on the 2-1 ham curls

JulieAnn

5/5 Glutes, Hamstrings (abs)

God those inverted rows get me every time 💀🫠

Molly

5/4 Back, Biceps (sprints)

One of the kick ass workout ever. Those snatches wow. Loved it. 😍

5/1 Shoulders, Core (sprints)

Lateral walks and step ups were challenging today, loved it. 😍

Omg the step ups 😭🥵. I will not be able to walk right tomorrow

Faith

4/30 Quads, Glutes (abs)

Took a week break cause was in a rut but we're back and feeling better 🔥 even with the break still progressing 🔥 all thanks to the intentional programming.

4/29 Chest, Triceps (sprints)

The contralateral reverse lunges felt really great today!

4/28 Glutes, Hamstrings (abs)

Karen Arce

Better than late than never 🥹🤷🏻‍♀️

4/27 Back, Biceps (sprints)

Jill

This split is by far my favorite. Please add Cardio days more🩵

Olivia Schneider

4/24 Shoulders, Core (sprints)

McKayla

Loving this!! I needed to switch gears! Love the new challenge.

4/23 Quads, Glutes (abs)

Rachael

So good. I’ve been combining chest and shoulders for my 4 days a week split and works great!!!

4/22 Chest, Triceps (sprints)

Jessi mollak

Lisa

4/21 Glutes, Hamstrings (abs)

Pull ups will forever be a struggle 😂😂

4/20 Back, Biceps (sprints)

Love this program. Skipped run did deep stretches instead.

4/17 Shoulders, Core (sprints)

Shannon

4/16 Quads, Glutes (abs)

Energy on high today! Flew through that and finished feeling absolutely fantastic! A favorite for sure!!

4/15 Chest, Triceps (sprints)

Wow I really needed that! Feeling so strong and balanced 🥰❤️‍🔥

4/14 Glutes, Hamstrings (abs)

Kayla Staker

4/13 Back, Biceps (sprints)

Love the addition of core and ab work. Thank you. Always a challenge for me but worth it!

8/20 Back, Shoulders, Biceps

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