Name: Playbook - Sam Sweeney - Back and Core
Uploaded: 2026-06-17T00:04:48.304Z
Duration: 65 min
Description: Back and Core

Thank you for waking up my back, core and hamstrings!!

Amber

Nicole

Loved those 8 sets again, and adding the back engagement to the reverse flys was so awesome! The twist on the pulldowns also always makes my lats so happy!

Megan

Lisa

Good workout! 

I am a few days behind, but I appreciate the addition of the dates in front of the newest daily workouts!

Ashley

Allie

MELANIE

Marilyn

Megan Laudick

The tabata style sets this week are killer!! The pendlay rows today felt like cardio! 

I feel so strong when I follow your daily training although I don’t consider myself super fit. With 2 little kiddos it’s tough to hit 6 workouts a week but I’m determined to change that! Thank you so much for the work that you do in this space

Taylor

Nothing honestly. I just gotta keep my little book to track my weight which honestly is fun and keeps me off my phone during my workout . Overall loved it !

Erica

Love the hip supported flye! Isolated the whole back & hello hammies🔥

Anne

The pendlay rows 8x for 30 seconds....just mean. But the burn was fantastic. You're my go to on back day.

Great workout! 🙌 Deads were not working for me today but the rest of the workout was amazing!  Thanks @mrs.sweendogg!!!!!

Petra

Happy Wednesday!

12/22 Training Day Overview: 

Warm Up: Foam Roll, warm up and activation routine A or B from app. 

1. Deadlift: 5S/5R [+1-2 warm up sets]

2. Pendlay Row: 6-8S/30 seconds on, 15 seconds off. [for 6-8 rounds]

Compound Set: 
3. Single Arm Half Kneel Lat Pulldown: 3S/8-10R each side [3 second slow negative/eccentric]
4. Partial Reps Pull Ups: 3S/6-10R

Compound Set: 
5. Supinated Grip Inverted Row: 3S/8-10R 
6. Hip Supported Reverse Fly: 3S/15R

Burnout: 3-5 rounds, no rest in between
7. Floor Back Extension: 30 seconds
8. Ab Rollouts: 30 seconds

Warm Up Sets: 1-2S
Reps: 5R
Tempo: Power
Modification: Sumo Deadlifts if you prefer [ just be consistent with what you choose], or dumbbell/kettlebell deadlift. 

- Load the bar with an appropriate weight for the rep range. 
- Position the bar so it is above “mid shoelace “
- Stance is hip width (feel free to play around with stance, your mobility will play a large role in the width of your stance)
- Create a tripod foot with your feet (think about connecting/pressing through big toe, little toe, and heel) 
- With a neutral spine, hinge the hips back as you bend forward to grip the barbell. 
- Grip the barbell with a pronated grip (feel free to use straps), hook grip, or an under/overhand grip. 
- Grip should be just outside of the hips
- Activate the lats by depressing the scapula (shoving them down and pinning them there) and think about breaking the bar around your body. As you do this the bar should be pulled right up to your shins.
- Take a bracing breath, expand your stomach 3D
- Keep a neutral spine, and use the torque in your lower body to leg press the weight up (think about your knees externally rotating, but don’t actually rotate, and snap the hips in)
- Make sure to reach full hip extension at the top of the rep, don’t hyperextend through the low back
- Lower with control, keeping the bar close to your body. 
- Reset breath in between each rep.

Deadlift

Time: 30 seconds on, 15 seconds off [for 6-8 rounds]
Tempo: Steady
Modification: Dumbbell bent over rows

- Load the barbell with rubber plates to elevate the bar off the ground. 

** If you feel too much pull through the low back when bent forward while the barbell is on the floor, put plates underneath the barbell to raise your start/stop point. 

- Position the barbell over the toes. 
- Hinge your hips back and keep a neutral spine as you bend forward to grip the barbell. 
- Grip the barbell with a pronated grip, outside of hip width [Grip width will depend on your body mechanics, I typically grip a thumbs length in from the start of the knurling on each side- knurling is the scratchy part of the barbell.]
- Depress the scapula/stack the scap and engage the lats
- Drive the elbows back towards your hips, retract the scapula, and row the barbell up to low chest. 
- Lower the barbell until it returns to the floor and reset your scap/breath.  
- Keep the chest facing the ground throughout every rep. 
- Use momentum to your advantage but keep it controlled. 

-

Pendlay Row

Rep Range: 8-10R each side
Tempo: 3 second slow negative/eccentric
Modification: Banded single arm half kneel lat pulldown. 

- Using a single cable attachment, position the cable high. 
- Get down into a half kneel position, knee down on the side of the arm that is pulling, knee up on the stabilizing side. 
- Grip the single arm attachment with a neutral grip. 
- Start with the arm fully extended in the direction of the cable. 
- Depress the scapula/pin it down, and drive the elbow down towards your waist as you pull the cable. 
- Twist your grip from a neutral to supinated grip at the bottom of the rep. 
- Pin the elbow in close to your side at the bottom of the rep. [lean slightly into the row]
- Release the cable using a 3 second eccentric. 
- Make sure to release the cable until your arm is fully extended before resetting the scap and continuing your reps.

Single Arm Half Kneel Lat Pulldown [Twist]

Rep Range: 6-10R 
Tempo: steady
Modification: Banded or machine partial rep pull ups. 

- With a pronated grip, grip the pull up bar wider than the shoulders. 
- Cross the legs or let them hang down extended. 
- Brace the core and create full body tension. 
- Start with arms extended. 
- Depress the scapula and pull yourself up only halfway/partial rep. 
- Lower with control until arms are completely extended again. 
- Reset the scapula before continuing reps. 
- Elbows should stay in line with the wrists as you pull.

Partial Rep Pull ups

Compound Set

Rep Range: 8-10R
Tempo: Steady
Modification: Bend the knees and plant the feet on the ground. 

- Set up the barbell in the rack at an appropriate height for you to position yourself under it for an inverted row. 
- Grip the barbell shoulder width/slightly wider than shoulder width, with a supinated grip. 
- Extend the legs out straight, drive the heels down through the ground. 
- Raise the hips so they are in a straight line with your lower body and torso and pin them there by bracing  your core and contracting the glutes and quads. 
- Retract the scapula and tuck the elbows as you row your chest to meet the bar [or get as close as you can]. 
- Pin the elbows in as you row. 
- Lower with control until the arms are extended. 
- Reset the scap each time before continuing reps. 
- Fight to keep the hips from dropping throughout each rep.

Supinated Grip Inverted Row

Rep Range: 15R
Tempo: Steady
Modification: Bent over reverse fly [no hip support]

- Support your hips on the barbell [the barbell should be set at a height appropriate for your inverted row this exercise is paired with]. 
- Use a pad or mat over the barbell for cushioning if needed. 
- Face the rack and make sure the bar is pressing against the rack as you position your hips against it. 
- Grab a dumbbell in each hand. 
- Position yourself at a safe angle [similar to the hyperextension position] and press your hips into the bar. 
- Lower your torso and face your chest towards the ground. 
- Keep a neutral spine hold the brace in this position. 
- Allow the dumbbells to hang down, in line with the shoulders, palms facing in. 
- Retract the scap and with a slight bend in the arms fly the dumbbells back. 
- Dumbbells should be in line with or slightly below the shoulders at the top of the rep. 
- Release the dumbbells with control until arms are extended down, at the start position.

Hip Supported Dumbbell Reverse Fly

You have the option of completing 3-5 rounds of this burnout.

Time: 30 seconds
Tempo: Steady
Modification: back extensions on hyperextension machine. 

- Position yourself on the ground in a prone position [face down]. 
- Push your toes into the ground and keep them connect to the ground. 
- Place your hands behind your head or extend your arms out like you would in a superman position. 
- Using your erectors/low back raise the chest off the ground [ROM will be short here and will depend on the mobility and strength of your low back/core]. 
- Contract the low back at the top. 
- Lower the chest back to the ground with control.

Floor Back Extensions

Time: 30 seconds
Tempo: Steady
Modification: Plank Walkouts on feet or knees. 

- Use an ab roller and grip it on both sides. 
- Get down onto your knees and start with the shoulders stacked on top of the ab roller. 
- Depress the scapula and pin them down [ this will keep tension out of the neck]. 
- Use your entire body to roll the ab roller out, arms should stay extended [lock in a slight bend in the arms]. 
- Roll the ab roller out only as far as you feel in control. 
- Activate the lats and use the core to pull the ab roller back in towards your legs. 
- Contract the core at the top of the rep by rounding the upper/mid back just slightly.

Ab Rollout

Burnout:

Back and Core

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

Porchia

Jennifer

6/16 Quads, Glutes

Audry

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

Morgan

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

Alexis

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)

Gabrielle

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

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!

Back and Core

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