Back Workout…

On Saturday July 13 I trained back. I still have to be extra careful with my back workouts because where I tore the muscles under my arm pit back in January.

It still gives me some problems so I train my back with slow and controlled movements and avoid any heaving or jerking the weights at all as this could just re-tear the muscles again. There is still a small gap under my right arm pit where the muscles tore. I don’t think that they will ever heal back 100%.

I started my back workout with pull downs. The particular machine I used was the Life Fitness Twin Weight Stack Pull Down Machine. This has 2 weight stacks, one for each side, so that both the left and right arms have to handle an equal workload. These types of machines are becoming more and more popular and they are awesome, the really take the quality of your workouts to the next level. I worked up to 2 sets of 6 reps with 160 lbs.

Then I did Hammer Strength High Row Machine. Again this is a newer hammer strength machine with 2 weight stacks. I worked up to 2 sets of 6 reps with 200 lbs.

Next was the Hammer Strength Seated Row Machine. I worked up to 2 sets of 6 reps with 315 lbs. (i.e. 3 plates per side). With all plate loaded machine exercises I add up the weights the same as if they were on a 45 lb. barbell just to keep the math simple, but in reality the machine handles don’t weigh 45 lbs.

Then I moved on to 1 Arm Dumbbell Rows. This was a favorite “heavy” exercise of mine before my muscle tear, but now I have to do them a lot lighter. I did 2 sets of 6 reps with an 80 lbs. dumbbell.

I finished off with assisted pull ups. I haven’t even attempted a regular pull up with my entire bodyweight since January. But I did a couple sets of the assisted pull up machine and it went well, I could feel the stretch in my lats, etc. but it wasn’t painful.