The back is the largest and most complex muscle group in the body. While it plays a significant role in aesthetics and performance, many people train their backs blindly, hoping for results without strategy.
Retired top Pro Open bodybuilder and coach Iain Valliere shared five tips to ignite back gains.
Iain Valliere’s Top 5 Tips For Back Training
- Start With Pulldowns
- Focus On Scapular Movement
- Heavy Sets First
- Mix Up Stimuli
- Finish With Pullovers and Curls
Valliere’s Back Workout
- MAG Grip Pulldowns
- Chest-Supported Machine Rows
- Machine Seated Rows
- Hammer Strength Pulldowns
- Cable Pullovers
- Preacher Curls
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Advantages of Pulldowns & Grip
Valliere prefaces rows with pulldowns, explaining, “It gets everything warmed up, puts the shoulders in a good position, and stretches everything out.”
Gym-goers often gravitate to pulldowns first to isolate the lats and upper back using fewer muscles, less core stability, and less energy. Valliere transitioned to rows, a better upper back exercise, using an Arsenal Strength row machine called “The Humbler,” which has adjustable handles that enable grip rotation — a valuable tool since hand position can influence muscle activation.
Scapular Movement: A Game-Changer
A key shift that’s leveled up Valliere’s back gains is to “Always focus on elbow drive in back training. Being conscious of scapular movement is just as important — not just letting them open in the stretch, but retracting the scapula at the peak of the row makes a huge difference.”
Contracting and stretching muscles under loads and having a strong mind-muscle connection help drive hypertrophy. (1) There’s limited support for actively retracting the scapula to enhance the growth stimulus. (2)
Strength Gains & Training Sequence
Valliere prioritizes strength, emphasizing faster rep tempos. “I’m in my ‘get strong’ era, trying to move weight without being too picky about slow eccentrics,” he explained, noting, “I’m still controlled, not just slow; I’m trying to be strong.”
Force output and neural adaptations may be the primary mechanisms behind strength gains. “Your heaviest set should be your first set when you have the most energy to allocate,” Valliere added. Research shows exercise order can impact exercise quality.
While there are some nuances involved, a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that performing the barbell back squat first in an exercise session allowed the completion of more total repetitions. However, performing the squat after a whole-body workout may result in greater power output if a power exercise precedes the squat. This phenomenon may have been due to postactivation potentiation — a physiological process that increases muscle force production after a conditioning activity. (3)(4)
Shifting to a hypertrophy focus, Valliere recommends loading the stretch (read: the eccentric) heavier than the concentric.
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References
- Schoenfeld, B. J., Vigotsky, A., Contreras, B., Golden, S., Alto, A., Larson, R., Winkelman, N., & Paoli, A. (2018). Differential effects of attentional focus strategies during long-term resistance training. European journal of sport science, 18(5), 705–712. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2018.1447020
- Lehman GJ, Buchan DD, Lundy A, Myers N, Nalborczyk A. Variations in muscle activation levels during traditional latissimus dorsi weight training exercises: An experimental study. Dyn Med. 2004 Jun 30;3(1):4. doi: 10.1186/1476-5918-3-4. PMID: 15228624; PMCID: PMC449729.
- Spreuwenberg, L. P., Kraemer, W. J., Spiering, B. A., Volek, J. S., Hatfield, D. L., Silvestre, R., Vingren, J. L., Fragala, M. S., Häkkinen, K., Newton, R. U., Maresh, C. M., & Fleck, S. J. (2006). Influence of exercise order in a resistance-training exercise session. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 20(1), 141–144. https://doi.org/10.1519/R-18185.1
- Lorenz D. Postactivation potentiation: an introduction. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2011 Sep;6(3):234-40. PMID: 21904700; PMCID: PMC3164001.
Featured image: @iainvalliere on Instagram
