Brett Wilkin recently moved to Florida and weighs 274 pounds as he prepares for an upcoming guest posing in Minnesota. His most recent contest was the 2022 Arnold Classic USA, where he finished sixth overall in the Men’s Open category.
Wilkin still hopes to move up the ranks to qualify for the 2022 Olympia, scheduled for Dec. 16-18, 2022, in Las Vegas, NV, meaning he has intentions to compete in another pro show soon. In order to earn that qualification, “The Butcher” aims to improve his back.
In a video published to Wilkin’s Youtube channel on July 2, 2022, he shared what is in his pre-workout and post-workout and brought the camera along for a grueling back workout at Revive Gym in Stuart, FL. Check it out below:
[Related: Hunter Labrada Shares New 8-Week Training Split Before His 2022 Olympia Prep]
Wilkin’s Pre- and Post-Workout Meals
Wilkin’s pre-workout meal consists of 150 grams of Rice ‘N Grinds from Pride Foods and three scoops of Bum Whey Itholate Vanilla Cookie protein powder for 75 grams of protein. Wilkin mixes his pre-workout drink, consisting of one and a half scoops of blackberry lemonade CBUM with five grams of added taurine.
Wilkin’s post-workout meal consists of three scoops of that same whey protein powder and two scoops of RAW intra-workout (50 grams of carbohydrates) mixed with 12 ounces of Naked strawberry banana juice. He finishes it off with a whole banana immediately post-workout.
Wilkin’s Back Workout
Check out the full workout session details below:
Close Grip Lat Pulldowns
Wilkin began his workout with three warm-up sets before his working sets of 10 repetitions of close-grip lat pulldowns, an exercise Wilkin excluded from his programming for some time. Wilkin focused on slow, deliberate reps — no jerking the weight around. He gradually increased the weight focusing on full range of motion and control of the movement.
Stiff-Arm Pulldowns & Single-Arm T-Bar Row
Wilkin moved on to stiff-arm pulldowns with a MAG grip attachment to better focus on the lats. Wilkin completed two sets of 12 repetitions, focusing on a hard squeeze at the bottom of the rep with a three-second eccentric and a stretch at the top.
Sends a big purpose, I really like these to build those front lats, get as wide as you can, down to a small V-taper.
Wilkin’s next movement targeted his lower lats and rhomboids on a single-arm machine variation of the T-bar row: standing on a Arsenal Strength Machine. Wilkin worked his way up to five 45-pound weight plates on each side for a top set and then performed a back-off set with three plates per side. Each set consisted of eight to 10 repetitions.
View this post on Instagram
[Related: Chris Bumstead Trains Quads With an Improved Breathing Technique]
Bent Over Smith Rows & Chest-Supported Row
On Wilkin’s fourth exercise, he focused on the feel of the movement and didn’t care about how much weight he pulled. He completed two sets, starting with two 45-pound plates on each side then added 25-pound plates to each side for 10 reps.
My goal with this exercise here is to purely use my back.
For more emphasis on his upper back and lats, Wilkin trained chest-supported rows with a wide grip. He moved three 45-pound plates on each side for eight reps, then down to two 45-pound and a 25-pound plate per side for 10 reps.
Chest Supported T-Bar Row & Wide Grip Pulldowns
Wilkin worked his way up to two 45-pound plates and a 25-pound plate, completing eight to ten reps. To burn the muscle out, Wilkin performed a multiple drop-set, starting with two 45-pound plates and 25-pound plate for seven reps, dropping a 45-pound plate and hitting eight more reps, dropping the 25-pound plate, and annihilating the muscle fibers with eight final reps.
Do this hard stuff towards the end when you’re tired, so you can focus on full contractions.
Wilkin finished his workout with a FST-7 principal, working though five sets of 10 reps on the wide grip pulldown. He stretched his lats between sets for 12-15 seconds with a lat spread to get blood into the muscle and prep the body for recovery.
View this post on Instagram
[Related: Regan Grimes Utilizes Electric Stimulation Therapy for a Chest and Biceps Workout]
Brett Wilkin’s Back Workout
Below are the exercises in the same order performed by Wilkin during his training session:
- Close-Grip Pulldown
- Stiff-Arm Puldown
- Single-Arm Standing T-Bar Row
- Bent-Over Smith Row
- Chest-Supported Row
- Supported T-Bar Row
- Wide-Grip Pulldown
Wilkin opts for less sets per exercise and more overall variety and volume throughout his workout to fully develop his back. He is a firm believer that form and function are more important than the amount of weight lifted. Wilkin plans on competing in at least one more pro show in 2022 if he makes sufficient progress in his off-season.
Featured image: @brett_wilkin on Instagram
