Former Women’s Physique Olympia champion Dana Linn Bailey went solo for a high-volume back workout at Bailey’s WarHouse Gym. Her training session was published on her YouTube channel on Oct. 12, 2022.
Bailey, who often trains with other pro bodybuilders, dug deep to push herself through a back session that included bodyweight training, cable movements, and free-weight exercises to add some size to her back. Check it out below:
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Dana Linn Bailey’s Back Workout
Below are the exercises in the same order performed by Bailey during her workout:
- Wide Grip Pull Ups
- Superset: Reverse Grip Cable Flyes & Rope Face Pulls
- Superset: Single-Arm Lat Pulldowns & Close Grip Pulldowns
- Single-Arm Bent Over Dumbbell Rows
- Drop Set: Ladder Bar Rows (Wide Grip to Close Grip)
Check out the breakdown of each movement performed by Bailey:
Wide Grip Pull-ups (Negative)
The first exercise in Bailey’s back assault was the tried and true wide grip pull-up. Bailey focused on the negative of this movement, slowing down the descent to prolong each rep to increase the time under tension. Training the negative allows Bailey to get more reps per set even when reaching failure in the concentric portion of the movement — great for hypertrophy.
Bailey’s completed three sets of six to eight reps. Bailey advised a jumping method or a resistance band to get to the starting position at the top of the bar to focus on the negatives after hitting failure.
Superset: Seated Reverse Cable Flyes & Seated Rope Face-Pulls
Seated reverse cable flyes were next. Bailey utilizes this movement on back days and shoulder workouts to target her rear delts, but bent-over dumbbell flyes can be an alternative.
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Bailey uses wrist cuffs on this variation to elevate her grip strength and keep the focus on the rear delts.
This is constant tension the whole time.
Immediately following the reverse cable flyes, Bailey hit the seated variation of one of her favorite movements — the rope face pull. Bailey is a fan of cable movements due to the constant tension maintained on the muscle. Five sets of this superset were completed for 10-12 repetitions on each exercise.
Superset: Single-Arm Lat Pulldowns & Close-Grip Pulldowns
Moving to a more lat-focused movement, Bailey jumped onto the pulldown machine for some single-arm lat pulldowns. A study published in the Journal of Neurophysiology suggested that unilateral training can have a “spillover” effect on the untrained side, resulting in a strength gain on the working and non-working sides. (1)
Bailey performed the exercise sideways to add a bit more range of motion. Bailey used a close grip attachment instead of a handle and superset them with close grip pulldowns. She completed four sets in the 8-10 rep range, achieving a full stretch in the fully lengthened position.
Single-Arm Bent Dumbbell Rows
Bailey’s third movement involved leaning onto the dumbbell rack to perform single-arm dumbbell rows — a lat-biased back exercise to increase muscle density. Bailey, again, scoped out full ranges of motion to get a full stretch and maintain tension in the fully lengthened position.
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Bailey performed these sideways so the dumbbell lined up with her opposite foot. She pulled the dumbbell with her elbow tight to the hip. She completed four sets on each side, pyramiding in weight with each set for a rep range of 12, 10, eight, and six.
Ladder Bar Seated Rows
Bailey’s finisher involved a ladder bar for seated rows. She completed four pyramid working sets, increasing the weight of each set for a rep scheme of 12, 10, eight, and eight.
Generally, everything is anywhere between eight and 12 reps — hypertrophy mode.
Bailey turned her finisher into a drop set. Starting with a wide grip on the ladder bar, she dropped the weight slightly and performed close-grip seated rows for eight to 10 reps.
Bailey is currently on a hiatus from competitive bodybuilding to focus on her fitness apparel company, Flag Nor Fail, and her home life. While she did not state in the video if there were any current plans for her return to the competitive stage, bodybuilding trainer Hany Rambod teased her potential return with a recent caption on his Instagram that featured a video of their recent training session.
As a former Women’s Physique Olympia champion, Bailey has a lifetime invite to compete at the Olympia in that division. We’ll see if 2023 is the year the former champ attempts to reclaim her crown.
Featured image: @danalinnbaileyon Instagram
