In the Figure division, athletes are judged heavily on balance and shape, specifically in the back, shoulders, hamstrings, and glutes. Figure bodybuilders train their backs to build the coveted V-taper.
Pro Figure competitor Ashley Lakomowski pulled back the curtain on her back workout eight weeks out of a bodybuilding show in a video published on her YouTube channel. Lakomowski seeks a pro show victory to earn qualification for the 2024 Olympia, scheduled for Oct. 10-13 in Las Vegas, NV.
Ashley Lakomowski’s Back Workout
Here is a summary of the workout:
- Lat Pulldowns
- T-Bar Rows
- Single-Arm Machine Rows
- Smith Machine Shrugs
- Straight-Arm Lat Pulldowns
- Hyperextensions
Check out the session below via Lakowmowski’s YouTube channel.
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[Related: From Best to Worst, Jeff Nippard Ranks Chest Exercises for Hypertrophy]
Lat Pulldowns
Lakomowski opened with neutral-grip lat pulldowns to promote back width. She employed slow eccentrics and paused in the fully shortened position, which has been shown to lead to greater hypertrophy via increases in muscle protein synthesis rates compared to faster repetitions. (1)
Lakomowski maintained an upright torso throughout the exercise. She kept her elbows tight on eccentrics to restrict momentum and maintain tension on the target muscles.
T-Bar Rows
The figure bodybuilder added cable D-handle attachments to the T-bar machine’s handles and held them with a prorated grip in the starting position, externally rotating her wrists on concentrics.
Lakomowski flared her elbows on concentrics, engaging the lats, traps, rear delts, rhomboids, and teres major and minor. Staying in line with exercise cues from the previous exercise, Lakomowski used slow eccentrics and paused at the top.
Single-Arm Machine Rows & Smith Machine Shrugs
Unilateral training can help identify and fix muscle and strength imbalances. Lakomowski placed her chest flat against the machine’s pad and grabbed the handle with a neutral grip. She pulled her elbow to the midline and paused in the fully shortened position to maximize lat activation.
Lakomowski positioned her torso at 45 degrees for the Smith machine shrugs, grabbing the bar with a shoulder-wide overhand grip. She initiated the movement by retracting the scapula and then shrugging the shoulders while the elbows remained extended to bias the upper back.
Lakomowski controlled the negatives on the shrugs to ensure the target muscles moved the weight. A Journal of Physiology study concluded that slow eccentrics were linked to increased muscle damage (a factor in muscle growth) than the concentric phase. (2)
Straight-Arm Lat Pull-Downs & Hyperextensions
Lakomowski set her torso at 45 degrees in the starting position on the straight-arm lat pull-downs. She grabbed the rope attachment with a neutral grip and pulled her hands to her belly button while keeping her elbows tight to the sides.
Lakomowski concluded the workout with three sets of hyperextensions to build the ‘Christmas tree’ aesthetic in the lower back.
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References
- Burd NA, Andrews RJ, West DW, et al. Muscle time under tension during resistance exercise stimulates differential muscle protein sub-fractional synthetic responses in men. J Physiol. 2012;590(2):351-362. doi:10.1113/jphysiol.2011.221200
- Proske U, Morgan DL. Muscle damage from eccentric exercise: mechanism, mechanical signs, adaptation, and clinical applications. J Physiol. 2001;537(Pt 2):333-345. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7793.2001.00333.x
Featured image: @fittestashever on Instagram
