2022 Mr. Olympia Hadi Choopan further etched his name in the annals of professional bodybuilding by becoming the fifth bodybuilder to win both Mr. Olympia and Arnold Classic titles after defeating 2023 Arnold Classic champion Samson Dauda at the 2024 Arnold Classic.
On March 10, 2024, Choopan published a video on his YouTube channel, sharing his first back training session after winning the 2024 Arnold Classic.
Hadi Choopan’s Back Workout
Here is a snapshot of Choopan’s high-volume training session:
- Warm-up: Straight-Arm Lat Pulldown
- Single-Arm Machine Bent-Over Row
- Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
- Machine Bent-Over Row
- Machine T-Bar Row
- Low Row Machine
- Cable Row
- Lat Pulldown
Check it out below:
[Related: Classic Physique Chest Training With Bumstead, Queiroz, Kalecinski, & Vissers]
Straight-Arm Lat Pulldown
Using rope attachment, Choopan warmed up with two sets of straight-arm lat pulldowns. Isolation exercises can result in better muscle contractions and promote blood flow to the target muscles, making them ideal for warming up.
Bent-Over Single-Arm Machine Rows & Dumbbell Rows
Choopan’s unique line of pull results in a deep lat stretch at the bottom of each rep. Choopan set his torso at 45 degrees in the starting position. He lowered his torso during eccentrics and lifted his chest during concentrics to train through his full range of motion and maximize lat fiber activation.
[Read More: Our Favorite Forearm Workouts, + the Best Forearm Exercises]
Vertical pulling movements like machine lat pulldowns can help build back width. Rowing exercises like dumbbell rows can improve back thickness. Choopan started with an 80-kilogram (176-pound) dumbbell. He progressed to 90 kilograms (198 pounds) for the second set and 100 kilograms (220 pounds) for the final set.
Machine Bent-Over Row
The 36-year-old employed an underhand grip on the machine bent-over rows, keeping his elbows tight to his sides during concentrics with a pause in the fully shortened position. Choopan hit the back double biceps and rear lat spread poses.
Machine T-Bar Row
Choopan used a neutral grip on the chest-supported T-bar row machine. He extended his scapula during eccentrics, pausing in the fully lengthened position to increase the lats’ time under tension (TUT), which has been shown to promote hypertrophy. (1)
After three sets, Choopan moved to the standing T-bar row machine, employing a narrow neutral grip and pulling his hands toward the midline to bias the midback.
Low Row Machine
Choopan transitioned to the low-row machine to load the lower lats. He grabbed the handles with a neutral grip and flattened his chest against the machine’s pad in the starting position. Choopan lifted his chest off the pad and leaned back slightly, pulling his elbows behind his midline to achieve a tighter lat contraction.
Cable Rows & Lat Pulldown Machine
Choopan used lifting straps for cable rows to limit forearm engagement. He leaned forward during eccentrics and paused at the top. Employing a neutral grip on the convergent lat pulldown machine, Choopan’s line of pull leads to greater upper back engagement than conventional straight bar lat pulldowns.
[Related: Hunter Labrada’s Off-Season Pull Day for Thicker Lats]
Looking Ahead
Choopan will challenge reigning Mr. Olympia Derek Lunsford at the 2024 Olympia, scheduled for Oct. 10-13, in Las Vegas, NV. If Choopan wins, he will become the second bodybuilder in history to win back the Sandow trophy after losing it (the other is four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler). Choopan will next compete at the 2024 Arnold Classic UK on March 15-17, 2024, in Birmingham, England.
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
Featured image: @hadi_choopan on Instagram
