James Hollingshead is one of the Men’s Open competitors set to take the stage at the 2025 Arnold Classic in Columbus, OH, from Feb. 28 through March 1, 2025. Hollingshead will make his 2025 season debut and try to secure his first Arnold Classic USA title.
James Hollingshead’s Arnold Classic Back Training
As part of his prep, Hollingshead shared some back training in early January:
- Lat Pulldowns
- Close Grip Lat Pulldowns
- Chest-Supported T-Bar Rows
- Single-Arm Seated Cable Row
- Wide Grip Seated Cable Row
- Reverse Pec-Deck
- Deadlifts
The most noteworthy part of Hollingshead’s training was that he and his training partner assisted each other during forced reps, extending past the athlete’s original point of failure.
Research has concluded that this method is unnecessary for strength or hypertrophy improvement, but it does not hurt their cause. (1) Forced reps may help lifters mentally by assuring them they gave their all in the gym. Hollingshead appeared to push himself to the limits on multiple sets of each exercise.
Hollingshead emphasized the stretched position of each rep, which has the potential to help improve muscle size. (2) He was not looking for shortcuts or an easier way to perform the exercises during the session, which concluded with deadlifts.
Hollingshead will attempt to reach the 2025 Olympia stage by winning a pro show. He confirmed he will compete onstage again after the 2025 Arnold Classic at the 2025 Detroit Pro on March 29, 2025.
The UK native has been competing in the pro ranks since 2018. He has won three pro shows, most recently the 2022 Tsunami Nutrition Cup Pro. Hollingshead has competed in the Mr. Olympia twice, finishing 12th in 2021 and 16th in 2022. This will be his second consecutive Arnold Classic USA appearance; he ranked fifth in 2024.
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References
- Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci. 2022 Mar;11(2):202-211. doi: 10.1016/j.jshs.2021.01.007. Epub 2021 Jan 23. PMID: 33497853; PMCID: PMC9068575.
- Nunes, J. P., Schoenfeld, B. J., Nakamura, M., Ribeiro, A. S., Cunha, P. M., & Cyrino, E. S. (2020). Does stretch training induce muscle hypertrophy in humans? A review of the literature. Clinical physiology and functional imaging, 40(3), 148–156. https://doi.org/10.1111/cpf.12622
Featured Image: @hollingshead89 on Instagram
