Two-time 212 Olympia champion Keone Pearson had a training partner for a recent back session: Men’s Open pro Regan Grimes. The two bodybuilders gathered for a back training session at Strength Culture gym in Las Vegas, NV.
Both bodybuilders were in different phases of training; Grimes was amidst prep for the 2025 New York Pro, set for May 17, 2025, in Teaneck, NJ, where he hopes to win and earn a qualification for the 2025 Mr. Olympia contest.
Meanwhile, Pearson was enjoying an extended offseason before his prep to defend his 212 Olympia title at Resorts World in Las Vegas on the weekend of Oct. 9-12, 2025.
Grimes and Keone’s Training
- Straight-Arm Cable Lat Pulldowns
- Single-Arm Lat Pulldown
- T-Bar Row
- Single-Arm Seated Row Machine
- Overhand High Seated Row Machine
- Single-Arm Cable Pulldown
- Elevated Deadlifts
This workout featured movements different from those Grimes trained with fellow Canadian pro Antoine Vaillant earlier in prep. That workout included more free weight exercises, whereas this one with Pearson featured more machines.
Both free weights and machine training have been shown to promote hypertrophy. (1) Grimes appeared satisfied with their progress by the fourth exercise.
I have a crazy pump in the lats.
The most unique exercise of their session was the overhand high-seated row machine. Pearson wanted to focus on upper back thickness and detail for an improved back double biceps pose.
At the end of his set, he added a shrug with straight arms to better stimulate his trapezius. Pearson and his wife Amanda learned this variation from fellow pro and coach John Jewett. Grimes tried it during his set and appeared to feel the effects immediately.
I’ve never done that before.
Pearson and Grimes performed seven exercises, including elevated deadlifts. They performed one to two working sets of each to failure.
Grimes will return to the Olympia stage if he can convert a gold at the 2025 New York Pro. His most recent Olympia appearance was in 2023, where he ranked ninth.
Pearson seeks a three-peat as 212 Olympia champion in Las Vegas. If successful, he will join Kevin English and Flex Lewis as the only athletes to have won three consecutive Olympia titles in that category.
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References
- Schwanbeck, S. R., Cornish, S. M., Barss, T., & Chilibeck, P. D. (2020). Effects of Training With Free Weights Versus Machines on Muscle Mass, Strength, Free Testosterone, and Free Cortisol Levels. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 34(7), 1851–1859. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000003349
Featured Image: @regangrimes on Instagram
