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June 23 - Back

Updated Jun 23, 2026 05:51 PM

Goal: wider lats + fuller rear-delt/mid/lower-trap shelf behind the shoulders.

Main win: beat one clean back target without letting yesterday’s chest fatigue turn pulls into biceps/upper-trap junk.

Best targets today

Close-Grip Pulldown: beat 80 × 10 → target 80 × 11 clean.
Long Pull: beat 100 × 7 → target 100 × 8, or own 90 × 11–12 if 100 gets ugly.
Lat Pulldown: beat 100 × 4 only if form is clean; better win is 90 × 11 with shoulders down.
Straight-Arm Pulldown: return to 60 × 11–12 after last session dipped to 60 × 10.
Rear Delt Fly: bring it back — target 55 × 11 or cleaner 40–50 × 12–20.

Rules for today

Lats first: stretch at the top, shoulders down, elbows to ribs/hips. No curling the handle.
Rows: chest tall, 1-sec squeeze, no momentum reps.
Rear delts/trap shelf: use 12–20 reps. If traps take over, lower the weight.
Chest was yesterday, so front delts/triceps may be tired. Do not chase ugly ego reps.
Low back rule: if it feels cooked, skip landmine rows and keep back raises optional/prehab only.

Time-boxed version if rushed 1. Lat Pulldown — 4 sets 2. Close-Grip Pulldown — 2 sets 3. Straight-Arm Cable Pulldown — 3 sets 4. Long Pull — 4 sets 5. Rear Delt Fly OR Face Pull — 3 sets

Full version if time is fine 1. Lat Pulldown 2. Close-Grip Pulldown 3. Single-Arm Cable Lat Pulldown 4. Straight-Arm Cable Pulldown 5. Long Pull 6. Cable Rear Delt Fly / Reverse Pec Deck 7. Face Pull 8. Optional biceps if arms still have gas

Warm-up

5 min easy bike/walk
2 light ramp sets on Lat Pulldown
1 light set Face Pull or Rear Delt Fly before heavy pulls

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Lat Pulldown

Visual: cached closest match — wide lat pulldown.

!320

How: Use your usual Precor/Icarian angled neutral/wide black V-shaped handle. Chest slightly up, shoulders down, neutral wrists, elbows drive toward ribs/hips. Do not lean way back or curl the handle down.

Target: last best was 100 × 4, but the smarter win is 90 × 11 clean. Only touch 100 if 90 feels crisp.

Set	Prev Weight	Weight	Prev Reps	Reps
1	80	80	10	11
2	90	90	10	10
3	90	100	10	10
4	100	100	4	7

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Close Grip Lat Pulldown

Visual: cached closest match — close-grip front lat pulldown.

!320

How: Use your padded neutral close-grip attachment. Neutral wrists, neck long, shoulders down, elbows down/in. Do not turn it into a curl.

Target: last best was 80 × 10. Try 80 × 11 if the first set is clean; otherwise repeat 80 × 10 with better control.

Set	Prev Weight	Weight	Prev Reps	Reps
1	80	80	10	10
2	80	90	10	10

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Single-Arm Cable Lat Pulldown — Width Focus

Visual: MuscleWiki lat cable exercises. Use a single D-handle from high cable.

How: Kneel or stand slightly back from the cable. Start with a big lat stretch overhead, shoulder down, then drive elbow toward hip/pocket. Ribs down; no torso twist to cheat the finish.

Target: this got skipped last session. Bring it back for lat width: 3 controlled sets × 10–15 each side. Feel lower/outer lat, not biceps.

Set	Prev Weight	Weight	Prev Reps	Reps
1	60	50	10	15
2	40	60	12	10
3	50	60	12	10

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Straight-Arm Cable Pulldown — Lat Width Add

Visual: cached closest match — rope straight-arm pulldown.

!320

How: Slight hip hinge, arms mostly straight, shoulders down. Pull rope/bar from eye level to thighs by driving lats, not triceps.

Target: June best is 60 × 11; last session was 60 × 10. Try to reclaim 60 × 11–12 with slow reps.

Set	Prev Weight	Weight	Prev Reps	Reps
1	50	50	10	10
2	60	50	10	10
3	60	50	10	10

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Long Pull

Visual: cached closest match — seated cable row.

!320

How: Chest up, pull elbows back, pause at the body. Do not round forward and yank.

Target: last best was 100 × 7. Try 100 × 8 only if torso stays still; otherwise make 90 × 11–12 the win.

Set	Prev Weight	Weight	Prev Reps	Reps
1	80	80	10	10
2	90	90	10	10
3	90	100	10	10
4	100	100	7	10

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Cable Rear Delt Fly / Reverse Pec Deck — Shelf Builder

Visual: MuscleWiki rear/shoulder cable exercises. Use reverse pec deck if cables are busy.

How: Soft elbows, pull out and slightly back. Keep traps down. Stop when rear delts finish the rep; do not crank shoulders behind you.

Target: skipped last back session. Bring it back before biceps. Beat 55 × 10 only if clean; otherwise use 40–50 for 12–20.

Set	Prev Weight	Weight	Prev Reps	Reps
1	40	45	10	10
2	40	60	10	10
3	55	55	10	10

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Face Pull

Visual: MuscleWiki rear/shoulder cable exercises. No exact cached GIF; use strict form.

How: Pull toward face/forehead, elbows high-ish, rotate thumbs back. Think rear delts + lower traps, not upper-trap shrug.

Target: last best was 90 × 7, but cleaner high reps matter more here. Use 70–80 × 12–15 unless 90 is actually controlled.

Set	Prev Weight	Weight	Prev Reps	Reps
1	50	50	10	10
2	80	80	10	10
3	80	90	10	10
4	90	90	7	10

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Bent Over Landmine Row — Optional

Skip unless low back feels good and you still have time. This is optional today, not the main win.

Set	Prev Weight	Prev Reps
1	45	10
2	55	10
3	60	10
4	65	8

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Back Raises — Optional lower-back prehab

Only if lower back feels good. Bodyweight, controlled, not a max-effort finisher.

Set	Prev Weight	Prev Reps
1	bodyweight	10
2	bodyweight	10
3	bodyweight	10

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Dumbbell Hammer Curl — Optional Arm Width Builder

Do this only if time is fine. Neutral grip, elbows pinned, no swinging.

Target: last session hit 25 × 10. Try 25 × 11–12 or repeat 25s cleaner.

Set	Prev Weight	Weight	Prev Reps	Reps
1	20	20	10	10
2	25	25	10	7
3	20	20	9	10

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Single Arm Cable Curls — Optional Biceps Tension

Strict reps, full stretch, hard squeeze. Skip if the session is already long.

Set	Prev Weight	Prev Reps
1	20	10
2	25	10
3	25	10

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Source: June 16 - Back