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July 02 - Back

Updated Jul 02, 2026 05:36 PM

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

Main win: beat one clean July back target without turning pulls into biceps. Best wins are Lat Pulldown 100 × 11, Long Pull 100 × 11, or Rear Delt Fly 60 × 11.

Best targets today

Lat Pulldown: beat 100 × 10 → target 100 × 11 clean, or repeat 100 × 10 with better control.
Close-Grip Pulldown: beat 90 × 10 → target 90 × 11 if shoulders stay down.
Long Pull: beat 100 × 10 → target 100 × 11 with a still torso.
Straight-Arm Pulldown: June best was 60 × 11, but last session dipped to 50s. Rebuild to 60 × 10–12 if cable setup feels good.
Rear Delt Fly: beat 60 × 10 → target 60 × 11, or 50–55 × 12–15 if traps take over.

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 when possible. If traps take over, lower the weight.
Keep optional curls truly optional. Back width/shelf beats arm fatigue today.
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. Long Pull — 4 sets 4. Straight-Arm Cable Pulldown — 3 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 back raises / curls only if still fresh

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: June best was 100 × 10. Try 100 × 11 only if 90 feels crisp; otherwise own clean 100 × 10 again.

Set	Prev Weight	Weight	Prev Reps	Reps
1	80	80	11	11
2	90	90	10	10
3	100	100	10	9
4	100	100	7	3

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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: June best was 90 × 10. Try 90 × 11 clean, or repeat 90 × 10 with slower control.

Set	Prev Weight	Weight	Prev Reps	Reps
1	80	80	10	10
2	90	70	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: Keep this as the width builder. Aim for 60 × 11 per side if clean; otherwise 50–60 for 10–15 with a hard lat squeeze.

Set	Prev Weight	Weight	Prev Reps	Reps
1	50	60	15	10
2	60	60	10	11
3	60	70	10	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: Last session was light at 50s; June best is 60 × 11. Reclaim 60 × 10–12 if form stays lat-driven.

Set	Prev Weight	Weight	Prev Reps	Reps
1	50	60	10	11
2	50	60	10	10
3	50		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: June best was 100 × 10. Try 100 × 11 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	100	90	10	10
4	100	0	10	0

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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: June best was 60 × 10. Try 60 × 11, or drop to 50–55 and chase clean 12–15 reps.

Set	Prev Weight	Weight	Prev Reps	Reps
1	45	55	10	10
2	60	55	10	10
3	55	60	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: June best was 90 × 10. Try 90 × 11 only if controlled; cleaner high reps at 70–80 are better than ugly 90s.

Set	Prev Weight	Weight	Prev Reps	Reps
1	50	70	10	10
2	80	80	10	10
3	90	90	10	10
4	90	90	10	7

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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 dipped after back volume. Use 20–25 × 10–12 strict; skip if elbows/biceps are fried.

Set	Prev Weight	Weight	Prev Reps	Reps
1	20	20	10	12
2	25	25	7	7
3	20	20	10	7

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Source: June 23 - Back