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July 08 - Back

Updated Jul 08, 2026 05:17 PM

Goal: wider lats + thicker rear-delt/mid/lower-trap shelf behind the shoulders. Mass first, strength second.

Main win: beat one clean July back target without turning pulls into biceps. Best wins today are Lat Pulldown 100 × 10, Single-Arm Cable Lat Pulldown 70 × 11, Straight-Arm Pulldown 60 × 12, or Face Pull 90 × 11.

Best targets today

Lat Pulldown: last best was 100 × 9 after a strong start. Target 100 × 10 clean; do not chase ugly 100s if shoulders rise.
Close-Grip Pulldown: last useful top was 80 × 10 because 90 dropped off. Rebuild to 80 × 11–12, then move back toward 90.
Single-Arm Cable Lat Pulldown: new July PR was 70 × 10. Target 70 × 11 per side only if you can keep the elbow driving to hip.
Straight-Arm Pulldown: last was 60 × 11 / 60 × 10. Target 60 × 12 on set 1 or two clean sets at 60 × 10–12.
Long Pull: last clean work was 90 × 10. Target 90 × 11–12 before forcing 100 again.
Rear Delt Fly: last was 60 × 10. Target 60 × 11 or 55 × 12–15 if traps take over.
Face Pull: last was 90 × 10 then 90 × 7. Target 90 × 11 only if clean; otherwise build controlled reps at 80–90.

Rules for today

Lats first: stretch at the top, shoulders down, elbows to ribs/hips. No curling the handle.
Rows: chest tall, still torso, 1-sec squeeze. If momentum appears, lower the weight.
Rear delts/trap shelf: 12–20 reps are allowed. Clean shelf work beats ego weight.
Optional curls are optional. Back width/shelf beats arm fatigue today.
Low back rule: if it feels cooked, skip landmine rows and back raises.

Time-boxed version if rushed 1. Lat Pulldown — 4 sets 2. Single-Arm Cable Lat Pulldown — 3 sets 3. Long Pull — 3–4 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: Beat last top set 100 × 9 → target 100 × 10 clean. If 90 feels slow, repeat crisp 90–100 work instead of grinding.

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

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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 session dipped after the first set. Rebuild with 80 × 11–12 clean before forcing 90 again.

Set	Prev Weight	Weight	Prev Reps	Reps
1	80	80	10	10
2	70	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: Last session made 70 × 10. Try 70 × 11 per side if clean; otherwise 60–70 for 10–15 with a hard lat squeeze.

Set	Prev Weight	Weight	Prev Reps	Reps
1	60	60	10	10
2	60	70	11	10
3	70	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: Beat 60 × 11 → target 60 × 12 on set 1, then keep the rest clean at 60 × 10–12.

Set	Prev Weight	Weight	Prev Reps	Reps
1	60	50	11	10
2	60	60	10	10
3		60		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 clean top was 90 × 10. Build to 90 × 11–12 with a still torso before returning to 100.

Set	Prev Weight	Weight	Prev Reps	Reps
1	80	80	10	10
2	90	80	10	10
3	90	90	10	10
4		90		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: Beat 60 × 10 → target 60 × 11, or drop to 55 and chase clean 12–15 reps.

Set	Prev Weight	Weight	Prev Reps	Reps
1	55	55	10	10
2	55	55	10	10
3	60	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: Beat 90 × 10 → target 90 × 11 only if controlled. Cleaner high reps at 80–90 are better than ugly 90s.

Set	Prev Weight	Weight	Prev Reps	Reps
1	70	70	10	10
2	80	80	10	10
3	90	0	10	0
4	90	0	7	0

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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 was fatigued 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	12	10
2	25	20	7	10
3	20	15	7	15

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Source: July 02 - Back