3 Rules for Building a BARNDOOR Back 

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'Mental health is good and all - but most importantly your back lets you lift heavy loads'. This is the type of meathead gymrat outlook I can get behind.

One of my favoriite quotes on back training is from Janae Kroc who said the back is a "blue collar muscle." It just needs good old, brute force, hard work to grow.

Love pendlay rows for 10-15 reps. I don't do them very heavy but everyone compliments my back for its thickness.

Dude I added in back to every workout (I train 5x/week) and all my lifts are blowing up. Obviously not the sole factor but it certainly ain't hurting. TRAIN YOUR BACK GUYS IT CARRIES OVER TO EVERY COMPOUND

It's funny this video comes out as I'm looking over my program and feeling guilty about how little rowing I have in vs vertical pulling. I have, yet again, been shamed into doing rows. 😭

I run an upper lower split 4 days a week, my upper back blew up once I started doing upper back work every time I was in the gym. Upper days are vertical pulls and high angle face pulls and lower day is horizontal pulls with low angle face pulls.

Steve Shaw has made a lot of videos advocating for training back like you exemplify here. Ever since I started training back like this, my lats and traps have gotten so much thicker and stronger it’s insane

2 things that made a huge difference for me was 1) on lower body days it's the first movement of the day, and 2) from Jim wendler, super Set every bench/ohp movement with a row movement. But again, I treat it as the main lift and the bench as the super Set. These things made a huge difference for me. Great video Bromley!

I really love and appreciate your no b.s K.i.s.s method of training. It's a breath of fresh air in the industry

I actually emphasize back training now. You and Brian Alsruhe have sold me. Unfortunately I have a strained intercostal, so I can't really chin, do pullovers, or do dumbbell rows. I have to be a good boy, and do more chest supported rows, so I can still deadlift without making it scream at me too loud. I'm on an upper lower where I hit my erectors, and upper traps on a lower day. Then I hit the lats, lower traps, mid traps etc... First on the upper day. One day a week I have a full body, where I go for broke on rows, and farmers carries... And then I die. I'm not nearly as concerned about pressing as I use to be. I see it as something that's going to go up moreso from gaining mass that zealotry. Pressing does allow me to do something while I rest in between more valuable exercises. I still train to progress, but legs, core, and upper back are definitely a higher priority.

Best thing I ever did to finally improve my bench was to start training upper back more intensely. That also included low, mid traps, and rotator cuffs as well.

This has really motivated me to focus more on my rows/back cause my rowing has always been very weak in comparison to the rest of my lifts. Very solid video I appreciate the info!

Going to keep only 2 exercise variations for this block, supinated pulldown & upper back t-bar rows load them heavy-low reps then light-high rep backoffs! thanks a bunch as always you deliver the real deal.

I am going to start recommending this video to people. I think a chest supported cable face pull from a down to up angle going a bit above forehead level and back as far as you go hits my upper mid back as much as anything except maybe bent face rows. i use an incline bench set about 60 plus degrees and really try to pull back hard at the end with a good load. its a new one i put in last month and, well....the next day was a bit interesting.

Your videos are the best I've found. I've been feeling like I'm missing something for years to get me to the next level. Turns out I was missing Bromley wisdom! I'm running bullmastiff starting this week and am looking forward to the results. Thanks for making it free!

Full ROM chins followed by 1 arm DB rows , after deadlifts and dl accessory, has been doing it for me. I'll superset them if/when the gains plateau.

Front squats(especially "zombie") and heavy sandbag carrys torch my upper back every time

I never skipped my back on any workout and never even cared about how it looked. Then one day I saw a picture of my back when i was camping with my friends and saw it for the first time and was blown away how developed it was. The only reason I worked it was because i wanted to fix my posture. Now I love to work it just to see the pump.

Your diagrams are top notch 👍 For rows, i needed to be 1. Flatter back 2. Wider grip 3. Pull higher in rib cage

Perfect timing, I'm starting to focus more on my upper back. Just what I need to kick it into overdrive 😃

Looked at that Bull Mastiff program and seems really cool, trying to learn how to do more submaximal volume. Had to change a good bit of things to fit my needs, i.e. more bench days, light singles for forms sake, and over all adding a week to the waves, but i learned so many good preogression principles, and super excited to start it and see what I like and can learn!

I had someone come over and said I had a great upper back while I was using the Smith machine for calf raises 😁

Best channel on the tube yube. As a strongman champ and multi time qualifier his points on back work are 100% spot on! I never understood the “lower emphasis” on back work by other programs. It’s like they just throw in a row or chin after a press. NO NO NO! Your back needs equal if not more attention! Big thick backs in my world of competing screams respect and says “that’s a strong MF’er”

What an excellent video What excellent advice. I've been training over 45 years and have to agree with almost every single thing Alexander says here. He puts it plainly: You have to get stronger to get bigger. I especially liked when he said that he grew most at times when he was the least sore. So true. Progression and overload rule.

one of your funniest and best episodes to date. thanks Bromley

thank you doctor Mike, Renaissance periodization is the best source of information on youtube

I’ve been trying to slow down my rows to get more out of them. I also started implementing the Vince Gironda 8x8 with 30s rest on kroc rows. This is the longest multi-day pump I’ve ever had.

I love back day. It's the most fun. And I get to do a variation of the deadlift.

Reason #2 really speaks to me. I've had more than a few back tweaks over the years and it has made me scared to lean into barbell rows.

This channel is criminally underrated

I not only think body English is okay for a barbell row but preferred, for all the reasons you said and it will also help your deadlift strength off the floor .

This is great insight and encouragement moving forward! 💪🏾 I’m looking to build insane pendlay row, chin-up and one arm row for a great back!

Bromley your tips are imo extremely sound and on point, thank you for your contribution!

Using the ohp to develop my back by having all the muscles stabilize is so cool

Lots of good info here and not just about rowing. Thanks Alex.

I love the straight talk 🙌

For me: 1) Vetical pull exercises like Pullups and Pulldowns works better with a regular overhand grip as wide as possible. 2) Horizontal pull exercises works better 4 me with a neutral grip that's shoulder withd apart. I prefer chest support incline dumbbell rows on a 45 degree angle or standing bent over cable rows (yes cables) 3) Single arm back exercises allows me for a better mind to muscle connection to target specific areas in the back. For single arm movements, I prefer a D-handle with neutral grip. Nice Video!!

Luckily, I always train the upper back with same seriousness and commitment that other people train their chest and bench press. I always have a separate day for weighted chins and weighted pull ups. Although I am quite good at barbell rows, and can row well over my own bodyweight while using a bit body English, I feel that it further fatigues the erectors. I need them fresh for deadlift and squat. As I have some recovery issues due to my growing age, I plan to incorporate barbell rows once I achieve my certain goals in deadlift and squat.

This year I really started to focus on the hard back movements- bent over toes, chins and T bars. With variations like deadlift rows. Higher reps for lats; 8-20 feel the best for me. All my other lifts exploded as my upper back/ lats got stronger. In fact, at 53, all my PR goals for the year have been reached for the year and it’s only August. These movements are exhausting on the lower back as well.

7:31 great piece of wisdom

ILS crew checking in.

Just what I've been thinking about!

Bromley saving our shitty backs! Great video as always Coach!

I have since i began fallowing you implemented 2 backdays. 1 full whit barbell rows and chins and the other whit barbell rows goodmornings and so on. And im doing the same wave loaded progression as i have in the other compund movements. So sets increase just as in squats. Well this i not new to me. Ive always had rows being as important than presses and squats and deads.

I found this channel today and I love it

Thanks for the free stuff bro! God bless!

Videos like this make me feel unsure if my pure hipertrophy methods are the way to go. Im doing rows on the 10 to 20 rep range, heavy ish. I have a pretty good back, but sometimes feel like I m missing out on heavy chins and rows. Shoulder pain does arise in my case if the weight gets to high though.

I just failed 445 dl bc I couldn’t lock it out. Failed just above the knees. I was sooo Close. Time to build my back like Baki

I love big heavy Rows. It makes my back feel good. My back feels so much stronger when someone's trying to stuff my head down in a sprawl

70s Powerlifter has gotta have enough back work. I do the bent rows woolam style because that has always worked nicely for me

I like wide Seal rows with straps. Don't need to even think about taking the lower back out of it, or taking the elbows out of it, its taken care of by the setup. it isolates you really well, and then you just gotta beast out and row as much as you possible can

Because of you I am now addicted to working out my back.

Nope, great information. I'm 5 years into training and feeling my way around . Its clear I don't know shit, but this makes pefect sense to me so we're all good. Thanks 🤘

about body english I think it's important to clarify, for 90%+ of lifters hip and leg drive on rows simply shouldn't be used, they don't really help the back to get stressed more, however some spinal flexion and extension(especially upper back) is useful since it stretches your mid, especially lower traps and lats significantly more and some dynamic erector training is also great(if you remove hip and leg drive the weight is low enough compared to your deadlift numbers tha tit should definetly be safe), how much should be determined by how much erectors vs. the rest of the back are the limiting factor(if both get to failure simultaneously or the erectors have 1-2 more reps in the tanks that's great) and how much you want to focus on either. the last

I have also found that too much bicep in the row often limits the weight they can do, they are just in the wrong positioning. Use straps, pull in a straight line, often leaning back on vertical pulldowns connecting clearly with lower sternum, pulling to the stomach with neutral elbows with a good stretch and momentum in the horizontal cable rows. Both will do heavier weight and tend to have much less bicep involvement.

Can you do a strength goals video for back exercises the way you did with the big three?

Level 10 marketing, will train back. And buy your free course. Thank you

Alexander, Would doing a heavy back session the day after a big bench session interfere with recovery from the bench day?

Good stuff.

Just found this channel and just put the fire under my ass again I'm always pushing hard but this has really made me step it up I hit back last night and just watching this I want to do some dumbbell shrugs right now

that metaphor at 4:02 was spot on

Another important exercise most folks don't do is external/internal shoulder rotation. Make your shoulders almost injury proof and add thickness to the upper back/armpits.

Comparing the Barbell Row to the Push Press and not the Strict Press made a light bulb go off in my brain. I understand now why people do it that way

How might I balance lifting and wrestling, do I just eat more or workout less? (As a sophomore varsity wrestler)

I work my ass-off in the gym!!! I've been hitting it hard for 6-years now. Your vids are AWESOME and I learn a TON. I know you've brought this up in the past, but genetics plays a HUGE ROLL in a Man's overall thickness!! I'm a tall, slender built man (my son too)...I'm 6'1" and currently 210 pounds. I'll never have a "thick" and wide back...my bones are much smaller than the guys I work-out with. There are guys who put half the time into the gym as me with backs 30+% bigger than mine. I look damn good without a shirt on, but the thickness will never happen.

Kickass video, my man 👍

Great information and tips

If it's not sustainable, how do you explain the Bob Peoples deadlift technique and the success he had as a natural lifter over many years setting a world record?

When I started training real heavy on back, I realized what Jesus meant when he said "Take up your cross and follow me"

I use weighted chins fore strength and rows for mass.

A good way to tell I wrecked my back is when my lats / rear delts cramp up nasty when I try to wipe or reach behind in the shower that night 😂

Pen rows, reverse grip rows, bent over dumbbell flys and pull ups are the only exercises I do for my back development, and I have that cobra v tapper with a Christmas tree, I used to pretty much only do cables and machines for my back in my early 20s, now in my mid 30s I only do free weight training with calisthenics for every body part, im way stronger, jacked like a bodybuilder, and functional like a CrossFit athlete in everyday life, I will never go back to machines or cables again

Is there any difference between doing weighted chins or weighted wide grip pull ups? I train wide grip or regular grip pull ups for 4 sets, go down to 4 sets unweighted amrap, then do pendlay row 4 sets of 10 (currently at 155lb). Should i change one day to chins instead of pull ups? I do chins unweighted chins at the end of pull day after bicep isolation so it’s not like I’m leaving them out.

This was just great! Thank you.

Recovering from illness, I'm just doing good mornings, pullovers and shrugs for high reps. Seems to be working.

I wish that upper body pulling strength was also contested. People would've trained it eagerly then. Powerlifting should be a test of one lift each for upper body pull, upper body press, and lower body. Right now it has two lower body tests (squat and deadlift) and the later always suffers due to former.

I wanna go ham on bent rows but afraid it'll tax my CNS because I'm also going ham on squats.

If you "superset" bench with rows, that's actually doing the exact opposite of prioritizing. I'm pretty sure superset is usually done with the same muscles, like supersetting lat pulldowns with biceps. What you're talking about antagonist training, which is what I do. But it should not be supersetted. If you superset, I think that would mean with minimal rest. If you do rows right after bench press, you will be tired to do rows and not get as good growth. Which is exactly what you said not to do, and that is correct.

Bromley challenging dr. Israetel for goat status with the bulgarian style of uploading youtube videos

do you think strict machine work is absolutely necessary? i personally enjoy doing strict pull ups and chinups on my deadlift day immediately after finishing deads and then i do kroc rows and bent over rows after my pressing work (i will def be moving them infront of my pressing work as per your advice tho)

I thought I was the only one who programmed back on lower day. Thanks for the video Alex.

Snatch-grip deadlift👍🏻

Do I have to sign up to get bullmastiff?

I've been rowing since I started lifting. Tfw back still smol.

What about pre fatiguing my back before hand. I like a stable movement for a set to burn my back then going into my rows

So Starting Strength was right emphasizing chins over pullups?

i prioritized upper back before… ended up outgrowing my dress shirts 😂

Muh back

Love the tree branch analogy

Great stuff thank you

Takeaway: Dump all exercises and specialize only in rowing.

I can't, for the life of me, activate my lats. I have tried a so many different exercises at so many different angles. But I never feel anything in my lats. My entire back lights up but never my lats. I have rear delts for days, and my traps are coming in nicely. But my lats are nowhere to be found. What the hell am I doing wrong?

Hi Alex, does it mean that deadlift is not enough for upper back? I have always heard and read that deadlift hammers the upper back very hard and with most possible weight than any back exercise. How do you see this point? Isn't the deadlift a full body lift?

Been doing street workout/calisthenics for most of my life (pull/chin ups, rows,...), but my back EXPLODED from pendlay rows just doing them for 2-3 years now, and I am 28

When talking about “dangling two 45’s from your belt” while doing chin-ups, I totally thought you said “245” and I had to completely reevaluate my entire life for a second 😂😮‍💨

What is you opinion on the one arm dumbbell row? I like that one the most 💪

Will you get an imbalance if you have the supinated grip on the deadlift with the same hands , with it effect your torso ect . Just a yes or no answer so I can switch it up ! But prefer to keep as is but will switch it up if it b rings everything out of alignment .

Stand up straight with your shoulders back - Jordan Peterson. Besides that, looking like a god damn Ninja Turtle is cool as shit too

Jordan Petersons 12 rules for life…. Rule 1, Stand up straight with your shoulders back. 100% is effective to have good posture when combatting depression. Its not the cure but its a piece of the puzzle and from first hand experience definitely helps.