Back Training - Pragmatic Bodybuilding with Jeff Alberts 

Thanks for the transparency and we’ve all been there before when it comes to the ego. Too much of that in the world of bbing. Humility leads to gains in and out of the gym 👍

Depends on priorities. Some people would rather sacrifice the back gainz for grip and arm gainz. Makes it a more functional gain however not ideal for back bodybuilding true It’s a pretty correct statement that lifting for the purpose of looking better is more egoic like competitive bodybuilding is

⁠​⁠@@knockingseekeryes if the goal is more about the grip and not the back, ditch the straps. This might be less of the norm for those in the bbing world when it comes to the goal between grip and a better back. As far as the correct statement on egoic, I only see it as correct if that’s true on an individual basis. My perspective on competitive bbing has evolved over the years. Early on, the ego ruled me and my approach and nowadays it rules me far far less than my humility. But we are all human and ego never really goes into complete hibernation.

@@knockingseeker I’m not even advocating for always using straps, just that it’s a tool in the toolbox that shouldn’t be dismissed. I like having functional strength and having a big back.

Good to hear and they’ve helped me tremendously through the years

@@jeffalberts7968 thank you for sharing your tips and expertise. Keep up the great work and will continue to follow along 👍

Thanks and glad to hear you’re benefiting from the chest supported rows.

I love it due to the stability. My shoulders don’t really like my arms further away from my torso, so with close grip I can comfortably generate more force and I’m more willing to push myself. Even if there’s let’s say another exercise or different angle that someone else might say is more optimal (maybe on paper), but if I can’t generate force and I’m holding back (physically or mentally) it’s not going to be optimal in the real world.

Happy to hear the vids are helping out and hope the pauses dial your back training in more.

Thank you 🤝

Sounds legit, I’m more of a visual learner, so I think I’d need to see it for it to really sink in. I’ll try it though next time I train calves. Thanks for the suggestion and your time.

🤝

I’m kinda the opposite on those… the more I arch on vertical pulls, the more my upper back wants to take over. If I keep a neutral spine, I feel more tension on my lats.

@@SmoothHandlegoes to show how we all differ at times and different approaches are needed.

@@jeffalberts7968 Roger that, Jeff.

Good mornings just not my jam. Regardless of stretch positions, it’s all about doing exercises I can relate dial in on, have stability, can generate force, feel comfortable and I can enjoy. Nothing against biasing the stretch position as on some movements I aim for it, but for me it’s more about what feels ideal for me.

Thanks, appreciated. Yea man, hard to talk all context in a 8 min video, but yes, one could do bent rows with good form and program in a way as to not over do things when it comes to low back redundancy. Seems like you’re okay.

​@jeffalberts7968 awesome thanks for the speedy response, look forward to the next vid, enjoy your time off man, hopefully summer in the northern hemisphere is a good one!

Welcome to the channel and glad it’s helping. I appreciate the suggestion and being 53, I can relate. See what I can do 👍

@@jeffalberts7968 thanks Jeff

What I’ve learned in bbing is that there will be varying opinions based on research and anecdotes-and those opinions tend to change (evolve) as the research and individual experience changes. Also, context matters especially on an individual level, so personally I don’t see anything in bodybuilding as universal. It’s like a monkey wrench, it works universally, but with some jobs it tends to strip the bolt heads at times and that tool therefore isn’t best. With all this said, I don’t disagree with your statement from a general perspective, but I do feel it would read better like this… “So it makes more sense to train them on an angle, not straight up > down “based on (insert context here)”. It is not bad per se, but it could be better (based on “insert context here)”. Also, to truly know if something is truly better, we need an individual controlled study doing two different versions-more long term too and let’s be real, that’s not a reality in the real world. In my video, I didn’t say a vertical pull is best for all, I said personally I do a horizontal and vertical pattern. Then I mentioned how different angles are effective and often times (not all) they need to be done unilaterally which takes more time. Based on my life context, I don’t have the luxury of time and arguably adding maybe a subtle net change to my back isn’t worth subtracting quality time for those I love. I appreciate you taking the time to comment and hopefully this helps others to think about their own individual context.

Can you rephrase this for me?

@@jeffalberts7968 do you think Training directly the external rotators (which give you more Details and thickness) and the erectors Spinat (which give you more thickness) Leads to more growth evn in advanced athletes, which you can See?

Genetics matter in any endeavor we do. If you’re 5ft 2 inches going to the NBA is likely not in the cards. Coming to a conclusion on what your specific goal is will give you more direction as to how to program for yourself. I’d have to really take a deep dive into your history and current context to get more understanding tbh.

@@jeffalberts7968 thanks Jeff!

I'm not Jeff (duh right lol) but I saw your question and I resonate with it. I LOVE barbell rows and have tried both methods you asked about. I used to do, 1 set of a weight I had to "cheat" with and the rest at a lower weight I could control. I enjoyed that method for a long time. If you haven't tried chest supported dumbbell rows with an incline bench, I think you'd like that too. Good luck brother!

@@S7320 thank you my friend

There’s variations to the movement and it just depends on what you’re trying to get out of the movement as well as what feels the most comfortable for you. I’ve found rack rows to be a nice alternative as they can take some pressure off the legs/low back. Basically rowing off safety arms set up around mid shin level and reset each rep to kill momentum.

@@jeffalberts7968 thanks Jeff, going to give those a try

Stability is so important whenever doing any exercise, so if 90 doesn’t give you that, but 45 does-all good. However, it may target the back differently, so depending on the goal of the movement you have to take that into consideration. If you have access to machines, you could always explore that option to give yourself more stability.

@@jeffalberts7968 Thank you for everything

What’s ur goal on doing those, chief? If it’s lat focused, then do u feel ur lats working hard with that wide pronated grip? Personally, wide pronated grip hits more upper back thickness area much more, while keeping a closer grip with elbows more in front hits my lats big time.

Not consistently for many years because my shoulders don’t like it. Arms closer to the torso and I feel more stable/supported. Like. Hanging from a cliff and trying not to fall to my death…neutral grip I have more stability and power.

@@SmoothHandle Paul Carter goes on and on about how good they are for lats and train a portion of the lats that other narrow grip ones don’t.

@@patrickjulius7352 maybe he’s right but I’d rather spend my lat focused energy hitting the majority area of the lats

mag grip

Mag Grip (Close Grip Neutral)

I appreciate the excitement and the support, thank you. It’s not a new training style, I’ve used it in the past with success. At this stage of my career, I’m more skeptical of not gaining any more lean tissue, but I’m still trying. I think where I’ll potentially see more visual progress is on how I approach a contest prep in order to retain muscle and peaking/posing. Regardless if I can’t add more muscle, I still need to be intent on keeping it 👍

@@jeffalberts7968 interesting. I think i will try it. Have you also tried the opposite? A Block of Pump Training? And this also with Hypertrophy success?

Thanks, it’s appreciated. At the moment, I have an upper session where I’m doing just a horizontal row. Later in the week, I have a back/delt session and I do both a vertical pull and horizontal row.

Thanks Jeff…..Keep up the Good Work (it’s Very Inspirational) Chris from Manchester England

Expand on that…

Quick!