Looking for guidance on a back workout routine. I rotate between three groups: legs, chest, back. Not super strict, just as often as I can get into the gym. I am at the point where I have started to add in more free weights and less machines. Found some good ones for legs and chest, but not as many for back. Plus the machines I use for back seem pretty good anyway. Also, some places online listed deadlift as a back workout but it seems like more of a leg workout to me.

  • xkyfal18@lemmygrad.ml
    ·
    5 months ago

    Alright, I'm gonna try to summarize my answer in a few points. Please note that I assume you're training strictly for hypertrophy.

    1. ALWAYS prefer using machines/stable exercises over free weights. They're objectively better than free weights. However, this doesn't mean free weights are useless and that you can't do one or two barbell rows if you enjoy them.
    2. Intensity ALWAYS beats volume. Check out Paul Carter's pinned posts on volume/frequency and so on... He's amazing.
    3. I'd say your workout only needs, let's say, 4-5 exercises. One row, one shrugging motion and 1-2 pulldown variations and maybe a rear delt fly.
    4. Deadlifts are posterior chain exercise and completely useless for hypertrophy. Do them if you want to be a powerlifter or like the exercise, just know there are MUCH better alternatives out there, like the SLDL (stiff leg deadlift, hamstring dominant) or rdl (romanian deadlift, glute dominant) Keep going!
    • bigboopballs [he/him]
      ·
      5 months ago

      like the SLDL (stiff leg deadlift, hamstring dominant) or rdl (romanian deadlift, glute dominant)

      Are they still good if you do dumbbell variants of these exercises?

      • xkyfal18@lemmygrad.ml
        ·
        5 months ago

        Still better than the deadlift, however I prefer barbells over dumbbells on this one. Much easier to progressive overload on imo