BACK OF THE FUTURE: AN EXPERIMENT IN FREAKINESS
There was a two- to three-year span when I became obsessed with developing the freakiest looking back possible. I simply wanted to look like a comic book character and have more definition than a dictionary. I’m writing this blog after years of research and application, outlining the methods that I’ve found work best for developing an illegal looking back.
Pictures: Here are the results I was able to achieve by applying the methods laid out in this blog.
Other case studies are included at the bottom of the page.
Nutrition/Supplement Program
Nutrition advice is tough to give, especially when you don’t know who you’re speaking to. Below is a sample of a nutrition program *I* follow on a bulking diet (when I want to gain size). Also, checkout the link below for further help: USE THIS LINK: http://www.trufkinathletics.com/1/post/2011/10/steroids-lifestyle-and-muscle-gain.html
Workout Routine
Workouts change over time, so if I were to write out my ENTIRE back routine through its multiple phases, it would literally go on for hundreds of pages. To keep it short, I’ll give you a general layout of my workout program. There are two parts to this workout routine: Phase 1 (hyper-therapy) which is done for six weeks, and Phase 2 (strength training) which is done for three weeks. You should cycle through these two phases indefinitely, while constantly educating yourself on back development. The list below gives more detailed information on the general layout and these two phases.
HERE ARE SOME OTHER CONCEPTS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER:
1.Variety
Variety is really important. You have to remember that the back is composed of a lot of different and unique muscle groups. You need to bring out every single one of these muscle groups to their fullest potential if you want to develop that picture-perfect back. To do this, you have to include at least 15-20 different back exercises which incorporate barbells, dumbbells, machines, and cables. The fewer exercises you include, the less definition and separation between each individual muscle group you’ll achieve and the less complete your back will look.
2. Importance of rear shoulders
Although rear shoulders are fairly small, they do a lot to create a more massive back with that V-shaped, tapered look. If you neglect training your rear shoulders, you will not be able to achieve that V-shape; instead you’ll appear more rectangular- or square-shaped from behind. The main lesson here is that training your rear shoulders is critical to getting the look you want: you need to make sure your shoulders are up to par with the rest of your back development.
3. Mind-muscle connection
This is by far one of the most important aspects to master. If there’s a single secret that a person with a great physique could share, the mind-muscle connection is definitely that secret. Some people get it right off the bat, but others take a while to understand it. The mind-muscle connection is the ability to feel an exercise working the specific muscle that you intend to work. Basically, if you don’t feel the muscle being worked (the muscle you want to grow or improve), it will not grow. It’s as simple as that. Merely lifting the weight up and down until you can’t lift it anymore isn’t satisfactory. You need the mind-muscle connection.
4. Always take an off day
Since your back comprises a large portion of your body, it’s very important that you to take a day off after every back training session. For example, if you train your back on Monday, take Tuesday off in order to allow time for recovery and get the best results.
5. Intensity
You have to get in a habit of doing intense workouts. Without really pushing your body PAST its limits, there is no incentive whatsoever for your body to change. The body is either pushed past its limits or it’s not. There is no in between.
Here are a few of the most common indicators that your workout is not intense enough:
· You’re able to carry on a conversation between sets
· You finish a set and feel like you could have easily done 4-5 more reps during that set
· You end the exercise when it becomes too difficult
· You end the set because a chosen number of reps have been completed, but you have not yet reached true failure
· Your workouts last 2-3 hours and you’re able to train 6-7 days a week
You can’t work out hard and long. Your workouts should either be hard or they should be hard are long—one or the other. If you’re really pushing hard, spending 45 minutes to an hour on a workout, a maximum of three or four times per week, is more than enough. The less time you spend training in the gym, the better.
6. Artistic Eye
Think of the human body as a work of art. You can make it look like shit, or you can make it look like a masterpiece. It’s pretty simple. Just like an artist uses brushes and other tools to create a panting, a person can use weights, lifestyle, fitness, and nutrition to develop their ideal body. Use those tools appropriately and make sure to honestly evaluate your progress. Enough of this positive psychology of being happy with being mediocre. Fuck that. Seek excellence and achieve happiness from your success. For instance, if you notice the lower portion of your back is underdeveloped compared to upper portion, train your lower back more in order to catch it up to the rest of your body. I know it might not be as fun as training a well-developed muscle group, but it is more pleasing to the artistic eye and crucial to developing the best looking back possible.
7. Training Cycles
Generally, you want to cycle through two phases: (1) hyper-therapy training for six weeks and (2) strength training for three weeks. The hyper-therapy phase is characterized by higher reps (8-15), and the strength phase by lower reps (6-2). There is a lot of science behind this, but I’m excluding it for the sake of keeping the blog short. However, the principles are applied in the workout program described in this blog.
8. Mind Game
The mind tells your muscles to move. If your mind is weak, your muscles will be weak. Read this blog to better understand a strong mind:
USE THIS LINK: http://www.trufkinathletics.com/1/post/2012/10/foundation-to-a-badass.html
Other Case Studies:
