Heavy Bodybuilding Back Routine With Steve Kuclo

Just last week, the Muscle & Strength team traveled to Dallas, Texas and caught up with the ultimate fit couple and Team Allmax Athletes Steve and Amanda Kuclo.

In this video, Steve takes us through one of his favorite back workouts.

This is a heavy bodybuilding focused workout Steve likes to implement during his off-season.

The goal is to move as much weight as possible and really push blood into all of the muscle of the back.

Superset 1: Underhand Pull Downs & Straight Arm Cable Pull Downs

Steve kicks things off with a superset. In this superset, Steve performs underhand pull downs and straight arm cable pull downs.

The goal with this superset is to engage the lats and begin to pump blood into them before going into heavier compound movements.

Steve prefers using the underhand grip for pull downs. He feels that by doing so, he uses less of his shoulders and biceps and more of his back to complete the movement.

Steve also enjoys performing straight arm cable pulldowns because it mimics the movement of a pullover. Steve credits the squeeze he gets from contracting the muscles of his back with these two exercises for his awesome back development.

Exercise 3: Dumbbell Rows

After finishing up with his cable movements, Steve heads over to the dumbbell rack to begin throwing around some real weight.

Steve grabs a 200lb dumbbell (yea, you read that right.. 200lbs!) and begins performing dumbbell rows with perfect form.

When doing dumbbell rows, Steve likes to lean into the dumbbell rack. He acknowledges that everyone will have their own personal preferences, but he feels as though doing so allows him to target his back a little better and with heavier weight.

Exercise 4: Machine Rows

Next up for Steve is some isolation work with the machine row.

Steve thinks there is a fine balance between momentum training and time under tension. Both have their advantages. He likes to find a middle point between the two where he can maximize the weight he uses for exercises while minimizing his risk for injury.

Exercise 5: Deadlifts

Unlike most people who hit their big movements first, Steve likes to do them last.

Why? Because he feels it is far more of a challenge to do them when he is already fatigued. Steve describes it as the icing on the cake.

Steve finishes off his heavy back workout by dominating some heavy deadlifts.

Steve Kuclo’s Heavy Back Day

Want to give Steve’s workout a try? Let us know what you think in the comments section below!