Full Big Ramy Back Workout
Mr Olympia 2020
MAMDOUH 'BIG RAMY' ELSSBIAY
Division: IFBB Pro Bodybuilding
Turned Pro: 2012
Height / Weight: 6'0 / 300 lbs
Age: 36
Location: egypt
A late bloomer to the world of competitive bodybuilding, Big Ramy threw
every ounce of himself into the sport in 2010. Incredibly, two years later
he had earned his pro card by winning the Amateur Olympia. He began his
pro career with a first place finish in New York, and went on to finish
8th in his first Olympia. In the years since, he has added the mass and
definition to win the first Arnold Classic Brazil in 2015 and the Kuwait
Pro in 2016. Most recently, Big Ramy finished 2nd at Mr Olympia 2017, and
then won the Arnold Classic Europe a week later. The sky’s the limit for
2018 and beyond for one of the IFBB’s brightest rising stars.
Big Ramy’s Back Workout
Without a big, strong back, you won’t get too far in your lifting and/or
athletic endeavors. The back muscles help you to twist your torso, pull
your arms in and down from overhead, and, most importantly, stabilize your
spine. When you train these essential muscles, you’ll be more efficient at
pulling and twisting motions in general. Also, a bigger and stronger back
will help you deadlift and bench press more weight more
efficiently.
Here, you’ll learn more about why back training is important and how to
implement it into your routine. Also, we’ve curated the seven best back
exercises for you to work into your routine.
Deadlift
The deadlift is one of the best compound exercises you can do to add
serious amounts of strength and muscle mass to the back (as well as the
hips and hamstrings). The deadlift has the ability to stress the back
using moderate to heavy loads and can often be trained in higher volumes
and loads, ultimately offering a one-of-a-kind training stimulus.
Benefits of the Deadlift
It activates your back, but also your hamstrings, glutes, and the muscles
in your hips.
You can load up the deadlift with a lot of weight (once you’re strong
enough) to elicit major strength gains.
You can also build more muscle since the deadlift can be done for lots of
volume.
How to Do the Deadlift
Stand in front of a loaded barbell with your feet shoulder-width apart,
hips back, and back flat. The knees should be bent slightly to allow you
to grip the bar tightly slightly wider than shoulder-width. Keeping your
back flat and chest up, tighten the back muscles, and straighten the arms
as you load the pull. With everything locked, aggressively push your legs
into the floor as you simultaneously pull your chest and shoulders
upwards, lifting the bar to the hip.
Pull-Up
Don’t think the pull-up is less effective than the other moves on this
list because it’s a bodyweight exercise. Pulling your body weight creates
a level of instability that recruits your core muscles (to stabilize your
body). Also, if you’re on the heavier side (say, over 180 pounds), then
you’re still pulling a lot of weight. Lastly, it’s always nice when you
need limited equipment to do an exercise. In this case, you only need to
own a pull-up bar to get this done.
Benefits of the Pull-Up
You only need a pull-up bar to do this move, which you can buy for your
home gym or find at a park.
Stabilizing your own body weight will also recruit the muscles in your
core.
Your muscles will still respond to the relatively heavy load that is your
own body.
How to Do the Pull-Up
Assume an overhead grip on the bar, slightly wider than shoulder-width.
With the shoulder blades squeeze together, contract the core and upper
back as you initiate the pull-up. Aim to pull your chin to or above the
bar level.
HAMMER STRENGTH ROW
SETS: 4, REPS: 10, WEIGHT: 270
EQUIPMENT: Hammer Strength Iso-lateral Low Row (this
machine’s levers are attached above)
Purpose of The Hammer Strength One-Arm Row
The Hammer Strength One-Arm Row is a machine based exercise designed
to target the lats (latissimus dorsi), but can also be modified to
place added emphasis on the rear deltoids, and rhomboid muscles.
Equipment Needed For Hammer Strength One-Arm Rows
As you can imagine, the name of this exercise is self-explanatory in
that it can only be performed if your gym comes equipped with a hammer
strength one arm row machine.
Difficulty of Hammer Strength One-Arm Rows
On a scale of 1 to 5, Hammer Strength One-Arm Rows would rank between
a 2 and a 3, as the resistance is on a “track,” which allows you to
put greater focus on mentally directing as much stress onto the lat as
possible – which is generally one of the most difficult things for
people to do when training the lats.
FOCUS: With the switch mechanics of this machine, columns
are pulled in a descending bend and afterward marginally upward at
compressions. This, combined with his pulling his elbows back beyond
what many would consider possible, zeros in additional on his lower
lats. Grasping the switch bars rather than the handles additionally
permits him to get his elbows farther back at constrictions.
Chest Supported Row
You perform a chest supported row by lying facedown on an incline bench
and rowing a pair of dumbbells (or kettlebells or a barbell). This chest
support takes the momentum out of the equation and relying solely on your
muscles to move the weights. This variation also takes the strain off of
your lower back if you have had or have an achy lower back.
Benefits of the Chest Supported Row
This move isolates your back muscles so you can activate them to the
fullest extent.
Not standing takes the onus off of your lower back to support your torso,
relieving low-back pressure.
How to Do the Chest Supported Row
Set a workout bench to a 45-degree incline and lay face down on it, so
your chest and stomach are supported. Grab a dumbbell in each hand and
then row them to your sides until your elbows pass your torso. Slowly
lower the weight under control.
BARBELL ROW
SETS: 3, REPS: 10, WEIGHT: 315
EQUIPMENT: Olympic barbell, rack
GRIP: Overhand with straps, thumbs at inner edge of
knurling
FROM: He snaps up his preparation belt before each set.
Taking a moderately thin hold for somebody so wide, Big Ramy remains
generally upstanding with his chest area at a point approximating the
moment hand at 10 o'clock. He pulls the bar up, brushing the warm up
pants covering his enormous quads, and into his midsection.
FOCUS: This year's Arnold Classic Brazil champ watches
himself in a mirror all through each set. With his generally upstanding
situating, he focuses on his upper, internal back (lower traps).
Furthermore, 315-pound columns are incredible for in general dorsal
thickness. The two D's, thickness and itemizing, were Big Ramy's
accentuation on back days in 2015.
Inverted Row
The inverted row is a bodyweight movement that can build similar back,
arm, and grip strength as the pull-up. However, the inverted row is
generally easier to do since you’re not rowing your complete bodyweight.
This is a great move for beginners to build up both their back strength
and body control.
Benefits of the Inverted Row
You’ll engage your arms, back, and grip in a similar fashion to the
pull-up for muscle activation.
This is a great novice variation that allows the user to progress to
harder inverted row variations and then pull-ups.
How to Do the Inverted Row
Place a bar in a rack so that it is supported and stable. When you lay
down underneath it, your hands should just reach the bar. Adjust the
height as needed. With the feet on the ground and the body set in the
prone plank position, grasp the bar firmly, pull the shoulder blades
together, and set the body in the hollow position. Pull the sternum to the
bar, making sure to keep the elbows from flaring out and the shoulders
from collapsing forwards.
V-HANDLE PULLDOWN
SETS: 3, REPS: 10, WEIGHT: 210
EQUIPMENT: Pulldown station, two D-handles
GRIP: Parallel with straps
FROM: The key to this V-handle pulldown is that it's really
performed with two D-handles (both joined to a similar snap interface
toward the finish of an overhead link), which makes a folding and
expandable V-handle. At the stretch of every rep (arms straight up),
Ramy's palms are almost together. As he pulls down, he moves the handles
separated, so at every compression the handles are as isolated as could
be expected under the circumstances. The D-handles go from almost
opposite to the floor toward the beginning to almost resemble to his
chest at the base. He likewise inclines in reverse marginally all
through the concentric portion of every rep.
FOCUS: Two D-handles give him more noteworthy versatility
than a V-handle, and this permits him to extend his scope of movement,
getting longer stretches at the highest point of reps and more grounded
constrictions with his elbows pulled farther back at the lower part of
reps. It might appear to be minor, yet these little changes can have a
major effect when duplicated by reps and sets and exercises. "I like the
more liberated movement on each rep and the better press at the lower
part of reps," Elssbiay says of the twin D-handles.
Back muscles
FXQuadro/Shutterstock
A strong back can really improve all aspects of your lifting routine,
too. Even if you’re not actively working your back, it still plays a role
in your weight training. If you’re bench-pressing, a bigger back provides
more of a base for you to stabilize on. Your lats help pull the barbell
down, so lat strength is certainly a factor when
bench-pressing.
When you deadlift, strong back muscles grant you the ability to contract
— hard — to brace your back. This back brace will help prevent spinal
rounding (aka cat-back) when deadlifting, which could ultimately lead to
injury.
How to Train Your Back
You’ll either want to train your back on its own, paired with an
antagonistic muscle like your chest or on the day that you deadlift. These
are three popular ways to incorporate back training into a program, and
it’s up to you to decide which works best.
What we can tell you is that you’ll want to accumulate anywhere from 12
to 18 sets of volume for you back per week. If you’re newer to lifting,
start with 12 sets and gradually work your way up to 18. Choose three to
four exercises from this list and divvy up your training sets equally
among them. Try to have a 1:1 ratio of vertical pulls to horizontal pulls.
A vertical pull is a lat pulldown or pull-up, which has you work your back
with your arms extended overhead. A horizontal pull is when you train your
back with your arms extended out in front of you.
