Let’s face it, nagging pains suck. You can’t workout, play with your kids or pets, or enjoy your normal activities like you used to.
Time and time again, I hear people complain about shoulder, back, and hip pain, even using it as an excuse to skip exercises that would help prevent the lingering aches and pains. Often these nagging issues all stem from a weak back!
A strong back is beneficial for supporting the shoulder in overhead exercises, stabilizing the core for heavy squats & deadlifts, looking good and performing daily tasks!
Many times, clients work for months to years with very little to no progress. Let’s face it, if you don’t have a plan, it is difficult to make your goal a reality.
My mission is to help you build a plan that is simple, effective and time efficient for you to become pain free, strong and look great naked!
STEP 1 – COMMIT TO YOUR GOAL AND DEVELOP A PLAN
Having a goal and committing to it are two different things.
Here is what you need to do: Identify your goal, ask yourself why you want to accomplish it, and how you’ll feel when you do.
Write it down somewhere that you will see everyday, tell others about it, then develop a plan to get there. Remember: “A goal without a plan, is just a wish.”
STEP 2 – DETERMINE YOUR TIME COMMITMENT TO THE PLAN
The most common barrier to building a bulletproof back is time commitment. Pick a realistic time frame that you will commit to reaching your goal.
For building strength and muscle a 6-8 week program is recommended.
If you need to work through and improve nagging pain, an 8-16 week program may be needed.
Building a bulletproof back can be tricky and, if overdone, can lead to injury.
To safely improve strength without causing injury, I recommend committing a maximum of two sessions per week with one to two recovery days in between sessions.
Note – If you’re following a program like CrossFit which is generally more shoulder intensive and varied, ask your coach to modify your CrossFit workouts so you don’t overload your shoulders. You can schedule a FREE CONSULTATION with a Lincoln Nutrition & Fitness coach HERE.
STEP 3 – CHOOSE EXERCISES FOR YOUR PLAN
A bulletproof back requires building muscle and strength in the lats, shoulder blades, lower back, glutes and hamstrings
My favorite, most effective, and time efficient back building exercises are bent-over rows, flys, and strict pull-ups and chin-ups.
STEP 4 – LAY A FOUNDATION
In any strength building plan it’s important to lay a foundation before beginning the meat of the program.
I like to include a 2-4 week foundation phase into any training plan I’m building.
The foundation phase is important for building a neurological connection (training the muscles to fire properly), gaining better control of your body and gaining confidence in the exercises you’re performing.
In this phase your plan should consist of 2-3 sets of 10-20 reps for the exercises you’ve chosen.
STEP 5 – BUILD MUSCLE
After you’ve finished the foundation phase of your plan, add a hypertrophy (muscle-building) phase.
The hypertrophy phase is important for adding muscle to maintain strength. This phase is also important for improving body composition.
Within the hypertrophy phase include 3-4 sets of 6-12 reps for each exercise for 2-4 weeks.
STEP 6 – ADD STRENGTH
Now it’s time to increase tensile (high end) strength to the lean muscle you’ve built. This is also important for improving joint strength and health to prevent and reduce injuries in the future.
Building strength can take more time, depending on the person, this phase can last 4-6 weeks and is sometimes repeated.
For the strength building phase include 4-7 sets of 1-5 reps.
If you’re still not sure where to start, I have done all the work for you!
The BULLETPROOF BACK PROGRAM is an 8 week supplemental program containing all the tools you need to build pain free shoulders, back, hips and look great naked! It includes two strength training sessions per week with exercise demo videos designed for any level of fitness.
Yes! I’m ready to commit to building a bulletproof back!
- Gain access to the full PROGRAM HERE.
Note – this program is intended to be a supplemental program to your current exercise routine. I highly recommend meeting with a personal trainer or a coach to modify your current exercise routine as needed!
- Schedule a free consultation with a LNF coach HERE.
SAMPLE:
COACH PHIL KNIEP – Owner & CEO of Lincoln Nutrition & Fitness
Precision Nutrition L1 Coach
CrossFit Level 2 Trainer
Endurance Certified
Mobility Certified
Scaling Certified
3x CrossFit Games Qualifier