Let’s get ready for the gun show!  Who doesn’t want to walk around with massive pythons?!  Try this killer back and biceps workout for size!  Attention… should only be attempted by guys who aren’t afraid of the burn!

1. Pull ups – Yeah you read that correctly.  Forget about trying to curl 50 pound dumbbells.  Yeah that works well too… if you’re more impressed with showing off at the gym versus making real gains.  We write a lot about pull ups because it’s one of the best compound body weight exercises you can do.  If you’re familiar at all with the American Ninja Warrior TV show you’ll know how important a pull up is.  If you can’t kick ass on the pull up bar you wouldn’t survive one obstacle on that course!  You can read our American Ninja Warrior Workout here. (link opens in new window)  So back to the pull up.  This is the thing… it’s all about slow controlled motion.  Save jerking, kipping pull ups for the crossfit workouts!  When you’re lowering yourself, try to focus on not locking out completely.  You’ll call your back muscles into action hardcore.  You can hit your biceps a bit more by mixing it up and allowing even less extension in your arms…this keeps your biceps more engaged.  Oh yeah… GymPaws are just about the best gloves for pull ups you can get! 😉

2. Now get your butt over to the dumbell rack.  You’re going to run the rack like you never have before.   Running the rack basically means starting with a weight and without rest progressing to the next increment 4-5 times. After your set with the heaviest weight, without rest you run the rack back down to your starting weight.

Here’s how it looks:

10 pound dumbell – 5 Reps

15 pound dumbell – 5 reps

20 pound dumbell – 5 reps

25 pound dumbell – 5 reps

30 pound dumbell – 5 reps

25 pound dumbell – 5 reps

20 pound dumbell – 5 reps

15 pound dumbell – 5 reps

10 pound dumbell – 5 reps

If you think that sounds easy… then you clearly haven’t run the rack or done a true killer back and biceps workout!  By the time you get back to your starting weight you’re gonna look like the biggest weakling because you’re going to be struggling to move the 10 pounds!  Obviously your starting weight with running the rack depends on your personal level of fitness.  Try running the rack 2-3 more times and then get back to the pull ups bar!

This set you’re going to focus on the negative movement.  So instead of pulling yourself up to the bar, you’re going to focus on keeping yourself from “falling” from the bar.  A jump start will do the trick.  The goal is to hold the position as long as possible.  When you’re start to hit fatigue, don’t rest!  Pull yourself back up.  If you need to bounce or get a boost back to the top that’s not a problem, because this set is about the negative movement.

I guarantee your lats and biceps will be screaming the next day from this killer back and biceps workout!

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