The 3-Week Wimpy Back Cure

First, this isn't the time to work on corrective drills to restore function – that should've already been taken care of. Instead, focus on big compound movements and weight-bearing rows.

Instead of having one day devoted to doing every row variation under the sun, try rotating horizontal and vertical pulls and rows throughout the week. This enables you to use a heavy weight for every variation rather than going balls-out for the first two exercises and then having to settle for less load during the subsequent exercises.

So hypothetically, if you lift four times a week with two upper-body emphasis days and two lower-body, you could divide the variations over all four days to ensure that heavier loads can be used.

Here's an example:

Note: While the weight should always be challenging, the overall difficulty of the exercise for both vertical and horizontal movements can be rotated in a given week to prevent burn out.

Get stronger in your rowing and pull-up movements. Too many lifters use the same weight and rep/set scheme every week for their assistance exercises just to get a pump in their muscles without ever trying to get stronger. Then they wonder why they're not building muscle.

While it's not always necessary, it's a good idea when specializing to record the weights you're using on all your back exercises to ensure you're actually getting stronger.

Got all that? Now let's look at some specific methods to use during your 3-week back blast.

Weighted Inverted Row Back-Off Sets

Back-off sets, while usually reserved for core lifts, can be very useful with back exercises like the weighted inverted row.

Also known as horizontal pull-ups, inverted rows are a great horizontal pull variation for building a thicker back. While they appear deceptively easy, simply adding some chains or plates can create a hard-core row variation that will make your back seriously strong.

Here's how it all works. Work up to a really heavy set of 5 reps and then take 85-90% of that weight and do 3-5 more sets of 5 reps.

For example, say you hit 5 reps with 110 pounds of additional weight – two 45-pound plates and one 20-pound chain – for your heaviest set. For the next set, drop the weight down to 90-95 pounds and continue doing sets of 5 reps. If that gets too hard too soon, take 85% of that and get in more volume.

This is a good way to ensure you don't take off too much weight and cheat yourself of getting the maximum result-producing tension.

The 5-Rep Max Chin-Up Workout

Max weight pull-up tests are usually reserved for testing scenarios, but they're also a great workout on their own that can be repeated for at least 3 weeks, usually resulting in phenomenal gains in both back strength and size.

Start out by performing 5 repetitions with bodyweight and then progressively add weight every set until you reach the heaviest load you can do for 5 reps. The goal is to get 5 or more quality sets in, so don't load too much weight too soon.

Rest 45-60 seconds between each set and try not to cheat much on your heaviest set, but still really challenge yourself. So pull up your skirt and pull.

Bilateral Bent-Over Dumbbell Row Max Sets

I like to do these after a heavy squat day because they're a little more low-back friendly than conventional bent-over barbell rows. Better still, if done correctly, there's no need to perform any other row variation on the day they're used.

Pick two dumbbells that you feel like you could do 7 reps with and do a set of 5 reps. Then rest 30 seconds and do another set. Keep doing a set every 30 seconds for 6 straight minutes.

As you go through the sets, you'll inevitably have to drop the reps down to maintain the pace without dropping weight. By the end, you may only be doing 1 or 2 reps per set.

That's okay – the load and total volume is our priority here, not the number of reps per set. A little cheating is permissible by the end but don't get carried away with it.

Don't you hate specialization articles that give you a bunch of exercises and tips but fail to provide the damn workouts? Fortunately, I've got you covered.

Here's your 3-week back specialization plan.

Day 1: Lower Body - Strength Emphasis

Day 2: Upper-Body - Volume Emphasis

Day 3: Lower-Body - Volume Emphasis (Heavy back exercise emphasis)

Day 4: Upper-Body - Volume Emphasis

See you in three weeks!