Leanika Klaassen: back and shoulders in the gym

In this workout, Leanika Klaassen shows how to get through a back and shoulder session calmly, but without retreating into the comfort zone. The focus is on the latissimus dorsi, the different parts of the shoulder and that good old gym truth: the work has to be precise, not just heavy.

Joker followed the program at Coral Club. By then Leanika was the 2006 Estonian Cup Body Fitness winner, so this was no casual demo workout but a real working day for an athlete.

Leanika Klaassen and the background to the workout

It had been quite a while since the last “Tegijate Treening” series. The idea for the new season was simple: take on people who truly have something to teach. This time Leanika Klaassen was a great fit.

At first the plan was for a woman to join in the women’s workout and share the experience with Fitness.ee readers. In the end, though, Joker stayed on as the trainee. Joker used heavier weights where needed, but of course only when strength was in surplus.

The workout started on a rowing ergometer. Leanika uses 1000m at an easy pace as a warm-up. That is just the right amount to get the muscles and joints ready for work. There is no point in flailing around before the main work, because the goal is not to tire yourself out during the warm-up.

Leanika Klaassen: back and shoulders in the program

Four exercises were done for the back. Leanika trains the back two times a week, because it is a muscle that needs a lot of attention. According to Leanika, the back can never be too wide. Honestly, that is a fairly familiar idea in bodybuilding and body fitness.

The first exercise was lat pulldowns behind the neck. Normally Leanika would do weighted pull-ups instead, but Coral Club had no suitable spot for them. So the cable machine came into play. The grip was wide so that the lats could work better. In the current training phase, Leanika does ten repetitions in every exercise. When the repetitions start creeping toward twelve, it’s time to add weight.

The second exercise was neutral-grip lat pulldowns to the chest. The movement is similar, but the grip is narrower and the palms face each other. The stretch and the longest possible range of motion matter here. Before every exercise, Leanika usually does one half-warm-up set. In total that makes 3-4 sets per exercise, depending on how it feels.

Third came seated cable rows to the stomach. The feet are braced, the knees slightly bent, the back straight and the torso at roughly a 90-degree angle. On each row the shoulders are drawn back and the handle goes as close to the stomach as possible. On the way back, the torso may move forward from the hips so that the lower part of the lats gets a proper stretch. The lower back works here too, which helps a lot with posture.

Fourth was bent-over barbell rows to the stomach. This is a good exercise for back thickness. The grip is about shoulder width. Bent forward, the arms hang down, and on the row the bar travels from near the legs toward the lower stomach. The elbows stay close to the body. Instead, you can also do a rope pullover on the cable machine, but on this day it was skipped for certain reasons.

Shoulders: what to watch in every exercise

The shoulder work started with the behind-the-neck barbell press. This is Leanika’s favorite exercise, and the shoulders are also Leanika’s favorite muscle group. The weight is lowered behind the neck just far enough for the shoulder to get a slight stretch, but not so deep that the movement becomes uncomfortable or control is lost.

The right grip width is where the elbows are at shoulder height and a 90-degree angle forms between the upper arm and forearm. Three exercises were done for the shoulders in total.

The second exercise was dumbbell lateral raises. Leanika keeps the arms at a 90-degree angle: upper arms parallel to the body and forearms parallel to the floor. The weight is raised so high that the elbows move slightly above the shoulders. Drop sets were used here as well. You do as many repetitions as you can, take a lighter weight, go to your limit again and then do one more round with a lighter weight. Why here? Leanika simply said they like it and that it wears the muscle out thoroughly.

The third exercise was bent-over dumbbell lateral raises. This targets the rear delts. You sit across the bench, right on the edge. The feet go far out in front and the upper body drops to almost parallel with the floor. The dumbbells move up and out to the sides without swinging the upper body. At the bottom the hands are brought together so that the shoulder muscles get a slight stretch and the range of motion is at its maximum.

Leanika Klaassen’s training program and the finish

The main workout went down well for Joker, even though Joker jokingly called it a “women’s program”. In fact the change was useful, because the program differed from Joker’s usual training. And yes, the biggest gym hazard for women became clear too: nails can break J

The finish was more abs work, stretching and 30 minutes of cardio. Leanika does abs at the end of every workout. The favorite exercise is done on an ab bench: legs up, upper body rises. In the first two sets the whole upper body is lifted. The last set is done so that the lower back rests on the bench and the work shifts more to the upper abs. You do as many repetitions as you can. When you can’t do any more, Leanika recommends using the arms to add some momentum and squeeze the last bit out of the exercise.

Lats

• Cable pulldowns behind the neck 3-4 x 10
• Cable pulldowns to the chest 3-4 x 10
• Seated cable rows to the stomach 3-4 x 10
• Bent-over barbell rows to the stomach 3-4 x 10

Shoulders

• Behind-the-neck barbell press 3-4 x 10
• Dumbbell raises 3-4 x 10
• Bent-over dumbbell raises 3-4 x 10

Weekly plan

• Sun. Chest, Biceps, Abs
• Mon. Front of legs, Back of legs, Abs
• Tue. Back, Triceps, Abs
• Wed. –
• Thu. Front of legs, Back of legs, Abs
• Fri. Back, Shoulders, Abs
• Sat. –

Leanika’s closing comment: *Wednesday and Saturday are rest days. I picked my rest days to come after my back training, because muscles grow while you rest. And my back is what I need the most work on, just like everyone else 🙂 One more thing: I only do one exercise for the back of my legs, because I constantly have nerve inflammation in my lower back, and those exercises affect it too and cause pain. After training I always drink a protein shake. My favorite is WDGP, which tastes great and has an excellent composition.

THREAD OPENED ON THE FORUM HERE: http://forums.amazon.ee/index.php?showtopic=8890

FAQ

Can you train your back twice a week?

You can, as long as your recovery keeps up and the programme makes sense. Leanika trained the back twice a week because it was the muscle group that needed the most development.

Why do 1000m of rowing before the main workout?

An easy 1000m helps get your body ready for work. It shouldn’t be a race, but a warm-up for the muscles and joints.

Are drop sets suitable for every shoulder workout?

They suit best when your technique stays under control. Leanika used them on dumbbell raises, because they fatigued the muscle well.

Author: Joker

Come and train! ArtGym