Dmitri Uiba’s back and triceps workout

Dmitri Uiba’s workout was no quiet session of pumping iron. This edition of Tegijate Treening showed how Raudpats trained his back, triceps and abs with heavy weights, long rest periods and a no-nonsense attitude.

Members at Reval-Sport had long been telling stories about Dmitri Uiba. Known by the nickname Raudpats, he stood 170cm tall and weighed 110kg. Tales circulated of his leg presses, weights exceeding a tonne and barbells bent out of shape. More recently, he had been seen more often at Flexer and the Tselluloos gym.

What made Dmitri Uiba’s workout stand out

The idea behind this workout was simple: see how Dima actually trains. That meant looking beyond the exercise list to the pace, the weights and how he structures his sets. The workout started at 17.00, and the triceps portion finished at around 19.00. It was a long, heavy session unlike what we were used to.

Dima mainly used compound exercises. The weights were heavy, the reps low and the rest periods fairly long. The warm-up consisted of about 5min on a rowing machine, plus a few mobility exercises and stretches. Then it was on to the working sets.

How Dmitri Uiba trained his back

The back workout began with pull-ups. The first couple of sets were warm-ups on the lat pulldown machine, with a rep count of around 15-20. Then it was over to the pull-up bar. The principle was tried and tested: grab the bar, pull your chin up and attach extra weight if needed. Dima went by feel when deciding how many sets to do. Sometimes four, sometimes five.

Close-grip underhand pull-ups were supposed to come next, but the plan changed. The gym had a back machine they had not tried before. In Dima’s view, a new exercise is always welcome if it puts a different training load on your body. He also liked the machine because you could load it with weight plates. Almost without limit.

Frankly, this was no weight to mess around with. When Dima pulled down, the machine started bouncing on the floor. The approach stayed the same: add weight with each set. The rep count stayed in the 4-8 range, because that gave him a sufficient training load.

The third back exercise was the bent-over barbell row, pulling the barbell towards the abdomen. This is a good exercise for building back thickness. The aim here was to load the muscles with as much weight as possible, rather than use a textbook full range of motion. In the final set, the barbell was loaded to exactly 200kg.

Dmitri Uiba’s triceps workout: four heavy exercises

The triceps workout started with cable pressdowns. Fortunately, Arctic had 3 cable machines with different weight stacks, so a suitable training load was found. The lightest machine was only good for warming up. With the heavier weight, a weight plate even had to be placed on the toes to keep the body from lifting off the floor during the exercise.

Again, the weight increased through the working sets. The final set used the maximum weight the cable machine could take. As usual for Dima: 4-8 reps and 4-5 sets.

The second exercise was a behind-the-head triceps press, also known as a seated French press. Sitting on a preacher bench, you take an EZ-curl barbell, lift it overhead and lower it behind your head. The exercise gives your triceps a good stretch and allows you to use a fairly heavy weight. Dmitri loaded the EZ-curl barbell with four 15-kilogram plates. The bench tended to shift, so it helped to have someone hold it steady.

The third exercise was supposed to be dips, but the gym had a machine that replicated the movement. Dima was sceptical at first. After a couple of sets, though, he gave the machine his approval and said it worked very well. The weight was increased step by step again, until the final reps took considerable effort.

The fourth exercise was a single-arm cable pressdown. Stand sideways next to the cable machine, bring the cable across the front of your body and use your triceps to extend your arm. Here, the weight was finally “normal”. First, do a set with one arm, then switch to the other without resting, and only then take a break. It is a great finishing exercise because it pumps the muscle full of blood.

Abs and the end of Dmitri Uiba’s workout

The session finished with abs. One exercise and three sets. Body raises on a bench worked so well that the abs were still sore 3-4 days later. Here is how the exercise works: lie on a bench, grip the end behind your head with your hands and lift your lower body and legs together.

The most effective version involves raising your legs and lower back at the same time. At the top, your legs and torso are at roughly a 75-degree angle, with only your upper back resting on the bench. An easier version is to raise your legs first, then push your lower back up to follow. But that way, you may not feel the exercise’s full intensity.

Training programme and nutrition notes

The day’s exercise summary was straightforward: back and triceps. The back exercises were pull-ups, close neutral-grip pull-ups and barbell rows to the abdomen. For triceps, there were cable pressdowns, overhead triceps extensions, triceps machine presses replicating dips, and single-arm cable pressdowns.

• Mon: Chest, biceps
• Tue: Back, triceps
• Wed: –
• Thu: Shoulders, traps, abs
• Fri: Legs, abs
• Sat: –
• Sun: –

The supplements taken alongside regular food were also listed. In the morning: 100g of Activita Müsli Gainer, 2 capsules of Tribuactiv B6 and 4 capsules of BCAA. At lunchtime: 100g of Massive Gainer, 2 capsules of BCAA and 2 capsules of Tribuactiv B6. Before training: 2 capsules of BCAA and 30g of 80% protein+50g of Carbo Energy Power. After training: 100g of Whey Gainer and 5g of creatine. In the evening before bed: 40g of Extra Muscle Milk&Egg and 4 capsules of HMB.

FAQ

Is Dmitri Uiba’s workout suitable for beginners?

Probably not in this form. Heavy weights, 4-8 reps and a long workout require a solid foundation. As a beginner, you can learn from the reasoning behind the exercises, but you need to keep the weights appropriate to your level.

Why were some exercises performed with a partial range of motion?

Dima’s aim was to load the muscle with a heavy weight. That does not mean a partial range of motion is best for everyone. It is one approach, and you need to think through whether it is right for you.

What stood out most about this workout?

The weights, the steady pace and the fact that every set had to count. By the end, both body and mind were drained, but the next day the muscles made it clear that the work had paid off.

Thanks to Dmitri ”Raudpats” Uiba for agreeing to take part in Training with the Pros.

If you have any questions for Dmitri Uiba, write to him at: dima@hardsport.ee

Author: Joker

Come and train! ArtGym