Two Olympia champions, Hadi Choopan and Phil Heath joined forces for a Back workout and Posing session.
The Persian Wolf, Hadi Choopan is hard at work preparing for the 2024 Olympia in hopes of regaining his title. Choopan was victorious after many years during the 2022 Olympia and considered the favorite once again back in November 2023. As the competition went on, it was clear that it was going to be a battle between Choopan and Derek Lunsford. Once the final came around, the judges opted for Lunsford as the 2023 Mr. Olympia champion.
Choopan continues to work toward his goal of regaining his title and recently joined Heath, who knows many things about winning on the biggest stage in bodybuilding. Phil Heath totaled seven Olympia titles over the course of his career. Just like the Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler rivalry, Phil Heath had an intense rivalry with Kai Greene. In 2020, he stepped on stage for the what seems to be the final time, but has been active in the gym ever since. During the 2020 show, Heath finished third and fans have been waiting for his return ever since.
As the training continued, Hadi Choopan joined seven-time Mr. Olympia Phil Heath for a back workout and posing session to get some tips from one of the best of all-time. In this post, we explore a variety of back exercises and poses from the two former Mr. Olympia champions themselves, Hadi Choopan and Phil Heath.
The Back Workout
The two Olympians indulge in quite the back workout, so let’s take a look at some of the exercises that were completed.
Plate Loaded Lat Pulldown
This is an exercise that can really give a good stretch and squeeze on the lats. The starting position has the lifter place their hands on two handles, like the wide grip lat pulldown. Hadi and Phil get a couple sets in on here, staying a higher rep range and really contracting the muscles.
Plate Loaded High to Low Row
This machine is like the plate loaded lat pulldown, but with a slightly different path. The lifter grips the handles almost like an underhand grip lat pulldown. The path of the exercise goes from up top and in front of them, to down low, where the elbow is tucked into the hip area, making it a row. It can help build thickness and width of the lats.
Plate Loaded Bent Over Row
Now, this is not a barbell row, nor is it a t-bar, it is a plate loaded machine that has the lifter bent over, and rowing towards their abdomen. The grip that Hadi and Phil use is similar to that of the old school t-bar row that you would see Arnold Schwarzenegger doing from the floor.
Single Arm Dumbbell Row
A classic exercise great for building up that back thickness is the dumbbell row, and that is what Hadi and Phil move to next in their back workout.
Plate Loaded Chest Supporteed Row
If you have one of these in your gym, use it on your next back day. This is a great rowing machine to really help build the thickness of the back, as it eliminates the need for balance and stability, and allows for a great squeeze. Hadi and Phil added it to their back day, and hit some massive weight for a few sets and reps.
RDLs
The RDL is an exercise that you may not expect to see in a standard back day routine, but can actually be quite beneficial for building up the posterior chain. That being said, Hadi and Phil crush some RDLs.
Reverse Pec Flye
To finish off their back day, Hadi and Phil move over to the reverse pec flye to hit some rear delts. While you could do these on shoulder day, the rear delts are part of the back, so why not hit them on back day?
Hadi Choopan Poses With Phil Heath
Hadi Choopan hit some poses with Phil Heath, showing off his recent progress and shared the video to social media.
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Choopan is known for his insane conditioning on stage. He’s already set on sculpting his physique for the upcoming 2024 Mr. Olympia, a title he is determined to claim. Notably, Choopan has already secured qualification by winning the championship in 2022 and maintaining a top-three placement last year.
As for Phil Heath, he has continued to train hard in the gym and has kept the idea open about a potential return. He did not take the stage in 2023 but this does not mean that it is off the table for 2024. Heath has provided many updates showing off his progress to this point.
The 2024 Olympia is still months away but competitors have started to prepare for the competition, earning qualification. Choopan has already completed this step by finishing as the runner-up in November and can fully focus on sculpting his physique.
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