Ramon Rocha Queiroz uses GHD back extensions as a core component of his back training.
The back is vital for maintaining good posture and spinal stability. For bodybuilders, developing strong back muscles is essential for building strength in other upper and lower body muscles. Furthermore, training your back can help prevent and alleviate lower back pain, which studies have shown to be a common affliction (1). Let’s examine Ramon Rocha Queiroz’s back workout.
Ramon Rocha Queiroz is a Brazilian bodybuilder who competes in the Classic Physique division. Queiroz started his bodybuilding journey in his twenties and has been in competitions like the Amateur Olympia, Europa Pro, and the Arnold Classic. “Ramon Dino” has also competed on the highest stage of Mr. Olympia, coming as high as 2nd on his second try.
| Full Name: Ramon Rocha Queiroz | ||
| Weight | Height | Date of Birth |
| 220- 250 lbs | 5’11” | 02/09/1995 |
| Division | Era | Nationality |
| Classic Physique | 2010s- Till Date | Brazilian |
After winning the Arnold Classic this year, Ramon Rocha Queiroz is aiming for the top spot in this year’s Mr. Olympia Classic Physique division. However, he’ll compete strongly with other athletes and title defender Chris Bumstead. As a result, Queiroz is training hard, and we recently looked at his leg workouts in preparation.
In this post, we’ll look at the recent back workout that Ramon Rocha Queiroz posted on his YouTube channel. It’s also in preparation for Mr. Olympia, which is coming up in November. Here are the routines he used for this training.
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Ramon Rocha’s Back Workout
Ramon Rocha’s back workout included many rowing movements. The session was intense, with Queiroz tackling it with determination. Below are his exercises and how to use them to build your back muscles.
| Exercises |
| Bent Over Barbell Row |
| Hammer Strength Row |
| Lat Pulldown |
| Machine One Arm Bent Row |
| GHD Back Extension |
Bent Over Barbell Row
Bent over barbell rows is one of your back muscles’ best routines. This exercise targets your lats, rhomboids, and traps. It also recruits your posterior delts.
When doing bent-over barbell rows, you can change the muscles you target using by changing the angle of your elbows. Keeping your elbows away from your body emphasizes your posterior delts and traps. You can also use the barbell bent over row as a progression to doing a deadlift, as it targets the exact muscles (2).
Ramon Rocha Queiroz kicked off his back workout with multiple bent-over barbell rows. He increased the load for each set. He moved to the next exercise after using this exercise to warmup.
Hammer Strength Row
The hammer strength row is a compound exercise that targets your upper and middle back. It recruits back muscles like the rhomboids, lats, and traps. The hammer strength row is an excellent routine for building strength in your back.
When doing them, keep your back straight and relax your shoulders. Try to avoid using momentum to keep the muscles working. You can do the hammer strength row bilaterally or unilaterally.
To do his hammer strength row, Queiroz used an isolateral plate-loaded machine. This machine loads both arms with different weights, ensuring you can work on any imbalances. The chest pad on this machine also helps you maintain a straight back to reduce your risk of injury.
Lat Pulldown
The lat pulldown is a compound exercise that builds your lats, traps, rhomboids, rear delts, rotator cuff, and biceps. It’s the perfect exercise to use for sculpting your V-taper. Lat pulldowns are also great for building mass in your back.
When doing a lat pulldown, changing how you grip the bar can affect your muscles differently (3). You should avoid leaning too far back to keep the right muscles in constant tension.
Ramon Rocha Queiroz used a medium neutral grip handle attachment for his lat pulldown. This keeps the exercise more friendly for the wrists. He then did the pulldowns slowly and controlled for maximum muscle contraction.
Machine One Arm Bent Row
The machine one arm bent over is a compound exercise that builds strength and muscle in your back. It targets the rhomboids, erector spinae, and traps. This exercise is excellent for lifters of all fitness levels.
The unilateral nature of the machine, one arm bent row, makes it great for fixing muscle imbalances. This way, your more muscular arm will not take over and compensate for the weaker muscle. Using a machine for this exercise also removes the need for stability, allowing you to focus on using your lat muscles for the exercise.
Ramon Rocha Queiroz did this exercise on an Iron Tech row machine. This plate-loaded machine helps to induce more significant muscle growth in the back muscles. Queiroz did multiple sets before heading to the final routine for this back workout.
GHD Back Extension
The GHD back extension is an exercise that works on all the prominent muscles of your back. Muscles recruited include the traps, rhomboids, and lats. This movement also builds posterior chain muscles like the glutes, hamstrings, and erector spinae.
The GHD back extension primarily targets your lower back. It’s also essential to use proper form when doing this exercise to protect your back and hammies. As a result, it’s advised for athletes with at least intermediate skill levels.
Queiroz did the GHD back extension to round up his back training to ensure he touched his lower back a bit. He did some sets to finish up his back training.
You can watch the full back workout below:
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References
- Maybaum, N., Rios-Martinez, S., & Johnson, M. (2023). Quantitative Global Survey Results of Acute Back Pain Sufferers Across Four Countries. Patient related outcome measures, 14, 97–110. https://doi.org/10.2147/PROM.S396674
- Neto, W. K., Soares, E. G., Vieira, T. L., Aguiar, R., Chola, T. A., Sampaio, V. L., & Gama, E. F. (2020). Gluteus Maximus Activation during Common Strength and Hypertrophy Exercises: A Systematic Review. Journal of sports science & medicine, 19(1), 195–203.
- Andersen, V., Fimland, M. S., Wiik, E., Skoglund, A., & Saeterbakken, A. H. (2014). Effects of grip width on muscle strength and activation in the lat pull-down. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 28(4), 1135–1142. https://doi.org/10.1097/JSC.0000000000000232
