Frank Sepe and Don Saladino recently took the sleeveless on tour, hitting the iconic Bev Francis Gym in Syosset, New York. This episode featured world-renowned experts and trainers showing you how to build a great back, and no reps were spared. They started the session with the basic lat pulldown.
“The first set is to warm up. We have the old school straight bar. I love this bar,” Sepe said. He can use any long cable attachment your gym has for this exercise. He will notice that you are saving time by having the next person leave as soon as someone else is done. Rest is minimal and saves time in the gym.
After the pulldowns, they move on to the T-bar rows. Both men had different approaches to their madness. Sepe was more upright, while Saladin leaned a little more.
“I like a little hinge,” he said off-camera. After a couple of working sets, they opted to go with lighter weight for higher reps in the end. The third exercise was another lat pulldown, but the handles of the machine spread apart as you descend. Sepe did a couple of partial reps at the end, in tribute to his friend and former Arnold Classic Men’s Physique champion Andre Ferguson.
“Partial replays for my friend, Andre.”
Old-school themed training also included wide-grip seated rows, straight-arm pulldowns, and low-cable seated rows.
Build a Great Back Workout
- Wide-Grip Lat Pulldowns – 5 sets of 12-15 reps*
- T-Bar Row – 2 series of 10-15 repetitions. 1 series of 30 repetitions.
- Back Lat Pulldown Machine – 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions (with partials)
- Wide-Grip Seated Row Machine – 4 series of 10-15 repetitions
- Straight Arm Lat Pulldown – 3 series of 15-20 repetitions
- Low Cable Seated Row – 4 series of 12 repetitions
*Last set must be a drop set. Start with a heavy weight and reduce it to failure.
Do you need more Sepe and Saladino in your fitness life? Then follow Muscle & Fitness’s Instagram page every Tuesday at 10am ET for new Sleeveless editions. Make sure you subscribe to the M&F YouTube channel for more great workouts like this.
