There are usually two kinds of guys in the gym: those who rest for minutes between sets to hoist heavy loads, and those who barely take a breather.
Although he’s certainly strong, you’ll rarely see Damien Patrick taking a seat. In his workouts—hundreds of which are viewable on his popular YouTube channel, Damien Patrick—he’s a fast-moving machine, each rep practiced, focused, precise.
Nowhere is this high-volume, high-performance approach more evident than when Patrick trains his back. Watch him on the pullup bar and you’ll see what we mean: There’s no kipping, straining, or jerking upward—just 25 brisk, strict reps, which the 230-pound IFBB Pro League classic physique competitor completes in about 22 seconds. Total volume for the set: nearly 6,000 pounds—and he’s barely breathing heavy. “I’ve done 36 reps straight before,” he says. “I was lighter then.”
From there, it’s on to a workout built around many of the classic back-building moves that have been around since the Golden Age. “I’ve seen all the fancy movements in the gym,” he says. “This is the stuff that works.”
“I don’t use extra weight on pullups,” Patrick says. “It’s about blood flow, not struggling. After four or five sets, I’m ready for the heavier stuff.” Can’t manage his numbers? Just do as many as you can, stopping two reps shy of failure—or use an assisted pullup machine.
Sets: 4
Reps: 20-25
How To:
Stand beneath the pullup bar and take an overhand grip on the bar with your hands shoulder width or slightly wider.
Without swinging or jerking, pull yourself up with your arms until your chin clears the top of the bar. Lower yourself to the starting position and repeat.
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Bent Over Lateral Raise
“A lot of people do bentover laterals as a shoulder move,” says Patrick. “But there’s lots of upper back involved: the rhomboids, the teres, the lats. So I put it on my back day.” Patrick uses relatively light weight, squeezing his upper back on each rep.
Sets: 4
Reps: 15, 12, 10, 8 reps, increasing weight each set
How To:
Stand, holding a pair of dumbbells in front of your thighs.
Keeping your lower back slightly arched, hinge forward at your hip joints until your torso is about 45 degrees to the floor, and keep it there for the remainder of the set. (This is your starting position.)
Raise the dumbbells directly out to your sides, contracting the backs of your shoulders and your midback at the top of the move.
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Lawnmower Row
“The dumbbell row is another one people get wrong,” Patrick says. “You don’t want to pull the dumbbell straight up, but back toward your hip.” Patrick believes this arcing motion targets the lats more directly. “Pretend you’re starting an old-school lawnmower.” At the top of the move, he says, “pretend you’re trying to crack a peanut between your upper arm and your side.”
Sets: 4
Reps: 4 sets; 12 reps per side
How To:
Stand facing a bench, a dumbbell rack, or other sturdy surface, holding a heavy dumbbell in your left hand.
Fold forward at the hip joints, bracing your right hand on the bench, and step back slightly with your left foot, allowing the dumbbell to hang straight down.
Pull the dumbbell in an arcing motion up and back, finishing with your left hand near your left hip. Pause, squeezing your left lat hard. Repeat on the other side.
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Dumbbell Pullover
“Pullovers can be a chest move or a lat move—it depends on how you do them,” says Patrick. To target the lats, he says, drop your hips slightly as you lower the dumbbell overhead. Use a controlled movement and keep your elbows in tight to avoid straining your shoulders.
Sets: 4
Reps: 4 sets; 15, 12, 10, 8 reps, increasing weight each set
How To:
Place your upper back perpendicularly on a bench, with a heavy dumbbell on your chest, and hold it with both hands by the top.
Keeping your elbows straight but not locked, lower the dumbbell behind your head, stretching your lats deeply at the bottom of the move.
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Across Body Crunch
Sets: 4
Reps: 25
How To:
Lie down on your back with your left hand behind your head and both legs extended.
Crunch up so that your shoulder blades come up off the floor and then bring your right leg up so that your left elbow almost meets it.
Complete 25 reps on that side and then 25 reps on the other.
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V-Crunch
Sets: 4
Reps: 25
How To:
Lie down on your back with both hands behind your head and both legs extended.
Lift your shoulder blades up off the floor and simultaneously bring your legs inward so that they’re bent at 90 degrees at the apex of the move. To make the move harder, don’t let your feet touch the floor for the entire 25-rep set.
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Damien Patrick’s Training Split
To bring up his back and legs, Patrick’s current four-on, one-off cycle allows him to hit the back by itself twice every eight days.
