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Building a Killer Back
The Giant Killer
By Two-Time 212 Olympia Champion Shaun Clarida
Sponsored by MUTANT
MD is proud to introduce a new monthly column, “The Giant Killer,” where the two-time and reigning 212 Olympia champion Shaun Clarida helps you achieve all your bodybuilding goals by sharing his knowledge and experience in all matters of training, nutrition, supplementation and mindset.
Q: I don’t understand how more people don’t talk about your back. I think it’s one of the very best in the sport today. What is a typical back routine for you these days, and is it very different from how you built most of your back width and thickness?
A: My training has been pretty much the same ever since I started. I believe in heavy compound movements like barbell rows, T-bar rows, one-arm rows and rack pulls. For my 2023 Arnold Classic prep, my back workouts were two and a half hours long. I’ve always believed that the bigger body parts like legs and back need to be hit from every possible angle. I’m aware that some people would label this as overtraining. My personal belief is that if I can recover and I feel good, I’m going to keep banging the same way.
It takes me two hours to do eight exercises, all heavy movements. A typical back workout always starts with pull-ups, and then I do one-arm rows, T-bar rows, Meadows rows, then either a chest-supported row or a standing V-bar row, and a different chest-supported row with an overhand grip. I often do a variation of a seated Hammer Strength row where I stand away from the pad and pull the handle into my lower lat. I will do a reverse-grip row on a machine and finish up with hyperextensions or rack pulls.
I haven’t done lat pulldowns in years now. Since I started working with the late John Meadows seven years ago, he never had those in my program. He would have me do pull-ups and pullovers to stretch the lats out, but he was a big believer in rows to build the back: barbell rows, dumbbell rows, T-bar rows. John always stressed elbow drive, getting the elbows back as far as possible to provide the most stimulation for the lats. I could do 25-30 pull-ups in a row on the chinning bar, but I prefer the assisted pull-up machine as it takes all the swinging and momentum out of the movement.
Get Creative in the Gym
Q: From training with a guy who was 6-foot-5 for several years, I realized that most machines are designed for people who fall into an average height range. If you’re too much taller or shorter than average, they can be very difficult to use correctly. Do you run into that problem yourself, and if so, is that why you use mostly free weights?
A:I use free weights because they feel better for me personally. I can maneuver the bar or dumbbell precisely where I want to target. I have definitely encountered machines that will not work well for someone who is either shorter or taller than average. My gym just got a Seal Row machine and it’s a great piece, but I’m too short for it. But I can do Seal Rows using a barbell and an incline bench. If there is ever a situation where your height doesn’t allow you to do something in the gym, you can always work around it if you’re creative and determined.
Air Jordan Collection
Q: I see from your Instagram that you collect Air Jordans. Just curious, will you train in these, wear them out or just keep them in boxes and never wear them? Do you find basketball shoes are good to train in?
A: My Jordans will never be trained in. I will occasionally wear them if I go out to a show, to dinner or out with my wife somewhere. A lot of them are collector’s items, so I never touch them. I will buy them, open up the box to look at them, and never touch them again. Collecting sneakers is how I keep myself busy while I’m getting ready for the Olympia. A lot of people will look at “food porn” and buy treats for after the show, but I buy sneakers. During my last Olympia prep, I bought 13 pairs. Sometimes people ask me what the prize in my collection is, and that’s tough to say. One that stands out is an original pair of 1992 Air Jordan 7 Cardinals that have never been worn or even touched. Those are probably worth good money now. I also have some Air Jordan Louis Vuittons that run anywhere from $2-5,000 each. When I first started training, I would wear Jordans to the gym because I didn’t know any better. Now I will only train in flats-soled shoes like Otomix.
Bringing Up Weak Shoulders
Q: My shoulders are definitely the weakest point of my physique. What do you suggest I try to change this sorry state of affairs? I do presses and lateral raises, both with dumbbells, but still my shoulders are narrow and don’t have much thickness at all to them.
A:I like to do two exercises each for the individual heads of the deltoid, so two for the front, two for the side and two for the rear. I also believe in training a weak body part twice a week. My chest used to be a weak point and I did that to bring it up. At one point John Meadows had me training it three times a week. Twice a week should be sufficient, so maybe hit it on Tuesday and again on Friday. Use different training styles. The Tuesday session might be more compound movements with barbells and dumbbells, and Friday can be more “pump” style with more cables and machines to provide a different type of stimulation. Of course, you need to be sure your form is solid, you are using a full range of motion and always striving to have the best mind-muscle connection possible, feeling the muscle stretch and contract on every rep.
Instagram @shaunclarida
YouTube: Shaun Clarida
Shaun’s MUTANT® Stack
ISO SURGE™
FLEX FOOD™
BCAA 9.7
GEAAR™
MADNESS
PUMP
CREAKONG
CARNITINE
GLUTAMINE
For more information, visit iammutant.com
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