Shaun Clarida’s Back Training Leading Into His 2024 Off-Season

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Neutral-Grip Lat Pulldown

Clarida started his back training with close-grip lat pulldowns. He used an open row attachment with a neutral grip using four fingers. Clarida used lifting straps and kept his thumbs off the handle to minimize biceps engagement. 

Clarida led with his elbows — a useful mind-muscle connection to perform this movement as a row rather than a curl — and kept his arms tight to his sides. He maintained a neutral spine throughout, eliminating momentum. 

T-Bar Row

T-bar rows target the upper back, including the rhomboids, teres minor and major, and middle traps. Sticking to his form cues, Clarida kept his elbows tight to his torso to bias his lats more than his rear delts.

I put all the compound stuff at the beginning because I have the most energy. Toward the end, [I] focus more on cables and machines. 

Clarida used 35-pound weight plates and performed his T-bar rows while standing on blocks to extend his range of motion.

Dumbbell Row & Machine Row

Clarida performed single-arm dumbbell rows with a staggered stance. He lowered the dumbbell to a few inches off the floor, paused, and contracted his lats through the concentric.

The seated rows were performed on a Prime Hybrid Row machine, which allows Clarida to manipulate the resistance profile to overload his target muscles of choice. The converging handles allow for a deeper contraction at lockout as they are better aligned with his structure.