According to Army National Guardsman Chris Kellum, it takes a strong rear chain and "brick back" to navigate the new Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) - especially the deadlift and leg lift events (the latter is a cross between a pull-ups and Lift a leg).
Even if you're not in the army, it would still do you good to have a strong, muscular rear chain. A bigger squat, a bigger deadlift, improved performance in virtually every sport, fewer injuries, a badass physique - all of these benefits will come from his back chain workout courtesy of Kellum. You can thank him for your brick wall later.
Recommended trainer: Spc Chris Kellum is a sniper infantryman in the Florida Army National Guard. As a NETA certified personal trainer and member of the Bravo Sierra team, his mission is to inspire others by incorporating fitness and the military on his YouTube channel and documenting the transition to a warrant officer to go to flight school. You can find all of his workouts in his Playbook fitness app.
Equipment needed: Fully equipped gym - hex bar, pull-up bar, adjustable bench, dumbbells, lat pulldown station, kettlebell, cable station, reverse pec deck machine, cardio machine (optional).
Time required: About 70 minutes, according to Kellum.
Training overview: Kellum's workout consists of heavy deadlifts followed by four two-exercise circles (i.e. the entire routine focuses primarily on the rear muscles (upper back, lower back, glutes, hamstrings), although the abs, obliques, the Biceps and forearms are trained.
While deadlift sets are relatively heavy (reduced to 4 reps by the last set) to increase sheer strength, the other sets stay in the 8-20 rep range for hypertrophy and a little stamina.
"This rear chain workout is designed to increase your aerobic capacity while building back strength," says Kellum, who developed this workout as part of his Hybrid Warrior training plan. “To be successful at this workout, you need to make sure that you keep calm between sets. Take 45 to 60 second pauses between supersets. You will lift less weight than usual as the intensity increases. But we still want to focus on the right form, and that can be compromised by shorter rest periods and fatigue. "
Courtesy Bravo Sierra
Chris Kellum's "Hybrid Warrior" back builder
Warm up (12 minutes)
- Foam rolls of the upper back - 3-5 minutes
- Lats Foam Rolling - 1-2 minutes (per side)
- Spiderman Stretch with Rotation - 10 reps (per side)
- Last - 10 reps (per side)
Strength training (difficult)
Hex Bar Deadlift: 1-2 warm-up sets, followed by 4 work sets of 8, 8, 6, 4 reps
Round 1 - 4 rounds:
- Leg Lift - 8 reps
- Forearm plank - 30 sec.
- Rest 45-60 seconds
Round 2 - 4 rounds:
- Chest-supported dumbbell rows - 12-15 reps
- Hammer curl - 12-15 reps
- Rest 45-60 seconds
Round 3 - 3 rounds:
- Wide grip lat pulldown - 15 reps
- Lat pulldown with reverse grip - 15 repetitions
- Rest 45-60 seconds
Round 4 - 2 rounds:
- Kettlebell Swing - 20 reps
- Flying Backwards - 20 reps
- Rest 45-60 seconds
Core work - 1-3 rounds:
- Hanging leg raises - 15-20 repetitions
- Cable Wood Chopper - 15 repetitions per side
- Plank Hold - Maximum time
- Rest 15 seconds between exercises.
- Steady state cardio
After a brief warm-up of 20 forward leg swings and 20 side leg swings (per leg), do 20 minutes of continuous cardio exercise on your favorite cardio machine or jog / run. Maintain an intensity of 65-70% of your maximum heart rate throughout the time.
"You should be able to say a full sentence without gasping for breath," says Kellum. “The goal is to get the blood flowing to increase recovery. We don't train to put too much strain on our body during this cardio session. "
How to estimate the heart rate zone
- 220 - Your Age = Max Heart Rate (Max HR)
Example: for a 28 year old: 220 - 28 = 192 Max HR
To find 65-70% of maximum heart rate:
- 192 x 0.65 = 125 BPM (beats per minute)
- 192 x 0.70 = 134 BPM
Target HR zone for training:
Exercise tes
- Hex Bar Deadlift: If you don't have a hex bar available, use a barbell or heavy dumbbells or kettlebells. ·
- Leg lift: This is an official Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) event (video demonstration here). "If the darts are too tight, add tape to the pull-up bar to reduce the weight," says Kellum. “Or start with negatives: Jump on the bar, hold yourself up, and slowly lower yourself down. Repeat for 5 reps and shoot the kneeling area for 3 seconds. I recommend 5 sets of 5 repetitions. "
- Forearm plank: Keep your core tight and your body in a straight line from your heels to your head with your forearms in contact with the floor.
- Chest supported dumbbell row: This is a two-armed dumbbell row that is performed face down on an incline bench to help stabilize the upper body. From a starting position, with your arms extended perpendicular to the floor, pull the dumbbells straight up.
- Hammer Curl: Hammer curls can be performed with dumbbells, cables (with a rope attachment), or a resistance band. Keep your forearms neutral (palms facing each other) the entire time.
- Wide grip lat pulldown: Take an overhead grip outside shoulder width and keep your torso as vertical as possible (don't lean back too far).
- Lat pulldown with reverse grip: With the underhand grip, you can keep your hands shoulder-width or narrower.
- Kettlebell swing: Focus on the hip joint and push your hips back to initiate the movement, with just a slight flexion of your knees.
- Return flight: This exercise can be done using cables, a pec deck machine (with a reverse fly option), a resistance band, or dumbbells.
- Hanging leg raises: If you don't have a pull-up bar or vertical bench (also known as a Captain's Roman Chair), do leg raises face up on the floor.
- Cable wood chopper: If you don't have cables, use a resistance tape.
- Hold planks: Shoot for a 2 minute stop; If you repeat this workout, try to beat your score next time.
