Posterior Chain

[Dr Squat]

Following on from some good insights from others in my log, I thought it would be good to get some discussion going on how other see lower back/glute/ham/hips fitting into the bigger picture. I use the term posterior chain. As far as I am aware this was popularised by the Westside guys many years ago (I may be wrong but it's probably not that important).

With the Olympia just completed, I was amazed with the freaky lower back/glute/hamstring development of the competitors. All of the top five are incredible and from my novice perspective this was a huge distinguishing feature.

What I am interested in is learning how others train the "posterior chain". With a powerlifting background, the deadlift has always been a big part of my training. But over the last year or two I have become aware of the need to concentrate on a more balanced approach and have given my hamstrings more emphasis. Many boybuilders appear to lack hamstring development it would seem. Maybe this is because lower back and hamstrings often just get tagged on at the end of back and leg workouts rather than being given priority?

We devote one training session a week to our posterior chain. Our emphasis is on hitting at least one power movement (that target the posterior chain in general) and then moving to some more specific movements for the hamstrings and glutes. Volume is high with 25-30 sets and the rep range on the power movements is generally around 5 and 6-10 on the more specific movements.

So my approach is what I would term power bodybuilding. On one hand I want to move toward a massive deadlift while developing a thick lower back and well proportioned hamstrings. I have been inspired by the likes of Stan Efferding and Konstantinovs recently. These guys are super strong and have incredible physiques.

As I said I am keen to get the views of others.

[HumanPerformance]

Bodybuilders dont really think in terms of thier "posterior chain" the way powerlifters do. They are only interested in the individual muscles like thier lower back or hams and if they are lagging behind the rest of their physique.

It has only been in the last few years (started by westside as you said) that the whole concept of how the posterior chain muscles and thier relative imbalances to each other ,and tto he body as a whole has explored.

While competive powerlifters are well versed on this the average competitive bodybuilder (even most pros) would have no idea about it.

[Dr Squat]

Bodybuilders dont really think in terms of thier "posterior chain" the way powerlifters do. They are only interested in the individual muscles like thier lower back or hams and if they are lagging behind the rest of their physique.

It has only been in the last few years (started by westside as you said) that the whole concept of how the posterior chain muscles and thier relative imbalances to each other ,and tto he body as a whole has explored.

While competive powerlifters are well versed on this the average competitive bodybuilder (even most pros) would have no idea about it.

Good point in that the term posterior chain may not be widely known as a bodybuilding term. However when I look at the posterior chain of the likes of Cutler, Warren, Jackson and Kai Greene, from a physique perspective, they are all really impressive in this area.

What I am really interested in is how individuals approach lower back and hamstring training. Is there value in these bodyparts being combined into a single workout or are they better split up and trained with other bodyparts? And what about the volume, rep range and variety of exercises?

As I said I my training is from a "power bodybuilding" perspective. But I would be interested in the views of the bodybuilders. My view is that we can learn from each other.

[genetic freek]

sample of jay cutler workout

http://www.muscletech.com/resources/ath ... aining.pdf

I think there could be some merit in training glute ham lower back on one day but to achive this you may need to train 6days a week as you do. For most ppl this is too much. I suppose its the old story of finding what works best for you.

[Tonka]

Without trying to ruffle any feathers here would it be fair to say that many novice bodybuilders tend to focus on the "mirror muscles" and by this I mean what they see is what gets most attention? Its only an observation that I make when I go to BB shows and a majority of the time the areas that lack the most are the ones we never see when looking in a mirror - ie upper/lower back, rear delts, butt, hammys?

From a powerlfiting perspective these muscle areas are also neglected by the masses and weaknesses are evident when lifting close to/max weight. I have often wondered why people neglect to train these areas either for muscle growth or to gain strength. Is it because we are too lazy? Or are the exercises that benefit the most too hard to do? Or is it because we cant see them working like we would our chest, or shoulders or arms therefore we dont get the same satisfaction when training them?

You're on the right track Dr S and if dedicating an entire session to improving the posterior is your way of fixing the probem then thats got to be a step in the right direction. I have had to do the same thing over the years and incorperating things like my rotators and rear delts into my warm up exercises before each session has proved benefitual to improving my bench.

There are no excuses to neglect bodyparts - especially the ones we cant see...however the judges can and so can a crowd. As for a powerlifter, any weakness will normally result in a RED light.