Back and biceps are two muscle groups that train very well together. Most movements that train the back already pull through the biceps. When combined in a workout, your rows and pulldowns prime the arms for direct work. This session builds the back first for width, then finishes the biceps with two curls that hit them from different angles. A short core finisher closes it out.
The order matters. Two back movements come first while you are fresh and strong. The inverted row opens the session as a horizontal pull, then the lat pulldown takes over for vertical width. Only after the back is done do the biceps get their own work. This is because we always start a weight session with the compound movements. Training the back requires compound (multi-joint) exercises, and training the biceps is an isolation movement, a single-joint flexion at the elbow.
Most of the sets in this workout run a 15-to-8 rep ladder. Pick a weight you can control for 15 reps, add load each set, and push toward 8 on the last one. The lat pulldown gets one light warm-up set first. The inverted row holds at 15 reps and gets harder a different way, through tempo and pauses instead of plates.
Before a big workout like this I always have a pre-workout shake. I take my C4 pre-workout about an hour before I start training. I also train in flat shoes. The inverted row and both standing curls need a stable base, and a zero-drop sole keeps you planted through the whole foot instead of rocking around. I wear my WHITIN cross-trainers for exactly that.
The Workout at a Glance
| Exercise | Warm-up | Working Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inverted Row | — | 3 | 15 each |
| Lat Pulldown | 1 × light | 3 | 15 / 12 / 8 |
| Cable Preacher Curl | — | 3 | 15 / 12 / 8 |
| Drag Curl | — | 3 | 12 / 10 / 8 |
| Hanging Knee Raise | — | 3 rounds | 10 each |
Cellucor C4 Sport Pre-Workout
My go-to pre-workout before heavy training. Clean energy and strong pumps without the crash.
Affiliate link — we may earn a commission.Warm-Up
Pulling is shoulder heavy, so the warm-up is built around the shoulders. Cold shoulders under a loaded pulldown is how you tweak a rotator cuff on the first set. I give it a full 30 minutes before I touch a working weight.
Twenty of those minutes are light cardio to get blood moving and the joints warm. The last ten are mobility work. The clip shows arm and shoulder rotations, which are the main part of it. The shoulders drive every pull in this session, so taking them through a full range first is what keeps the rows and pulldowns clean.
1. Inverted Row
The inverted row opens the session because it is a horizontal pull that hits the mid-back and lats without much setup. Your own bodyweight is the load, so it is a clean way to start before you stack plates on the pulldown.
I set it up in a power rack with the bar fixed just above knee height. A Smith machine works just as well and is easier to adjust for height, so use that if the rack is busy. Lie under the bar, grab it a bit wider than shoulder width, and pull your chest to the bar. Keep your body in one straight line from shoulders to heels. Do not let your hips sag.
This one stays at 15 reps for all three sets. You add difficulty without adding weight. Slow the tempo down, or add a pause and a hang at the top of each rep with your chest near the bar. By the third set those pauses make 15 reps plenty hard. If full reps get too easy, raise your feet to make the angle steeper.
Sets: 3 | Reps: 15 each (add tempo or a hang to progress)
2. Lat Pulldown
This is where the width comes from. The lat pulldown trains the lats through a vertical pull, the line that makes a back look wide from the front. The row warmed up the mid-back. This is where you load it.
The setup is everything here. Pin the thigh pad down as tight as it will go and take a wide leg position so you can sit back farther on the bench. That position lets you control the angle of the pull. Lean forward to start so you get a full stretch and extension at the top. Then as you pull the bar down, lean back slightly and open your chest to finish in a hard contraction. The combination of a long stretch at the top and a full squeeze at the bottom is what makes each rep count.
Run the 15-to-8 ladder over three working sets, plus one light set first to groove the path. Add weight each set. Pull the bar to your upper chest, not behind your neck, and do not heave it down with your bodyweight. Let the lats do the work.
Sets: 1 warm-up + 3 working | Reps: 15 / 12 / 8 (ascending weight)
WHITIN Men’s Cross-Trainer
3. Cable Preacher Curl
With the back done, the biceps get their direct work. The cable preacher curl comes first because it puts the arm in a locked, supported position where the biceps cannot cheat. The cable keeps constant tension through the whole rep, top to bottom, which a free weight cannot do.
I run this one arm at a time, and that is on purpose. A barbell preacher curl puts both arms in a fixed position with a real risk of a bicep tear from over-extension. One arm on a cable takes that risk away and lets each side work on its own. If the weight gets too heavy, you can just rotate your hand to release it, instead of risking a hyperextension at the elbow that tears the bicep.
To set it up, roll an incline bench in front of the cable and put the middle of the seat exactly where the cable swivels. For the right arm, plant your right leg in a staggered stance outside the bench and brace your left hand on the top of the bench. The whole point is a stable platform so the only thing moving is the curl.
Three working sets on the 15-to-8 ladder per arm. Curl up under control, squeeze at the top, and let the cable pull your arm back to a full stretch without dropping the tension.
Sets: 3 per arm | Reps: 15 / 12 / 8 (ascending weight)
4. Drag Curl
Where the preacher curls the bar out in front of you, the drag curl pulls it straight up the body. That shifts the elbows back behind you and loads the long head of the biceps, the part that builds the peak. It hits the arm from an angle the preacher curl never reaches.
Push your hips back a little to make room for the bar to travel up your torso. Take a straight bar at shoulder width. As you curl, drive your elbows back behind your body and keep the bar dragging close to you the whole way up. It is a shorter range than a normal curl and the weight will be lighter, so do not chase a big number. The feel in the biceps is the point.
Three working sets on a slightly tighter 12-to-8 ladder. The biceps are already fatigued from the preacher curls, so the reps drop a little to match what they have left.
Sets: 3 | Reps: 12 / 10 / 8 (ascending weight)
5. Hanging Knee Raise (Finisher)
The session closes with direct core work. You are already hanging from a bar all session on the pulls, so a hanging knee raise is a natural way to finish. It trains the lower abs and it doubles as a grip and decompression hang at the end of a heavy pulling day.
Hang from a pull-up bar with your arms straight. Raise your knees up toward your chest under control. Then lower them slowly without letting your body swing. The swing is the thing to kill here. If you start using momentum, slow down and shorten the range until you can own each rep. Three rounds of 10 reps with short rest closes it out.
Sets: 3 rounds | Reps: 10 each
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I train back and biceps together?
Once or twice a week works for most people. If you run it twice, change the loading on the second day. Go lighter and chase the squeeze, or swap the rep ranges around. The back can handle frequent work, but the biceps get hit on every pull, so give them time to recover between sessions.
Why a one-handed cable preacher curl instead of a barbell?
A barbell preacher curl locks both arms into one fixed bar. If one side fatigues faster than the other, the weaker arm gets forced into a bad position, and that is a common spot for a bicep tear. Running it one arm at a time on a cable removes that risk. Each side works independently, and if a rep stalls you can rotate your hand and release the weight instead of fighting it.
What if I do not have a power rack for the inverted row?
A Smith machine is the easiest swap and the bar height adjusts in seconds. A fixed barbell in a squat rack works too. If you have rings or a TRX, those do the same horizontal pull and let you change the angle by walking your feet in or out.
Why do the biceps come after the back?
The biceps assist every back movement, so if you curl first you fatigue them and weaken every row and pulldown that follows. Training the big back movements first lets you load them properly while the arms are fresh, then you finish the biceps off with direct work once the heavy pulling is done.