How Hadi Choopan Trains Back After Winning the 2024 Arnold Classic

Choopan has built a state-of-the-art gym in Iran featuring over 130 machines.

2022 Mr. Olympia Hadi Choopan further etched his name within the annals of skilled bodybuilding by becoming the fifth bodybuilder to win each Mr. Olympia and Arnold Classic titles after defeating 2023 Arnold Classic champion Samson Dauda on the 2024 Arnold Classic.

On March 10, 2024, Choopan published a video on his YouTube channel, sharing his first back training session after winning the 2024 Arnold Classic.

Hadi Choopan’s Back Workout

Here is a snapshot of Choopan’s high-volume training session:

Check it out below:

Straight-Arm Lat Pulldown

Using rope attachment, Choopan warmed up with two sets of straight-arm lat pulldowns. Isolation exercises can lead to higher muscle contractions and promote blood flow to the goal muscles, making them ideal for warming up.

Bent-Over Single-Arm Machine Rows & Dumbbell Rows

Choopan’s unique line of pull ends in a deep lat stretch at the underside of every rep. Choopan set his torso at 45 degrees within the starting position. He lowered his torso during eccentrics and lifted his chest during concentrics to coach through his full range of motion and maximize lat fiber activation.

Vertical pulling movements like machine lat pulldowns will help construct back width. Rowing exercises like dumbbell rows can improve back thickness. Choopan began with an 80-kilogram (176-pound) dumbbell. He progressed to 90 kilograms (198 kilos) for the second set and 100 kilograms (220 kilos) for the ultimate set.

Machine Bent-Over Row

The 36-year-old employed an underhand grip on the machine bent-over rows, keeping his elbows tight to his sides during concentrics with a pause within the fully shortened position. Choopan hit the back double biceps and rear lat spread poses.

Machine T-Bar Row

Choopan used a neutral grip on the chest-supported T-bar row machine. He prolonged his scapula during eccentrics, pausing within the fully lengthened position to extend the lats’ time under tension (TUT), which has been shown to advertise hypertrophy. (1)

After three sets, Choopan moved to the standing T-bar row machine, employing a narrow neutral grip and pulling his hands toward the midline to bias the midback.

Low Row Machine

Choopan transitioned to the low-row machine to load the lower lats. He grabbed the handles with a neutral grip and flattened his chest against the machine’s pad within the starting position. Choopan lifted his chest off the pad and leaned back barely, pulling his elbows behind his midline to realize a tighter lat contraction.

Cable Rows & Lat Pulldown Machine

Choopan used lifting straps for cable rows to limit forearm engagement. He leaned forward during eccentrics and paused at the highest. Employing a neutral grip on the convergent lat pulldown machine, Choopan’s line of pull results in greater upper back engagement than conventional straight bar lat pulldowns.

Looking Ahead

Choopan will challenge reigning Mr. Olympia Derek Lunsford on the 2024 Olympia, scheduled for Oct. 10-13, in Las Vegas, NV. If Choopan wins, he’ll grow to be the second bodybuilder in history to win back the Sandow trophy after losing it (the opposite is four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler). Choopan will next compete on the 2024 Arnold Classic UK on March 15-17, 2024, in Birmingham, England.

References

1. Burd NA, Andrews RJ, West DW, et al. Muscle time under tension during resistance exercise stimulates differential muscle protein sub-fractional synthetic responses in men. J Physiol. 2012;590(2):351-362. doi:10.1113/jphysiol.2011.221200