ME Upper Back

Diet and Nutrition
1

I’m currently following a 3 day pull, push, legs split.

I’ve decided to do a max effort exercise on each day. The push and legs days are pretty simple, using the same movements as the westside guys. For the pull day I’m using 4 variations of pullups. Shoulder and wide overhand, parallel grip and supinated grip.

Has anyone else used the ME method for exercises other than the standard presses and squats/GMs?

2

Go to Joe Defranco’s site and check out the way he trains wrestlers. He frequently uses weighted chins, using different grips, as a max effort lift.

Plus, check out his Q and A archives…lots of terrific stuff there.

Best of luck

3

Pikeking,
My split is somewhat like yours. Because I deadlift “conventional” style, most of my pulling is from the floor. I don’t deadlift every ME day; sometimes I do heavy “clean-grip” olympic-style low pulls, working up to a max double or triple and then down about 10kg for a 5-set. That doesn’t seem like a lot of volume, but it will force your traps to grow stronger than they will get from shrugs alone.
Strength & courage’
“Coach Joe”

4

Pikeking
I do something similar but I use oly lifts and variants i.e. high pulls on my back day. I rotate between snatches and cleans, from hang, floor and blocks and high and low pulls too.

Maybe you could use pulldowns, they hit your back in a different way to pull ups. To be honest I use pull ups more as an assistance exercise but your rotation for use as main ME exercise looks good.

5

Thanks for the replies guys.

I did the back workout tonight for the first time and I’m pretty pleased how it went.

I’m getting over a back injury at the moment so I cant do all the cool stuff like deads and oly lifts so the pullups are the best option for ME.

6

What does “ME” stand for in the ME Upper Back title?

I know it’s a stupid question but I just don’t know.

Thanks.

RAGINGHULK

7

Raginghulk,
“ME” is localspeak for “maximum effort,” a term that gets used a lot since the introduction of “Westside” training routines. It’s not a dumb question; lotsa abbreviations are used on one site or another, and none of them are universally recognized.

8

Thanks for the answer Joe. What about “D.E.” I’ve read and seen so much of?

Thnaks again.

RAGINGHULK

9

Dynmaic Effort. It’s lifting submaximal weights as fast as possible.