In early January 2023, former 2017 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion Eddie Hall revealed he would be training to prepare for a venture into bodybuilding in the late stages of the year 2024. In accordance with those ambitions for one of the greatest strongmen of all time, Hall is already taking steps to be ready for this new career venture.
On Jan. 22, 2023, Hall posted a video on his YouTube channel where he tackles training his back with International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Pro League bodybuilder Jamie “The Giant” Christian. Per NPC News Online, the bodybuilder is perhaps best known for his fourth-place finish at the 2020 British Grand Prix. At 6’5″, Christian is also the self-proclaimed tallest Men’s Open pro bodybuilder in the world.
This filmed session appears to be one of Hall’s first earnest inside looks at shifting away from his usual strongman focus to create a more ripped and refined physique fit for a bodybuilding stage. Hall and Christian waste no time diving in, letting this unique exercise session speak for itself as part of Hall’s upcoming transition to bodybuilding.
Lat Pulldown
With formal introductions out of the way, Hall and Christian begin the workout by tackling some wide-grip lat pulldowns. It is here where Hall noticed the distinction between Christian’s focus on the movement. Whereas Hall might center on the weight being pulled down, Christian emphasized keeping tension on the lats. The pair would finish a heavy drop set, beginning with the entire weight stack and descending two to three plates per set, to close this portion of the routine.
“You can feel your lats working way more,” Hall said.
Seated Rows
On the ensuing seated rows, Christian would once again emphasize keeping tension on the lats while working through a quality range of motion. The athlete would explain to Hall that bodybuilding training was more about keeping the muscles contracted rather than leaning on “momentum” while maximizing weight. On the final set, the experienced bodybuilder guided Hall through a rest-pause set — training to momentary muscular failure, resting 20 seconds, and performing additional reps to reach failure a second time.
“Momentum is allowing the muscle to relax,” Christian clarified. “So, try to take the momentum out of everything.”
Heavy on the Back
The duo would close the workout diving into chest-suppored rows, single-arm machine rows, and a superset of lat pulldowns and seated rows. Overall, Hall and Christian performed roughly two high-rep working sets at a high intensity while executing their final lat pulldown and seated row superset as a fitting four-set flourish.
To make a successful foray into bodybuilding, Hall will likely need all the sport-specific knowledge he can get. Picking the brain of an experienced professional like Christian is a quality start for the strongman legend to ensure his bodybuilding journey develops the way he envisions.
Featured image: @eddiehallwsm on Instagram
