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

The post Eddie Hall Preps for Bodybuilding Debut by Training His Back With a Pro appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Christian posted a video of his YouTube channel, filmed on Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, that featured his “refeed day” as part of his prep for the upcoming contest. He is working under the guidance of retired competitor and current coach Milos Sarcev.

In the beginning of the video, Christian explained that after being in a calorie deficit for nearly 15 weeks, this particular day of eating couldn’t have come at a better time.

[Related: How to Build Muscle: The Training and Diet Guide for Beginners and Advanced Lifters]

“(The body) needs it,” he said to the camera. He went on to say that, in order to eat all those calories, it would take eight total meals throughout the day, as well as a workout shake that would have 150 grams of carbohydrates on its own.

Christian would later say that, with less than two weeks to go before the contest, he is still over 300 pounds and felt he was in the best shape of his life. He documented the entire day’s worth of food in the video. The individual meals, amounts (when explained), and approximate times (when given) were as follows.

• Meal One (4:00a.m.): 150 grams of oats, 150 grams of banana, 65 grams of whey protein, 30 grams of peanut butter
• Meal Two (6:30 a.m.): 100 grams of rice, 150 grams of turkey, 100 grams of banana, courgette (zucchini)
• Meal Three, Pre-Workout: (Amounts of food not specified) Cream of rice, banana, blueberries, whey isolate, two Rice Krispies Treats, one cup of coffee
• Workout: Pre-workout drink (75 grams of carbs), BCAA and essential amino acid shake
• Meal Four, Post-Workout (3:00p.m.): (Not all amounts specified) Lucky Charms cereal, 50 grams of whey isolate
• Meal Five (4:00p.m.): (Not all amounts specified) Rice cakes, turkey, rice, banana, courgette (zucchini)
• Meal Six: 150 grams of oats, blueberries, one rice cake, whey protein
• Meal Seven: (Not shown on video) 100 grams of rice, 150 grams of turkey, 100 grams of banana
• Meal Eight (9:00p.m.): 100 grams of rice, 150 grams of turkey, 100 grams of banana
• Meal Nine: 200 grams of ground beef, 20 grams of almond butter, 150 grams of oats, 100 grams of banana
• Approximate Total: 7,000 calories, 360 grams of protein, 1,250 grams of carbs, 35 grams of fat

At the end of the video, Christian pulled up his shirt and showed the camera his abs. He discussed that his stomach was still flat and defined because the food he ate didn’t cause bloating or indigestion, in part because fat intake was kept low in every meal except the last.

I don’t even feel like I’ve eaten anything today.

Earlier in the video, he also theorized that keeping protein relatively low and walking for 10-minutes multiple times throughout the day improved his overall digestion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by IFBB PRO JAMIE CHRISTIAN (@akathegiant)

[Related: The Best Back Workouts for More Muscle, for Strength, for Beginners, and More]

When he competes in Italy, Christian will be looking for his first professional win as well as his first qualification to the Mr. Olympia contest, which is scheduled to take place the weekend of Dec. 16-18, 2022 in Las Vegas, NV.

Featured Image: @akathegiant on Instagram

The post Bodybuilder Jamie Christian Details His 7,000-Calorie Carb-Up Before Contest appeared first on Breaking Muscle.