Jenna's Back Day: A Bodybuilder's Complete Back Workout

By Jon Klipstein, U.S. Army Combat Veteran & Founder of Die Tryin Co., and Jenna Fiscus, Die Tryin Co. Athlete & Coach

Protocol verified by Jenna Fiscus — the workout demonstrated in the video is her actual back-day routine.

Science reviewed by Onur Oncer, BS Physiology (Phi Beta Kappa) and peer-reviewed published researcher.

BACK BUILDS THE V-TAPER — AND THE WAIST GETS SMALLER BY ILLUSION

Most women skip back day. Or train it once, light, with one exercise, as an afterthought after biceps.

Jenna doesn’t. Her back day is one of the hardest sessions she runs — and she finishes it with a HIIT ab circuit. The reason isn’t aesthetic vanity. It’s the V-taper. Build the lats and upper back, and the waist looks smaller without losing a single pound. It’s an optical effect, but it’s the same effect every figure athlete, fitness model, and bodybuilder chases.

The mechanics behind it are real. The hypertrophy research is clear that mechanical tension + full range of motion + intentional muscle activation produce the muscle growth that creates that shape. Train back hard, train it right, and the waist-to-shoulder ratio shifts. That’s what Jenna walks you through below.

WATCH JENNA RUN HER BACK DAY

What Jenna says in the video (transcript)

“Today I’m gonna walk you through a back workout — we’re gonna finish up with abs. Working your back is super important. A lot of girls are scared to work their upper bodies, but working your back is going to help give you that smaller-waist illusion and just add a lot of shape to your body. So we’re going to get warmed up with some pull-ups — you can use an assisted pull-up machine, or if you don’t have one just use a band like this. And we’ll get started.

All right, for this next exercise we’re gonna use some kettlebells. You can use plates as well if you don’t have kettlebells, but I like to use these — they just kind of give me more control. So I’ll show you how.

Medicine ball — round two.

All right, so now we’re gonna go through a little ab circuit. I like to use this timer — it’s called Seconds, this app. You can make different HIIT timers, so we’re gonna add a timer — we’re going to do a HIIT circuit. We’re gonna do two minutes on, and then we’re gonna do a minute off. And in those two minutes we’re gonna do four different ab exercises, 30 seconds each. So we’re gonna watch our timer — every 30 seconds we’re gonna switch, and then rest. And go through it four times.

Now our abs are on fire. I hope you guys like this workout — make sure to like this video, subscribe to my channel so you can see future workouts. And go and get it.”

“A LOT OF GIRLS ARE SCARED TO WORK THEIR UPPER BODIES”

The fear is myth. Training back hard doesn’t add bulk in places women don’t want it. It adds width and shape to the upper back, which makes the waist read smaller by contrast. That’s the V-taper illusion Jenna mentions in the video, and it’s the whole reason every figure athlete trains back harder than almost any other muscle group.

The back also drives posture. Well-developed lats, rhomboids, and mid-traps pull the shoulders back and down, which lengthens the spine and gives the impression of more height + better presence even before the muscle is fully visible.

And it’s functional. A strong back is what keeps your deadlift safe, your overhead press stable, your row heavy, and your shoulders healthy under volume. Training back hard is one of the highest-ROI moves in any program — for women or men.

“WE’RE GONNA GET WARMED UP WITH SOME PULL-UPS”

Pull-ups as warmup is a strong move. They prime the entire pulling chain — lats, biceps, rear delts, grip — before you load any heavy weight. Done at low intensity, they wake up the muscles you’re about to train without burning them out.

If you can’t do unassisted pull-ups yet, Jenna gives you two regressions and there’s a third worth knowing:

1. Assisted pull-up machine. The platform under your knees offsets some of your bodyweight. Set it light enough that you can do 8-10 clean reps focusing on full ROM — chest to bar at the top, full hang at the bottom.

2. Band-assisted pull-ups. Loop a resistance band over the bar and stand or kneel in it. The band gives the most help at the bottom (where most people fail) and the least at the top (where you should be able to finish strong). Heavier bands = more assistance.

3. Lat pulldowns to match the pattern. If neither of the above is available, lat pulldowns hit the same vertical pull pattern. Same cues: pull the elbows down and back, not the bar.

“I LIKE TO USE KETTLEBELLS — THEY GIVE ME MORE CONTROL”

Jenna’s preference for kettlebells over barbells on this exercise comes down to one variable: control. A kettlebell hangs below your hand on a handle that doesn’t shift in your grip. A plate held vertically locks your hand position. Both let you focus on contracting the back muscle without fighting an unstable implement.

A barbell isn’t worse — it just demands more from your stabilizers and grip, which can take focus away from the target muscle. For a hypertrophy-focused day, removing extra demands lets you push harder on the back itself.

The principle generalizes: if you’re training a specific muscle for size, choose the implement that lets you feel and load that muscle hardest. If you’re training for strength or full-body output, pick the implement that demands the most coordination.

THE BACK WORK BETWEEN THE QUOTES

The video runs through Jenna’s actual exercises during the music breaks — watch closely for her execution cues. The principles she’s applying are visible even when she’s not narrating:

Full range of motion every rep. Stretched at the start, hard squeeze at the end. No half-reps. Slow, controlled eccentric. She doesn’t drop the weight — she lowers it under tension. Initiation from the elbow and lat, not the hand. The hand and grip are the connection; the back is doing the work. If you watch one thing, watch her shoulder blade movement on every rep.

“NOW OUR ABS ARE ON FIRE” — JENNA’S 4×4×30 AB FINISHER

The ab section is where the workout escalates. Jenna runs a HIIT circuit using a phone interval timer (she mentions an app called Seconds; any interval-timer app or even a stopwatch works). The exact protocol from the video:

4 exercises × 30 seconds each × 4 rounds. 2 minutes on, 1 minute off.

Pick four ab exercises that hit different planes — for example: crunches (sagittal flexion), bicycle kicks (rotation), leg raises (lower abs), plank variation (anti-extension). Set the timer for 30-second intervals. When it beeps, switch exercises with no rest. After all four exercises (two minutes of work), rest for one minute. Repeat the round four times.

Total working time: 8 minutes. Total session including rest: 11 minutes. Done correctly, it cooks the entire midsection — which is why Jenna says abs are on fire at the end.

This format works because abs respond well to high time-under-tension across multiple planes. Not endless crunches, not random circus moves — consistent, controlled work in different patterns under a stopwatch.

WHAT JENNA STACKS WITH BACK + ABS DAY

Training is the trigger. Recovery, nutrition, and the right stack are what lock in the adaptation. Jenna runs a tight, no-fluff stack across daily health, training, and recovery — the same stack she’s used to build the back you see in the video.

Daily Health

Daily Essentials — premium chelated multivitamin with a gut-health stack (probiotics, enzymes, prebiotic) built in. The base layer for nutrient sufficiency.

Ghillie Greens — real-ingredient greens powder with KSM-66 ashwagandha and AstraGin. Daily micronutrient coverage from food-derived sources for lifters who don’t eat enough vegetables.

Training Support

SEND IT 3.0 — daily-driver pre-workout with clinical doses, Alpha-GPC for focus, PeptiPump for blood flow, zumXR extended-release caffeine. The pre Jenna runs before her back day.

Glutamine — 5g L-Glutamine standalone for gut integrity and recovery support during heavy training blocks.

Creatine Monohydrate — 5g micronized monohydrate. The most-researched performance supplement in sports nutrition. Strength, training volume, recovery between sets — creatine touches all of it.

Post-Workout

Post Iso — 24g of fast-absorbing whey isolate with DigeZyme enzymes. The recovery shake Jenna hits after every training session.

Not sure where to start? Take the quiz — we’ll match your training and goals to the right stack in under a minute. For a full back-specialization protocol once you’ve mastered this one, the FST-7 back workout is the next step up. Pair this back day with Chelsea’s leg day in a PPL or upper/lower split and you’ve got the posterior chain fully handled.

FAQ

What does Jenna mean by the “smaller-waist illusion”?

Build the lats and upper back — the waist looks smaller by contrast even if the waist measurement stays the same. It’s the V-taper effect every figure athlete chases. Mechanical: the wider the shoulders and upper back, the more proportionally narrow the waist appears.

What if I can’t do pull-ups?

Three regressions: (1) assisted pull-up machine with light weight to offset bodyweight, (2) loop a resistance band over the bar and stand/kneel in it for assistance, (3) lat pulldowns to mimic the same pattern. All three hit the vertical pull pattern; pick what your gym has.

Why kettlebells instead of a barbell on the next exercise?

Control. A kettlebell hangs from a handle that doesn’t shift, and a plate held vertically locks the hand position. Both let you focus on contracting the back muscle without fighting an unstable implement. A barbell isn’t worse — it just demands more from grip and stabilizers, which can pull focus away from the target.

How does the 4×4×30 ab circuit work exactly?

Set an interval timer for 30-second rounds. Pick four ab exercises (different planes: crunches, bicycle kicks, leg raises, plank). 30 seconds on each, no rest between exercises — that’s 2 minutes of work. Rest 1 minute. Repeat the full round 4 times. Total: 8 minutes of work, 11 minutes including rest.

What timer app does Jenna use?

She mentions an app called Seconds — any HIIT/interval timer app does the same job. Even a basic stopwatch or kitchen timer works if you don’t want another app.

What does the BODYSHOP coupon code apply to?

10% off sitewide on dietryin.co — works on any of Jenna’s stack picks above, any other DTC product, or your full cart.

Where can I follow Jenna?

Instagram: @jennajo_. Coaching, meal plans, and nutrition guides at jennasbodyshop.com.

READY TO GEAR UP?

Watch the video. Run Jenna’s protocol. Pull-ups for warmup, kettlebells for control, abs on fire at the finish. Pull with your back, not your arms. Full range of motion every rep.

Need the stack to back it up? Use code BODYSHOP for 10% off, or take the quiz if you want a personalized stack built around your goals.

ALWAYS FORWARD.