Jeff Seid made a storybook return to bodybuilding when he became the 2024 Natural Olympia champion in the Men’s Physique division. Now intent on winning the Natural Olympia Classic title, “The King of Aesthetics” says he’s focused on thickening his back. Fortunately, the inspirational athlete shared the process with his almost 5 million Instagram followers.
When addressing his back, Seid explained: “What used to be one of my strongest muscle groups slowly faded into a lagging area. This was mainly due to relying on genetics and putting my attention elsewhere.” In terms of genetics, Seid was dealt an enviable hand. The former All-American wrestling champion was also touted to have a bright future in football before ACL injuries led him towards bodybuilding. The young upstart would become the youngest IFBB pro ever at the time, at age 19, and has amassed millions of social media followers who are inspired by his message around being a lifetime natural bodybuilder. In 2024, Seid won the Men’s Physique Natural Olympia title, and in 2025 he qualified as an INBA PNB Men’s Classic Physique competitor as well.
“Lately I’ve been focusing on thickness mainly, over width,” wrote Seid alongside his workout demo. “I’m back to training it twice a week and seeing good progress.”
Here’s how to try it for yourself.
Jeff Seid’s ‘Back Thickness’ Workout
- Cable Pullover: 2 Sets x 8 to 12 Reps
- Wide Grip Lat Pulldown: 2 Sets x 8 to 10 Reps
- Smith Machine Reverse-Grip Barbell Row: 2 Sets x 6 to 8 Reps
- Dumbbell Rows: 2 Sets x 10 Reps
- Seated Cable Rows: 2 Sets x 8 to 10 Reps
- Dumbbell Shrugs: 2 Sets x 8 to 12 Reps
Jeff Seid’s Back Workout Breakdown
Building muscle thickness requires moving heavy weights and this is Seid’s starting point. “I’m doing 1 to 2 working sets to failure, and my warmup sets don’t count,” he explained, noting that he’s reduced his volume in order to go all out in these sets. “I’m doing longer rest period nowadays (3 to 4 mins) and really trying to pull heavier weight with good form.”
First up were cable pullovers. In case you are wondering, the difference between pullovers and pulldowns is related to shoulder movement. In pullovers, the weight is moved in an arch shape, requiring shoulder flexion, while pulldowns are a more vertical movement and require less shoulder mobility. Primarily working the lats, you’ll also recruit the triceps, pecs, and deltoids for a stacked upper body. Moving on to wide grip lat pulldowns, the lats receive another hammering here. Note that a wide grip, with your hands almost at the end of each handle, places more load on the upper portion of the lats, as well as utilizing the biceps, rear delts, and the rhomboids between your shoulder blades. This approach is more than about width, it will build a full, rounded back.
For his third exercise, Seid sweats it out with reverse-grip barbell rows. By performing this movement on the smith machine, it becomes less about stabilizing his body and more about isolating his target muscles. The reverse, or underhanded/supinated grip will help you keep your elbows close to the body, pulling the bar in a smooth motion towards the lats and working the entire back. Next, the natural bodybuilder reps it out with dumbbell rows, targeting his lats and upper back but also requiring his core, biceps, and lower back. When trying this for yourself, be sure that the arms aren’t pulling the entire load with your arms and ensure your back is activated.
For his penultimate back pounder, Seid sat down for cable rows, a move that works both the upper and lower back, in addition to your arms. Use time under tension with cable work, slowly pulling the cable towards you, then hold the contraction before repeating this exercise. Finally, Seid concluded his back thickening session with dumbbell shrugs, an isolation move that add mass to the upper back and shoulders. Shrugs can seriously supersize the traps. The key is to squeeze hard at the top of the shrug and then slowly lower the dumbbells back down.
Building a thick and rounded back requires variation in order to target the major muscle groups, so this is a great workout for winning the war against a lagging back. “Be sure to hit all areas of the back,” enthused Seid. “No week points bro bro.”
To follow Jeff Seid on Instagram, click here.
