Fresh off a first-place finish on the 2023 Europa Pro Championship, Regan Grimes has quickly shifted his focus back in a well-recognized direction. By narrowly edging out Nathan de Asha for the Men’s Open title on Sept. 17, Grimes punched his ticket to the 2023 Mr. Olympia contest.

After all, the Canadian-born IFBB pro is not any stranger to competing on the largest stage in the game. But after placing Fifteenth within the Men’s Open division in each of his first two trips and skipping the 2022 Olympia to pack on more muscle, Grimes has plenty to prove.

With the 2023 Olympia scheduled for Nov. 2-5, he officially kicked off his prep by posting a training vlog on his YouTube channel on Sept. 26, 2023. Grimes’ grueling back and biceps workout begins across the 1:25 mark.

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A busy travel and training schedule won’t stop Grimes from doing every little thing possible to get in prime shape for his third Mr. Olympia appearance. Clearly successful in his muscle-building efforts over the past 12 months, he began his workout by specializing in his lats.

Cable Rope Pullover

Grimes began the session with three sets of a back day staple: the cable rope pullover. He specifically noted that his goal was to “get some blood within the back” in preparation for the following exercises. Grimes also highlighted using short rest periods of about 90 seconds, which provides sufficient time for one training partner to finish a set while the opposite recovers.

Throughout the initial phase of the workout, he also addressed his ongoing rivalry with de Asha, who finished ahead of Grimes on the 2023 Flex Weekend Pro Men’s Open Show on Sept. 10, 2023.

“He beat me fair and square in Italy. I got here back and beat him in Spain, and that’s all there is just too it,” Grimes said. “I’ve competed against Nathan 3 times. I beat him twice, he beat me once. I’ll see you again in six-and-a-half weeks.”

Assisted Pull-Up

Next, Grimes and his training partner made their way over to the assisted pull-up machine. Utilizing wrist straps for support, he grabbed the pull-up bar at its widest point to offer maximum stimulation for his lats.

He worked to the purpose of failure, ending with partial reps on his final set.

Chest-Supported Row

Grimes made his over to the free weights for several sets of a chest-supported row (t-bar row). He began with two 45-pound (20-kilogram) plates, keeping his head in a neutral position as he squeezed his lats, rear delts, and traps at the highest of the movement. Grimes added one other 45-pound plate for his last set.

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Single-Arm Lat Pulldown

The 2023 Mr. Olympia contestant took his workout in a rather different direction by training his arms independently on a iso-lateral lat pulldown machine. Grimes didn’t show much footage of this exercise, but he did show some humility by admitting he was too heavy at his last show and that shaving “one other five to 6 kilos off” would help squash any controversy about where he stands.

“I feel like I got enough size,” Grimes explained. “The body is far more impressive when it’s in a crazy condition. You look greater, actually, with less weight.”

Single-Arm Super Low Row

The penultimate back exercise of Grimes’ workout was one other isolation movement: the super low row. Working with a pair of 45-pound plates per side, he took a staggered stance, keeping his chest against the pad as he pulled his elbow back and contracted his lower lat muscles. Not only did Grimes deliver clean reps, but he also he delivered useful insight into his nutrition protocol.

For intra-workout fuel, the Canadian native drank a combination of 20 grams of amino acids with 15 grams of carbohydrates from Yamamoto Nutrition GlycoBol. Grimes, who entered the workout having eaten two no-carb meals and one meal with carbs, said his post-workout protein shake also includes 10 grams of glutamine (which helps recovery) and 10 grams of creatine, which has been shown to assist promote muscle growth and volume.

Back Extension

Grimes finished with weighted back extensions to focus on his erector spinae muscles. Holding a 45-pound plate, he prolonged his body forward so far as possible before arching backwards at the highest of every rep. Grimes also performed a variation that included an abdominal crunch at the underside of the movement for the last word test of core strength and endurance.

Close-Grip Biceps Pulldown

A four-part biceps workout began with close-grip biceps pulldowns. While many lifters typically try to maintain their arms out of this movement to give attention to maximum lat engagement, Grimes encouraged the precise opposite.

He kept the range of motion much smaller, pulling right down to just above a 90-degree angle to maintain full tension on the biceps from the insertion point to the elbow.

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Preacher Curl Machine

Grimes moved on to the preacher curl machine for several sets of this classic bodybuilding exercise. After putting each of his biceps through some pain, he performed isolated reps with each arm as a finisher.

Seated Dumbbell Biceps Curl

With the session nearly complete, Grimes hammered his biceps again with one other curl variation. Working with 30-pound dumbbells, he held his arm at a 45-degree angle away from his body and methodically curled and contracted his biceps to attain an enormous pump.

Cable Curl

Finally, Grimes ended his workout where it began. This time, he swapped out the rope for a handle to perform single-arm cable curls. Employing a pronated (palms-down) grip allowed Grimes to get an amazing stimulus for each his biceps and his brachialis.

Complete Back and Biceps Workout for Muscle Growth

While Grimes didn’t provide a particular variety of sets or reps, there’s little question his workout will get the job done. Here’s a full rundown of the exercises performed:

• Cable Rope Pullover
• Assisted Pull-Up Machine
• Chest–Supported T-Bar Row
• Single-Arm Lat Pulldown
• Single-Arm Super Low Row
• Back Extension
• Close-Grip Biceps Pulldown
• Preacher Curl Machine
• Seated Dumbbell Biceps Curl
• Cable Curl

Just weeks faraway from securing a spot within the 2023 Mr. Olympia lineup, Grimes has momentum on his side. Noticeably bulkier than in years past, he should be diligent together with his weight-reduction plan and conditioning during contest prep. If he stays heading in the right direction, though, Grimes definitely looks capable of creating everyone ignore those Fifteenth-place finishes in 2020 and 2021.

Featured Image: Regan Grimes / YouTube