IFBB Bikini pro Lauralie Chapados, winner of three consecutive Bikini International titles and the reigning champ, hopes to join the prestigious list of Bikini Olympia winners once again.

Chapados was the runner-up at the 2018 and 2021 Olympia, dropped to fifth in ’22, and finished fourth in 2023.  

The Canadian has since revamped her training for enhanced symmetry, proportions, and a more prominent V-taper — the standards by which Bikini is judged. 

Chapados teamed with coach Hany Rambod, who offered his expertise during back training on Aug. 29, 2024. Chapados was roughly 12 weeks from the 2024 Bikini Olympia, set for Oct. 10-13, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Super Lat Pulldown Circular 

Chapados prioritizes pulldowns as the best option to train lats with minimal trap growth. She wants to avoid a bulky neck to maintain Bikini aesthetics and not detract from her V-taper.

Rambod started Chapados on the lat pulldown with a neutral grip shoulder-width apart. He praised her setup — sitting tall with a slightly arched back — and her execution — reaching high and leaning forward at the top to maximize the stretch.

The key is not to lean back too much. Full range of motion is going to really help grow.

Chapados drives her elbows down and squeezes at the bottom of each slow rep. She performed four sets.

Super Rowing 

Chapados prefers chest-supported upright rows as they help with stability, control, and a more focused back stretch. 

When trying to isolate, especially in Bikini, you’re trying to not get [trunk muscle activation], so that pad is very useful.

Seated rows help build the upper lats for a more tapered appearance in front poses.  Rambod reiterated the importance of stretching muscles under tension. Research has shown greater muscle gains from resisted stretches. (1)(2)(3)

Full range of motion, that inch or two of stretch, will create a lot more ability for muscle to grow.

Chapados protracted her shoulders to stretch her upper back during her two sets.

Machine and Cable Pullover

Chapados locked her waist down on the pullover machine. Rambod used Panattas’s “joint centering” machine feature to align her shoulders for optimal range of motion. She grabbed the lever and set her elbows on the side pads.

Your hands guide. Pull with your elbows. Let your lats stretch on the way up.

Rambod pulled while Chapados pushed the lever to increase resistance on the negatives; a technique used to enhance lat development without building the waist. Two sets were shown for the machine pullover. 

She doesn’t want to get so heavy that she’s recruiting her obliques and firing anything in the midsection.

They switched angles with standing cable pullovers, using a rope for a greater range of motion. Chapados’ torso was near horizontal per Rambod’s request; better angled for stretching. She pulled the rope handles down and apart as instructed, then returned to the stretch, extending her arms overhead for two sets.

Assisted Pull-Up

Chapados adopted the same form on the assisted pull-up machine, using an overhand grip. She lifted her shoulders to lengthen her lats, then used her scapula and lats to pull her head as high as possible. 

Chapados usually performs assisted pull-ups first or last in a session, varying her grip width over a few sets. She used it as a finisher for this workout.

Rambod & Chapados’ Back Training Tips

Rambod shared two tips for a productive back workout. The first is to strengthen the biceps, as they’re important secondary pulling muscles. If the biceps are too weak, they may fail before the back, cutting progress short. The second is the proper pulling technique — treat arms like hooks gripped onto the bar.

Chapados only performs high-to-low exercises like pulldowns, pull-ups, and upright, horizontal rows. She avoids deadlifts and low rows to prevent the traps from overactivating. 

Rambod incorporated techniques accentuating Chapados’ training strategies. They plan to collab again in the future to create a game plan for her other muscle groups.

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Featured Image: @lauraliechap on Instagram

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