Tom Haviland would look very out of place at your local gym. Standing at 6’8″ tall and over 300 pounds with six-pack abs, the famously reclusive Haviland is the internet’s favorite blue-collar bodybuilder. Take one look at his weird back workout and you’ll see why.
- Haviland has amassed a million-plus following on Instagram without showing his face or fussing around too much with anything other than brow-beating farm workouts.
Haviland’s lifting is a spectacle; his exercises are often unique, practical spins on bodybuilding classics. It helps a bit that he’s strong as an ox, too.
Tom Haviland’s Back Workout
Part of Haviland’s charm is built on his social media shtick; no air conditioning, fancy equipment, or matching spandex sets. Haviland is all flannel shirts, fresh air, and rusty steel weights that clang and bang as well as anything you can find in an LA Fitness.
Haviland broke down a back workout on Nov. 4, 2024, including his sets and reps plus some technique tips. Here are some of the moves Haviland uses to build his back:
- Head-supported rows with a trap bar
- Medusa pulls, popularized by now-deceased pioneer of backyard training online, Bud Jeffries
- Medusa shrugs with the same setup and implement
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At a glance, Haviland’s back workout looks bizarre (and brief). However, it’s much more practical than it appears — many of his training sessions involve loaded carry variations, strongman-styled keg work, and so on.
Haviland’s training session started with a compound exercise performed with few repetitions, moved on to a similar row variation with slightly different technique, and concluded with some isolation work.
That’s standard-issue powerbuilding training. Even if you don’t have the same equipment, you can follow in Haviland’s footsteps with some clever exercise swaps.
How To Do Tom Haviland’s Back Workout, Anywhere
If Haviland invited you up to his ranch for a back workout, job done. If you’re inspired by his training style but confined to a commercial gym, here’s what you can do instead.
This three-exercise back workout can be performed with the equipment you’d find in just about every big box gym:
- Seal Row: 3 x 5-6
- Close-Grip T-Bar Row: 2 x 5
- Kelso Shrug: 2 x 10
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Haviland himself typically alternates back exercises on a regular basis. “[Head-supported rows] and seal rows are my primary movements in this phase and I’m currently alternating between these 2 movements every 4 days,” he remarked.
Don’t be afraid to switch things up. You’ll still make gains as long as you keep your intensity high and work your backside off — Haviland is a living, breathing, shirt-stretching proof of concept.
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Featured Image: @tomhaviland / Instagram
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