364

FrancoColumbu

Back Exercises

WIDE-GRIP CHINSBEHIND THE NECK

PURPOSEOFEXERCISE:To widenthe

upperbackandcreatea full sweepinthe lats.

Wide-Grip Chinswidenthelats

anddeveloptheentireshouldergirdle.

This exerciseis primarilyfor theupperandouterregionsof thelatsandalsospreadsthescapula,makingit easiertoflarethelats.

EXECUTION:(1)Takeholdof thechin-

ningbarwith anoverhandgrip,handsaswideapartaspracticable.(2)Hangfromthebar,thenpull yourselfup sothatthebackofyournecktouchesthe

bar.This is astrictexercise,sotrynot

tohelpyourbackbykickingup withthe legs.At thetopof themovementhold for abriefmoment,thenlower

yourselfslowlybackto thestartingpo-sition.Chinsinvolveyourentirebodyweight,sosomebeginnersmaynotbe

abletodotherequisitenumberof rep-etitionsfor eachset.I recommend

theydowhatI usedto do:Insteadof

tryingto do5 setsof 10repseach,doasmanyrepsaspossibleata time-

maybeonly3 or 4 until atotalof 50

repsis achieved.The strongeryouget,thefewersetsit will taketo getto50repsandtheshorterthetimeit willtaketo do it.

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WIDE-GRIP CHINS TO THE

FRONT (OPTIONAL)

PURPOSEOFEXERCISE:To widentheupperbackandcreatea full sweepin thelats.

Chinningyourselfsothatyoutouchyourchestto thebarratherthan

thebackof theneckgivesyouaslightlylongerrangeof motionandis

lessstrict,allowingyouto cheatslightlysoyoucancontinueyourrepsevenafteryouaretired.

EXECUTION:(1)Takeholdof thechinningbarwith anoverhandgrip,handsaswideapartaspracticable.(2)Hangfromthebar,thenpull

yourselfup, tryingto touchthetopofyourchestto thebar.At thetopofthemovement,hold for abriefmoment,thenloweryourselfbackto thestartingposition.

367

CLOSE-GRIP CHINS

PURPOSEOF EXERCISE:To work the back muscles, widen the lower

lats, and develop the serratus.

This exerciseis great for widening and lengthening the appear-

ance of the lats. It'also developsthe serratus anterior, those little

fingers of muscle that lie under the outside of the pecs, which add

so much to front poses such as double-biceps or any other over-

head pose.

EXECUTION:(1)Takeholdof thechinningbar (orclose-griptrian-gledevicefoundin manygyms)withyourhandsclosetogether,onehandoneithersideofthebar.Hangbelowthebar.(2)Thenpullyourselfup whileleaningyourheadbackslightlysothatthechest

touches (or nearly touches)yourhands;lowerthebodyslowlyfor afull stretchofthelats.Workforthefullestrangeofmotion.

100can alsodo Close-Grip Chins by pulling on a straightbar instead:if a doublehandle.

. -.- ....

LAT MACHINEPULLDOWNS

PURPOSEOFEXERCISE:To widen

theupperlats.This exerciseallowsyouto do

Chinswith lessthanyourtotalbodyweight,soyoucando alot ofextrarepsfor theupperbackif youfeelyouneedmoreworkin thatarea(butit shouldnot replaceChins asthestandardexercisefor

wideningtheupperlats).

EXECUTION:(1)Usinga longbar,

graspit with awide,overhandgripandsit on theseatwithyourknees

hookedunderthesupport.(2)Pullthebar downsmoothlyuntil it

touchesthetopofyourchest,

makingtheupperbackdothework andnotswayingbackto in-volvethelowerback.Release,ex-

tendthearmsagain,andfeelthelatsfullystretch.

VARIATION:Try doingLat Pull-downsbehindtheneckinsteadofin front.

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CLOSE- OR MEDIUM-GRIP PULLDOWNS

PURPOSEOFEXERCISE:To workthelats,especiallythelowerlatarea.Again,workingwith anoverheadcableandweightstackallowsyou

to dothechinningmovementwith lessthanbodyweight.

EXECUTION:(1)Graspthehandlesor abarusinganarrow-or medium-

closegripandpull downtoyourupperchest.Don't swaybackward,buttry toconcentrateonusingthe latsto dothemovement.(2)Draw theshouldersdownandbackandstickthechestout.Let thehandlesgoup-

wardagainuntilyourlatsarefullystretchedout.

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BENT-OVER BARBELLROWS

PURPOSEOFEXERCISE:To thicken

theupperback.

This exercisealsohelpswiden

theupperbackand,to alesserde-gree,addsdensityto the lowerback.

EXECUTION:(1)Standingwithfeetafewinchesapart,graspthebarwithawide,overhandgrip.Withyourkneesslightlybent,bendforwarduntilyourupperbodyisaboutpar-alleltothefloor.Keepyourbackstraight,headup,andletthebarhangatarm'slengthbelowyou,al-mosttouchingtheshinbone.(2)Us-ingprimarilythemusclesoftheback,lift thebarupwarduntilittouchestheupperabdominals,thenlowerit again,undercontrol,backtothestartingposition;thenimme-diatelystartyournextrep.It isim-portanttomakethebackworksoasnottomakethisabicepsexercise.Thinkofthearmsandhandsas

hooks,awayoftransmittingthecontractionofthelatstothebar.

Don'tbringthebaruptothechestareaitself;bringingit onlytotheab-domenreducestheroleofthearms.

Makesureyourfirstsetofanyrow-ingexerciseisrelativelylighttoletyourbackgetwarmedup.Bythetimeyougettoyourlastset,alittlebitofcheatingisallrighttogetyouthroughit,butkeepit toamini-mum.

371

In Bent-OverBarbellRows,youpullwiththelatsbutdon'tliftwiththelowerback.Keepyourupperbodyparalleltothefloor all throughtheexercise.Noticehowthebarispulledup totheabdomenratherthanup towardthechest.

Thisdrawingillustratestwomajormistakes:Ifyoudon'tholdyourbodysteadywhendoingBent-OverBarbellRows,youinvolvethelowerbackmusclesratherthanisolatingthelats.And ifyou lift thebar up toward the chestinsteadof the

abdomen,you involvethe arms,so that the biceps

are doing a lot of thework you are trying to getthe latsto do.

WhenyoudoRowswithanOlympicbarbellsetwithitslargerplatesyouneedtostandonablockor abench

sothatyoucanlowerthebarall thewaydownwithouttheplates

touchingthefloor.Withyourheadup,backstraight,andkneesflexed,youarein apositionsimilartoan

Olympiclifterabouttocleanaheavybarbell.

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BENT-OVER DUMBBELL ROWS

PURPOSEOFEXERCISE:To workeachsideof theupperbackindepen-

dently.You canstillworkheavyandgiveyourbackagoodworkoutusing

dumbbells,butby usingthemyouforceeachsideof thebodytoworkup to itsowncapacity,ratherthanrunningtheriskof havingthestrongersidehelpouttheweakerone.This is agoodweakpointexercisefor anyonelackingupperbacksymmetry.

EXECUTION:(1)Graspadumbbellin eachhand,bendyourkneesslightly,

thenbendforwardfromthewaist,keepingyourheadup andyourbackstraight.Let theweightshangatarm'slengthbelowtheshoulders.(2)Si-multaneouslylift bothweightsupasfaraspossibletoyoursides,holdingyourupperbodysteadytoavoidinvolvingthelowerback(theweightsshouldcomeup toyoursides,notyourchest,in ordertokeepbicepsin-volvementtoaminimum).Thenlowertheweightsagain,slowly.

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T-BAR ROWS

PURPOSEOFEXERCISE:To thickenthemiddleandouterback.

EXECUTION:(1)Standingonablockwithyourfeetclosetogether,knees

slightlybent,benddownandgraspthehandlesof theT-Bar machinewith anoverhandgrip.Straightenyourlegsslightlyandlift up untilyour

bodyis atabouta45-degreeangle.Withoutchangingthisangle,lift the

weightup until it touchesyourchest,(2)thenlowerit againto arm'slength,keepingtheweightoff thefloor.

Rememberthatthisis anupperbackexercise-you arenotsup-

posedtodo muchliftingwith thelowerbackor legs.If youfindyouarenotableto dothislift withoutswayingandliftingup withyourbackto

anexcessivedegree,youaresimplyusingtoo muchweightandshould

takeoff aplateor two.However,asmallamountof movementis in-evitable.But be certainto keepyourbackstraightor evenslightlyarchedandnevertobendoverhunchbackfashion,whichcouldresultin

injury.By usinganarrowgrip,thisexercisewill workmostlytheouterlatsbecauseyoucannotgettherangeof motionto fully involvetheinnerbackmuscles.However,thislimitedrangeof motionmeansthatyouwill

eventuallybeableto lift moreweightthanwhendoingBarbellRows,whichmakesthisagoodpowermovement.

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ONE-ARM DUMBBELL ROWS

PURPOSEOFEXERCISE:To independentlyworkeachside,oftheback

Rowingonesideatatimewith adumbbellhastwouniqueadvan-tagesoverBarbellRows:It isolatesthelatissimusmusclesoneachside,

andit allowsyouto lift theweighthigherandthereforegetamorecom-pletecontraction.Usingheavyweightin thisexerciseis lessimportantthangettingthefullestrangeof movement,whichwill helpdevelopanddefinethecenterof theback

EXECUTION:(1)Takingadumbbellin onehand,bendforwardfromthe

waistuntilyourupperbodyis nearlyparallelto thefloor.Placeyourfreehandon thebenchfor support.Beginwiththeweighthangingdownat

arm'slength,feelingthefullestpossiblestretch.Turnyourhandsothatthepalmfacestowardyourbody.(2)Keepingyourbodysteady,lift theweightup toyourside,concentratingon doingtheworkwiththebackratherthanthearm.Lower theweight,keepingit undercontroLFinish

yourrepetitionswith thisarm,thenrepeatwiththeotherarm,

LeePriest

375

ONE-ARM CABLEROWS

PURPOSEOFEXERCISE:To developthelowerlats.

This is anespeciallygood

movementfor tyingin thelowerlatsto thewaist.

EXECUTION:(1)Usinga floor-levelpulley,takeholdof ahandlewithonehand.If donestanding,as-sumeabalancedstance,the leg

oppositethearmyouwill be usingin theexerciseforward,otherlegback.(This canalsobedonewhile

seated.)Beginwithyourarmfully

extendedin frontofyou;youmayevenwantto twistyourhandin-wardsothatthethumbis lower

thanthelittlefingerto createthe

fullestpossiblestretch.(2)Pull thehandlebackbyyoursideasfar as

youcan,twistingyourhandout-wardsothatthethumbendsup on

theoutside,feelingthebackmus-clescontract.Releaseandextend

yourarmandtwistyourwristbackto thestartingposition.Complete

yourrepetitions,thenrepeatthe

exerciseusingtheotherarm.The secrettosuccessdoing

One-ArmCableRowsis rangeofmotion.Whenyoupull thecable,

bringyourelbowasfarbackaspos-sible-which is alot fartherthan

youcangodoingregularCableRows.Also,asyoureleaseandlowertheweightagain,makesureyoustretchyourarmandlatsasfaraspossible.

SEATED CABLE ROWS

PURPOSEOFEXERCISE:To developthethicknessof thebackandthelowerlats.This movementalso

worksthelowersectionsof thelats.

EXECUTION:(1)Takeholdof the

handlesandsitwithyourfeet

bracedagainstthecrossbaror awoodenblock,kneesslightlybent.

Extendyourarmsandbendforwardslightly,feelingthelatsstretch.Youshouldbe situatedfarenoughaway

fromtheweightstacksothatyoucanstretchlikethiswithoutthe

weighttouchingthebottom.(2)From thisbeginningposition,

pull thehandlesbacktowardyourbodyandtouchthemtoyourab-domen,feelingthebackmusclesdo-

ingmostof thework.Yourback

shouldarch,yourcheststickout,andtry to touchtheshoulderblades

togetherasyoudrawtheweighttowardyou.Don'tinvolvethelowerbackmusclesby swayingforwardandback.When thehandlestouch

yourabdomenyoushouldbe sitting

upright,not leaningbackward.Keepingtheweightundercontrol,releaseandlet thehandlesgofor-wardagain,oncemorestretchingoutthelats.

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SEATED CABLE ROWS

(OPTIONAL)

Usingseparatehandlesaspicturedhereallowsyoutogetyourhandsandelbowsfartherback,puttingmoreofthestressonthecenterofyourback.

MACHINE ROWS

Manygymsareequippedwith avariety

of specializedrowingmachines.Someduplicatetheeffectof SeatedRows,

while othersallowyouto do a rowingmotionbypushingbackwiththeelbowsandnot involvingthecontractionof thebiceps.Each of thesehitsthebackalit-

tledifferently,andall areusefuldevices

to includeoccasionallyin yourworkoutstoprovidevarietyandto surprisethemuscles.

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~""""

~ BENT-ARM PULLOVERSWITH BARBELL

PURPOSEOFEXERCISE:To work the

lowerlatsandtheserratus.It also

stretchesthepectoralsandhelpswiden

therib cage.

EXECUTION:(1)Lie onyourbackalongaflatbench.Placeabarbell(oranE-Z

curlbar)onthefloorbehindyourhead.Reachbackandgraspthebar.(2)Keepingyourarmsbent,raisethebarandbringit justoveryourheadtoyourchest.Lowerthebarslowlybacktothestartingpositionwithouttouchingthefloor,feelingthelatsstretchouttotheirfullest.Whenusingaheavyweightforthismovement,I havesomeonesitonmykneestostabilizemesothatI canputallmyeffortintoliftingthebar.

Mark Erpelding

MACHINEPULLOVERS

The Pulloveris actuallyacircularmotion,andit is oftendifficultto

work themusclesthrougha fullrangeof motionusingfreeweights(althoughadvancedbodybuilderslearnto dothispurelyby experi-ence).Somepullovermachinesarevaluablein thattheyallowyoutowork againstvariableresistance,

andsomealsoprovidefor trainingonearmatatime,givingyoutheopportunityfor additionalisolation.In fact,in myopinion,Pullover

machinesareamongthemostvalu-ableexercisemachinesyouwillfind in agym.

EXECUTION:(1)Graspthebaroveryourhead,and(2)driveit down,

feelingthelatscontract.At theendof themovementthebarshouldbe

jammedagainstyourabdomen.

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DEAD LIFTS

PURPOSEOFEXERCISE:To workthe

lowerback.Deadliftsareanoverall

powerexercisethatinvolvesmoremusclesthananyotherexercisein

yourroutine,includingthelowerback,upperback,andtrapeziusmuscles,thebuttocks,andthelegs.

A stronglowerbackis especially

importantwhendoingmovementslike Bent-OverRowsandT-Bar

Rows,whichput a lotof strainonthisarea.

EXECUTION:(1)Placeabarbellon

thefloor in frontof you.Bendyourknees,leanforward,andgraspthebarin amedium-widegrip,onehandin anoverhandgrip,theother

in anunderhandgrip.Keepyourbackfairlystraighttoprotectit

fromstrain.If youcurveyourback

yourisk injury.(2)Beginthelift bydrivingwiththelegs.Straightenupuntilyouarestandingupright,thenthrowthechestoutandshoulders

backasif comingto attention.Tolowertheweight,bendtheknees,leanforwardfromthewaist,and

touchtheweightto thefloorbefore

beginningyournextrepetition.

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Intervertebraldisc

Deadliftingwiththebacktightandstraight,keepingtheheadup,takesundesirablestressoffthespinalcolumnandlowerbackmuscles.The

vertebraearein alignment,withnounequalstressplacedontheintervertebraldiscs,whichis ofvitalimportancetothesafetyofthelowerback.

Deadliftingwiththebackin aroundedpositionwiththeheaddownplacesunequalpressureonthedelicateintervertebraldiscsandlowerback

muscles.Thediscsaresimultaneouslycompressedononesideandextendedontheother.Keepingtheheadup andthebackstraightdistributesthestressandreducesthechanceofinjury.

EXTENSION Lower lumbarvertebrae

COMPRESSION

Intervertebraldisc

WhenyoubegintheDeadliftwithyourheadupandbackstraight,youallowtheglutei,legmuscles,andlowerbacktodrivethebarupwardwithmaximumforce.

StartingaDeadliftwithyourbackbentfor-wardmeansthatthelowerbackisgoingtohavetodomostoftheinitialworktogetthebarrrwving.Thisisdangerous.

382

GOOD MORNINGS

PURPOSEOFEXERCISE:To workthe lowerbackin isolation.

EXECUTION:(1)Standingwithfeetafewinchesapart,holdabarbellacrossthebackofyourshouldersasforSquats(seepage497).(2)Keep-ingyourlegslockedandyourbackstraight,bendforwardfromthewaist,headup,untilyourtorsoisaboutparalleltothefloor.Holdforamo-ment,thencomebackuptothestartingposition.

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HYPEREXTENSIONS

PURPOSEOFEXERCISE:To developthespinalerectorsof thelowerback.

EXECUTION:(1)Positionyourselffacedownacrossahyperextensionbench,withyourheelshookedundertherearsupports.Claspyourhandsacrossyourchestor behindyourheadandbendforwardanddownasfaraspossible,feelingthelowerbackmusclesstretch.(2)Fromthisposition,comebackup untilyourtorsois justaboveparallel.To pre-venthyperextensionofyourspinedon'tlift up anyhigherthanthis.

FlexWheeler