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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.
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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.
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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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369
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.
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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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372
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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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