01/06/2020
How do you ACTUALLY pull from your back? đ¤
Most of you have probably heard things like âengage your latsâ and ârow with your backâ
So weâre talking about your dumbbell rows, bent over rows, lat pull downs (in the good old days when we could go to a gym)...
But how the hell do you ACTUALLY do that?
A lot of people donât even know what it feels like to engage with those muscles, itâs taken me years and thereâs still room for improvement!
My advice for rowing exercises where your primary focus are the lats is this:
1. include unilateral work (one side at a time) as this will help you engage with a more specific area
2. Strap up, or take a loose grip. If you grip too hard youâll just kill your forearm and more likely engage more biceps than back
3. Pin your shoulder blades down! As soon as they start to come up youâll probs end up shrugging more than rowing!
4. For single arm rows, lean with your resting arm on an incline so your torso isnât parallel to the ground. At this angle it will be easier to drive your arm back without shrugging
5. Lead with your elbow. Imagine your arm is dead, elbow is slightly bent, pull backwards and pinch your elbow towards you.
6. Hereâs the winning tip... imagine youâre squeezing a tennis ball between your arm and the side of your back. As you drive the elbow back, youâre rolling that tennis ball back too. As you return to the starting position, that tennis ball is still being squeezed, never let it drop on the ground!
I hope that helps you FEEL your lats actually working when you row!
Barn door backs here we come đđť