Row Your Way To A Stronger Back

Ah the row, a great exercise to strengthen your back, help with posture, and more. This exercise can seem over-rated as people sometimes have a tendency to focus on minor muscles, however, we think a strong back is an essential part of the body!

But are you causing more harm than good? PT Director, Leslie, gives us the 411 on shoulder setting, posture, and what to look out for!

The Good!

What We Like About This Row:

-Shoulders down and back

-Spine is neutral, core is engaged, head is looking straight down

-Elbow is parallel with the body in end position

TRAINER TIP:  think about pulling elbow towards opposite side of body rather than straight up

The Bad!

What We Don't Like About These Rows: 

- Elbow winging out to the side

- Using muscles of neck/upper back to pull weight instead of bigger more powerful back muscles

- The camel position or the rounded back

TRAINER TIP: Focus on keeping that spine neutral, in one straight line

The Ugly! 

What We Don't Like About This Row: 

- The lawn mower (rotated torso). This means you're using more momentum than muscular strength to pull the weight up. 

TRAINER TIP: Try and reduce the weight in order to keep proper form. Think about keeping both shoulders pointing towards the ground along with an engaged core. 

Or maybe you want variations for your regular row, we've got you covered with two below!

Cable Row With Squat Stance

                           

Bent Over Row

                                

Still not sure if your form is correct? Reach out to one of our trainers on the floor! 

Now get rowing, Pulse Nation! 

It's A Pull-Up Party

                                 So you want to add some pull-ups to your routine? Let’s do it!

While the pull-up proves to be a demanding exercise for many, they have an endless list of benefits and are a great way to challenge the back.

We’re pushing you to give them a try next week! Due to their difficulty, we’re giving you modified options so that you can work up to them without any assistance!

Personal Training Director, Leslie, Gives Us The 411 On Adding Pull Ups Into Your Routine.

“If you’re looking to add pull ups into your routine, remember that practice makes perfect” Leslie says. “As with any lift, you’re more likely to see progress by adding variations at least 2-3x a week”, she adds.  

What’s One Of The Most Important Things With Form, Leslie? Do Tell!

“Shoulder positioning is one of the most important aspects of a pull-up” Leslie says. “You need to set your shoulders down so they don’t come up to your earlobes. By anchoring the shoulder blades on to the ribs, you create a stable starting position to pull from. This will prevent you from relying on small muscles to pull your body weight and instead engage bigger movers, like your lats”.

Join The Party With These 5 Pull-Up Variations

1.)    Horizontal Rows

These bad boys are great for building strength while using your own body weight. Using a bar in the squat rack, place it in one of the bottom rungs, just above your arm length. Lying on the ground, underneath the bar, set your grip so your hands are directly above your shoulders. Pull yourself up so your chest reaches the bar and your body is in one straight line. Your heels should still be on the ground. Start with knees bent, and progress to straight legs!

2.)    Isometric

The isometric hold is a great way to practice shoulder setting. This can be done at the top or the bottom of your pull-up. Hop up and hold yourself up for 10-15 seconds at a time while focusing on keeping your shoulders down and back.

3.)    Eccentric

The goal here is to resist your body weight on the way down and lower with control. Starting from the top of the bar, you’ll slowly lower yourself down for a count of 4-6 seconds until your arms are fully extended. Drop and repeat!

4.)    Band-Assisted

Our bands are located behind the front desk. The thicker the band, the easier it is. Loop the band around the bar or attach the handles. Place one or both feet into the band, and for a harder variation, try placing one knee in the band.  Make sure you are rotating which leg or foot you use each set!

5.)    Partner Assisted

Once you've built up a bit of strength, you may be ready to try a partner assisted pull-up. Just like any other exercise, getting someone to spot you is a great way to increase your reps. The best way to spot a pull-up is from behind and holding at the torso. This way the spotter can take some of your body weight off as you pull yourself up. Make sure the spotter isn't pushing you up the whole way, but only assisting when you need it!

As a last tip, you may also want to try rest-pause sets. Resting 10-15 seconds between reps can help you increase the number of reps you can do in each set!

We know you can do it, Pulse Nation!