Tag: variations
A Dozen Lateral Raise Variations for Wider Shoulders
Wide, defined shoulders are the trademark of a quality physique. They’ll make you look great, whether you’re wearing a tank top or a suit. Well-developed shoulders do more than give you an athletic look. They also enhance your posture, improve your athletic performance and reduce your risk of injury.
To develop width in your shoulders, you need to target the lateral head of the deltoid. The most effective way to do that is with the lateral raise, which moves the muscle through its full range of motion. There are many ways to do the exercise, some of which are more effective than others.
In this article, we examine a dozen different variations of the lateral raise. We’ll show you how to do them for optimal benefit and how to include the lateral raise into your shoulder training routine.
Shoulder Anatomy
The shoulder muscle consists of three heads, each with a different point of origin. That allows each of the three heads to have its own function and range of motion.
That is why you need to be doing specific exercises to target each of the three deltoid heads:
Our focus is on the lateral, or side, delts. So, let’s zoom in on the anatomy of that part of the shoulders.
The lateral head originates on the outer edge of the acromion process. This is where the shoulder blade, clavicle, and humerus (upper arm) join. The lateral head muscle fibers then run down the middle of the shoulder to insert into the deltoid tuberosity at the top of the upper arm. So, we could say the lateral delts make up the ‘meaty’ middle part of your shoulders.
The function of the lateral head is to raise the arms sideways. In technical terms, this is known as ‘lateral abduction of the humerus.’ This action contracts or shortens, bringing the muscle insertion to the origin.
The best exercises to develop the lateral head of the deltoid must follow the natural movement, which is to lift the arms up to the side from a position when the arms are alongside the torso to a point where they are perpendicular to the torso.
That leads us directly to the lateral raise.
Optimized Lateral Raise Form
Spend enough time in the gym, and you will see people doing the lateral raise in all sorts of ways. When we focus on the biomechanics of the muscle, though, we can identify some key form points. The first has to do with how high you should raise your arm.
The main goal of an exercise should be to take the muscle fibers from a point where they are fully extended (or lengthened) to the point when they are fully contracted (or shortened). That point of full contraction with the lateral delt is reached when you bring the arms up to a point where the arm is almost perpendicular.
However, you need to ensure that you keep the shoulder blade static and do not lift it. If the shoulder blade is allowed to rise during the movement (as when you shrug your shoulder blades), then the origin of the lateral deltoid moves away from the upper arm. This makes it hard to contract the muscle.
If you are used to bringing your arm up higher than a point where it is perpendicular to the torso, you should stop doing that. The range of motion of the lateral head is complete when the fibers are fully shortened and so fully contracted when you reach a point about 10-20 degrees less than perpendicular to the torso. If you come up any higher than this, you are actually taking the stress off the lateral head and reducing time under tension.
The start position of the lateral raise should see your arm right at your side. Many people begin with the hand in front of the torso. However, this slightly distorts the shoulder joint without any benefit to the lateral deltoid — it is already fully extended with your arm by your side.
Key Points:
Start with your arms by your side
Finish 10-20 degrees short of a perpendicular arm position
Do not shrug the shoulders — keep the shoulder blade static
12 Best Lateral Raise Exercises
The lateral raise is a simple movement that can be done with a wide range of training equipment, from cables to dumbbells and resistance bands. There are also angle variations that work the lateral delt slightly differently. Here are twelve ways to do this exercise to add width to your frame.
1. One-Arm Cable Lateral Raise
The one-arm cable lateral raise is my favorite lateral raise exercise. That’s because the cable resistance evens out the resistance curve. When you do the exercise with dumbbells, there is very little resistance at the start of the exercise and a whole lot of resistance at the top of the movement. With cables, however, there is a more even resistance curve, so you are challenged throughout the entire range of motion.
For maximum lateral deltoid engagement, set the height of the pulley to about the same height as your wrist in the start position. This means the cable will be perpendicular to the forearm in the first phase of the exercise. This angle makes the exercise hardest at the start of the exercise, where the muscle is strongest, and lightest at the end of the movement, where the muscle is weakest. This is known as early phase loading.
Steps:
Set the pulley on a cable machine to the height of your wrist.
Stand side on to the cable machine, about two feet away from the pulley.
Grab the pulley handle with your outside hand and assume a start position with your hand touching your outer thigh. Place your other hand on your hip and have your feet shoulder-width apart.
Pivot from the shoulder joint to bring your arm directly out to the side, stopping about 19 degrees short of a perpendicular position. Do not bend the elbow or lift the shoulder blade.
Lower under control and repeat.
2. Landmine Lateral Raise
The landmine lateral raise allows you to work the lateral delts through their full range of movement with the added benefits of greater core stability and grip strength development.
Steps:
Place an Olympic barbell into a landmine attachment and load a relatively light weight onto the bar.
Stand side-on to the bar with your feet shoulder-width apart and grab the bar with your closest hand.
Assume a starting position with your straightened arm in front of your torso.
Pivot from the shoulder joint to bring the bar up and out to the side to full arm extension.
Lower and repeat.
3. Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise
The dumbbell side lateral raise does an excellent job of moving the side deltoid through its full range of motion, from arms alongside the body position to up to a perpendicular position to the torso. Be sure to have your elbows slightly bent but locked in position throughout the exercise. The only movement should be through the shoulder joint. Don’t use a weight that is too heavy, or you’ll be forced to swing, and make sure you control the dumbbells all the way down to prevent momentum.
Steps:
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a pair of dumbbells held at arm’s length.
In the starting position, the dumbbells should be touching your outer thighs with your elbows slightly bent.
Pivot from the shoulder to bring the arms out to just short of perpendicular to the torso.
Lower under control to the start position.
4. Machine Side Lateral Raise
If you are fortunate enough to train at a gym with a side lateral raise machine, you should definitely use it. This version helps you stay strict and keep your range of motion within the maximum muscle stimulation zone for an optimum time under tension. Keep the weight relatively light and focus on feeling the lateral delts burning.
Steps:
Sit on a side lateral machine facing the weight stack. Position the seat so your shoulder joint aligns with the machine’s pivot point. Place your elbows under the pads.
Keeping your spine neutral and your back up against the back pad, press up through the elbows to bring the pads up to a perpendicular position.
Lower under control and repeat.
5. Dumbbell Lateral Raise Hold
The lateral raise hold adds a three-second hold in the top position of the movement. This increases your time under tension, adding an isometric contraction element that will set your lateral delts on fire.
Steps:
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a pair of dumbbells held at arm’s length.
In the starting position, the dumbbells should be touching your outer thighs with your elbows slightly bent.
Pivot from the elbow to bring the arms out to just short of perpendicular to the torso.
Hold this top position for a three-second count.
Lower under control to the start position.
6. Wall Press Lateral Raise
The wall press lateral raise is a strict version of the exercise that helps eliminate momentum and cheating. Press your non-working hand into the wall to stabilize the body.
Steps:
Stand side onto a wall with your inside hand pressing into it. Hold a dumbbell in the other hand alongside your thigh.
Pivot from the shoulder to bring your arm up and out to the side until it is just short of perpendicular to your torso (no higher).
Lower slowly, resisting the pull of gravity.
Stop at the end of the rep so that you do not allow momentum to carry you into the next rep.
7. Kneeling Lateral Raise
Because it eliminates the lower body from the movement, the kneeling lateral raise is a stricter version of the exercise than the standing lateral raise. If you tend to swing when you do the standing version, give the kneeling option a try.
Steps:
Grab a pair of dumbbells and kneel on the floor with the dumbbells at your sides.
Pivot from the shoulder to bring the arms out to just short of perpendicular to the torso. Maintain an upright position with a neutral spine.
Lower under control to the start position.
8. Y Raise
The Y Raise is a very strict version of the lateral raise that eliminates all potential for momentum. This is a popular shoulder rehab exercise when done with very light weights.
Steps:
Set the weight bench to a 45-degree angle and lie face down on it with a pair of dumbbells in your hands. Hang your arms down over the edge of the bench.
Keeping your arms straight, bring them out on an angle to form a ‘Y’ shape in the top position.
Lower under control and repeat.
9. Band Lateral Raise
The band lateral raise is a good option if you don’t have access to a cable machine or dumbbells. Choose a band that will allow you to do around 15 reps without cheating.
Steps:
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a resistance band under your left midfoot. Hold the band with your right hand at your outer thigh. You want the band to be taut in this starting position.
Lift your right arm out to the side, stopping just short of perpendicular to your torso. Do not bend your elbow.
Lower the weight under control back to the starting position.
10. Lying Side Lateral Raise
The lying side lateral is a strict version of the lateral raise. It also provides early phase loading so that the exercise is easier at the beginning than at the end of the movement. This is the opposite resistance curve to the standing dumbbell lateral raise. That’s because the arm is perpendicular to gravity at the end of the movement.
Steps:
Lie on the floor on your side with your legs stacked and a light dumbbell in your upper hand. Hold the weight at arm’s length against your outer thigh. Place your other hand on the floor for support, or use it to cradle your head.
Pivot from the shoulder to bring your arm up to a position just short of being perpendicular to your torso. Keep the shoulder down, and do not bend the elbow.
Lower under control and repeat.
11. 1.5 Rep Lateral Raise
The 1.5 rep lateral raise ramps up the time under tension with the result that you’ll get a greater burn in the delts than the standard rep version. You may have to lighten the weight slightly to keep it strict. This version can be done with any variation of the lateral raise. The following guide uses the dumbbell version.
Steps:
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a pair of dumbbells held at arm’s length.
In the starting position, the dumbbells should touch your outer thighs with your elbows slightly bent.
Pivot from the shoulder to bring the arms out to just short of perpendicular to the torso.
Lower under control halfway down.
Bring your arms back to the top position.
Lower to the start position.
12. Plate Lateral Raise
Don’t have dumbbells or a cable machine? No problem; you can still do the lateral raise with a pair of weight plates. Just make sure the weight is manageable enough that you can still resist the pull of gravity on the way down.
Steps:
Grab a pair of weight plates and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold the plates in front of your body at arm’s length with your palms facing you. You should have a slight bend in the elbows.
Keeping your arms locked, pivot from the shoulder joint to bring the plates out and up toward shoulder level.
As the plates come up, twist your wrists outward slightly.
Bring your arms up to just short of perpendicular to your torso.
Lower under control.
Shoulder Dumbbell Workout
Here’s a four-exercise workout that hits all three deltoid heads, allowing you to build both size and strength. In addition to the dumbbell side lateral raise, you’ll be doing:
Seated shoulder press for overall delt mass and power
Lying front deltoid press for the front delts
Rear delt flyes for the posterior delts
Here’s a form guide for these exercises:
Seated Shoulder Press
Grab a pair of dumbbells and sit on a bench with back support.
With your feet firmly planted on the floor, bring the weights up to shoulder level, with your palms facing forward. Your elbows should form a right angle. Keep your back slightly arched and your shoulder blades against the back pad.
Press the dumbbells directly overhead, stopping just short of lockout.
Lower under control and repeat.
Lying Front Deltoid Press
Set the pulleys on a double cable pulley machine at hip height while seated.
Position a bench about three feet in front of the machine.
Grab the handles with an underhand grip and sit on the bench.
From a starting position with your hands by your hips, scoop your arms up and forward to touch in front of your body.
Lower under control and repeat.
Rear Delt Flyes
Sit on the end of a bench with a pair of dumbbells in your hands.
Lean down to rest your chest on your thighs.
Bring the dumbbells together behind your legs, with your arms slightly bent..
Pivot from the shoulder joint to bring your arms out and up to shoulder level. Do not bend at the elbows.
Lower under control and repeat.
The Workout:
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Seated Shoulder Press
4
12,10,8,6
Lying Front Deltoid Press
6
30, 20, 15, 10
Dumbbell Side Lateral Raises
6
30, 20, 15, 10
Rear Delt Flyes
6
30, 20, 15, 10
The first exercise, the seated press, is your overall mass and strength builder. You should do four sets that are pyramided from 12 to 6. Add weight on each succeeding set. You should have a rep left in the tank’ on all but the last set of six, which should be an all-out max effort.
The next three exercises each target one of the three heads of the deltoids. The weight should be moderate, and the reps higher than an exercise that hits the entire muscle group. Ranging your reps from 30 to 10 allows you to work both the fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibers for complete hypertrophy. You do not want to use a weight that you can do for less than 10 reps because it will probably lead to momentum and compromised form on these isolation-type movements.
You should perform this shoulder dumbbell workout twice weekly, allowing three days between sessions. That will provide enough time for the muscle to recover before the next bombardment!
It might seem that doing 22 sets is going overboard on a relatively small muscle group like the shoulders. We need to remember, however, that the deltoids are unique because of the separate origin points of the three heads. That, in effect, means that you are essentially working three different muscle groups in order to hit all three heads.
Wrap Up
The lateral raise is the only exercise you need to build awesome lateral deltoids. That’s because it moves the muscle head through its full range of motion. The biggest problem that I see with this exercise is people going too heavy. You need to use a weight that will still allow you to resist the pull of gravity on the way down. If you can’t, the weight is too heavy.
The best lateral raise variation is the one-arm cable lateral raise. If you’ve got access to a cable machine, I highly recommend using this as your standard movement. Then experiment with the 11 other versions to find the two or three that work best for you and rotate through them to add variety. Use a rep range between 10 and 30, keep it strict, and you’ll be rewarded with the wider, fuller shoulders that you’re aiming for.
Leg Press Variations for Powerful Quadriceps
While the squat remains the number one exercise for building powerful quads, the leg press is right up there. The leg press is a terrific alternative exercise if you can’t do squats due to your structure, mechanics, or inherent weaknesses. And, if you can squat, following it with a few sets of heavy leg presses will help you build power and mass in your quads.
In this article, we will uncover several leg press variations that will allow you to better target your quads for power. Most of these changes involve your foot positioning. As you’re about to discover, where you put your feet on the platform can make all the difference when it comes to targeting different muscle groups.
Leg Press Muscles Worked
The leg press is a compound exercise because it operates through two joints — the knee and hips. You are performing hip flexion when you lower the weight to bring your knees back. Then, when you push back to the start position, you perform knee extension.
Leg Press Muscles Worked
The leg press mainly works the quadriceps, which is a four-headed muscle group. These four muscles are:
Rectus femoris: This is the only quad muscle that crosses the hip joint. It originates at the base of the spine, running down the front of the quads to attach to the kneecap. This muscle plays a part in knee extension and hip flexion. A wider leg press stance will put more focus on the rectus femoris.
Vastus lateralis: It originates at the top of the upper leg bone (femur) and runs down the outside of the quads to attach to the kneecap. A wide stance will better activate this muscle.
Vastus intermedius: This muscle runs down the middle of the quads, from the top of the femur to the kneecap.
Vastus medialis: This muscle lies on the inner side of the quads, again running from the femur to the kneecap. Adopting a narrow leg press stance will maximally engage the vastus medialis.
The other muscles engaged when you do the leg press are the glutes, calves, and hamstrings.
Leg Press Benefits
Before we delve into the variations that will allow you to ramp up the intensity on the leg press, let’s consider three reasons why adding this exercise to your leg day workout in the first place makes sense.
Stable Environment
A major benefit of the leg press is that it allows you to work your legs in a stable environment. When you do exercises such as squats and lunges that don’t lock you into a fixed movement pattern, many things can go wrong, especially when working with heavy weights.
Built-in Safety
Because your back is supported when doing the leg press, you can concentrate 100% of your focus and energy on pressing the weight. The machine also has a built-in safety mechanism; with a simple twist of the handles, you can activate the locks that secure the weights in place. That means you can go extra heavy on this exercise without needing a spotter.
Greater Quad Focus
Your range of motion for the leg press is typically shorter than if you were doing squats. If you’re trying to develop quad mass and power, that’s actually a good thing. That’s because it keeps the focus on your quads rather than transferring it to your glutes and hamstrings.
Which Type of Leg Press Should You Use?
There are two types of leg press machines commonly found in gyms:
Horizontal
45-degree
With a horizontal leg press, you push your legs directly out in front of you. On the other hand, the 45-degree version has you pressing your legs at an angle.
So, which is best?
There is no definitive answer to this question. At this stage, no studies have directly compared the effectiveness of the two versions of the exercise in terms of building quad power. However, we can be informed by simple physics on this subject.
When doing the 45-degree leg press, the weight you load on the machine is spread out over the diagonal plane of the leg press machine. This creates a wide moment arm, which is the distance between the line of action and the pivot point, which in this case is the hip joint. The wider the moment arm, the lower the force needed to lift the weight.
But when you do the horizontal leg press, the weight is spread out directly in front of your hips, creating a shorter moment arm. A shorter moment arm means you’ll need more force to lift the weight.
That’s why you’ll find it harder to light the same weight on the horizontal leg press than on the 45-degree leg press.
As a general guide, you should be able to lift about 30% more weight on the 45-degree leg press. But simply being able to lift more weight will not make your quads stronger if the physics of the machine have made it easier.
The fact that it’s easier to lift a weight on the 45-degree leg press doesn’t mean that you should only use the horizontal machine. But if you’ve got access to both machines, you should compensate when using the 45-degree machine by adding extra weight to make up for the longer moment arm. If you don’t, you won’t be pushing your weight limit, and you’re likely to plateau your quad power.
Leg Press Form Tips
Whether using a horizontal or a 45-degree leg press machine, ensure that your lower back and glutes are pressed hard against the pads.
Do not use a weight that is too heavy. This will restrict your range of movement. Don’t be that guy who loads up seven or eight 45s on each side and then moves just a few inches.
Slow down. When you go too fast, your knees tend to cave in, and you may even bounce the weight using momentum at the bottom.
Don’t lock your knees at the top of the rep. Stopping just short of lock-out keeps the tension on your quads.
Consciously think about keeping the weight evenly distributed between both legs.
Should Your Knees Go Over Your Toes?
The knees-over-toes debate is usually associated with the squat, But the same applies to the leg press. For decades, lifters were told not to allow their knees to track over the toes because it would damage the knee joint. Recent research, however, has thrown that argument out the window.
One study showed that allowing your knees to track over your toes during the squat led to significantly improved activation of the vastus medialis head of the quadriceps. This part of the quads is often known as the ‘teardrop’ because of its appearance on a developed bodybuilder with low body fat levels. Furthermore, there was no adverse effect on the knee joint reported. [1]
It should be noted that this study specifically looked at the muscle stimulation of the quads during the squat. It is reasonable to speculate that the same thing applies to the leg press but, to date, there are no studies specifically testing the leg press in this regard.
The leg press foot platform is generally a large area. That gives you the freedom to vary your foot placement from very wide to very narrow. Where you choose to palace your feet on the platform will work your muscles differently. Here’s an overview of the different foot placements and what areas each one targets:
1. High & Wide
When you place your feet high and wide on the platform, you will target your hamstrings. You want to place your legs as high and wide on the platform as possible without your hips coming off the seat pad. Your toes should actually be off the edge of the platform’s top and angled outward. To accentuate the hamstrings, push your heels into the platform on the descent.
In the high and wide position, your feet should be about one and a half times your hip width.
2. Low & Close
Putting your feet low and close together on the platform will emphasize your quads. Your heels should be almost, but not quite, hanging off the bottom of the platform, with your feet about six inches apart.
When pressing, think of pushing your quads out and over your knees. Think also about keeping the weight distributed over the balls of your feet. This position is going to really blow up your quads, but only if you go deep on the descent. So don’t let your ego get in the way of a full range of motion.
As we’ve seen, the more your knees can track over your toes, the greater the quad activation, especially on the vastus medialis head. One way to increase this effect is to wear elevated-heel weightlifting shoes when doing the narrow stance leg press. This is especially beneficial if you have poor ankle flexibility and find your heel coming off the platform in the bottom position of the leg press.
3. Neutral
A neutral stance is where your feet will naturally go on the platform if you’re not thinking about it. Find your most comfortable position with your feet hip distance apart. This position will provide an even distribution across the quads, glutes, and hamstrings.
A neutral foot placement will help you lift the most weight. Focus on a slow descent, bringing your knees down to the outside of your shoulders, and then push the heels through the platform on the ascent. Drive your lower back into the seat pad the whole time.
4. Heels Elevated
An adaptation of the neutral position may place extra emphasis on the quads. This involves wearing weightlifting shoes with elevated heels. The increased angle this creates puts more load on the vastus medialis quad muscle that runs into the knee joint.
5. Toes Elevated
To assume a toes elevated position, you need to place a pair of small weight plates or a squat wedge under your toes on the foot platform. Your feet should otherwise be in a neutral stance. This will shift the emphasis to your hamstrings.
Single Leg Press
The single-leg press allows you to work each quad independently. It helps correct quad strength imbalance, where one leg is stronger than the other.
When you do the two-legged leg press, your dominant side will take a disproportionate percentage of the weight. Doing the single-leg press forces each leg to carry its own weight, which will eventually help balance the strength between your quads.
Place your foot low and inside hip width to target the quads with the single-leg press. Place the other foot firmly on the ground. Unrack the weight and slowly bring the platform back toward you. Concentrate on the knee traveling back and out as you descend. This will lengthen your range of motion so that you don’t hit your knee into your ribcage.
Come back until your leg forms a right angle at the knee, and then push your heel into the platform to return to the start position. Don’t lock out at the top but move smoothly into the next rep.
Do not allow your heel to lift off during the descent. If you do, you’ll transfer the force from your quad to your knee. You must also not allow your hips to roll up off the pad in the bottom position.
A Leg Press Workout For Power Quads
Now that we’ve identified the best ways to do the leg press to target the quads, we can put them together to create a mini quad workout on the leg press machine. We’ll be doing the following three leg press variations:
Neutral-stance leg press
Low and close stance leg press
Single-leg press
The first two exercises will be done as a mechanical drop set. This is when you do a drop set without changing the weight by shifting your foot position. We’ll start with the low and close stance version, as this is the one that most directly targets the quads. After pumping out eight reps, you quickly rack the weight and shift to a neutral stance. Then immediately unrack and do another eight reps.
Because you’re strongest in the neutral stance, following a set of narrow stance reps with eight more neutral stance reps will tap deep into your quad’s strength reserves, allowing you to eke out every ounce of benefit from the set. The key to getting the most out of a mechanical drop set like this is minimizing the downtime between the two phases — it should only take a few seconds.
Once you’ve completed your 16 reps on the mechanical drop set, get out of the machine, shake your legs out, and then take half the weight off the machine. Now get straight back on and start pumping out single-leg presses. This transition should take you less than 30 seconds.
Your goal is to get 16 reps on each leg on the single-leg press. At that point, your quads will be on fire. Rest for two minutes, and then do the whole thing over again. Work up to doing three total sets. Here’s what it will look like:
Set One:
Narrow-stance leg press: 8 reps
Neutral stance leg press: 8 reps
Single-leg press (right leg): 16 reps
Single-leg press (left leg): 16 reps
Rest for two minutes and then repeat for another two sets.
Wrap Up
The leg press is an effective quad power and mass builder. You can target different areas of your upper legs depending on where you place your feet on the platform. The best way to target your quads is with a low, narrow stance. You can target the quads even more by elevating your heels using weightlifting shoes.
The next best foot stance to hit the quads is the neutral stance. This is also the version you can lift the most weight with. Our final quad-centric leg press move for power is the single-leg press with a low stance.
Combine these three exercises into a killer mechanical drop set followed by a unilateral quad isolation workout. You can either do this as the first part of your quad workout and follow it up with leg extensions and lunges or, if you’re game, do four sets of squats first and then jump into your leg press workout.
Just don’t expect to be able to walk the next day!
References
Escamilla, R. F., Fleisig, G. S., Zheng, N., Lander, J. E., Barrentine, S. W., Andrews, J. R., & Bergemann, B. W. (2001). Effects of technique variations on knee biomechanics during the squat and leg press. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 33(9), 1552-1566.
Close Grip Lat Pulldown For a Cobra Back: Techniques, Benefits, and Variations
Close grip lat pulldown is a great back workout and here is a closer look at the exercise!
Close Grip Lat Pulldown is a variation of the lat pull down. In this exercise, you target your back differently compared to the traditional variation by keeping your hands and arms close together. Although the close grip lat pulldown primarily works your lats, you will experience a decent amount of bicep and middle back activation.
But why do we need close grip lat pulldown when we already have the orthodox exercise, you ask?
Since your back is the second largest muscle group (after your legs), you need to perform a plethora of exercises and variations to train it optimally and ensure overall development. So, do not be afraid of experimenting with several different hand positions and angles to maximize your back gains.
Due to its versatility, the close grip lat pulldown can be incorporated in your back, upper body, pull, and full-body workouts.
Next Read: The 6 Best Exercises for Annihilating Back Fat for Men and Women
Muscles Worked
Since the lat pulldown is a compound movement, it works multiple muscles, including:
Lats: No points for guessing here. As the name suggests, latissimus dorsi (lats) are the primary target muscles of the close grip lat pulldown.
Biceps: Although the lat pulldown is primarily for your back, secondary muscle recruitment, especially the biceps, is unavoidable.
Shoulders: If you follow the correct form (discussed below), you will experience shoulder recruitment at the top and bottom of the movement.
Upper Back: While the close grip lat pulldown is essentially for your lats (flat muscle covering the width of your middle and lower back), you cannot factor out upper back stimulation.
Abs: People who think there is no core engagement during the lat pulldown have never gone heavy on the exercise.
Check Out: Build A Thick and Wide Cobra Back With This Workout
Benefits
The close grip lat pulldown is an incredibly effective exercise for:
1. Building Bigger and Stronger Lats
Compared to the traditional lat pulldown, the close-grip version offers an increased range of motion as your elbows are relatively closer to your body throughout the exercise. Holding the bar with a close grip allows you to pull the bar slightly further than you could while holding the bar with a wider grip.
The increased range of motion maximizes your lat contraction at the bottom of each rep resulting in a higher degree of muscle tissue recruitment and stimulation. The additional workload helps build wider, bigger, and stronger lats.
Must Read: Isolation Vs. Compound Exercises: Strength, Weight Loss & More
2. Improving Your Posture
Our current lifestyle, especially with the onset of WFH, has us bent over our computer screens or phones for the majority of the day. This posture causes underuse of your lats and other muscles resulting in slouching, pain, and tension in your shoulders and back.
Close grip lat pulldown helps strengthen your posterior chain and reduces the chances of developing a hunch. The exercise can also help treat your pre-existing slouching posture.
Related: Top Tips & Stretches For Improved Posture With Don Saladino
3. Helping Build a V-Taper
Well-developed lats help carve the much sought-after V-taper. A solid V-taper amplifies the illusion of a small waist and broad shoulders, making you look bigger and stronger than you actually are IRL.
Watch: How To Truly Develop A Bodybuilding V-Taper
4. Great For Beginners
The lat pulldown is an easy exercise to perform. It is, for a reason, one of the first exercises a newbie learns to do when he joins a gym. The lat pulldown is a godsend for individuals who lack the upper body strength to do a pull-up.
How To Perform Close Grip Lat Pulldown
Step by step instructions of how to perform a close grip lat pulldown:
Attach a wide grip handle to the lat pulldown machine.
Adjust the thigh pad so that your legs fit snuggly under the cushion.
Grab the handle at slightly narrower than shoulder-width with a pronated (overhand) grip
Get into the starting position by unracking the weight and locking your legs under the thigh pad.
Start the movement by depressing your shoulder blades and flexing your elbows while extending the shoulders. Keep your chest raised and your back arched throughout the movement.
Pull the handle toward your body until your elbows are in line with your torso.
Bring the attachment as close to your upper chest as possible.
Pause and contract your lats at the bottom of the movement.
Return to the starting position with a slow and controlled motion.
Repeat for recommended reps.
Common Mistakes
Although the close grip lat pulldown is a fairly simple exercise, most lifters make the following mistakes:
1. Using Momentum
Many lifters make the mistake (read: sin) of utilizing momentum to lift the weight. If you look like a pendulum while performing the exercise, you are doing it wrong.
If you cannot move the weight without leaning back more than 20-degrees, you should drop the weight (and your ego). Swinging back and forth takes off the tension from the primary muscle (lats) and puts it on the helping muscles.
Also, when you are using more weight than you can handle, you will not be able to pause and contract your lats at the bottom of the movement, leaving gains on the table in the process.
Watch: When Ego Lifting Goes Wrong
2. Going Too Low
This mistake is mostly made by people who use relatively easy weight.
It is the mirror opposite of the first mistake mentioned above. Overdoing the range of motion takes away the tension from the target muscles and puts it on your joints.
As mentioned above, you should not be going below your upper chest level while performing the close grip lat pulldown. If the weight feels too easy, contact your lats for longer at the bottom of the movement, instead of overdoing the ROM.
3. Using Your Arms
We understand that it is virtually impossible to eliminate your arms from the exercise, but you need to have a strong mind-muscle connection so that your back gets the most work done.
If you feel your biceps are taking over the exercise and your back is underactive, you should consider using a false grip. In a false grip, you do not wrap your thumbs around the bar. It is also called a monkey grip.
Pro tip: Focus on pulling the bar towards your body using your elbows. Leading with your bis will leave you with nothing more than a bicep pump.
Related: Full Range Of Motion Vs Partials: Which Is The Way To Go?
4. Body Posture
Many lifters tend to round their backs as they bring the bar down. Hunching over the bar elevates the tension off your back and puts it on your shoulders.
While performing the close grip lat pulldown, ensure that your lower body is locked under the knee pads.
Pro tip: Do not place your feet flat on the floor. Keeping your heels raised ensures a better fit under the thigh pads.
Variations
“I know more exercise variations than I will ever need.” – No one ever
Utilizing exercise variations can help target your muscles differently and induce growth by shocking your CNS.
Here are some of the most effective close grip lat pulldown variations:
1. Underhand Close Grip Lat Pulldown
In this variation, you will be grabbing the bar with a supinated (palms facing you) instead of a pronated grip. The underhand close grip lat pulldown is great for targeting your lower lats.
Note: You might experience a higher degree of bicep recruitment in this variation.
Steps:
Sit facing a lat pulldown machine and grab the bar with an underhand grip.
Pull the bar towards your upper chest while leading through your elbows.
Keep your elbows as close to your body as possible while pulling the bar down.
Pause and squeeze the life out of your lats at the bottom of the movement.
Slowly return to the starting position and repeat for recommended reps.
Also Read: Chris Bumstead Back Workout For A Sprawling Christmas Tree
2. V-Bar Lat Pulldown
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The V-bar pull-down is commonly mistaken for the close grip lat pulldown. The neutral hand placement in this variation can aid in alleviating stress placed on your shoulders during the vertical pulling movement pattern.
Holding the bar with a hammer grip is an excellent option to improve the center of your back while still targeting your lats.
The V-handlebar lat pulldown variation brings your hands closer to each other and, hence, allows a larger range of motion and better contraction at the bottom of the movement.
Note: While performing this variation, you will have to lean back slightly more than normal to allow for a full range of motion.
Steps:
Attach a V-bar to the lat pulldown pulley.
Grab the handle with a neutral (palms facing each other) grip.
While keeping your chest raised and back arched, pull the bar down until it is a few inches away from your upper chest.
Pause and contract at the bottom.
Return to the starting position slowly and repeat for reps.
Must Read: Chris Bumstead Back Workout For A Sprawling Christmas Tree
3. Behind the Neck Lat Pulldown
Behind the neck variation of the lat pulldown is slightly harder to execute as compared to the traditional version, especially for people with a limited range of motion in their shoulders and rotator cuffs.
Most lifters who incorporate behind-the-neck lat pulldown in their back training routines report a better range of motion in their lats and a deeper contraction in their lats and middle back at the bottom of the movement.
Caution: The risk of injury is higher with behind-the-neck lat pulldowns. If you are a beginner, consider starting with a lighter weight and a higher number of reps.
Steps:
Attach a wide bar to the lat pulldown machine.
Sit with your back towards the lat pulldown machine and your lower back supported against the thigh pad.
Grab the bar with a wider than shoulder-width pronated grip.
Pull down the bar using your elbows until it nearly touches the back of your neck.
Pause and contract at the bottom.
Slowly return to the starting position and repeat for reps.
Tips:
Keep your head pointed forward slightly throughout the exercise.
Do not use momentum and bring the bar down too fast as it can lead to an injury.
Check Out: The Ultimate Guide to a Ripped Back
4. Single Arm Lat Pulldown
The single-arm lat pulldown is an incredibly effective unilateral exercise. The benefits of unilateral movement include:
Helps correct muscle imbalances
Improves core stabilization
Boosts sports performance
Reduces chances of an injury
Improves muscle recruitment and stimulation
Allows you to train around an injury
Improves mind-muscle connection
Develops motor skills
Steps:
Attach a D-handle to the lat pulldown pulley.
Reach up and grasp the handle with a neutral grip (palm facing in).
Keep your chest raised and your back arched throughout the movement.
With your working arm fully extended, lean back 10–15 degrees.
Squeeze your shoulder blades together, take a deep breath and pull the handle to your upper chest, focusing on the lats and pulling your elbow back and down.
Pause and contract at the bottom.
Slowly return to the starting position and repeat for reps.
Related: The Benefits Of Unilateral Training & Why It Matters
5. Pull-up
It does not matter who you are, what you do, or where you live, pull-ups should be a part of your training routine. No exercise comes close to helping you build a V-taper as the pull-up.
Steps:
Start with your hands on the bar approximately shoulder-width apart with your palms facing forward.
With arms extended above you, stick your chest out and curve your back slightly.
While breathing out, pull yourself up towards the bar using your back until the bar is at chest level.
Slowly lower yourself to the starting position.
Repeat for recommended repetitions.
Tip: If you are a beginner and cannot complete a bodyweight pull-up, you could use an assisted pull-up machine, a spotter, or a resistance band.
Next Read: These Machines Are Better Than Free Weights
Conclusion
When it comes to building a solid back, most lifters limit themselves to rows and deadlifts. The close grip lat pulldown is a great exercise to amp up your back and should be a part of your exercise arsenal.
At the same time, do not get stuck with a single exercise. Maximize your results and build a venomous cobra back by alternating between the variations mentioned in the article.
Which is your favorite back exercise? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
The Ultimate Landmine Row Guide: Benefits, How To, and Variations
The landmine row is a classic exercise to build a strong back.
The landmine row is an incredibly effective exercise to work your upper body. It is a compound exercise that can help you build strength and add muscle mass to your back.
Your back is the second largest muscle group (after legs). To train it optimally and ensure overall development, you need to perform a variety of exercises to ensure optimal muscle fiber recruitment.
Since you only need a barbell for the landmine rows, you could do it even in a bare-bone gym. The anchored barbell also allows you to get maximum contraction and muscle fiber recruitment in your back while performing the exercise.
What is a landmine?
If the information above has you sold on the benefits of landmine rows but has left you wondering if you would be walking blindfolded across a landmine-ridden field, do not fret. We have got you covered.
To set up a landmine row, you could:
Place a weight plate at one end of the barbell to anchor it to the floor.
Anchor the barbell in the corner of a wall or squat rack in your gym.
Use a piece of specialized equipment like a landmine tube.
Ask your training partner to step onto the other end of the barbell while you complete your set.
Must Read: How The Landmine Press Boosts Strength Training
Muscles Worked
Since the landmine row is a compound (multi-joint) life, it engages multiple muscles, including:
Rhomboids
Teres Major & Teres Minor
Erector Spinae
Posterior Deltoid
Trapezius
Infraspinatus
Latissimus Dorsi
Brachialis
Brachioradialis
Biceps Brachii
Lower Pectoralis Major
Benefits
1. Allows a Bigger and Controlled Range of Motion
Since the barbell is anchored at one end while performing the landmine row, the other end moves at an angle. The angle of the bar allows you to apply force vertically and horizontally. You use a steady, controlled speed to move the barbell in a natural arc instead of in a straight line.
Since the bar follows a natural arc, you will feel more in control while performing the lift and might experience greater muscle fiber recruitment and better muscle pumps as you’ll be able to hold for longer at contraction points.
But why is that, you ask?
Because…
2. Changes in “Strength Curve“
The strength curve of an exercise refers to how “heavy” an exercise is at different points. While using a regular barbell, you will experience the same amount of force whether you are holding it one foot or five feet off the ground. The landmine, however, varies at different points.
When you first lift a landmine off the ground (do not try this in a war-infested zone), it is a horizontal movement, and so you are fighting against gravity – making the movement harder in the process.
However, as you go further up, the weight moves in an arc, increasing the slope. Meaning – Even though there is the same amount of weight on the bar, the higher the bar is, the “lighter” it will feel.
Related: How The Horizontal Row Enhances Solid Back Development
3. Great For Beginners
Since the landmine row has a pre-defined pattern of movement, it makes it easy for beginners to perform the exercise with the correct form. And because the bar moves in an arc, it increases your shoulder stabilizer muscle recruitment which can be very hard to achieve for a noob in exercises like the barbell or dumbbell row.
Check Out: 5 Tips For A Weight Room Beginner
4. Improves Muscle Balance and Stability
The landmine row can be easily adapted into a unilateral exercise which can help improve your muscle imbalances, core stability, and overall body balance.
Related: The Benefits Of Unilateral Training & Why It Matters
5. Reduces Chances of Injury
The landmine row is a great alternative for people with pre-existing back issues as it allows a greater degree of freedom to work around your injuries.
This exercise also places less pressure on your shoulders and spine as compared to the barbell or T-bar row.
Must Read: 4 Golden Rules You Need To Follow To Lift For Decades Injury-Free
Technique
This is how to perform the landmine row correctly:
Secure one end of a barbell in a corner or a landmine attachment.
Load appropriate weight on the free end.
Face away from the anchor point and stand near the shoulder of the other end.
Stand over the barbell with one foot on either side with a slightly wider than shoulder-width stance.
Bend down and grab the barbell with both hands.
Hinge at your lower back and push your hips back as you lower your upper torso until it is at a 30-40 degree angle with the floor.
Slightly bend your knees and keep your back straight. Maintain this position throughout the exercise.
Take a deep breath and brace your core.
Pull the barbell towards your chest while leading with your elbows.
Focus on pulling back your shoulder blades as you elevate the bar.
Pause and contract your lats at the top of the movement.
While exhaling, return to the starting position with a slow and controlled motion.
Repeat for recommended reps.
Pro Tip: You could also use a V-handle bar attachment in this exercise as it can help you get a better grip on the bar.
Common Mistakes
Here are some of the most common mistakes that lifters commit while performing the landmine row:
1. Bending Too Low
Many gym-goers overdo the movement by bending over way too much. Bending over too low has a couple of drawbacks:
You cannot lift heavy as your center of gravity is off. This is a major setback as optimal back training requires both volume and intensity.
Makes your lower back vulnerable to an injury.
On the other hand, some lifters do not bend over at all. You need to be at a 30-40 degree angle with the floor to train your target muscles effectively.
Related: 7 Common (But Lethal) Fitness Mistakes You Need To Avoid
2. Flairing Out Your Elbows
Bodybuilding requires optimal muscle fiber recruitment and annihilation that you can only achieve through a solid mind-muscle connection.
If you flair out your elbows while performing the landmine row, you will not be able to contract your shoulder blades and lats at the top of the movement. Keep your elbows as close to your body as possible to make the most of the exercise.
3. Incorrect Back Posture
You need to ensure that you maintain a neutral spine throughout the exercise. Most lifters either make the mistake of arching their back or worse – hunching over.
The most common reason for a bad form is excessive use of weight. If you cannot maintain a neutral spine or cannot bend over to the 30-40 degree mark, you should drop the weight (and your ego) and try again.
4. Not Trying New Things
Apart from trying advanced training techniques like dead stops, intraset stretching, and varied TuTs, the anchored barbell allows you to try many variations to train your back from different angles. This point is also a perfect segue into…
Variations
Trying different variations and alternatives of the landmine row is a great way to ensure you never hit a plateau. Here are some variations that you need to try in your next back workout:
1. Parallel One-Arm Landmine Row
Since unilateral exercises allow you to focus on one side at a time, they are a great alternative if you are dealing with muscle or strength imbalances.
Steps:
Anchor a barbell in a corner.
Stand on the right side of the barbell so that your left foot is a few inches away from the bar.
Assume a shoulder-width stance.
Hinge at your hips and bend over while maintaining a neutral spine until your torso is at a 30-40 degree angle with the floor.
Grab the shoulder of the barbell with your left hand and place your right elbow on your right knee to help stabilize your lower back and pelvis.
Take a deep breath and pull the bar towards your chest.
Pause and contract at the top of the movement.
Return to the starting position slowly while breathing out.
Repeat for recommended reps before switching sides.
2. Meadows Row
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This variation was made famous by the late, John Meadows. Although the Meadows row primarily targets your back, it also challenges one’s grip and indirectly targets the bicep.
Steps:
Position a barbell in a landmine attachment or the corner of a wall.
Stand at one end of the barbell so that your body is perpendicular to the bar.
Assume a split stance with the inside leg back and the outside leg forward.
Bend forward until your chest is just above parallel to the floor.
Grab the bar with a pronated grip.
Begin the movement by driving the elbow behind the body while retracting the shoulder blade.
Pause and contract your lat at the top of the movement.
Return to the starting position.
Repeat for recommended reps before switching sides.
Pro Tip: In the Parallel One-Arm landmine row and Meadows row, you could also use a bench to add variety to the exercise. Using a bench reduces your core engagement and allows you to focus on contracting your lats and shoulder blades during the movement.
3. Inverted Row
Inverted rows are one of those exercises that look super easy but will have you running on fumes by the time you are done with them – or they are done with you.
Steps:
Stand in front of a squat rack or Smith machine.
Set the bar at the desired setting. If you are a beginner, consider setting it at your waist height as it will allow your arms to fully extend while keeping your body off the floor.
Get under the bar and grab it with a pronated shoulder-width grip.
At the start of the movement, your body will be suspended or just off the floor, with your heels being the only body part in contact with the floor.
Contract your core and glutes and pull yourself up, leading with your chest.
Your body should remain in a straight line throughout the movement.
Pause and contract for a second at the top of the movement and ensure that your shoulder blades are retracted (imagine squeezing a small ball between the shoulder blades) before slowly lowering to the starting position, with your arms fully extended.
Repeat for recommended reps.
4. Seal Row
Seal row is an isolation exercise that will take your back gains to the next level.
Steps:
Elevate a flat bench by placing an aerobic step under each side.
The height of the bench should be adequate so that the weight plates do not touch the floor when your arms are fully extended.
Grab the bar with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
Inhale and pull the bar towards your abdomen.
Pull the bar until it touches the underside of the bench.
Pause and contract your shoulder blades and lats at the top of the movement.
With control, lower the bar back to the starting position.
Repeat for recommended reps.
Related: T-Bar Row Your Way To A Cobra Back: How-To, Muscles Worked, and Variations
5. Pendlay Row
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Developed by Olympic weightlifting coach Glenn Pendlay, the Pendlay row is a bodybuilding exercise that activates muscle groups throughout your body—including your lats, rhomboids, biceps, glutes, hamstrings, and rear deltoids.
Steps:
Stand upright in front of a barbell with a shoulder-width stance.
Hinge at your hips and begin to bend your hips and knees to lower your body toward the barbell.
Grab the bar with an overhand grip and engage your back muscles by rotating your shoulders outward.
Maintain a flat back and keep your chin tucked throughout the movement (as if you were holding an egg under your chin).
Initiate the upward movement by squeezing your lats and pulling the barbell toward your lower chest. Keep your elbows as close to your body as possible.
Pause and contract your lats at the top of the movement.
While maintaining your rowing alignment, straighten your elbows and allow the barbell to travel back toward the floor until the weight plates contact the ground.
Pause for a second at the starting position.
Repeat for recommended repetitions.
Next Read: Annihilate Your Workout with These Landmine Exercises
Conclusion
The landmine row is an effective back builder and should be a part of every lifter’s exercise arsenal. Switching up your time under tension and rep tempos while performing the exercises mentioned above will give you enough variations that will keep you busy for a long time.
Which is your favorite back exercise? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
The Ultimate Lat Pulldown Guide: Technique, Benefits, and Variations
The lat pulldown machine is one of the most popular gym equipment. It has the glam and macho appeal that draws in the fitness newbies and experienced lifters alike.
Be it a motivational YouTube training video, or a snippet of Rocky Balboa training for a big fight, it will probably feature the star performing a set on the lat pull-down machine.
Almost every gym around the world has a lat pulldown machine, and yet most lifters fail to make the most of it. The ultimate lat pulldown guide will ensure you do not leave gains on the table.
Target muscle: Latissimus Dorsi
Synergists: Brachialis, Brachioradialis, Biceps Brachii, Teres Major, Posterior Deltoid, Infraspinatus, Teres Minor, Rhomboids, Levator Scapulae, Middle and Lower Trapezius, Pectoralis Minor
Mechanics: Compound
Force: Pull
Pull-up is an incredibly effective exercise for building upper body strength and muscle mass. But there is a catch. Performing a pull-up is no joke, and performing 30+ pull-ups in a workout will test your mettle.
Performing a pull-up will fire up every muscle fiber in your back, arms, and shoulders. While nailing this exercise could prove to be a lifesaver sometime in the future (if you find yourself hanging from a building or a chopper in the event of an alien invasion), most people usually give it a pass for its friendlier sibling – the lat pulldown.
1. Engages the same muscles as a pull-up
The lat-pulldown involves a similar movement to the pull-up, challenging your mid and upper-back muscles, trapezius, arms, and grip. The exercise is a god-send for beginners or people who cannot perform a bodyweight pull-up.
Next Read: 6 Badass Exercises You Can Do With A Pull-Up Bar
2. Puts you in the driver seat
The lat pulldown machine gives you more control over how much you lift and the rep tempo as compared to vanilla pull-ups. You could perform a new variation of the lat pull-down every week just by switching up rep tempos.
Check Out: How To Increase The Time Under Tension To Maximize Your Gains
3. One of the best ways to build a V-taper
Forget Red Bull, lat pull-downs give you wings that make you look like you can fly. It targets the latissimus dorsi – the large, flat muscles across your mid-back. A strong and wide back is also vital for a Superman chest. The more you work on your lat pull-downs, the better equipped you’ll be to go big on the bench press.
4. Constant tension on your working muscles
The cable-operated machine ensures constant tension on your muscles throughout the movement pattern – even on the eccentric part of the lift. Unlike the pull-ups, lat pulldowns also put less tension on the secondary muscle groups during a set.
Must Read: The Gym Machines You’re Probably Using Incorrectly
5. Can Help Improve Your Posture
By working the muscles in your back, lat pulldowns can improve your posture. You will rarely see a person with solid V-taper suffering from a bad posture. On top of this, lat pulldowns can improve your performance during other compound exercises that use your back muscles like pull-ups, deadlifts, and good mornings.
Related: Programming Vertical Pulling For Greater Back Gains
The lat pull-down machine is usually swamped – especially during rush hours at the gym. Listed below are the most common lat pulldown errors:
1. Partial reps
Partial reps are a sign that you have more weight on the cable than you can lift. If you cannot pull the bar down to your chin level, you are letting your ego get the better of you.
Once you have the bar at your chin level, you need to contract your lats and shoulder blades. If you cannot perform this step, you are leaving gains on the table.
Also, make sure you are not pulling the bar using your forearms. Focus on contracting and relaxing your lats as you move the weight. Tip: Activate your lats by pulling down from your armpits.
Related: Is This The Worst Case Of Ego Lifting?
2. Arching your back
While you might be able to lift a few extra pounds by arching your back as you pull the bar down, it can put unwanted tension on your lower back and expose you to an injury. Sit upright and keep your chest lifted while performing the exercise.
3. Pulling the bar down past your chest
This is a rookie mistake, and it can stem from both – lifting too light or heavy. Pulling the bar past your chest and almost in line with your stomach takes away almost all the tension from your lats and back. Keep your chest lifted and stop when you reach chin level.
4. Using momentum
Most lifters make the mistake of swinging back and forth while performing lat pulldowns. It is yet another case of ego lifting. While using a jerking motion might help you pull down the weight, it takes away the tension from the primary muscles and increases the odds of an injury.
Sit upright, keep your chest lifted throughout the exercise and perform the pulldown with control. Utilizing rep tempos and contracting your back with every rep ensures optimal muscle fiber recruitment.
Also Read: Lat Pulldown Vs Pull-Up: Which Is Better For Wide Lats?
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In bodybuilding, your results depend on how well you perform an exercise, and your diet and recovery programs. Follow the steps below to nail the first part of the equation:
Adjust the seat or thigh pads so that your upper thighs are tucked firmly under the pads. Place your feet flat on the floor.
Grab the bar with a wider than shoulder-width overhand grip.
While breathing out, pull the bar down until it is almost at your chin level.
Make sure your torso is stationary and you are not reclining back while lowering the bar.
Squeeze the shoulder blades together while maintaining square shoulders.
Return to the starting position with a slow and controlled motion as you exhale.
Do not lock out your elbows at the top of the movement. Keep the weight engaged, and do not let it crash into the racked plates.
Repeat for recommended repetitions.
Bored of the good old lat pulldown? Use these variations to keep your muscles guessing:
1. Underhand Lat Pull-down
Changing grips is a great way to add variety to the lat pulldown exercise.
Reversing your hand placement to a supinated (palms facing you) grip puts more tension on your biceps.
The underhand lat pull-down is a great variation if you are performing the exercise at the end of your back workout when your posterior muscle group is relatively fatigued.
Read: How The Underhand Lat Pulldown Can Give You Wing-Like Lats
2. Wide-Grip Lat Pull-down
Using a wide grip engages the latissimus dorsi to a higher degree compared to the shoulder-wide grip.
In this variation, you will pull the bar down to your upper chest, pause, and squeeze the life out of your lats.
Make sure you are keeping your torso upright and not reclining back while performing the movement.
3. Close-Grip Lat Pull-down
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In the close-grip lat pulldown variation, you will be holding the bar with a narrower than shoulder-width grip.
Embrace your core and pin back your shoulders as you pull the bar under your chin.
Squeeze your lats at the bottom of the movement.
Return to the starting position with a slow and controlled motion.
Repeat for recommended reps.
4. V-Bar Lat Pull-down
Cable-operated machines give you the liberty to swap the wide bar for several other attachments to target your back differently.
Replace the bar with a v-grip attachment.
Secure your legs under the thigh pads and maintain an upright torso throughout the movement.
While keeping your chest lifted, pull the v-grip attachment until your palms are a few inches away from your upper chest.
Pause and contract your lats at the bottom of the movement.
Return to the starting position with a controlled motion and repeat for recommended reps.
Read: V-Bar Pulldown – Exercise Guide
5. Behind the Neck Lat Pull-down
Behind the neck variation is probably the most advanced lat pulldown technique on the list.
Grab the bar with a slightly wider than shoulder-width overhand grip.
Straighten your body to a point where the cable and pull-down bar is directly above your spine, and tuck your head forward to allow the bar to be safely lowered.
Shrug your shoulder blades back to set your shoulders, this allows the tension to stay on your lats throughout the exercise.
Slowly lower the bar behind your head until it is at your ear level as you breathe out.
Squeeze your lats at the bottom of the movement.
Return to the starting position with a slow and controlled motion.
Repeat for recommended reps.
Depending on your experience level, you could use the following exercises to train your back optimally:
1. Pull-up
We are sure you are not surprised to find pull-ups on the list. Once you develop enough strength to perform pull-ups with the correct form, you should make them a constant in your back training regimen.
Stand on an aerobic stepper and grab the pull-bar with a slightly wider than shoulder-width grip.
Hang from the bar and bend at your knees so that your lower legs are parallel to the floor.
Pull yourself towards the roof while focusing on your back until your chin reaches the bar level.
Return to the starting position with a controlled motion.
Repeat for recommended reps.
2. Negative Pull-up
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If you are a beginner, negative pull-ups are a great exercise to build strength for the orthodox pull-ups. It involves performing only the lowering, or eccentric phase of an exercise.
Start by standing on a box or bench.
Jump high enough so your face it at the pull-up bar level and grab it with a shoulder-width grip.
Once you have gripped the bar, lower yourself as slowly as you can while focusing on your lats.
When you reach the bottom of the movement, release the bar and step back.
Step back onto the box and repeat for recommended reps.
Related: Use Negative Training For Positive Mass Gains
3. Unilateral Lat Pull-down
This variation of the lat-pull down works each side of your back individually. It is great for fixing muscle imbalances and improving symmetry. If you do not have access to a unilateral lat pulldown machine at your gym, you could use the standard lat pulldown machine with a D-bar handle attachment.
Hold the D-handle attachment with a neutral grip.
Rotate your palm as you pull the handle towards your chin.
Your palm should be facing you at the bottom of the movement.
Pause and contract your lat.
Slowly return to the starting position.
Repeat for recommended reps before switching hands.
Next Read: The Benefits Of Unilateral Training & Why It Matters
4. Straight Arm Lat Pull-down
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The straight arm lat pulldown is a great exercise for building a V-taper. It also avoids over-using your arms which is the case with the standard lat pull-downs.
Attach a wide-grip handle to a cable pulley.
Stand upright with a shoulder-width stance.
Grab the bar with a pronated (overhand) grip at shoulder-width and lean forward slightly by hinging at your hips.
Keep your elbows slightly bent throughout the movement and initiate the movement by depressing your shoulder blades and extending the shoulders.
Pull the bar to your thighs until your lats are fully contracted.
Return to the starting position with a slow and controlled movement.
Repeat for recommended reps.
Check Out: Mastering The Straight Arm Pulldown
5. Bent-Over Barbell Row
Bent-over barbell row work your lats and multiple back muscles.
Grab a barbell with a shoulder-width overhand grip.
Unrack the bar and stand upright.
Slowly lower your torso until your upper body is at a 60-degree angle with the floor.
Keep your knees slightly bent and maintain an arch in your back throughout the movement.
Lift the weight to your sternum, keeping your elbows tucked in and close to your body.
Contract your lats at the top of the movement.
Slowly return to the starting position.
Repeat for recommended repetitions.
Lat pulldown is suitable for lifters of all experience levels, and most gyms have the machine. While the lat pulldown is a part of most back training routines, it is essential to be following the correct form to get the most bang for your buck.
You should also try new variations and alternatives to keep your muscles guessing and avoid hitting a plateau. Things as small as switching up the number of reps, sets, and rep tempos can do the trick and get you that much sought-after V-taper.
Which is your favorite lat pulldown variation? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
T-Bar Row Your Way To A Cobra Back: How-To, Muscles Worked, and Variations
Here is a way to build a huge back using different workouts!
If you are a bodybuilding fan, you probably have watched Pumping Iron – the critically-acclaimed bodybuilding documentary. If you don’t remember watching the movie, you certainly would have seen snippets of Arnold Schwarzenegger T-bar rowing to a monstrous V-taper.
Pumping Iron is a little too old-school for you? How about you check out its younger sibling – Generation Iron?
Bodybuilders have a saying; if you want your back to grow, you gotta row. If you want a V-taper, you need to maintain a balance between rowing and pulling back exercises. While horizontal pulling exercises (pull-up, pull-down) help in building a wide back, vertical pulling movements (t-bar row, cable row, dumbbell row) get you that much sought-after back thickness.
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How To Perform The T-Bar Row
Do not fret if you do not have access to a T-bar row machine at your gym. You could perform the exercise using a barbell. Follow these steps to make the most out of the T-bar row –
If you have access to a T-bar row machine:
Step onto a T-bar row platform and stand with one foot on either side of the bar.
Place your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
The remaining steps will be the same as the barbell T-bar rows described below.
If you do not have a T-bar row machine at your gym:
Place one end of a barbell into a corner.
Rest some weight plates or a heavy dumbbell on the hinged side to hold it down (landmine setup).
Load the opposite end of the bar with an appropriate weight.
Take position by standing with one foot on either side of the bar.
Hinge at your hips until your torso is at a 45-degree angle with the floor.
Hook a V-grip handle under the weighted end at the bar’s neck and grab it with both hands.
While maintaining the natural arch in your back, squeeze your shoulder blades together and pull the bar until the plates touch your chest.
Pause and contract your lats at the top of the movement.
Slowly return to the starting position.
Repeat for recommended reps.
Related: This Is How To Master The T-Bar Row For Massive Back Gains
Muscle Worked While Performing The T-Bar Row
The T-bar row might look easy but will test your mettle – they are one of Governator’s favorite exercises for a reason, after all. It is an overall upper body posterior muscle builder and will leave you exhausted by the last set. Here is the list of muscles worked:
Latissimus dorsi: It is the largest back muscle and is located on the sides of your back. Latissimus dorsi (aka lats) are responsible for shoulder extension and adduction.
Bicep brachial: Your biceps are your main elbow flexors, and you will be using them to perform T-bar rows.
Forearms: You need a strong grip to perform the exercise optimally. If you lack a solid grip, this exercise will help you build one over time.
Middle trapezius: It is the diamond-shaped muscle that covers much of your upper back. The middle trapezius (aka traps) is primarily responsible for the retraction of the shoulder girdle.
Rhomboids: Located under your mid-traps.
Posterior deltoids: Rear delts are responsible for horizontal extension and external rotation of the shoulder joint.
Erector spinae: It is the collective name for the small muscles that make up your lower back. The erector spinae works isometrically or statically during T-bar rows to hold your spine in a stable position and prevent your back from rounding.
Glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps: You cannot exclude your lower body from the exercise (unless you are using the chest-supported T-bar machine). Your glutes and hamstrings contract to hold your hips in place while your quadriceps work hard to stabilize your knees.
Next Read: 4 Exercises to Alleviate Lower Back Pain
Benefits of the T-Bar Row
Making the T-bar row a constant in your back training entails the following benefits:
1. A Thick and Strong Back
Rowing movements help develop a thick back, and the T-bar row follows an optimal range of motion that recruits the maximal muscle fibers in your back.
The compound exercise is also a great strength builder and can aid in other pulling exercises such as pull-ups and deadlifts.
2. Improved Functional Strength
T-bar row works your entire posterior chain. Since it is a compound (multi-joint) movement, the T-bar row helps strengthen muscles that you use in your day-to-day and outdoor activities.
3. Better Core Stability
Since you spend all your time bent over while performing the exercise, it helps develop core stability and strength.
4. Better Posture
A wide and thick back (results of the t-bar) can help improve your posture. You will hardly ever see someone with a solid V-taper slouching or having a bad body posture.
5. Promotes Balance and Symmetry
The unilateral (single-arm) variations of the T-bar row can help improve muscle imbalances and strength. Performing the exercise on one side at a time can help focus on the muscle and improve your mind-muscle connection.
Also Read: 6 Ways To Improve Your Mind-Muscle Connection
6. Versatility
Different variations of the T-bar row allow you to use different hand positions and hence work your back from a variety of angles. The most common grips for T-bar include:
Close-neutral
Shoulder width-neutral
Wide-overhand
Narrow-underhand
On top of that, since most T-bar equipments have a plate-loading mechanism, you can use low denomination weights to increase your workload in small increments until you hit the right spot.
Common T-Bar Mistakes To Avoid
The T-bar row requires balance and core stability and leaves a lot of room for error. Here are the most common T-bar mistakes:
1. Using 45-Pound Weight Plates
Most people make the mistake of exclusively using 45lb weight plates on the T-bar machine. Using several smaller weight plater rather than a few big ones have the following benefits:
a) It helps follow a longer range of motion since the smaller plates have a smaller diameter compared to the 45lb plates.
b) Helps you nail the perfect weight by using smaller denominations.
Related: Full Range Of Motion Vs Partials: Which Is The Way To Go?
2. Maintaining Straight Legs
Locking out your legs and knees can cause back, knee, or hip injuries. Make sure that you have your knees slightly bent throughout the exercise as it gives you a solid base to hold yourself in place.
3. Rounding Your Lower Back
We cannot help but cringe when we see someone rounding their back while performing the T-bar row. Rounding your back during the lift leaves your spine vulnerable to injuries – and makes you look like a rookie!
4. Flexing Your Wrists
To lift heavier while performing the T-bar rows, many gym-goers flex their wrists. Not only does this not help, but it also puts unwarranted stress on your wrists and increases the odds of an injury. It can also cause your grip to fail prematurely.
Next Read: Build a Massive Back Like The Legend Dorian Yates
5. Flaring Your Elbows
Flaring your elbows out can cause your chest to cave in and limit your ability to contract your back muscles. Keep your elbows close to your body throughout the range of motion.
6. Pulling With Your Biceps
While there is no way to avoid bicep recruitment during the exercise, leading with your elbows will optimally engage your back and help you build a thick back. Pulling with your elbows also allows you to contract your back muscles efficiently.
7. Not Using Lifting Accessories
Many gym-goers leave gains on the table by not using lifting accessories. Accessories like weight lifting straps and belt can help improve your form, reduce the chances of an injury, and set you up for lifting heavier.
Check Out: 5 Lifting Accessories You Should Have In Your Gym Bag
T-Bar Row Variations and Alternatives
1. Chest Supported / Lying T-Bar Row
The chest-supported T-bar row is a great variation for beginners or people who have lower back issues.
Steps:
Load the T-bar machine with an appropriate weight.
Lie prone on the pad and grab the handles with an overhand grip.
Brace your core and pull the T-bar towards your chest.
Contract your shoulder blades and keep your elbows flared in throughout the movement.
Your upper back muscles and shoulder blades should be fully contracted at the top of the movement.
Slowly return to the starting position.
Repeat for recommended reps.
2. Barbell Row
Barbell rows are a staple in most back training routines. The barbell row is quite similar to the T-bar row with the main difference being that the barbell row allows you to move the weight through greater degrees of freedom.
Steps:
Stand upright and grab a barbell with a shoulder-width overhand grip.
Push your shoulders down and back while maintaining an exaggerated chest forward position.
Hinge at your hips and lower your torso until it is at a 60-degree angle with the floor.
Pull back your elbows while keeping them close to your body as you lift the bar towards your upper abdomen.
Pause and contract your lats at the top of the movement.
Return to the starting position with a slow and controlled motion.
Repeat for recommended reps.
3. Pendlay Row
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Pendlay rows are a great T-bar alternative, especially for powerlifters as it targets the exact opposite muscles of the bench press. It allows for greater stability when performing heavy presses.
Steps:
Unlike the orthodox barbell row, the starting position of the bar in the Pendlay row will be on the floor.
Stand with a shoulder-width grip and grab the bar with a pronated grip.
Get into position by pushing back your hips and lowering your torso until it is parallel to the floor.
Pull the bar towards your lower chest while keeping your elbows close to your sides.
Pause and contract your lats at the top of the movement.
Related: The Pendlay Row vs The Barbell Row
4. Meadows Row
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The Meadows row is named after the late bodybuilder, John Meadows. The Meadows row is a single-arm landmine row that allows a greater stretch at the bottom of the movement.
Steps:
Stand next to a barbell that is in a landmine setup or wedged into the corner of a wall.
Stand in a staggered stance with the leading foot perpendicular to the bar.
With your right foot as the leading foot, bend over at the waist, and grab the end of the bar with your left hand using an overhand grip.
Rest your right elbow on your thigh for support.
While keeping your elbow close to your body, pull up the bar until it is just outside your chest.
Pause and contract your lats at the top of the movement.
Slowly return to the starting position.
Repeat for recommended reps before switching sides.
Check Out: 5 Landmine Exercises For A Shredded Body
5. Seal Row
The seal row is an isolation variation of T-bar and barbell rows. The exercise locks your body in place, taking away the ability for you to heave the weight as you perform the lift.
Steps:
Elevate a flat bench by placing a couple of aerobic steps under it on both sides.
Lay on the bench in a face-down position. Keep your leg elevated and make sure your body is in a straight line throughout the movement.
Grab a barbell with an overhand grip.
While maintaining a stable core, lift the bar to your lower chest by pulling your elbows towards the roof.
The bar should hit the bottom of the flat bench at the top of the movement.
Pause and squeeze the life out of your lats at the top of the movement.
Lower the bar with a slow and controlled motion.
Repeat for recommended reps.
6. Inverted Row
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Inverter rows are one of the best bodyweight T-bar row alternatives. This exercise might look easy but will leave you begging for mercy when it is done with you.
Steps:
Stand in a squat rack or front of a Smith machine.
Set the bar at your waist height. This will allow your arms to fully extend while keeping your body off the floor.
Get under the bar and lie down on your back.
Reach up for the bar and grab it with an overhand grip. Your arms should be fully extended at this point.
Your body will be suspended or just off the floor, with your heels being the only thing in contact with the floor.
While keeping your core and glutes contracted, brace your lower back and keep your body in a straight line.
Pull yourself up until your chest touches the bar.
Keep your elbows close to your sides throughout the movement.
Pause and contract your lats at the top of the movement.
Slowly return to the starting position.
Repeat for recommended reps.
Next Read: Barbell Row VS Inverted Row, Which One Reigns Supreme?
7. Seated Close Grip Cable Row
For lifters who fancy themselves a cable exercise, you cannot go wrong with the seated close-grip cable rows:
Steps:
Grab a v-handle and sit back on the machine.
Maintain an upright torso throughout the exercise.
Sweep back with your elbows and pull the v-handle towards your naval/lower abdomen.
Pause and contract your lats at the top of the movement.
Slowly return to the starting position.
Repeat for reps.
Must-Try: Build A Thick and Wide Cobra Back With This Workout
Conclusion
If you want to carve a thick and wide back, the T-bar row is a must-have in your exercise arsenal. The compound exercise might take some time to master, but the dividends it will pay in the long run make the upfront investment worth it.
For people who do not have a T-bar machine at their gym, this article lists enough variations to ensure the development of your posterior muscles.
Which is your favorite T-bar row variation? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.