Exercises for a wide back from Ruslan Mardanov. How to develop back width Lever back row

17.05.202027.05.2017

All athletes, both beginners and professionals, dream of a wide back. In this article we will tell you how to achieve maximum development of the latissimus dorsi muscles, how to develop the width of your back. Also in this complex we will tell you how to effectively combine back training with pumping the rear deltoids, which are lagging behind in most bodybuilders, and it makes sense to work them twice a week, directly on shoulder day and combining them with back training.

Thrust in a horizontal Hummer

The first exercise you should start with is the horizontal hummer row, which is best done with one hand for a long time, so that it is better to concentrate on each latissimus muscle separately and direct the maximum load directly to the back muscles.

When executing this exercise use straps to eliminate the work of your forearms and biceps. Follow the technique: so that the shoulder does not remain motionless, but moves both forward and as far back as possible. Try to contract your shoulder blades and feel how they work latissimus muscles backs.

You should start performing the exercise with a warm-up approach of 12 repetitions, after which you should do another 4 working sets of 6 repetitions. Increase the weight with each approach, and the hardest work will fall on the last approach, in which you need to give it your all.

If you give your all in each approach, as many do, then it’s enough serious weight they simply won’t be able to do it in the same number of repetitions. If you do 2-3 sets with the same weight, then this indicates that you are not improving. There can only be one most difficult and failure approach that completely kills your muscles.

How to Develop Back Width: Vertical Hummer Row

The second exercise in the training, in order to develop the width of the back, you need to perform deadlifts. vertical hummer With narrow setting arms to engage the lower part of the latissimus muscles, which are closer to the spine.

During the movement, bend back to eliminate the work of the biceps, and concentrate on working the lower part of the lats. Perform 4 sets of 6 reps, also increasing the weight on each set. To be more effective, finish the last set with a drop. That is, after 6 repetitions of 4 sets, drop the weight and do another set without rest.

Row in a horizontal block at the waist

The third exercise is rowing in a horizontal block to the belt. Since you performed the previous exercises with a narrow grip, here you need to work with a wide grip and focus the load on the inner parts of the latissimus muscles. We perform the same - 4 sets of 6 exercises with increasing weight in each approach.

Vertical block row in front of you

The final exercise to develop the width of the back is to perform deadlifts. vertical block in front of you. The technique is the same as in the previous exercises: bend slightly to concentrate the load on the lower regions of the latissimus muscles, grip shoulder-width apart.

A grip that is too wide limits range of motion and does not allow the muscles to fully stretch and contract. There is a misconception that the wider the grip, the wider the back muscles, but this is not true. It all depends on how you feel, stretch and contract the target muscle.

Bent over dumbbell swings

Another exercise within the program is one-arm dumbbell swings. If you have good technique, then you can take heavy weights, and one exercise will be enough to work the rear deltoids. After all, the muscle group is quite small and can be overtrained with serious load. One serious exercise is enough.

The back muscles are one of the largest muscle groups in our body (only the leg group is more powerful). By working on their development and strengthening, boys and girls can straighten their posture, get rid of lower back pain, and also prevent future possible degradation of the spine.

The back row on a machine is always included in all training options in gyms. Why is it necessary to perform these exercises? First of all, due to the inadequacy of working only with a barbell and dumbbells to form sculpted muscles. In addition, exercising on exercise machines is safer, and their effectiveness is higher than that of conventional sports equipment.

What groups of spinal muscles are affected by exercises?

There are three of them:

Trapezoid ( upper part back) – their load makes the back more powerful.
Latissimus muscles (located in the middle part) - their development visually thins the waist and gives the back a V-shaped silhouette.
Straightening (lower part) – main result their strengthening consists in more reliable stabilization of the lower back under particularly heavy loads (deadlifts, squats and bends using a barbell, etc.).

In addition, they are partially involved shoulder muscles and arms (biceps, triceps), stomach (abs). The muscles of the thighs and buttocks are also involved during the deadlift.

Key points: variations, sets, repetitions

Depending on the type of simulator and the type of exercise, the athlete can stand, be in sitting position or recline underneath the block projectile. The same exercises can also be varied (for example, pulling a lower block to the chest can alternate with the same one, but to the waist).

The positions of the hands will also be different - pulling, pulling and performing other actions is sometimes required straight or reverse grip, and sometimes wide, medium or narrow.

Required number of sets and repetitions

Both depend on the level of training of the man or woman and the goal of the training. On average, it is recommended to limit the number of sets to three, and repeat each exercise from 12 to 15 times in each approach.

Beginners should start with light weights and limited range of motion, as their main goal is to practice technique. Our brain needs time to start “automatically” maintaining a strict body position, keeping your back straight, not making excessively sudden movements, etc. As you gain experience and muscle strength, the load – as well as the number of repetitions – will need to be increased.

If the goal of training is to lose weight or dry muscles, the rules change, and the training becomes more intense. In this case, the number of repetitions is reduced to 7–8, and the number of approaches, on the contrary, increases to 5–6.

Finally, if your goal is to build muscle mass, the emphasis should be on heavy basic exercises(for example, such as traction of the lower block, carried out to the belt in a sitting position with a high level of load). There will be fewer repetitions, but dynamic and static muscle tension will be higher.

You can start training at the initial stage only under the guidance of a trainer (and when doing exercises at home, first carefully study the relevant video lessons).

A set of back training exercises in the gym

The classic program for training back muscles on simulators consists of exercises (example):

Upper block – chest pull. The main load is on the latissimus dorsi muscles. Additional – on the teres major muscle and biceps. Can be performed with all grip options. With the widest one, the external branches of the latissimus muscles are maximally loaded, with the narrowest – their internal bundles. To work your biceps, just change your grip from straight to reverse. When the handle moves down, you need to bend over behind it. When up, stretch forward.

Upper block – head pull. The main load is on the latissimus dorsi muscles. Additional – on the rhomboid and teres major muscles, rear deltoids and biceps. The grip is moderately wide. The head is always kept straight, the back is always straight, and when the handle is raised behind the head, the forearms are spread to the sides (or placed in one line).

Upper block – chest pull (parallel grip). The main load is on the latissimus dorsi muscles. Additional – on the teres major muscle and biceps. Perhaps the best exercise for working out all components of the latissimus dorsi muscles. To achieve their maximum stretch, move your body forward when raising the handle up and reach towards it with your chest in a close position.

Upper block – straight arm row. The main load is on the latissimus dorsi muscles. Additional – on the teres major muscle and triceps. To the basics, hard exercise this type of deadlift is not considered - it is better to use small weights in it, since the goal is to “finish off” muscle fibers. The principle of operation is similar to that of a pullover - the handle is lowered to the very feet, and at the lowest point the body bends back while straightening the shoulders.

Horizontal (lower) block – pull to the waist. The main load is on the latissimus dorsi muscles. Additional – on the rhomboid and teres major muscles, rear deltoids and biceps. When performing this exercise, some athletes leave their back straight, while others only pull their shoulders back, but pull their body along with the weight (up to bending their back at the lowest point). There is no consensus among experts, but maximum efficiency is still achieved in the second option.

In addition, seated lower block rows are often performed not only in the classic version, but also in the following ways:

T-bar – standing bent-over row. The main load is on the latissimus dorsi muscles. Additional – on the rhomboid and teres major muscles, rear deltoids and biceps. Here, trainers recommend diversifying the execution variations as much as possible (but always keeping your back straight) - that is, alternating all types of grip both in width and in the location of the hands.

T-bar – bench row. The main load is on the latissimus dorsi muscles. Additional – on the rhomboid and teres major muscles, rear deltoids and biceps. The advantage of this machine over the barbell is that it removes the load from the lower back and legs, which allows you to effectively pump the lats without the threat of sprains and injuries to any muscles, ligaments and joints of the lower body.

Trapezes (shrugs). The main load is on the trapezius. Additional – on the suprascapular muscles. The exercise is aimed at pumping all the upper spinal muscles. To increase efficiency, it is recommended to do circular movements shoulders with slight fixation at the top point.

Back extension in the simulator. The main load is on the group of muscles responsible for straightening the back. Additional – for the gluteus maximus. Theoretically, it is considered a replacement for hyperesthesia - but only as its very reduced, exclusively “dorsal” version. The reason is that the load on gluteal muscles in this case it is very small, and on the femoral ones it is completely absent. Which, of course, is not very good.

The main load is on the latissimus dorsi muscles. Additional – on the rhomboid and teres major muscles, rear deltoids, biceps and trapezius. Another version of the exercise on the simulator, partially replacing the classic pull-up. Its disadvantage is that the spine does not experience any axial load - and therefore the Smith machine is usually recommended for people who are most various reasons they are temporarily unable to work on the crossbar.

The main load is on the latissimus dorsi muscles. Additional – on the rhomboid and teres major muscles, rear deltoids and biceps. The lever trainer (or Hummer) allows you to improve the horizontal row performed with the lower block.

Its advantage is that the chest receives support - and, therefore, makes it possible to pull the levers both simultaneously and alternately. In addition, in good models there are usually more than two handles - and therefore wide, medium and narrow grip It's easy to alternate on a Hummer.

Crossover – bringing the elbows in. The main load is on the latissimus dorsi muscles. Additional – on the rear deltoids and biceps. A crossover is ideal for stretching your lat muscles – regardless of whether you are sitting or standing. Since elbow adduction is one of the simplest and strictly isolating exercises, it is recommended to perform it at the final stage of training.

HACK simulator – inclines. The main load is on the group of muscles responsible for straightening the spine. Additional - on the gluteus maximus, semimembranosus, semitendinosus, located on the front surface of the thighs. This type of exercise machine was created in order to compensate for the lack of technique for those who need to bend over with a barbell. In addition, it is absolutely safe and allows you to well load a whole group of auxiliary muscles - and therefore is usually included in the starting stage of training, the warm-up.

The main load is on the latissimus dorsi muscles. Additional – on the rear deltoids, biceps and the entire complex of spinal muscles in the area of the shoulder blades and above. Another more convenient option for chest rows upper block, with a wide grip allows you to effectively work on everything muscle groups upper half of the back. In addition, levers have the advantage over a single pulley handle that they allow you to load only one - left or right - half of the body that is lagging behind in development.

No matter how convenient exercises on simulators are, they should be carried out in parallel with some traditional exercises(for example, by pulling up), and not completely replacing them.

The only restriction (or even a complete ban) on such activities may be certain problems with the musculoskeletal system. In this regard, permission to load the back must be given by a doctor.

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In this article, you will learn absolutely everything about the exercise - lever traction in the simulator.

Lever rod is an option.

This exercise is also similar (in mechanics) to one-arm dumbbell rows, but due to the vertically positioned body, performing it is much more convenient, simpler and, of course, safer (for the spine).

The exercise is designed to work the latissimus dorsi muscles in THICKNESS (note this, not in width, as in pull-ups, etc., but in THICKNESS).

It also works the teres major, rhomboids, trapezius, rear delta and biceps.

Lever pull: execution technique

Before performing the exercise, you need to correctly configure the simulator for yourself:

SEAT HEIGHT (where your butt will be located); Your task is to adjust the height of the seat so that when you do rows, your hand is at the level of your waist (at waist level). Also in this regard, pay attention to how you grasp (height) with your hand the handle (lever) that you will pull. Take it lower (this will help to pull towards the waist and not towards the chest).

Most people make a mistake in this regard. When pulling towards themselves, their hand is at chest level = and this is wrong, because the muscles of the arms (biceps) work in this way, and thus they steal the load from the latissimus dorsi muscles, and you want to work your back, don’t you?

SUPPORT (vertical surface) in which you will rest your CHEST. Your task is to adjust it in such a way that you can almost completely straighten your arms at the end of each repetition, as if practically “putting the projectile in place” but not putting it down. This will allow you to increase your range of motion and stretch your latissimus dorsi muscles further.

That's all. These are the basic rules for setting up this simulator for you. The correctness and effectiveness of the exercise depends on the correct settings. So adjust it correctly :)

NUANCE: the exercise can be performed with one hand (and not both at once), this is exactly what I would recommend to you, because this will allow you to work the muscle more efficiently:

Firstly, this will result in more concentrated work;
Secondly, this technique will allow you to take a little more weight than if you did it with both hands at the same time (two is heavier).

NUANCE: with your non-working hand (the one that is not performing the pull), be sure to hold onto the support lever.

About grips: what grip should you use?

3 grip options: palms down, palms up and palms facing each other.

Use a grip with your palms facing each other. This is how, at least for me, the back muscles work best. That's why I recommend it to you too. You can see for yourself, of course :)

And so, you adjusted the exercise machine correctly, sat down, straightened your spine, rested your chest against the support, grabbed the lever with your working hand, grabbed the support with your non-working hand, and you began to do the exercise.

EXHALEING => you begin to pull the handle of the exercise machine towards you (to your belt), and firstly, during the pull, be sure to keep your hand closer to your torso (do not move it away from your torso, but rather press it closer to your torso) = this will increase the load on the lat muscles, and secondly, pull the handle of the exercise machine towards your waist and move your elbow back as far as possible (so that the shoulder blade comes together and contracts).

This way, firstly, you will increase the amplitude of the exercise, therefore, you will make the exercise harder, and therefore more effective, and secondly, this way the back muscles will work as efficiently as possible.

IMPORTANT: during the exercise, keep your body FIXED and MOTIONAL! Those. rest your chest against the support, and when performing deadlifts, do not tilt your body back (do not cheat).

An example of the seat being adjusted incorrectly (pulls towards the chest and not towards the waist as it should) and an example of the body not being fixed and leaning backwards (cheating)…

This is one of the most basic mistakes made by the vast majority of people. All because people are excessively chasing weight, ala: “than more weight= the better, I’ll pump up faster.” Don’t chase the weights too much, and the progression of the load is IMPORTANT (without it, muscle growth is impossible), but not to the detriment of the technique of doing the exercises. Understand? Technology comes first!

RULE: progression of the load is achieved without compromising the technique of performing the exercises.

RULE 2: cheating (in this and not only this) exercise can only be used by professionals. Advanced athletes! And then, at your own discretion. Ordinary people = no!

Then, under control (not throwing), lower the lever to starting position(to the lowest point), and attention: lower it to such a level that you can almost completely (but not completely, slightly, very slightly bent in elbow joint) straighten your arm at the end of each repetition, i.e. your task is to practically “put the projectile in place” but also not to put it down (so that the load does not go away). This technique will allow you to increase the range of motion and stretch the latissimus dorsi muscles further.

Then repeat everything again for the number of repetitions you need. I recommend 3x4 sets in the 10-12 rep range. And finally, I recommend watching this visual video:

If it’s not difficult/sorry for you, please share the link to this article on social networks (social buttons are below). This is the best you can do, I will be very, very grateful to you.

Best regards, administrator.

The frame of the Hamer shoulder machine is made of a profile pipe 80 x 40 mm.
The block with weights is driven by a stainless steel cable 6 x 19, 5 mm in diameter; the maximum load is 1080 kg.
The weight cable blocks in the Hummer Shoulder Trainer are made of stainless steel and finished with polyester powder paint.
Decorative protection made of steel sheet ensures long service life of mechanisms and rotation units.
The rotation units of the Hummer vertical press simulator are sealed ball bearings that do not require maintenance.
The standard weight of installed weights is 2 blocks of 70 kg, which is created using 13 rubberized steel plates of 5 kg each and 1 top weight with a flute of 5 kg in each block.
The soft elements of the shoulder trainer are filled with recycled polyurethane foam.
The upholstery of the seat and back is made of vinyl artificial leather with a high-strength nylon base.
The basis for the cushions in the Hummer vertical press machine is durable plywood on a steel frame.
Rubber-coated plates move along chrome-plated steel guides.
The frame of the Hummer shoulder press machine is painted using powder coating (for the standard version - metallic “diamond”).
Individual elements are painted using powder coating (for the standard version - antique silver-black).
The guides and rubbing parts of the shoulder trainer are treated with galvanic complex coating (chrome + nickel).
The supporting parts of this strength training equipment for the gym are polished steel legs, which have holes for attaching the equipment to the floor, if such a need arises.
Dimensions of the Hammer vertical press with reduction: 1490 x 930 x 1850 mm.
Weight of assembled equipment: 265 kg.
The Hammer shoulder machine - vertical press with adduction is made in such a way that people of any height and weight can exercise on it.

Hammer shoulder machine - vertical press with adduction (2 x 70 kg)

Hammer weightlifting machines are designed to work out deltoid muscles by pressing vertically upward while seated. The exercises simulate a barbell or dumbbell bench press while sitting on a bench with a backrest. This equipment combines the uniform resistance and convenience of a cable trainer with the best features of a Hummer. The shoulder trainer has a height-adjustable seat, which allows people of different heights to exercise; and also regulate the range of motion. The user's weight is not limited, the machine is suitable for amateurs and professional athletes of any height and build. To order this machine or its alternative: bench and barbell for weightlifting, as well as others sports equipment, leave a message to the manager.

It is important to note that the angle of the backrest of the Hammer vertical press with adduction is selected from the condition of maximum loading of the anterior deltoid muscles, which creates comfort for the athlete and the best development of the muscles being trained. The athlete can work with each hand independently. Smooth sliding of loads and silent operation of the Hamer shoulder machine is ensured by chrome-plated guides and rubber-coated load tiles. Like a power rack for a barbell with safety stops, the machine guarantees the safety of exercise.

This is the final part about the back, I’ll look at the remaining exercises.
The first exercise will be the horizontal block row.
Let's look at it first, using this video as an example.
In general, the guy in the video talks about trapezoids and the load on them, but we’ll just take the example of this video, since many people work in a similar way, without at all trying to get into the trapezoid.
Let's start with the fact of how he squeezes his shoulders; if your task is to load the back as a whole, and not just the trapezius, and also in many respects their upper section, then you absolutely cannot do this. As soon as you tuck your shoulders, you turn on the top of the trapezius and change the vector of movement, from horizontal, it becomes diagonal, that is, you will only load the upper back. The shoulders should be in a natural position, and the handle will go to the stomach, and not to the bottom of the chest, as in the video.
The next point is the tilt of the body. I use another video because the patient is not cheating there.
Essentially, the same thing, as the body deviates, the load goes to the very top of the back, the more we lean back, the more we vector the movement along the body, and turn the movement into shrugs.
In the classic version, the tilt of the body should be either zero, that is, you sit straight, or even a slightly negative tilt towards the block, then you turn off your upper back more and transfer the load to the middle and bottom.
In movement, you need to strive to bring your shoulder blades together, but you need to do this by bringing your elbow as close to the body as possible, you don’t need to rake your arms across the sides.
Another point is that the grip is too narrow; I sometimes see how people remove the classic handle from the block to pull the block and hang, for example, handles from a crossover, with which they do exercises on the chest.
Actually, like in the first video, at the beginning, but in the middle of the video he still changes the handle.
With such a handle, the grip turns out to be very narrow, and then when moving, your elbows will be strongly turned outward. This position of the elbows does not allow the back muscles to contract as much as possible. Try doing rows with this super-narrow grip, and then spread your arms a little wider, to a standard grip, slightly narrower than your shoulders, thereby pressing your elbows to your body, and you will feel the difference in the contraction of the back muscles.
Regarding the wide grip, I this species I have a rather negative view of the grip, it greatly shortens the amplitude, and puts the muscles of the middle back in a disadvantageous position, transferring more of the load to outer part back, and there are better exercises for this. In addition, the rear beam is also more strongly involved in the work.
Let's also consider cheating. This exercise is often cheated, but it is done fundamentally incorrectly.
Cheating in such a row is allowed, as in the bent-over barbell row, but with a “rollback”, even below the working angle and returning to it during cheating. That is, cheating is not like in the first video at 0:33, then we do the same thing as described above - we create a tilt of the body that transfers the load to the trapezius.
We lower ourselves in the opposite direction, towards the block, by 20 degrees, and make a jerk, reaching a vertical body position, where the main part of the back work occurs. At the same time, do not cheat as a means of lifting a weight that is not suitable for lifting, then the movement will be jerky, jerky, without negativity. Cheating is used on moderate weights as a method of intensification, and despite it, you still do smooth negative and positive.
Sometimes you hear advice to let the weight pull the arms completely, so that the shoulders move forward, supposedly to stretch the muscle. I do not recommend doing this, precisely because the back muscles are stretched too much, and as a result, at the extreme point of stretching, they are in a disadvantageous position for inclusion, and a weight loss will strongly involve the synergistic muscles: deltoids and biceps. In general, you work in full amplitude, straightening your arms, but without fanaticism, your shoulders should remain approximately at the same point, and your back muscles should not overextend.
In general, we have already covered all the main exercises, but they also asked me to talk about hummers. Here I will rather describe not the errors, but the features of setting up the simulators.
For starters - a horizontal hummer
This is an imitation of any horizontal rods, barbell, block, it doesn’t matter.
First of all, how do you sit in it? Best as with horizontal thrust, sit down either strictly straight, with your lower back slightly arched and your butt out, or even with a slight lean forward, leaning your chest on the front... pillow... I don’t know what it’s called, in short, this crap.
Further, if this “crap” in your simulator is adjustable, then it should be set so that before removing the weight, your arms would be in a slightly more elongated position than the one in which they will be located, in the working amplitude. That is, you pull a little towards the weight. Then, having pulled it off with the help of a pedal or a partner, you will automatically find yourself at the extreme point of the working amplitude. If the “crap” is placed too far from you, then your working amplitude will be artificially shortened, and if it is too close to you, you will have to remove the weight while standing, then sit down with it, and holding it in your hands, try to - take the correct position.
Grip width. Of course, there are different designs, but if yours involves changing the grip width, then I would recommend a grip at shoulder width or slightly narrower. This is exactly the grip that will allow you to concentrate the load on the middle of your back as much as possible, and at the same time, will allow you to work in the longest amplitude.
By the way, if there are vertical and horizontal handles, then I would rather give preference to the vertical option when thumb When gripping, looks up.
What seat height should I set? Its height determines to which part of the body the handles of the simulator will be attached. The lower they go, the lower the load is distributed. In the classic version, when your task is to distribute the load across your back relatively evenly, your hands, at the point of maximum back contraction, will be slightly lower than your chest, approximately at the level of your upper abs.
But if you want to somehow change the direction of the load, you can lower the seat lower, bringing the arms to the chest, and thereby loading the upper back more, or vice versa, raise it, transferring the load lower.
Otherwise, the rules are the same as everywhere else, elbows along the body and no need to work with the body, trying to throw the weight. Throughout the movement, you do not lift your chest from the “crap”. This is the meaning of the hummer, maximum isolation of movement and maximum control. Twitch on other exercises, in the hammer you have to do it clean.
And consider such a thing as a vertical hummer
The machine is excellent, its main advantage is that the separate handles do not force you to “dodge” them, as in the pull-down, and you can hit the lats much better.
Actually about the setup. In fact, there is nothing special to talk about here, the only point that I would like to note is the location of your loved one on the seat. You should sit directly under the handles, so that as you move down, your arms are straight to the side of your body. This is the whole point, on a regular block you would hit yourself in the head with the handle, but here you can sit under the handles, bring your hands evenly and efficiently to the body, through the sides. No cheating or bending, perfect technique will ensure a perfect hit to the lats.
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