Beauty

Benefit exercises

Reverse or regular grip vertical rows, as well as wide grip pull-ups are all exercises that maximize the load on the lats. Of course, the role of pull-ups is not undeniable, but if for some reason pull-ups are not your choice, then there is no better alternative for expanding your back than pull-ups.

Performing a vertical pull with a reverse grip increases the volume of the latissimus dorsi (especially their middle part), which gives the figure a beautiful V-shape.

In addition, well-developed lats are a good bonus for sports such as tennis, gymnastics, mountaineering, volleyball, basketball and others.

Technique for performing vertical traction with a reverse grip

Correct exercise technique:

1. Sit facing the vertical row machine. Fix the legs with special rollers, so that the hips are pressed to the bench, and the feet fully rest on the floor. Grasp the bar with a reverse grip shoulder-width apart. Straighten your back, bend slightly at the waist and tighten the psoas muscles. This is the starting position.

2. Inhale, hold your breath and gently pull the bar towards your chest so that the elbows along the sides move straight down behind the back, and the body remains motionless. When the bar touches your chest, pause, tighten your lats, then exhale and slowly return to the starting position.

3. After a short pause, do one more repetition.

It is important:

During the exercise, make sure that the body is in a stationary position. Leaning back, you remove part of the load from the latissimus dorsi. This, by the way, is the main reason why you should not rush to increase the weight of the projectile.

Keep in mind that the more the arms are straightened in the starting position, the more the lats are stretched, which means that the more they will contract during the exercise.

You need to pull the weight to the chest smoothly, but continuously. As soon as the elbows stop, then after the resumption of movement, the biceps are included in the work. Therefore, when performing the exercise, you can pause only in the starting position, and when the neck touches the chest.

When the bar touches the chest, try to bring the shoulder blades together as much as possible, thereby increasing the load on the lats.

Implementation options exercises

Depending on your grip and its width, pulling the vertical (upper) block will allow you to work the muscles of the upper and middle back. Rule of thumb: the wider the grip, the more the upper lats work, which actually determines the width of the back. Accordingly, the narrower the grip, the stronger the load is shifted downwards by the latissimus dorsi. And if your main goal is biceps, then just change the grip to reverse (palms look at the body) and grab the bar with a grip already shoulder-width apart.

Working muscles

• latissimus dorsi
• upper back
• pectoral muscles
• deltoid muscles (posterior head)
• biceps
• forearms

Alternative exercises

• Pull-ups

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