Bent over dumbbell rows - questions

[Daran]

For those of you that do them, do you ever feel a pump afterwards. I never do, but then again I could be doing them wrong. What say you guys?

 

[fireflyer]

I get a great pump and burn if I do them one hand at a time with a knee and the other hand on a bench. I find this let's you lower the dumbbell further for a great stretch and a tighter pinch at the top of the row.

 

[swole]

it's all about that mind-muscle connection, you have to stretch and squeeze that back, concentrate on the muscle for every rep

start light and do it right

 

[chaos13]

hold the weight at the top for a second or two, then lower it slowly (dont' let the weight take itself down, control the decent)

 

[nodiggitydave]

I can't get my back right on these

 

[sopac]

start light and do it right

Thats a great slogan!

 

[chazk]

like swole and others said
the back is a very very I say VERY hard group of muscles to isolate (at first)

it takes time to get the feel for the back and use the back .

many people use to much arms in their back work.

think of of arms to get you started but then once the weight is moving you have to use the back to finish the movement and squeeze the back together then DO NOT RELEASE FAST your not done yet .Slowly lower the weight so that back stays under tension.

I see guys slinging weight all day long .Doing one arm rows and just twisting at the waist not even using their back.

And to let you in on a little secret the guys in the mags dont train with that much weight it shows in the pics. they are usually just probs
years ago photo shoot was done at my local gym the crew unloaded plastic plates
WITH NO WEIGHT inside of them
they rigged up the bar with a real 45lb plate on each side then two dummie plates on each side
so the guy appeared to be doing bent over rows with 315lbs
so never feel that your not good enough or using heavey enough weight becuase you see guys in the mags doing more weight.

some tips
You have to hit the back from different angles
pull downs,rows,deads varying hand positions from out to inner on the bar to using
vbars and underhand grips

 

[sopac]

like swole and others said
the back is a very very I say VERY hard group of muscles to isolate (at first)

it takes time to get the feel for the back and use the back .

many people use to much arms in their back work.

think of of arms to get you started but then once the weight is moving you have to use the back to finish the movement and squeeze the back together then DO NOT RELEASE FAST your not done yet .Slowly lower the weight so that back stays under tension.

I see guys slinging weight all day long .Doing one arm rows and just twisting at the waist not even using their back.

And to let you in on a little secret the guys in the mags dont train with that much weight it shows in the pics. they are usually just probs
years ago photo shoot was done at my local gym the crew unloaded plastic plates
WITH NO WEIGHT inside of them
they rigged up the bar with a real 45lb plate on each side then two dummie plates on each side
so the guy appeared to be doing bent over rows with 315lbs
so never feel that your not good enough or using heavey enough weight becuase you see guys in the mags doing more weight.

some tips
You have to hit the back from different angles
pull downs,rows,deads varying hand positions from out to inner on the bar to using
vbars and underhand grips

Pull downs are a classic for people putting on too much weight and having terrible form. I have a hard time not snickering at dudes swinging up and down.

 

[SouthernLord]

Good tips above. I like to think of my hands as mere hooks holding the weight and I pull through with my elbows. I also will throw caution to the wind and grab the heaviest DB in the gym and try to get as many reps possible and this is mainly done for my arms.

 

[Daran]

I see, I should have thought about it like that.
Well, I make sure when I do this exercise that I don't move any part of my body except my back and I've kept it at the 45-50 pound dumbbell range because I feel I haven't gotten it right yet.

I can do bent-over barbell rows just fine, but I just don't like doing them. I'll keep in mind what you guys said and apply it to my workout.

 

[redtopp06]

believe it or not bro some bodybuilders never go over 100 pnds because its all about doing it right. control the weight. i can YANK the 150's for 8 to 10 reps but for a good workout i stay at a weight i can control. do what you can do not what the next guy does bro. you picked the best website for advice bro. good luck!

 

[linebackerbare]

i agree! i cant tell you how many people i see swinging , throwing, dropping wt with bad form because they are trying to lift too much. my favorite is the 80lb bicep throw..i always laugh, cant help it

 

[AEKDB]

they rigged up the bar with a real 45lb plate on each side then two dummie plates on each side
so the guy appeared to be doing bent over rows with 315lbs
so never feel that your not good enough or using heavey enough weight becuase you see guys in the mags doing more weight.

315lbs is supposed to be impressive?

I am not a "body builder" but powerlifters and olympic lifters have the best backs and I promise you they do not isolate the muscles. Use heavy weight, perform the full range of motion, and repeat.