Wanna be Wide!

[Gladiola]

LATS! I want wider ones! I've wanted them for a while. They seem to be the only muscle that hasn't visibally grown the past several months!

Back is once a week (like everything else) & usually consists of, 4 sets of each:

1. Wide grip Pull-ups (assisted, unfortunately)
OR Lat pull downs (wide grip)

2 row exercises:
Seated rows on the cable machine
Hammer strength equipment rows
dead row w/ barbell
one arm rown (lawnmower pull)

Shrugs (I do them about 70% of the time, sometimes super set them with one of the row exercises)

Rear delt flies.

Yes, I go heavy, of course! Any tips on getting that nice width?
Thanks

 

[Gladiola]

Chest supported or t-bar row

I love this exercise, but none of the 4 gyms where I routinely workout have this machine!!
To simulate it, I've used the easy curl bar on the cable machine with the pully down low - so the angle was similar to a t-bar row, but it actually felt a bit awkward.

As for width on the dead row, I usually go about shoulder width. You think that's good?
I was also going to add in a close grip pull down, which I've never done. I suppose I always thought that would hit more rhomboids than lats to go really narrow (palms almost touching - on that one triangle shaped attachment).

 

[The Shadow]

Don't neglect medial delts either...

 

[Gladiola]

Don't neglect medial delts either...

They are done on chest & shoulders day (lateral raise, military press, upright row, etc.)

The Hammer Strength Machine is actually a seated row - chest against a pad. The 2 sides move indepentently.

I thought of using a barbell on the floor for T-bar row, but wasn't sure if using that handle would work. I'll have to try it.

I think doing negatives for biceps & drops sets of lateral raises has really helped my growth for bis & medial delts. There is definitely noticable growth there.

I just can't get those darn lats to GROW visibally (actually I AM getting stronger).

 

[Arioch]

You can quasi-improvise a chest supported row by either doing conventional barbell rows while face down on an incline bench, or setting the bench up in front of a low pulley and then you can use a variety of handles.

No squat rack, no chest supported row, without a doubt no reverse hyper or glute-ham raise. You really should not use the work gym to describe the health spa/retirement home you train in.

 

[The_Monster]

Damn the "support" on the T-bar rows. The meat of your back is built from the multi-muscle spirit of that exercise.

Take a barbell, pout on end against the wall and have someone stand with the wall part between their feet (so it doesnt roll.
Load up the free end and use a close grip pulldown handle to grip it. Row away.
That and barbell rows done at about 70 degrees are the heart and soul of back work . Dont be fooled by people who bend all the way over for barbell rows, keep at 70degrees and youll feel it in your lats.
IF you have anything left in you, add some pullups/pulldowns.

(dont forget deadlifts. Theyre another multi-joint move that is reliant on the entire back structure...)

 

[Gladiola]

You really should not use the word gym to describe the health spa/retirement home you train in.

Ha ha! This gym has a squat rack It is the university gym that lacks the squat rack. Ooooh, I probably shouldn't tell you that this gym is also a tennis club. he he
I actually really like it though b/c the people are nice & the free weight area is never too crowded. If I have to chose, I'd rather have a gym that lacks a few pieces of equipment, but is never crowded (I can usually have both sides of the cable machine) rather than a gym with it all - but lots of meat-head-frat-boy-jerks sitting around on the equipment BS'ing about how cool they are (The university gym has plenty of those). Incidentally, you are right about the lack of back extention We also lack a captain's chair - but we just do hanging leg & knee raises)

The tennis club has the hammer strength chest-supported iso row (sitting up right), just not the T-bar.

Monster,
When you're saying '70 degrees' - I should be bent over at the hip just slightlly? So quad to chest would be about 135 degrees?

THANKS!!

 

[Arioch]

I would probably do that too Spatts if I did not have two chest supported t-bar rows in both of my gyms.

I can only do BB rows without some sort of support on weeks where I am not doing heavy good mornings. Even after two days, with recovery, my lower back is still fatigued enough that I cannot use a decent weight without cheating.

Oh, and Gladiola, not to gloat or anything, but in addition to all of the proper training equipment, and plenty of it, there is never more than three people in the gym when I am training, and two of them are cleaning.

But then I lift at a REAL university gym.



You can wedge the end of an Olympic bar into a corner and do rows this way. The old school term for them was corner rows, for obvious reasons. A shorter bar can be placed perpendicular to the Olympic bar just behind the plates and used as a handle, or you can use a variety of lat-machine handles.

 

[Gladiola]

OK, I'll try the 'corner rows'. Hands shoulder width?

Arioch - are you referring to the varsity weight lifting room at a university?

As I've mentioned - this is an ivy league school, but it's the student fitness center where I train, not the varsity weight room. Oh my is the lack of etiquette there ATROCIOUS! Plates & db's ALL OVER THE PLACE, I finally had a fit & put away EVERYTHING left sitting out the last time I was there.

 

[Arioch]

You know, it occurs to me that I graduated from one of the better universities myself. They had several squat racks. This is probably why in addition to producing numerous leading physicians, engineers, etc. they also have a superior athletic program. Amazing how the sports rake in the cash from the booster leagues.

Ok Spatts, so I missed it. I am in a hurry to start my long weekend.

 

[Gladiola]

Johns Hopkins.

http://www.jhu.edu/~recsport/Facilities/facilities.htm

 

[Gladiola]

Click the pic of the weight room -> that back right corner is where we did cleans.

In the back left side is the ONE cable machine with the ONE spot for doing pull-ups.

 

[Arioch]

Gladiola, I was referring specifically to the strength and conditioning gym, which is separate from the varisty gym or the gyms for the children of lesser gods.

Everything is clean, neat, and organized.

You know, it occurs to me that I even have a chest supported t-bar at home. My wife actually prefers to use the cable modification I mentioned, as she likes the narrow parallel grip handle. And she prefers the cable as it fits her biomechanical curve better than the handle I welded onto the t-bar.

 

[Gladiola]

We did the corner rows - but the easy curl bar didn't quite work as a handle (it was thick in the center & wouldn't have stayed even) so we used the small triangle-shaped grip. I REALLY felt it in my lower back, even though my low back was stable. The bar was also hitting us, um, in the, uh, crotch! ha ha, but it was just tapping me there- I could do a full row without being in pain.

We also used an incline bench for DB rows - I ended up putting my knees on the seat of the bench & then the bench was against my chest, but I didn't have to have my face squised into the bench. It worked perfectly. I honestly can't believe I hadn't thought of that before!

Thanks.

Arioch - I didn't even know there WAS yet another gym in addition to varsity & 'rec center' for the students. I'll have my friends look into it. Would be fun to train in an 'Asylum'-style place!

 

[Arioch]

Well, I do not know what they have there. Mine is, umm, exclusive. You pretty much need to be a strength athlete to use it. Yes, I am spoiled. So what.

You should not really be feeling it that much in the lower back. Make sure you are arched, keep the elbows in and as low as possible.

When doing db rows, I put both feet on the floor for stability, one hand on the bar in the power rack (a bench would work), and try very hard to keep my back parallel to the deck. To help this, I turn my head so I am looking at the shoulder that is immobile. This helps to keep me from rotating, along with the better base of support I have with both feet firmly planted.

 

[Gladiola]

Gladiola, my former "fitness center" had a couple 6-8 inch boxes for lunging. I used to put one on each side of the bar for corner rows, so my feet were elevated.

Spatts, you ROCK!
What a great idea! There were no boxes & only one aerobics step in the "gym" (aerobics class was in session & it woulda been rude to steal another step from in the studio) so we used BENCHES! ha ha

We put 45# plates on the floor to create a 'corner' in which to put the end of the bar & hopped up on those benches. I'm sure all the tennis playing retirees in the fitness center thought we were nuts! WHAT FUN!

I should bring my digital cam & post some pics of us in our QUEST FOR A LAT-SPREAD! Unfortunately it's a really cheap little camera, but it still might give you the idea.

Actually we both had our knees REALLY bent so maybe that was the problem? We were sitting back in a squat position. & Yup, I'm super uptight about form.

 

[Arioch]

I am bumping this simply because I recall the last couple of times I was at JH, the gym I used had several power racks and platforms. But then Bill Starr was still the S&C coach. If the new coach, whose name escapes me at the moment, is cast in the same mold, if state that you are serious about training and especially display an interest in PL/OL, he will probably let you know when his gym *might* be available to you.

 

[Gladiola]

I am bumping this simply because I recall the last couple of times I was at JH,

So you've come out of Hell a few times to vist Maryland?! Sorry, couldn't resist!

My rower friend actually had a friend suggest to him that he check out the varsity weight room. The semester is over next week, so I would suspect varsity athletes won't even be on campus & the REAL gym will be available more frequently. I'll talk to him & look into it.

I'm waiting for my bands to come in the mail right now. -- A birthday gift from that boyfriend of mine who doesn't want me getting bigger. Ah ah ha hah he he ahhh

 

[Arioch]

Tell him that the bands are for use in some sort of aerobics class so you don't have to lift as much and get too big. It sounds like he would fall for this.


And having a choice between Maryland and Hell, well, look where I still am.