Vertical chest row with a wide grip. Technique for performing overhead pull-downs to the chest and behind the head using a different grip. Jerks, cheating, injuries

Upper block pull

Wide grip lat row

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The wide overhead row or cable row with a shoulder-width grip is one of the exercises for the back. It was originally invented for those who cannot perform pull-ups due to heavy body weight or muscle weakness. It found application first in rehabilitation, then in bodybuilding. Compared to the pull-up, this exercise allows you to work the muscles from a slightly different angle, eliminating the work of the hip flexors and muscles of the center of the body and focusing completely on the back.

Purpose and working muscles

The purpose of performing wide grip rows is to work the latissimus dorsi muscles. With the correct technique, bringing the shoulder blades closer to the spine, the rhomboid muscles are also involved. This helps correct minor postural disorders and helps you perform better in other back exercises. Additional flexion of the arms is carried out through the biceps; the muscles of the palms and forearm are used through the grip.

Workout Features

The place of the exercise in the training plan depends on the level of the practitioner and whether he performs deadlifts and pull-ups.

Beginners

Usually, a beginner's pull-up is an exercise in a gravitron or with a rubber band. But it also causes significant fatigue. It is advisable to alternate between pull-ups and wide-grip pull-downs from workout to workout. If a beginner is doing a fullbody program, pull-ups are performed on day A, rows are performed 72 hours later, and so on.

Average level

Usually at this level the deadlift is mastered and performed, and the pull-up is done as a warm-up movement. In this case, the block row can be the second exercise in the back complex. This is biomechanically more comfortable than doing any variation of the belt row after a deadlift. This approach somewhat compensates for the compression load on the spine and makes you feel more comfortable.

Advanced level

Here, block pulls can be the first exercise in the plan, it all depends on the specialization of the athlete and the goal of the training. This is usually what happens when drying.

Exercise technique and variations

Classic pull block

The seat of the machine must be adjusted so that the hips can slide freely under the support pads to provide resistance to lifting. First, the desired height is selected and adjustments are made. After this, grab the handle of the exercise machine with your hands in a position wider than your shoulders. If the trainee is short or has short arms, it makes sense to grab not the notched or rubber handles, but where it is convenient, but wider than the shoulders. The grip is classic. If your hands are weak, you can cover your thumb with four fingers to provide support. Sometimes wrist straps are used, but this is a very undesirable option.

Sitting on a bench, you need to lean back a little and take a “neutral back” position (push the front abdominal wall inward to reduce the deflection in the lower back, slightly pull the shoulder blades so that the heads of the shoulders turn). Next, you need to imagine that the shoulder blades are “pulled” towards the spine and begin to bring them together quite rigidly. This is the beginning of the movement, followed by additional work (“finishing”) by bending the arms at the elbow joints. At the final point of contraction, the muscles must be tightened. Next is the same controlled eccentric phase.

Beginners need to eliminate inertial movements and traction by deepening the backward tilt. More advanced practitioners can use inertia if explosive style work is needed, but the starting point of the movement does not change.

Exercise variations are the Hammer bar row and the overhead pull-down with a MAG handle.

The wide-grip vertical block row pumps the upper latissimus dorsi muscles and also engages the rhomboid and trapezius back muscles. The purpose of this exercise is to increase the width of the back.

Execution technique

Set the optimal height of the support rollers for the legs of the block exercise machine in the vertical row: they should firmly fix the hips, preventing them from coming off the bench during the vertical row with a wide grip. The pelvis must be placed on the seat so that the upper block and bar are in front of the chest, and not above you, so that you can perform vertical rows with a wide grip in the correct vector of movement.
Raise yourself slightly, grab the ends of a long bar with an overhand grip, or use wrist straps or straps to secure your arms, which significantly remove the load on your forearms when performing vertical rows with a wide grip, thereby transferring the load to the latissimus dorsi muscles. Pull the block down, sit on the seat of the machine and place your hips directly under the bolsters to stabilize you while sitting.
The torso and arms should be straight, and the shoulders should be slightly raised. The position of the body resembles the letter “U”. The thighs are firmly secured between the bolsters and the seat, while your feet need to rest on the floor.
Tighten the muscles of the belt and do not hold them tense until the end of the vertical row approach - it is the lumbar muscles that ensure fixation of the torso in a straightened position.
Take a deep breath and stop breathing. Tighten your latissimus dorsi muscles and, bringing your shoulder blades together, pull the bar straight down.
The elbows should follow a strictly parallel path, along the sides and look to the sides and back. When the bar reaches your shoulders, stop briefly and tighten your latissimus dorsi muscles even more. Then slowly return the bar in the reverse order of movements.
From above, again perform a short delay - this will help to better stretch the muscle fascia of the latissimus dorsi muscles.

Whenever you start a wide-grip vertical pull-down, check yourself: your arms and body must be fully straightened, and your shoulders slightly raised. This starting position will provide maximum range of motion and concentrate the load on the upper part of the latissimus dorsi muscles.
The wider the grip, the more the upper part of the latissimus muscles is activated, the formation of which determines the width of your back. With a narrow grip, the load is concentrated on the bottom of the latissimus muscles. The best distance between your palms should be about 50 cm wider than your shoulders.
To target the top of your lats, always keep your torso level and pull the block straight down. By moving your torso back, you shift the load to the rear deltoids and lower latissimus dorsi muscles.
Stopping your breath during a wide-grip upright row helps keep your torso straight and allows you to generate stronger force and makes the exercise safer.
The downward pull of the block begins with the bringing of the shoulder blades towards each other, then the elbows are included in the work, which go straight down.
Pull the block down to shoulder or upper chest level.
When rowing a vertical block, do not engage your biceps. The role of the biceps in this exercise is to stabilize the elbow joint.

Application

Intended for: Experienced athletes with at least 1 year of training experience.

When: At the beginning of training the back muscles, after pull-ups with weights. After completing the wide-grip vertical rows, perform bent-over rows and horizontal rows.

How many: 4 sets of 10–12 reps.

Video - Vertical row in a block machine with a wide grip

The lat pulldown is one of the basic exercises for developing the latissimus dorsi muscles.

This exercise is identical to pull-ups on a horizontal bar, but, unlike regular pull-ups, the body remains in place, and the bar moves along a certain path.

It is advisable to leave rowing in the block until the end of the workout precisely in order to finally “finish off” the back muscles.

So, let's begin a detailed look at this exercise, starting with an overview of the muscle groups that are involved in performing the movements.

The upper block pull has an advantage over the horizontal bar in terms of accessibility and the ability to adjust the weight. For example, a beginner will not be able to do three sets of pull-ups on a horizontal bar for 8-12 repetitions.

Therefore, at the initial stage, the lat pulldown will be an ideal exercise for increasing strength and building muscles. After some time, there will be no difficulties with pull-ups.

For girls, the block pull is an excellent exercise that allows you to make your back muscles more prominent and create a beautiful back contour.

What muscles work

In the lat pulldown, the load depends directly on the grip you use on the bar.

The load varies depending on the choice of grip, but in any of these exercises the following muscles are worked: latissimus, posterior deltoids, trapezius, rhomboids, biceps and forearms.

Execution options

First of all, the exercise is characterized by grip. According to the position of the hands on the handle, it can wash:

wide,
narrow;
parallel.

In this case, the handle can be held with your palms facing you or away from you.

Correct technique

Wide grip lat row

Stand in front of the machine and grab the bar of the machine with a wide grip (the grip should be much wider than your shoulders). Often there are bends at the ends of the handle, in this case, grab where the bend is.

Next, you should sit down so that the bolster for supporting your legs rests firmly on your hips and does not allow upward movements of the body. In this case, it is necessary to maintain the position of the body so that the natural curve in the lower back is preserved.

After this, with a powerful and smooth movement, pull the bar to your upper chest by abducting your elbows. The forearms should move vertically along the body.

Try to pull the bar by contracting your back muscles, bringing your shoulder blades together as much as possible. At the bottom point, pause for a second to achieve peak muscle contraction.

Lowering the weight should be done while exhaling. The upward movement should occur smoothly and under control; it is advisable to perform the ascent phase more slowly than the lowering phase.

Try to stretch your muscles as much as possible when lifting the bar. The movement is carried out while inhaling. It is important not to straighten your arms completely and not to lift your buttocks off the bench.

The weight of the weight should be selected so that the exercise is performed without swinging the body (without cheating).

When performed correctly, the exercise places the load on the lower part of the lats.

Grasp the bar with a narrow grip, palms facing yourself. The position of the legs is standard - the bolster for resting the legs lies firmly on the hips, the natural curve in the lower back should also be preserved.

With a powerful movement without jerking, pull the bar exactly to your upper chest. Try to pull only by contracting your back muscles.

At the bottom point, pause for a second. Lowering the weight should be done while exhaling. Slowly and under control, return the bar to the starting position.

During this exercise, a significant load is placed on the biceps. Since these muscles are much smaller and inferior in strength to the back muscles, deadlifts are limited by biceps fatigue.

Parallel Grip Row

To perform the exercise with a parallel grip, use a handle with parallel handles (usually used for rows on the lower block).

Technically, this exercise is one of the simplest of all types of overhead pull-downs. This is why you can use much more weight than with rows with a different grip.

The technique is identical to that used for reverse grip rows. For maximum muscle development, it is also advisable to use wrist straps.

perform the movement under control, pull the weight with your back muscles, not your biceps, and at the end point bring your shoulder blades together as much as possible;
lower the bar to the top of the pectoral muscles;
elbows should move along the body;
the deviation of the body from the vertical should be insignificant;
when working with large weights, it is advisable to use wrist straps;
do not lower your head down while performing the deadlift;
try to perform the exercise smoothly, without jerking - otherwise there is a risk of injury;
At the lowest point, tense your muscles as much as possible and pause for a second.

In 2010, the University of Pennsylvania conducted a study on the effects of lat pulldowns on the back muscles.

It has been confirmed that this type of exercise effectively develops the latissimus dorsi muscles and the upper back in general. It turned out that the development of back width is equally well influenced by both the widest grip and the medium one.

The exercise is designed to develop the back muscles that lie closer to its central part, and has a weak effect on the outer side of the latissimus muscles. In addition, with this form of execution, the biceps are also involved, and much stronger than with a standard grip, which also needs to be taken into account. The exercise will not give much muscle mass, and is not intended for beginners, for whom there is no particular need to separate and give relief to the muscles.

The latissimus dorsi, or rather their inner parts, the rhomboid major and minor muscles.
Auxiliary: biceps brachii.

Equipment

Block exercise machine with the ability to perform upper rows.

Execution technique

Grasp the handle of the cable of the exercise machine with an underhand grip, your palms facing you, the back of your hands turned in the opposite direction. The distance between the hands is approximately equal to the length of your forearm from wrist to elbow, no more.
Sit on the seat, place your legs under the knee rest, fix them there, place your feet on the floor. Starting position – sitting, arms extended upward, elbows bent, weights of the simulator raised.
Without bending back at the waist, while inhaling, pull the handle of the cable towards you, ensuring the correct range of movement of your arms. The elbows should move strictly in the plane of the machine cable, without deviating in any direction. Having pulled the handle to the top of the chest, try to touch it with your chest, feeling at this time a strong contraction of the muscles being trained. After holding for several seconds, release the handle upward, slower than you pulled it.
Exhale as you move your arms up. Constantly keep your back muscles tense and do not let the cable pull your arms behind you. At the top point, fully straighten your elbows, try to feel how the load stretches the muscles. Then repeat the exercise again with the same technique.

Main mistakes

Work with the lower back, involving at least three non-target muscles in the exercise, abducting the elbows to the sides, which greatly changes the biomechanics of the entire exercise. Flexion and extension of the hands, which leads to excessive stress on weak wrist joints, and rounding of the back forward, which also adversely affects technique.

Sequence

When training the back muscles, it is better to put work on the block at the very end of the training, after exercises with a barbell, and if you have planned other variations of block pull, then after all of them.

Video “Close Grip Lat Pulldown”

Borrow initial position- Sit facing the machine. Take the handles with a narrow grip. Straighten your arms and back.

Take a breath. Push your chest forward and pull the handles towards your chest, slightly tilting your torso.
Exhale at the bottom of the exercise;

The lat pulldown to the chest fully works the latissimus and teres major muscles. Like other lat pull-downs, it works the biceps, trapezius and rear deltoids. Unlike various wide-grip lat pull-downs, this exercise involves the biceps more in the work.

This exercise is one of the varieties of lat pull-downs to develop the back muscles. Close-grip lat pull-downs are thought to emphasize back thickness rather than width. In addition, this exercise is more suitable for targeted development of lagging muscle bundles than for a general increase in their volume and strength. We can say that this exercise is more suitable for experienced athletes who already have good basic training and want to pump up their back thickness. For beginners, it is better to pay attention to the more classic rows of the upper block with a wide grip to the chest. However, even beginners would do well to perform this exercise from time to time to prevent addiction to the same type of exercises, which are pull-ups and wide-grip rows.

The optimal place for this exercise in back training is at the end of the workout, after pull-ups, free weight exercises and other pulling exercises in the block. Since the biceps does not weakly assist the lats when pulling the upper block with a narrow grip, the working weight can be relatively large. An important point regarding the grip is that the exercise must be performed with a handle in which the palms are facing each other, in other words, a neutral grip. There is also the option of traction of the upper block with ropes. The option with ropes is characterized by small working weights to avoid wrist injuries. A narrow grip with a straight handle does not make sense; with such a grip it is almost impossible to move the elbows back, thus the back practically does not work. In addition, a narrow grip on a straight handle is fraught with overload in the wrist joints.

The main thing you need to pay attention to when doing close grip rows is the movement of your elbows. The goal of the deadlift is to pull the elbows back and retract the shoulder blades. The movement itself should start from the elbows, the main task is to bring the shoulder blades together, and not to pull the hands to the chest. At the top point, you need to relax your arms and back as much as possible and stretch your muscles. Some athletes perform this exercise with their shoulder blades retracted in all phases; this limits the amplitude, which means the muscles will be less well developed.
When performing this exercise, it is important to monitor the angle of your back. Do not lean too far back, as this will reduce the load on the latissimus muscles, moving it to the back extensors.