Exercise that builds the thickness of the latissimus dorsi. We are talking about technique and other useful nuances that will improve your progress in bodybuilding.
What is Bent-Over Row?
This type of deadlift is often used in their training programs by both experienced professional weightlifters and young novice athletes. By intensively loading the maximum number of muscles, you can in a relatively short time increase your endurance, improve strength indicators and acquire a masculine relief of the torso. That is why the standing barbell row is included in their training by men who want to achieve a voluminous, powerful, pumped back with beautifully defined muscles. But often girls also perform this exercise. After all, the graceful, graceful line of the back successfully complements their athletic fit figure.
For safety reasons, bodybuilding beginners are strongly advised not to use large barbell weights in this deadlift at once. First, you need to work out the correct technique for performing this exercise, which will take some time. Later, having mastered the competent implementation of traction, you can gradually increase the working weight of the projectile.
What muscle groups does the bent-over row train train?
Due to the fact that this exercise is basic, it involves several muscle groups at once. This has a positive effect on the harmonious development of the entire body of the athlete, causes a powerful response of the hormonal system and contributes to a rapid increase in the number and volume of muscle fibers. Having perfected competent technique, with a barbell weight adequate to its level, the athlete involves in the work:
- latissimus and deltoid muscles of the back;
- large round muscles of the back and extensors;
- flexors of the arms;
- rhomboid muscles and trapezius muscles.
It is thanks to this multifunctional back training that you can achieve powerful muscle growth in the upper body. By modifying the grip or the angle of the torso, athletes work out the back from all sides and at different intensities.
Correct Bent-Over Row Technique
To get the most out of this deadlift, you first need to master the correct technique for performing it. Otherwise, without observing the basic tenets of this exercise, you can easily harm your spine and injure your back. Therefore, the main thing to remember is the correct position of the body in the starting position. This will affect not only the safety of the athlete, but also the effectiveness of the exercise itself. To obtain the desired result, when performing the deadlift, you need to bend your knees, tilt your torso forward almost to parallel with the floor. When using large weights, it will be difficult to do this without undue tension in the lower back, so at first, a smaller angle of inclination will be enough. It is especially important to maintain a straight back line with a natural curve in the spine. Rounding the back in this exercise, you can easily injure it with all the ensuing sad consequences. To keep the spine in an even position, without rounding, it is necessary to direct the gaze straight in front of you, without looking down.
In the correct starting position, the hands seem to hang over the barbell, being perpendicular to the floor and body of the athlete. The classic is the average distance between the hands in the grip, equal to about the width of the shoulders. The smaller it is, the more is the load on the biceps, but at the same time the amplitude of movement increases. And, conversely, with a wide grip, the muscles of the back are more tense, but the length of the movement performed decreases.
With the correct starting position, the bar will be slightly below or at the level of the knees. Leaving the body motionless, the barbell is pulled up almost until the bar touches the stomach. During the entire range of motion, the elbows should be pressed as close to the body as possible, and the shoulder blades should be brought together as much as possible. At the top point, it is advisable to contract the muscles of the back, straining the shoulder blades.
Recommendations and nuances for performing bent-over barbell rows
To get the maximum benefit and effective result from this exercise, you must follow a few basic rules:
Correct technique is the foundation of safe and effective training. Therefore, you should always observe its basic conditions: an even, bent back without bending, barely bent knees, a gaze directed clearly forward, elbows and shoulder blades pressed to the torso during the entire movement and, especially, at the top point of the amplitude.
Correct sports breathing plays an important role. The exhalation should always be done with maximum effort. When mastering competent technique and increasing the weight of the barbell, it is recommended to use special weightlifting straps to support the hands.
At the lowest point of the range of motion of the barbell, you cannot straighten your arms to the end, inserting the elbow joint. When doing this, always keep your elbows slightly bent. In this case, you can avoid injury and keep your arms tense throughout the entire row.
At the initial stage of mastering the technique, many athletes automatically pull the barbell, taken with a direct grip to the chest, spreading the elbows to the sides. At the same time, the load is practically removed from the large muscles of the back and the effectiveness of the exercise decreases significantly. Therefore, beginners are advised to use a reverse grip, which eliminates the possibility of elbow spreading, while simultaneously honing the correct performance of pull-up movements. Later, as the technique improves, pressing the elbows to the body as much as possible, you can move on to the classic grip, getting the maximum result from each approach. The alternation of reverse and direct grip is also effective.
You need to start with a small number of repetitions in each workout. Having mastered the correct execution technique, you can gradually increase the working weight of the bar and the number of approaches.
Denis Borisov talks about the bent-over barbell row in this story:
