Ladies, have you ever noticed those women in halter tops or bikinis with wide and well defined backs and shoulders? With the right training, that wide sexy back can be yours by training your latissimus dorsi and rear deltoids with either barbell or dumbbell rows.
If you have access to barbells, try Bent Barbell Rows which work your lats, arms and upper back.
Here’s how to do a bent or bent over barbell row:
Start with your barbell on the floor, and you squatting down in front and above it. The bar should be above your feet and close to your shins. Keep your head slightly upward and eyes looking forward past the bar. Keep your back straight, chest up and feet shoulder-width apart.
Your knees should remain stable and bent throughout the movement, grab the bar either overhand or underhand slightly wider than shoulder width. Pull the bar to your chest as you bring your shoulder blades and elbows back. Don’t straighten your knees as this is a bent row.
After you bring the bar up to your chest (row), lower it at a slow comfortable pace back to the start and repeat. Lower the bar fully with each rep, but stop just short of full extension in order to avoid overextending your elbow joint.
Another option that widens and tones your lats and back is the One-Arm Dumbbell Row.
Here’s how to do a one-arm dumbbell row:
Find a sturdy bench and place one knee and one hand on the bench and your opposite foot flat on the floor. Reach down and grab your dumbbell with your free hand in an overhand grip with your palm facing your body.
While keeping your back straight and parallel to the floor pull the dumbbell upward in a straight line while keeping your elbow close to your body. Slowly lower the dumbbell back down to the starting position and repeat this movement until you reach the number of repetitions. Move to the other side of the bench and repeat with the other arm.
Rows performed with barbells and dumbbells effectively stimulate all of the major muscles of your back. When performed correctly these rowing exercises stimulate the latissimus dorsi, the rhomboids, trapezius muscles, rear deltoids, and the arm flexors (biceps) muscles. Proper form of the exercise is important for both safety and level of effectiveness. As with any exercise, the weight you use should never hinder the correct form of the exercise, and don’t add jerking or swinging body movements in an attempt to train with weights that are too heavy.
