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COMPOUND
ROW
 MPEG:Compound
row
MPEG:Compound
row - 2
CORRECT FORM
1)
Sit in the chair with your back as straight as possible. The pad on
your chest should land right up against your sternum Grip the bar
with either a wide or narrow grip.
WIDE
GRIP
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NARROW
GRIP
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The seat should
be adjusted enough to force you to reach far enough that your shoulder
blades are spread apart.
2) Pull
back, initiating the movement by squeezing your shoulder
blades down and together.
Your shoulders should stay level and not shrug upward.
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You should
feel all of the fatigue in the middle of the back between the
shoulder blades.
4) Return the weight slowly by allowing your shoulder blades
to drift back out.
5) Exhale as you pull the bar toward you, inhale as the bar
returns. |
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6) The compound row can also be performed using a one-handed grip.
This is similar to the seated
row - single arm.
MUSCLES
USED
SAFETY
CONSIDERATIONS/PRECAUTIONS
You
should feel this primarily in your middle back, between and below
your shoulder blades.
It is very common to feel strain, fatigue or burning up closer to
the back of the shoulders (the posterior deltoid), or in the arms
(biceps/triceps). In this case, you are probably not beginning and
ending the movement by squeezing the shoulder blades together. Beginning
weight-lifters almost universally make this mistake.
Compound rows are considerably more safe than free-standing rows (seated
row and bent-over-barbell
rows), because the pad against your chest will offset the force
of the weight you are lifting. This will take the stress off of the
small lower back extensor muscles (erector spinae) and greatly reduce
the risk of lower back injury. The exercise is just as effective for
the upper back as the other row exercises.
EFFECTIVENESS
The
compound row is an excellent exercise for nearly every athlete or
recreational weight lifter. It builds up virtually every muscle in
the upper back in a very natural way.
Because you are not bent over, as in the T-Bar rows, it is much easier
to breathe, and usually the most comfortable way to perform a row
with lots of weight. This is essentially the bench press for the
back.
HELPFUL
WITH TRAINING FOR
Bodybuilding, Tennis,
Racquetball, Football,, Martial arts, Boxing, Basketball, Baseball
and all throwing sports, Golf, Wrestling. |
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