Q: I just read through the updated Quick Start Muscle 2.0. Great info! I’m starting the new at-home workout immediately. One question: What is an incline row, and does it work mid back or lats?
A: Training at home can be a challenge, so we tried to include the best exercises for all muscle groups in the at-home workouts, especially the advanced ones…
And the incline row is in that best-of-the-best category. Why?
Because if you perform it correctly, you train your mid-back’s stretch and contracted positions as well as your lats’ contracted position. And that makes for one of the most effective back attacks around.
We said “if you perform it correctly,” so what does that mean? You should move from a palms-facing to an under grip on each rep. Here’s the drill…
With a dumbbell in each hand and your chest supported on an incline bench, allow your arms to straighten with your palms facing and the DBs as close together as possible…
That will stretch the mid back. Now row, pulling the dumbbells out and up as your palms rotate forward—to an under grip…
When your upper arms move up next to your torso, squeeze your mid back and lats for a wicked contraction. Then return the dumbbells down to the palms-facing, stretch position.
In the new Quick-Start Muscle 2.0, we outline at-home workouts with only adjustable dumbbells and bench using slo-mo, speed, and STX—a moderate-weight, multiple-muscle-fiber-exhaustion method. The incline row is a key back mass move, along with pullovers for lat stretch…
Of course, the one-arm dumbbell row is an excellent alternative to incline rows—but you have to work one side at a time. Good for variation and new growth stimulation, but it takes more time.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
www.X-Rep.com
NO MORE SHOULDER PAIN
Shoulder pain can affect your workouts forever. That’s not good!
That’s why we’re recommending advice from injury specialist Rick Kaselj, MS. His tips can help make your shoulders nearly bullet-proof.
Here are a few general tips from Rick (he goes into more detail in his program)…
Top 5 Tips To Bullet-Proof Your Shoulders
- Build Tension in Your Lats. When doing shoulder exercises, activate your lats and keep your shoulders happy.
- Prime Up Your Muscles. Most people do a warm-up that just lubricates the joint, but you need to activate and turn on all the muscles in your upper body.
- Technique, Technique, Technique. This is the number one reason why people injure their shoulders. You can’t go to the gym every day and work on your max lift.
- Watch Out for Fatigue. Cooking your smaller muscles in your shoulder complex, and that increases the risk of shoulder injury and pain.
- Work on Your Shoulder Blade Muscles. Many strength coaches will say you’re wasting your time on this, but if you want to have bullet-proof shoulders, you need to work on them.
Get all of Rick’s tips and tricks for pain-free workouts below: