My daughter was over with her gigantic dog. He was chasing my two terriers around as she checked out my new cable setup…
“Dad, I know you like the one-arm cable pull-in for lats, but one-arm exercises take too long. Can’t I use both arms at once?”
“I do them with both arms every so often, but the science says that one-limb movements are best because of something called the bi-lateral deficit. Mr. America Doug Brignole reminded me of that, and it makes a difference.”
“Do you think it’s a big difference?”
“Hard to say how much. The rationale is that you’re weaker when you use both arms at once. That’s bi-lateral deficit. So when you use only one arm or one leg, you can better focus, and your nervous system responds by firing more muscle fibers.”
“So you’re stronger with one arm on the lat pull-ins?”
“Yes. Plus, you can twist your torso a bit toward the pulley as you pull to get the true range of motion for the lat. Even though I have a cable machine now, I still do them freehand once in a while because the resistance curve is more accurate—harder at the bottom stretch, easier at the top contracted.”
“But what about mid back. Do you do those one arm at a time?”
“For some exercises you have to use two limbs. The scapulae-retraction move is one of those—also dumbbell decline presses and sissy squats.”
“How about alternating arms on the scapulae squeezes and even decline presses?”
“Decline presses would be awkward, so fiber activation would be diminished, not enhanced. It might work on the scapulae retractions. But to tell you the truth, I’m not a big fan of alternating arms or legs on exercises.”
“How come? I thought you said Brignole likes alternate dumbbell curls as an ideal biceps exercise.”
“He does—and he’s not wrong. I do them on the cable machine every so often. But for me, resting one arm as you do a rep with the other diffuses continuous tension. Most of the time I prefer to work one arm all the way through the sets, then do the other arm. Continuous reps produce continuous tension.”
“That takes a lot of time.”
“Not really. Three to four sets with 20-second rests between. That’s about four minutes per side.”
“Right. That’s pretty quick. Even if you do an add-on exercise for two sets of stretch work, that only adds another two to three minutes.”
“Yes, I work my entire back in less than 15 minutes, give or take. That includes a few sets of shrugs—but not spinal erectors. I do those on leg day.”
“I really like the cable machine. Can I come over and work out on it?”
“Sure. Your dog is giving mine a workout, so it’s an even trade.”
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Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
Steve Holman
Former Editor in Chief, Iron Man Magazine
www.X-Rep.com
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