Q: My gym has an old Nautilus behind-the-neck torso machine for lat work. It feels pretty good to me, better than cable pull-ins because you don’t use biceps. What do you think of it? Should I use it or stick with cable pull-ins?
A: I used that machine back in my college days when I belonged to a Nautilus gym. I recall liking it a lot—once I squeezed into the thing…
It does take the biceps out of the equation, which is good, but you’re driving your arms straight down. It would be better if your upper arms were starting slightly in front of your torso so that you’re pulling down and somewhat back…
It’s one reason I like stiff-arm cable lat pull-ins as a finisher after regular pull-ins—the pulleys are set high, wide and to the front of you (see pics below)…
That means you’re pulling down and into your torso, not straight back as with stiff-arm pulldowns with a bar cable attachment.
Here is the stiff-arm pull-in, then the two-arm pull-in that uses biceps after…
Even with its flaws, if I had the behind-the-neck-torso Nautilus machine, I would put it in my workout rotation periodically.
Heck, I still use the dumbbell incline under-grip row in the Old Man, Young Muscle workout, even though even though it’s somewhat inferior and I now have a cable set-up…
Why? Muscle-fiber-activation variation produces faster mass accumulation.
Your Efficient Mass-Building Handbook: For more mass-building tips like the above plus complete workouts that include the ideal exercise for each muscle and the best stretch and contracted add-on moves, get your copy of Old Man, Young Muscle.
And you still get The Muscle-On, Belly-Gone “Diet” ebook FREE for a limited time when you add Old Man, Young Muscle to your mass-building library. Go HERE.
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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