Wanna be Wide!

[Gladiola]

LATS! I want wider ones! I've wanted them for a while. They seem to be the only muscle that hasn't visibally grown the past several months!

Back is once a week (like everything else) & usually consists of, 4 sets of each:

1. Wide grip Pull-ups (assisted, unfortunately)
OR Lat pull downs (wide grip)

2 row exercises:
Seated rows on the cable machine
Hammer strength equipment rows
dead row w/ barbell
one arm rown (lawnmower pull)

Shrugs (I do them about 70% of the time, sometimes super set them with one of the row exercises)

Rear delt flies.

Yes, I go heavy, of course! Any tips on getting that nice width?
Thanks

 

[Gladiola]

Chest supported or t-bar row

I love this exercise, but none of the 4 gyms where I routinely workout have this machine!!
To simulate it, I've used the easy curl bar on the cable machine with the pully down low - so the angle was similar to a t-bar row, but it actually felt a bit awkward.

As for width on the dead row, I usually go about shoulder width. You think that's good?
I was also going to add in a close grip pull down, which I've never done. I suppose I always thought that would hit more rhomboids than lats to go really narrow (palms almost touching - on that one triangle shaped attachment).

 

[The Shadow]

Don't neglect medial delts either...

 

[Gladiola]

Don't neglect medial delts either...

They are done on chest & shoulders day (lateral raise, military press, upright row, etc.)

The Hammer Strength Machine is actually a seated row - chest against a pad. The 2 sides move indepentently.

I thought of using a barbell on the floor for T-bar row, but wasn't sure if using that handle would work. I'll have to try it.

I think doing negatives for biceps & drops sets of lateral raises has really helped my growth for bis & medial delts. There is definitely noticable growth there.

I just can't get those darn lats to GROW visibally (actually I AM getting stronger).

 

[Arioch]

You can quasi-improvise a chest supported row by either doing conventional barbell rows while face down on an incline bench, or setting the bench up in front of a low pulley and then you can use a variety of handles.

No squat rack, no chest supported row, without a doubt no reverse hyper or glute-ham raise. You really should not use the work gym to describe the health spa/retirement home you train in.

 

[The_Monster]

Damn the "support" on the T-bar rows. The meat of your back is built from the multi-muscle spirit of that exercise.

Take a barbell, pout on end against the wall and have someone stand with the wall part between their feet (so it doesnt roll.
Load up the free end and use a close grip pulldown handle to grip it. Row away.
That and barbell rows done at about 70 degrees are the heart and soul of back work . Dont be fooled by people who bend all the way over for barbell rows, keep at 70degrees and youll feel it in your lats.
IF you have anything left in you, add some pullups/pulldowns.

(dont forget deadlifts. Theyre another multi-joint move that is reliant on the entire back structure...)

 

[Gladiola]

You really should not use the word gym to describe the health spa/retirement home you train in.

Ha ha! This gym has a squat rack It is the university gym that lacks the squat rack. Ooooh, I probably shouldn't tell you that this gym is also a tennis club. he he
I actually really like it though b/c the people are nice & the free weight area is never too crowded. If I have to chose, I'd rather have a gym that lacks a few pieces of equipment, but is never crowded (I can usually have both sides of the cable machine) rather than a gym with it all - but lots of meat-head-frat-boy-jerks sitting around on the equipment BS'ing about how cool they are (The university gym has plenty of those). Incidentally, you are right about the lack of back extention We also lack a captain's chair - but we just do hanging leg & knee raises)

The tennis club has the hammer strength chest-supported iso row (sitting up right), just not the T-bar.

Monster,
When you're saying '70 degrees' - I should be bent over at the hip just slightlly? So quad to chest would be about 135 degrees?

THANKS!!

 

[Arioch]

I would probably do that too Spatts if I did not have two chest supported t-bar rows in both of my gyms.

I can only do BB rows without some sort of support on weeks where I am not doing heavy good mornings. Even after two days, with recovery, my lower back is still fatigued enough that I cannot use a decent weight without cheating.

Oh, and Gladiola, not to gloat or anything, but in addition to all of the proper training equipment, and plenty of it, there is never more than three people in the gym when I am training, and two of them are cleaning.

But then I lift at a REAL university gym.



You can wedge the end of an Olympic bar into a corner and do rows this way. The old school term for them was corner rows, for obvious reasons. A shorter bar can be placed perpendicular to the Olympic bar just behind the plates and used as a handle, or you can use a variety of lat-machine handles.

 

[Gladiola]

OK, I'll try the 'corner rows'. Hands shoulder width?

Arioch - are you referring to the varsity weight lifting room at a university?

As I've mentioned - this is an ivy league school, but it's the student fitness center where I train, not the varsity weight room. Oh my is the lack of etiquette there ATROCIOUS! Plates & db's ALL OVER THE PLACE, I finally had a fit & put away EVERYTHING left sitting out the last time I was there.

 

[Arioch]

You know, it occurs to me that I graduated from one of the better universities myself. They had several squat racks. This is probably why in addition to producing numerous leading physicians, engineers, etc. they also have a superior athletic program. Amazing how the sports rake in the cash from the booster leagues.

Ok Spatts, so I missed it. I am in a hurry to start my long weekend.