EXECUTION
- Assume an erect standing position holding a barbell with a reverse grip (palms facing forward) on extended arms and with the arms alongside the body.
- Lock your back in its normal curvature (slightly arched lumbar spine) and bend over from the hips until your back is level to the floor.
- Allow the arms to naturally move forward so that they hang vertically directly below the shoulders (this position also applies to using a Smith machine or a T-bar). Bend your knees as necessary for balance.
- When you are ready, inhale and hold your breath as you pull the barbell upward toward the midsection. Keep the elbows in line with the shoulders so that they are close to the body as you reach the end position.
- Pull the barbell up until it touches the waist or comes close to touching and with your elbows above the level of the back.
- Pull the elbows and shoulders up as high as possible and contract the back muscles hard as you reach the uppermost position. Exhale as you return to the starting position.
- Be sure to maintain the back level position as you pull upward through the full range of motion.
- It is important that the body remain in a stable position when executing the pull and that the torso remain level to the floor at all times. Do not dip down with the shoulders as you pull up.
- Bring the elbows upward and to the rear as you pull the barbell toward the midsection. Concentrate on pulling with the lower lats and not the biceps. The arms should bend as a consequence of the elbows rising up, not because you do a curling action.
- Pull upward as far as possible or until the bar touches the midsection. When the elbows are raised above the plane of your back and you retract the shoulders, you will strongly involve the upper lats, rhomboids and middle trapezius muscles.
- Fully extend your arms before beginning the next repetition. If you begin the pull with bent elbows you won’t work the muscles fully and you will compromise development.
- Don’t risk injury by using excessively heavy weights. If you do, your range of motion is shortened and you will have to jerk the weight to overcome its resting inertia. This could lead to lower back problems.
- With the reverse grip, keep the elbows in tight as you pull up. If you use the pronated grip there is a tendency for the elbows to move out which will detract from lower lat development.
- To help maintain the normal curvature of the spine (slight arch in the lower back), raise your head slightly to look down and in front. In all cases, do not look straight down, as this will create a tendency to round the back, which can then be injured during the pull.
WORKOUT TIPS
MAJOR MUSCLES INVOLVED
In the shoulder joint, the main muscles are the latissimus dorsi, teres major and rear deltoid. The latissimus dorsi is a large muscle covering the sides of the middle and lower back. The lower portion is most involved with the upper section coming into play at the end of the movement. The teres major is a relatively small round muscle that lies alongside the latissimus dorsi and has basically the same functions. The rear deltoid is located on the back of the shoulder and assists in the movement.
The major muscles involved in the shoulder girdle include the rhomboid and trapezius. The trapezius is a large muscle located in the middle of the back and is shaped like a large diamond running from the base of the neck to the twelfth thoracic vertebrae and to both edges of the scapula. The rhomboid lies underneath the trapezius in the middle of the back.
MUSCLE/JOINT ACTIONS
The main joint action is shoulder joint extension in which the arms remain in a vertical plane and move from a position below the body to a position alongside and above the trunk. The arms stay close to the sides of the body throughout the upper movement. To allow the arms to move above the level of the back, the scapula move inward via contraction of the rhomboids and middle trapezius. There is also slight downward rotation of the scapula due to contraction of the rhomboid and pectoralis minor. The lower latissimus dorsi is the main muscle pulling the arm upward and backward with the upper portion coming into play as the elbow goes above the level of the back.
SPORTS USES
In bodybuilding, the reverse grip bentover row is extremely important for development of the latissimus dorsi, teres major and mid-back (rhomboid and middle trapezius) muscles. When done through a full range of motion, no other exercise involves all these muscles as strongly as the reverse grip bentdown row.
The muscles and actions involved in this exercise are seen in all down and back movements of the arms. Thus, these actions are important in the act of pulling the arms and back as in basketball rebounding, hand balancing, rowing, archery, swimming, especially in the second half of the pull, wrestling, judo, football, rope climbing, and in tug-of-war. It is especially important in gymnastics when working on the rings, high bar, and unevens. This exercise is also important in keeping the shoulders back for better posture and for more effective execution of various skills involving the backward pull of the arm.