DEAD LIFT

With a barbell of appropriate weight on the floor, stand over it with feet approximately shoulder width apart. Keeping your back straight, squat down to grasp the bar with an overhand grip. Again, with back straight, slowly stand up using the power of your legs and glutes to stand up. DO NOT lock out your knees, and DO NOT lean backward at the top of the movement. Slowly lower the weight to the floor reversing the positive portion of the movement. Repeat for reps.

Dead Lift

BARBELL ROW

Lift a barbell off of the floor with an overhand grip, and bend forward with knees slightly bent and keeping your back straight. Maintaining this bent over position, slowly extend your arms all the way. Using the muscles of your upper back, NOT your arms, pull the barbell into your lower abdomen area right about at your belt line. Lower the weight slowly and repeat. This exercise can also be done with an underhand grip for a slightly different emphasis.

Barbell Row

DUMBBELL ROW

  • One Arm - Lean forward alongside a flat bench with the knee closest to the bench resting on the bench, and your upper body supported by resting the hand that is on the same side, on the bench. Keeping your back straight, grasp a dumbbell in your other hand, arm fully extended straight downward. As in the barbell row, above, using the muscles of your upper back, NOT your arm, slowly pull the dumbbell upwards until it is right beside your hip. Slowly lower the weight until your arm is once again fully extended, and repeat.

    One Arm Dumbbell Row

  • Two Arm - Stan with feet at approximately shoulder width. Lean slightly forward grasping two dumbbells with arms extended totally straight down. With knees slightly bent and Keeping your back straight, pull the weights upwards to a position beside your hips. Slowly lower and repeat.

    Two Arm Dumbbell Row

LAT PULL DOWN

Sitting on a pull down machine, or a bench with a pull down attachment, reach up and grab the pull down handle with either a palms up or palms down grip. If you use a bench with a pull down attachment, you may need to lean back a little in order to achieve full extension of your arms. Maintain this position throughout the exercise. Keeping your back straight, and shoulders back, slowly pull the bar down using the strength of your back, NOT your arms, until it nearly touches your chest. Slowly extend your arms to full extension, and repeat for reps. This exercise can also be done so that the handle is pulled down to a position behind your head. However, if you have a flexibility problem or pain in your shoulders when performing this exercise behind the neck, than stick with regular pull downs.

Lat Pull Down

PULLOVERS

Lie back on a flat bench with your head hanging over the end. Grasp a dumbbell lengthwise with one end hooked between your thumbs, or a barbell with a close overhand grip. With the weight extended at arms length above your chest, slowly lower your arms upward to a position beyond the top of your head as you lay on the bench. Reverse the movement to raise the weight, and repeat for reps.

Dumbbell Pullovers


PULL-UPS

Stand directly below a pull-up bar. Reach up and grasp the bar with an overhand grip, (palms facing away from you), hands roughly shoulder width apart. Keeping your body straight, with no swinging or kicking, pull yourself up until your chin is just above the bar, then lower yourself back down under control. Do not let your feet touch the floor to support your weight at the bottom. If the bar is low enough, or your legs are long enough to touch the floor, then bend your knees to keep your feet from touching. Repeat for reps. This exercise can be done with an underhand grip, (palms facing you), and is commonly referred to as a chin-up when done this way. You may utilize a wider grip, or a more narrow grip to alter the effect on your muscles.

Pull UpsChin Ups


SPRING EXERCISER

Spring Exercisers are often sold as a "Chest Expander" or "Chest Developer", but that is misleading as the movement and resistance using this piece of equipment targets the upper back and rear deltoids.

For this movement, stand straight with feet shoulder width. Hold one handle of the spring developer in each hand with arms straight out in front of your body and elbows slightly flexed. Using the strength of your upper back and rear shoulders, pull your arms apart and back in a slow steady arcing motion until they are spread open out to your sides. Slowly bring your arms back to the starting position and repeat for reps.


Workouts That Work