I have a problem with Bent Over Barbell Rows. I use them to target my Mid Trap/Rhomboid area but for some reason I seem to feel most of the tension in my Upper Lats. My technique seems ok. And I use a light weight to hit 12 reps with a 3 second hold at the top of each rep as I retract my shoulder blades.
Anyone have an idea as to why I feel it in my Upper Lats more than my Mid Trap/rhomboids?
try with an overhand grip and row to above your bellybutton
with all rowing movements
rowing low to hips = more lats
rowing higher = more other shit
also try with a shorter hold lol, 3 secs sounds like some bitchass shit
Well at the moment I row to upper abs/lower chest level. And also I use a 3 second hold at the top because the Traps respond really well to isometric tension.
take a bar. Use very light weight.
do 15 reps to your belly button.
then do 15 reps to your sternum.
then do 15 reps to your chest.
which one activated the area you are looking to target?
Row to that area with your normal weight.
try underhand grip, i find the underhand hits the lats more, as in the outer and lower portions of the back, where as an overhand grip almost forces me to row higher and hit more the mid of the back.
Try bending over more/less as well this can affect the tension on the muscle greatly. Or just dont do barbell rows, i never liked them much for going heavy, always preffered a nice cable or db row.
[quote]bignate wrote:
try underhand grip, i find the underhand hits the lats more, as in the outer and lower portions of the back, where as an overhand grip almost forces me to row higher and hit more the mid of the back.
Try bending over more/less as well this can affect the tension on the muscle greatly. Or just dont do barbell rows, i never liked them much for going heavy, always preffered a nice cable or db row.[/quote]
But Barbell Rows are perfect for hitting the Mid Back area, if your talking about a Db Row where u bend over a bench with one knee and one hand supported underneath then that actually targets the Lats, not the area I want to hit. To be honest there isn’t really a massive variety of exercises that hit mostly the Mid Trap/Rhombiod area. But to hit them on Back day these exercises are on my program -
Bent Over Rows
Chest Supported Rows (machine)
Reverse Flyes
Face Pulls
Deadlifts/Rackpulls
[quote]Bailey H wrote:
[quote]bignate wrote:
try underhand grip, i find the underhand hits the lats more, as in the outer and lower portions of the back, where as an overhand grip almost forces me to row higher and hit more the mid of the back.
Try bending over more/less as well this can affect the tension on the muscle greatly. Or just dont do barbell rows, i never liked them much for going heavy, always preffered a nice cable or db row.[/quote]
But Barbell Rows are perfect for hitting the Mid Back area, if your talking about a Db Row where u bend over a bench with one knee and one hand supported underneath then that actually targets the Lats, not the area I want to hit. To be honest there isn’t really a massive variety of exercises that hit mostly the Mid Trap/Rhombiod area. But to hit them on Back day these exercises are on my program -
Bent Over Rows
Chest Supported Rows (machine)
Reverse Flyes
Face Pulls
Deadlifts/Rackpulls[/quote]
BTN pulldowns
[quote]phishfood1128 wrote:
[quote]Bailey H wrote:
[quote]bignate wrote:
try underhand grip, i find the underhand hits the lats more, as in the outer and lower portions of the back, where as an overhand grip almost forces me to row higher and hit more the mid of the back.
Try bending over more/less as well this can affect the tension on the muscle greatly. Or just dont do barbell rows, i never liked them much for going heavy, always preffered a nice cable or db row.[/quote]
But Barbell Rows are perfect for hitting the Mid Back area, if your talking about a Db Row where u bend over a bench with one knee and one hand supported underneath then that actually targets the Lats, not the area I want to hit. To be honest there isn’t really a massive variety of exercises that hit mostly the Mid Trap/Rhombiod area. But to hit them on Back day these exercises are on my program -
Bent Over Rows
Chest Supported Rows (machine)
Reverse Flyes
Face Pulls
Deadlifts/Rackpulls[/quote]
BTN pulldowns[/quote]
What are BTN Pulldowns?
[quote]Bailey H wrote:
[quote]bignate wrote:
try underhand grip, i find the underhand hits the lats more, as in the outer and lower portions of the back, where as an overhand grip almost forces me to row higher and hit more the mid of the back.
Try bending over more/less as well this can affect the tension on the muscle greatly. Or just dont do barbell rows, i never liked them much for going heavy, always preffered a nice cable or db row.[/quote]
But Barbell Rows are perfect for hitting the Mid Back area, if your talking about a Db Row where u bend over a bench with one knee and one hand supported underneath then that actually targets the Lats, not the area I want to hit. To be honest there isn’t really a massive variety of exercises that hit mostly the Mid Trap/Rhombiod area. But to hit them on Back day these exercises are on my program -
Bent Over Rows
Chest Supported Rows (machine)
Reverse Flyes
Face Pulls
Deadlifts/Rackpulls[/quote]
Have you tried T-bar rows with the V grip? I feel those in my mid back the most. Also seated cable rows with a Vgrip or narrow underhand grip. Nice little pause and focused scap retraction. I was messing around with my bands during a back workout and they helped with activation. I choked a light band around the power rack and did a neutral grip row to the lower chest with a hold. Did a few reps then moved into a set of seated cable rows and I really noticed a difference in mid back activation.
[quote]Bailey H wrote:
[quote]phishfood1128 wrote:
[quote]Bailey H wrote:
[quote]bignate wrote:
try underhand grip, i find the underhand hits the lats more, as in the outer and lower portions of the back, where as an overhand grip almost forces me to row higher and hit more the mid of the back.
Try bending over more/less as well this can affect the tension on the muscle greatly. Or just dont do barbell rows, i never liked them much for going heavy, always preffered a nice cable or db row.[/quote]
But Barbell Rows are perfect for hitting the Mid Back area, if your talking about a Db Row where u bend over a bench with one knee and one hand supported underneath then that actually targets the Lats, not the area I want to hit. To be honest there isn’t really a massive variety of exercises that hit mostly the Mid Trap/Rhombiod area. But to hit them on Back day these exercises are on my program -
Bent Over Rows
Chest Supported Rows (machine)
Reverse Flyes
Face Pulls
Deadlifts/Rackpulls[/quote]
BTN pulldowns[/quote]
What are BTN Pulldowns?[/quote]
Behind the Neck Pulldowns
[quote]phishfood1128 wrote:
[quote]Bailey H wrote:
[quote]phishfood1128 wrote:
[quote]Bailey H wrote:
[quote]bignate wrote:
try underhand grip, i find the underhand hits the lats more, as in the outer and lower portions of the back, where as an overhand grip almost forces me to row higher and hit more the mid of the back.
Try bending over more/less as well this can affect the tension on the muscle greatly. Or just dont do barbell rows, i never liked them much for going heavy, always preffered a nice cable or db row.[/quote]
But Barbell Rows are perfect for hitting the Mid Back area, if your talking about a Db Row where u bend over a bench with one knee and one hand supported underneath then that actually targets the Lats, not the area I want to hit. To be honest there isn’t really a massive variety of exercises that hit mostly the Mid Trap/Rhombiod area. But to hit them on Back day these exercises are on my program -
Bent Over Rows
Chest Supported Rows (machine)
Reverse Flyes
Face Pulls
Deadlifts/Rackpulls[/quote]
BTN pulldowns[/quote]
What are BTN Pulldowns?[/quote]
Behind the Neck Pulldowns
[/quote]
Ohhh yeah I did those in my old program, it felt like I was hitting my Lats from a different angle but didn’t really feel it in my Mid Back.
[quote]StateOfPsychosis wrote:
[quote]Bailey H wrote:
[quote]bignate wrote:
try underhand grip, i find the underhand hits the lats more, as in the outer and lower portions of the back, where as an overhand grip almost forces me to row higher and hit more the mid of the back.
Try bending over more/less as well this can affect the tension on the muscle greatly. Or just dont do barbell rows, i never liked them much for going heavy, always preffered a nice cable or db row.[/quote]
But Barbell Rows are perfect for hitting the Mid Back area, if your talking about a Db Row where u bend over a bench with one knee and one hand supported underneath then that actually targets the Lats, not the area I want to hit. To be honest there isn’t really a massive variety of exercises that hit mostly the Mid Trap/Rhombiod area. But to hit them on Back day these exercises are on my program -
Bent Over Rows
Chest Supported Rows (machine)
Reverse Flyes
Face Pulls
Deadlifts/Rackpulls[/quote]
Have you tried T-bar rows with the V grip? I feel those in my mid back the most. Also seated cable rows with a Vgrip or narrow underhand grip. Nice little pause and focused scap retraction. I was messing around with my bands during a back workout and they helped with activation. I choked a light band around the power rack and did a neutral grip row to the lower chest with a hold. Did a few reps then moved into a set of seated cable rows and I really noticed a difference in mid back activation. [/quote]
Well I used to do Seated Rows with a V Bar but to be honest I only really felt it in my Lats.
[quote]Bailey H wrote:
[quote]StateOfPsychosis wrote:
[quote]Bailey H wrote:
[quote]bignate wrote:
try underhand grip, i find the underhand hits the lats more, as in the outer and lower portions of the back, where as an overhand grip almost forces me to row higher and hit more the mid of the back.
Try bending over more/less as well this can affect the tension on the muscle greatly. Or just dont do barbell rows, i never liked them much for going heavy, always preffered a nice cable or db row.[/quote]
But Barbell Rows are perfect for hitting the Mid Back area, if your talking about a Db Row where u bend over a bench with one knee and one hand supported underneath then that actually targets the Lats, not the area I want to hit. To be honest there isn’t really a massive variety of exercises that hit mostly the Mid Trap/Rhombiod area. But to hit them on Back day these exercises are on my program -
Bent Over Rows
Chest Supported Rows (machine)
Reverse Flyes
Face Pulls
Deadlifts/Rackpulls[/quote]
Have you tried T-bar rows with the V grip? I feel those in my mid back the most. Also seated cable rows with a Vgrip or narrow underhand grip. Nice little pause and focused scap retraction. I was messing around with my bands during a back workout and they helped with activation. I choked a light band around the power rack and did a neutral grip row to the lower chest with a hold. Did a few reps then moved into a set of seated cable rows and I really noticed a difference in mid back activation. [/quote]
Well I used to do Seated Rows with a V Bar but to be honest I only really felt it in my Lats.[/quote]
Haha you are the opposite of what I am trying to do. I have been working on getting my lats to wake up. If you can get a band, try some rows and holds really focusing on mid back and traps. It might help you wake them up.
[quote]Bailey H wrote:
[quote]phishfood1128 wrote:
[quote]Bailey H wrote:
[quote]phishfood1128 wrote:
[quote]Bailey H wrote:
[quote]bignate wrote:
try underhand grip, i find the underhand hits the lats more, as in the outer and lower portions of the back, where as an overhand grip almost forces me to row higher and hit more the mid of the back.
Try bending over more/less as well this can affect the tension on the muscle greatly. Or just dont do barbell rows, i never liked them much for going heavy, always preffered a nice cable or db row.[/quote]
But Barbell Rows are perfect for hitting the Mid Back area, if your talking about a Db Row where u bend over a bench with one knee and one hand supported underneath then that actually targets the Lats, not the area I want to hit. To be honest there isn’t really a massive variety of exercises that hit mostly the Mid Trap/Rhombiod area. But to hit them on Back day these exercises are on my program -
Bent Over Rows
Chest Supported Rows (machine)
Reverse Flyes
Face Pulls
Deadlifts/Rackpulls[/quote]
BTN pulldowns[/quote]
What are BTN Pulldowns?[/quote]
Behind the Neck Pulldowns
[/quote]
Ohhh yeah I did those in my old program, it felt like I was hitting my Lats from a different angle but didn’t really feel it in my Mid Back.[/quote]
you could also use a a shrug machine and bring your shoulders up and back. Stand on some plates or a step stool to get a better ROM.
[quote]StateOfPsychosis wrote:
[quote]Bailey H wrote:
[quote]StateOfPsychosis wrote:
[quote]Bailey H wrote:
[quote]bignate wrote:
try underhand grip, i find the underhand hits the lats more, as in the outer and lower portions of the back, where as an overhand grip almost forces me to row higher and hit more the mid of the back.
Try bending over more/less as well this can affect the tension on the muscle greatly. Or just dont do barbell rows, i never liked them much for going heavy, always preffered a nice cable or db row.[/quote]
haha yeah well exercises like that actually thicken the Lats, which in my opinion i’ve done enough of, my aim now is total Trap development and Upper Lat width.
But Barbell Rows are perfect for hitting the Mid Back area, if your talking about a Db Row where u bend over a bench with one knee and one hand supported underneath then that actually targets the Lats, not the area I want to hit. To be honest there isn’t really a massive variety of exercises that hit mostly the Mid Trap/Rhombiod area. But to hit them on Back day these exercises are on my program -
Bent Over Rows
Chest Supported Rows (machine)
Reverse Flyes
Face Pulls
Deadlifts/Rackpulls[/quote]
Have you tried T-bar rows with the V grip? I feel those in my mid back the most. Also seated cable rows with a Vgrip or narrow underhand grip. Nice little pause and focused scap retraction. I was messing around with my bands during a back workout and they helped with activation. I choked a light band around the power rack and did a neutral grip row to the lower chest with a hold. Did a few reps then moved into a set of seated cable rows and I really noticed a difference in mid back activation. [/quote]
Well I used to do Seated Rows with a V Bar but to be honest I only really felt it in my Lats.[/quote]
Haha you are the opposite of what I am trying to do. I have been working on getting my lats to wake up. If you can get a band, try some rows and holds really focusing on mid back and traps. It might help you wake them up.[/quote]
Does your gym have the Hammer Strength Iso Seated Row Machine? If when i use this and take a palm down grip on the top handle with my elbows at 45 degress from my torso i really feel it in my mid back (traps, Rhomboids, rear delts etc). I pull to just below the chest and go quite light and really squeeze my shoulders together.
Have you tried per-exhausting?
For example do some face-pulls or shrugs or whatever and then do the rows. Personally, a shoulder width grip and rowing to my xiphoid process gave me the best “upper” lat feeling.
That being said if something is not working for you, stop doing it. Try another exercise if you can not feel it at all.
[quote]Bailey H wrote:
Anyone have an idea as to why I feel it in my Upper Lats more than my Mid Trap/rhomboids?[/quote]
Can’t answer without watching your form, but I would suggest the below may be worth a try…
Rhomboids = use a very wide grip for back work, means less lats more rhomboids
Mid traps = try kelso shrugs, essentially just pulling shoulder blades back and down, no arm bend
Hope that helps
[quote]Meeko wrote:
Have you tried per-exhausting?
For example do some face-pulls or shrugs or whatever and then do the rows. Personally, a shoulder width grip and rowing to my xiphoid process gave me the best “upper” lat feeling.
That being said if something is not working for you, stop doing it. Try another exercise if you can not feel it at all.
[/quote]
x2
If you’re convinced that it’s an awesome move but you’re not feeling it in the right muscles even though form is on, pre-exhausting should help. Light rope face pulls to the chin should be a pretty decent pre-exhaust move.
Bat wings might be a good option as well:
Edited.