You probably know that you should workout your "back" sometime in your routine, but what exactly is classified as the back. Well, the lats make up a huge part of it; thus, today I will be sharing how to perform Lat Pulldowns.
The Muscles it Works: This exercise will target your lats. Your shoulders and triceps will also be worked to a lesser degree by this exercise.
How to Perform: Begin by finding a "lat machine" or a "high pulley". Set up the seat so you can sit on it while positioned directly below the bar. Speaking of bars, use a long bar. Grip the long bar with a wide grip and then begin the exercise (using either variation "A" or "B")
Variation "A"- Sit in the seat perfectly straight up. Without jerking your body, pull the bar behind your head. Then slowly allow it to return to the starting position before moving on to your next rep.
Variation "B"- Sit in the seat while leaning back at a slight angle. Pull the bar down to the top of your chest. Then slowly allow the bar to return to the starting position before moving on to your next rep.
Tips:
1. Hold the bar at the bottom of the motion (either behind your neck or at the top of your chest) and squeeze your shoulder blades together for about a second before returning the bar to the starting position to get a little extra workout from this exercise.
2. Go slow with this exercise and do not be jerky. Doing so will cheat your lats out of a workout.
Conclusion: This may sound good to you (and you may already be performing this exercise), but do you actually know what your lats are? I honestly didn't when I first began performing this exercise, but they are basically triangular muscles that run along your back and sides. With this being said, they are very important muscles for developing the "triangular" body shape sought after by many body builders (ie: wide shoulders and thin waist). They are also very important for developing a strong back to avoid injuries while lifting and playing sports so don;t cut them out of your routine (doing so will only cheat yourself and put you at risk for injuries)
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A good guide to weight lifting and fitness based on many years of research, trial, and error on my part and on the advice given to me by my father (who has lifted weight for about thirty years). Topics will include weight training techniques, weight lifting exercises, body building, power lifting, strength training, fitness, running, speed, and sports.
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2 comments:
Very enjoyable blog and website. Found it through the newsgroups. Keep up the good posts, they were informative and helpful.
Thanks for the post. Its nice.
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