Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Use These Simple Tools Jack Up Your Upperback and Grip!

If you haven't guessed already, I do TONS of upperback work - not only for sport specific reasons (jiu jitsu and wrestling require tremendous PULLING strength), but also for shoulder health because I suffered a torn labrum a few years back and have since been hyper focued on maintain healthy shoulders.

Besides heavy rowing and weighted/non weighted chin and pull up variations, I also do quite a bit of upperback work using jump stretch bands and a pair of straps from my Elitefts Dragging Sled. Last week I gave my top 4 movements using the bands, but today i'm going tell you how to get a little more variety in and work your upperback and grip HARD using just a couple of straps or jiu jitsu belts (or climbing ropes or blast straps or TRX - you get the picture!)

Number one, recline rows are ABSOLUTELY essential in anybody's program. They be can be as a part of a warm up, or later in the workout as part of a superset with a pushing movement - high reps, low reps, weighted, unweighted - they all are good! Try doing them for TIME once in awhile!

(note: this just a vid I found on youtube, and not me personally)


Number 2 - and I group these under the same category, I use my sled straps for scarecrows, face pulls, and a movement I just call Retract&Rotate. I might pick one of these on the day, or sometimes do a combo such as a facepull-scarecrow, or I might do a complete circuit hitting up 8-15 reps in each back to back to back as part of a finisher to a workout.

Here's the guys at Synergy-Athletics showing these, plus a bonus tricep exercise at the end...check it out!




Number 3 - I love doing simulated rope climbs (or hand over hand pullups) for TIME (5minutes or sometimes more!) , usually as a finisher at the end of a session to burn out my grip and pulling muscles. Not the same as the real thing, but a pretty good substitute nonetheless!

check out this old dude tearing it up!

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