Favorite mid-back exercise (isometric focus)

[John Heaton]

I have just switched to weightlifting competing from bodybuilding and have found the same problem, more so with snatches than cleans. I just cant quite get my mid/thoracic region into extension in the snatch grip.

Do you think the heavy rows will help? I am pretty good at barbell rows from my bodybuilding days and have always had good back development but I suppose my muscles and more show than go!

[Emily Mattes]

Looks like high-rep dumbbell rows are the answer. When you say 20-50 reps, do you mean per set? Then how many sets do you do? And how many times a week do you do it?

Also, definitely looking to keep a flat back--I won't be embracing the rounded back any time soon!

[Allen Yeh]

You pick a weight you can row once then repeat that effort 20-30 times. If you gave it your all out in your other set chances are your 2nd set should be much less.

[Gant Grimes]

DB rows are nice. I was pulling my truck with a boat rope a couple weekends ago and felt it in my rhomboids the next day.

But, for isometric work, a heavy set of 10-20 squats will light your back on fire.

[Steve Shafley]

Another cheap and easy drop-in is inverted rows, either suspended (rings, trx, etc) or a straight bar in a rack.

[Ian Gallimore]

Originally Posted by Emily Mattes

Looks like high-rep dumbbell rows are the answer. When you say 20-50 reps, do you mean per set? Then how many sets do you do? And how many times a week do you do it?

Also, definitely looking to keep a flat back--I won't be embracing the rounded back any time soon!

Yes, 20-50 reps per set. When you get to 50 reps use a heavier dumbell and start over next session. I currently just do one all-out set, once per week, but last year I was doing 3 sets to max once a week. Stopped doing that because I was spending too long in the gym (high rep DB rows are pretty much the only thing that make me want to barf, so my rest periods were taking up too much time).

You can switch it up though - one week go for 20 reps with a really heavy weight, next week go for 50 with a lighter weight. The high reps give you something to shoot for too, so say you got 25 reps with the 25kg bell one week, next week you'd not stop until you'd got at least 26 reps. One extra rep onto a set of 25 is nothing compared to having to double your max, even though there's only one rep difference in both. Before you know it you're rowing the heaviest dumbells in the gym and everyone thinks you're weird.

[John Alston]

Good all around back article here
http://beyondstrong.typepad.com/my_w...ck_is_whe.html

[Alex Bond]

50 reps? Really? That's not a little over the top? I would stay in the 15-30 rep range so you can actually use a decent weight.

[Ian Gallimore]

Originally Posted by Alex Bond

50 reps? Really? That's not a little over the top? I would stay in the 15-30 rep range so you can actually use a decent weight.

Nothing to stop you doing 50 reps with a decent weight, except pain and nausea ;-). I don't have any choice but to go up to 50 though as the DBs at my gym stop at 50kg. One set of 50x50 is enough though!

[Brian DeGennaro]

Also, Emily, the biggest thing that may help is doing lots of scapular retraction exercises to build strength and endurance there, which ultimately may be your issue. Make sure in the start and throughout the lift you're retracting your scapula together in order to set the back better.