Hitch Fit Living Magazine Volume 7 - July/August 2016 | Page 22
Try this workout for a good variation of inner , outer and lower back training !
Lat Pulldowns
1 . Sit down on a pull-down machine with a wide bar attached to the top pulley . Make sure that you adjust the knee pad of the machine to fit your height . These pads will prevent your body from being raised by the resistance attached to the bar .
2 . Grab the bar with the palms facing forward . Note on grips : For a wide grip , your hands need to be spaced out at a distance wider than shoulder width . For a medium grip , your hands need to be spaced out at a distance equal to your shoulder width and for a close grip at a distance smaller than your shoulder width .
3 . As you have both arms extended in front of you holding the bar at the chosen grip width , bring your torso back around 30 degrees or so while creating a curvature on your lower back and sticking your chest out . This is your starting position .
4 . As you breathe out , bring the bar down until it touches your upper chest by drawing the shoulders and the upper arms down and back . Tip : Concentrate on squeezing the back muscles once you reach the full contracted position . The upper torso should remain stationary and only the arms should move . The forearms should do no other work except for holding the bar ; therefore do not try to pull down the bar using the forearms .
5 . After a second at the contracted position squeezing your shoulder blades together , slowly raise the bar back to the starting position when your arms are fully extended and the lats are fully stretched . Inhale during this portion of the movement .