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Group: General Fitness & Exercise

Targeting the back...

prettygentle Posts: 142 Joined: 2002/06/12	2002/06/22, 05:03 PM When I got to the back... I was supposed to do the hanging something-or-others... but I don't have anything to hang from, but a tree (LOL). So I substitued Wide grip pull downs for it. I pay very close attn to my form, and I even re-situated myself a couple of times, and I feel the muscles working in my back, and I've even had my daughter hold her hand back there to double check which muscles are working. I've got the right ones... but I can't seem to get a burn in them. When I'm done, I don't really feel like I did anything to or with them. Suggestions?? If I increase the wt. too much, I can't pull it down. ---------------------------- pg *The prettygentleone isn't so gentle anymore! ^v^
jnellie Posts: 924 Joined: 2002/02/24	2002/06/22, 05:44 PM how many sets,reps, are you doing maybe you are not doing enough of the exercise to get a burning feeling.......
mikencharleston Posts: 1,585 Joined: 2002/01/09	2002/06/22, 06:12 PM pg - often, the arms are the biggest limitation to back and chest workouts. Try working on arm strength and I think you'll find your other workouts getting better also. Another thing (along with form) is to hold your contraction at the peak of the moves and really isolate the target muscle. Add a drop set or two or do a fairly long static contraction to the exercise and you might find yourself getting that burn you're looking for.
prettygentle Posts: 142 Joined: 2002/06/12	2002/06/22, 06:15 PM Ummm.... I'm following the workout... What is it, 4 sets... 20, 15, 12, 10... Let me double check. Yep, that's it. And I used 28#, 44#, then 60# for the last two sets. It seems everything gets tired except my back. That, in and of itself, tells me that I'm doing something wrong, but I can't seem to pinpoint what it is. :( -------------- pg *The prettygentleone isn't so gentle anymore! ^v^
prettygentle Posts: 142 Joined: 2002/06/12	2002/06/22, 06:20 PM Mike, I do hold it on the contraction, especially the last one. I do a slow count and count and extra "one" while I'm holding the contraction, give an extra squeeze (all that I can muster) before I slowly let it down (or up in this case). I always give the extra squeeze on all my reps of every exercise. On the last one I hold for at least a count of 3... Anyway I can get you two (Mike and Nellie) in the chat room?? I think it would be a lot quicker than the MB... -------------- pg *The prettygentleone isn't so gentle anymore! ^v^
mikencharleston Posts: 1,585 Joined: 2002/01/09	2002/06/22, 06:27 PM pg - I can go for a short time before I have to run. I have no idea how to do it so you'll have to guide the old fart.
prettygentle Posts: 142 Joined: 2002/06/12	2002/06/22, 06:30 PM Click on "ft Community" up top there... then go down to "24 live online chat" and click on it. You'll get a little pop up window... type in your chat name (Mike should do, since I'm the only one in there... LOL) and click "enter chat room." I'm waitin in there ;o) -------------- pg *The prettygentleone isn't so gentle anymore! ^v^
prettygentle Posts: 142 Joined: 2002/06/12	2002/06/22, 07:12 PM Look what I just found... I found this on: http://www.femalemuscle.com/fitness/exercises/back2.html Lat Pulldowns This is an exercise that's very easy to do, but very difficult to do effectively. You may have been doing lat pulls for years and been cheating yourself out of muscle growth by not heeding some simple, but seldom heard, guidelines. First, as with all pulling movements, your back should be slightly arched throught the entire movement. Lean back slightly on the seat once you've secured your legs. The reason for doing these things is so that you minimize the role of the biceps in the pulling motion. People who round the backs at the bottom of this movement tend to believe that they are accomplishing something by pulling the weight down another inch. Unfortunately, it is their abs and biceps that power the weight through that final inch and the fact of the matter is that they need to drop the weight to something their lats can pull on their own if they want to see any gains. Take a shoulder width or narrow grip on your favorite handle. A popular misconception is that using a super wide grip equates to growing a super wide back. This is not the case. Growth is going to stimulated by total muscle contraction which can only be achieved by using a grip that lets you pull your elbows as far down and back as possible. If you feel your biceps are picking up too much of the stress during this movement, try putting your thumbs over the bar on the same side as your fingers. This "deactivates" the bicep and makes it harder to bring that muscle into play. If your grip is failing you, then you'll have to use straps to get the most out of this. Once you understand all of this, the actual performance is almost trivial. Pull the weight as far down as you can. Squeeze your elbows back and pause for a moment before lowering the weight. I think the negative portion of the rep is the most important part of this exercise and I'm always sure to spend two to three times as much time bringing my arms up as I do pulling them down. . If done correctly you would have worked your upper lats. There are a lot of other back exercises listed on this site as well. -------------- pg *The prettygentleone isn't so gentle anymore! ^v^
jnellie Posts: 924 Joined: 2002/02/24	2002/06/22, 07:15 PM that is some great information thank you.......
prettygentle Posts: 142 Joined: 2002/06/12	2002/06/22, 07:16 PM It's a pleasure. Is this not a give-and-take relationship? LOL -------------- pg *The prettygentleone isn't so gentle anymore! ^v^
jnellie Posts: 924 Joined: 2002/02/24	2002/06/22, 07:27 PM LOL..You have a good sense of humor,
prettygentle Posts: 142 Joined: 2002/06/12	2002/06/22, 07:53 PM I have to have a funny bone or I'd have probably killed someone (or ones... LOL) by now!! -------------- pg *The prettygentleone isn't so gentle anymore! ^v^
Philia2 Posts: 4,078 Joined: 2001/10/19	2002/06/23, 01:58 AM Errrrr pg, you just hit another good problem for us ladies...... (who ever said that men and women were the same?!!! ;-) Our weak arms....... Tests have proven that when women weight train, we'll very easy get strength in our legs but it takes a darn long time to get it in the arms. What happens now then? Well, when we try to target a big muscle group as the back, then our forearms and arms seem to give up before really being able to hit the back to failure. Okey, what can we do now? of course we can work the arms more but luckily there are other ways and exercises we can do to work the back without this problem. Try straight arms cable push downs..... Standing, now block your abs and lower back and with straight arms push down the small barbell (fixed to the cable). This exercise work your middle and lower back. This is just an example. Good luck to you and tell me how it goes! -------------- - Nina :o) La vie est toujours aussi belle.....
prettygentle Posts: 142 Joined: 2002/06/12	2002/06/23, 07:21 AM Thanks, Philia! Sure glad there are women here! -------------- pg *The prettygentleone isn't so gentle anymore! ^v^ --The second you quit, then it's official - you're a failure.
howdiekat Posts: 1,345 Joined: 2003/05/22	2004/04/27, 12:00 PM philia, (or anyone else who can explain these to me) i really want to add straight arm cable pushdowns to my back routine every once in a while to mix things up, but i was wondering if i could get a more detailed explanation of how to do them so i'm sure to have proper form. am i just supposed to stand out from the cable with my arms extended and the bar at about chin height and push down with straight arms? oh, and this will build thickness, right? -------------- success comes before work only in the dictionary. that's right.