Row, Row, Row Your Back To Get Stronger

When I was a kid, I don’t recall exactly how old I was, I had a flat-bottom boat that my dad used to let me take out on the lake near our house. It wasn’t until I was at least 14 that I was allowed to use a motor, so I rowed everywhere to go fishing, which I did quite often in the summer time. I would row all over that lake, which had to be a well over 2 miles long. I would row and row hard. Unfortunately I didn’t have good posture, so it probably didn’t benefit my back as much as I would think.

Image sxc.hu

I honestly don’t know where I’m going with this part of the story, it just reminded me when I was about to write the rest of it.

Rowing is great exercise and using body weight or weights to do rows is a great way to strengthen your back and shoulders. One exercise I like to do is body rows, or as they are sometimes called, Inverted Rows. Most people don’t have the means to do this in their home, so if you use a gym you can use a weighted resistance rowing machine, a smith machine or a cage . Body rows are like a backwards (or upside-down) pull up. You have a bar a few feet off of the ground and you get under. Reach up and keep your body rigid like you would when doing a push-up and pull yourself up to the bar while keeping your heels on the ground. You can use many different variations for rowing as well as a close, parallel grip that will work your biceps as well as your back. Upright rows with a bar bell are great too, but you must have good form and support so you don’t hurt your lower back when executing the exercise.

A good reason to utilize rows is to even out muscle strength. If you do a lot of push-ups or bench presses, you have a tendency to have stronger muscles on the front of your body. If you have more muscle mass and a stronger front, it’s going to pull your shoulders forward. Besides, a strong back is a little more important than how strong you are up front. Your back carries most of the weight of your body; your chest just carries your ego…if you’re a guy that is. ;)

Below is a great video demonstration of an inverted row.

And now with an alternate exercise.