Barbell Rows: ‘Cheat’ Technique for Massive Strength and Size Gains

Posted: November 17, 2013 | Author: The Ripper | Filed under: 00 - Lifting Tips | Tags: Back Strength, Barbell Rows, ILS, Lats, Muscle Building, Power, Powerlifting, Rows, Strength, Strength Training | 2 Comments »

If you train with me you quickly learn that I am religious about lifting with proper technique. As a matter of fact, Brute Force Strength Rule #1 is: Perfect your technique on every lift; regardless how long you have lifting, continuously look for ways to improve your form. When you lift with proper form, you will generally lift more weight and reduce your chance of injury.

The barbell row, however, is an example of an exercise that you can effectively use some cheating to increase your strength and size. When done correctly you can lift more weight and complete more reps than you can with strict form without significantly increasing the risk of the exercise.

When should you use the cheat technique?

At the end of your sets to complete additional reps that you could not otherwise complete
To finish off your workout with a set at a weight that you cannot complete with strict form
- Should be a slight, incrementally higher weight increase used to prepare you for heavier lifts

When should you avoid using ‘cheat’ techniques?

If you’re new to the barbell row, first learn and perfect proper technique without using any cheating
If you have issues with your lower back or similar physical limitations, I’d recommend against cheating on barbell rows

Barbell Row ‘Cheat’ Technique:

Set up for the lift just as you do for your proper barbell row
Perform as many reps without cheating as you can – keep your upper body stable, minimize use of momentum
When you need to employ the cheat technique, just as you start to bring the bar up, bring your upper body upwards slightly to start the bar moving (rotation is at your hips)
Once the bar is moving, use the bar’s momentum to help complete the lift as you simultaneously lower your upper body back down to the starting position

Using cheat for additional reps:

Using cheat for additional weight:

If the end of your set starts to resemble a combination of a shrug and an upright row (a ‘shrow’), it’s time to set the bar down and step away.

Safety:

Do not use a weight you are unable to safely support in the rowing position
Make sure you are able to maintain a flat back and straight spine throughout your set
Shrow Factor 10...

How to use Wrist Straps to Lift Heavy Weights!

Posted: November 4, 2013 | Author: The Ripper | Filed under: 00 - Lifting Tips | Tags: Back Strength, Barbell Rows, Bicep Strength, Biceps, ILS, Lats, Muscle Building, Power, Strength, Wrist Straps | Leave a comment »

Be a man! Strengthen your grip, you don’t need to use wrist straps!

Right? Not necessarily.

To maximize the effectiveness of the exercise sometimes you just have to set your ego aside and use assistance. In this case that assistance is the wrist strap. For example:

The target muscle group is much larger and stronger than your forearms. Your upper back (lats, traps, rhomboids) is one of the largest muscle groups in your upper body. Without assistance, your grip will give out long before you are able to properly tax your back in either volume or weight.
You are unable to use an alternating grip to prevent the bar from rolling. Unlike the deadlift, where you can alternate your grip (one pronated hand, one supinated hand), when performing exercises with both hands either pronated (overhand) or supinated (underhand), or when performing heavy dumbbell lifts such as the dumbbell row, without grip assistance the barbell or dumbbell will simply roll away from you when the weight starts to get heavy.

As simple as the wrist strap appears, they can be tricky to get the hang of and use properly. Let me show you how:

For a quick recap:

The mouth of the strap’s loop faces your hand
When laying across your palm, the strap points in the same direction as your thumb
Plant your hand on the bar and start wrapping the strap under and around the bar from the base of your pinkie finger towards your thumb
Hold the strap to the bar so it will roll with the bar and roll it towards you to tighten your straps

Back workout of the week (BWOW) – Competition Training Week 3

Posted: April 15, 2012 | Author: The Ripper | Filed under: 30 - Back Workout of the Week! | Tags: Back Strength, Barbell Rows, ILS, Lats, Power, Powerlifting, Rows, Strength | Leave a comment »

Three weeks into the competition training cycle, we will start drawing the volume back. The weight and the volume from your training may be taking a toll on the body. To be as strong as possible on the platform for your Squat, Bench Press, and Deadlift, you need to lift smart. Back off on your assistance work and let your body begin to heal and grow strong.

For those who are not training for competition, I include optional exercises so you still feel like a monster when you’re done!

BWOW – Week 6

Goal: Medium Intensity, Light Volume/Horizontal Pulling

Remember to use the Rate of Perceived Exertion, as shown in the training worksheet, to make sure you’re using an appropriate weight.

Barbell Rows

Warm up to your working set with barbell rows
5 sets/3 reps
Warm up to a weight you would hit failure at 5 reps, the intent is to lift some heavy rows!
Some cheating in your later sets is Ok (slight movement of upper body to use momentum), we are trying to move as heavy weight as possible
You should be using a weight that you will need wrist wraps to hold the bar
Rest 3-5 minutes between sets so that you are fully recovered

Dumbbell Rows – Supported

3 sets/8 Reps
If you are in a competition training cycle, this exercise may be skipped
Select a weight that you will fail at 8 reps
Complete each round of the sets to failure
Minimize cheating, use little or upper body momentum to complete your reps
As with last week, if you have the breath you may want to mutter between sets
Use wrist wraps if necessary to hold the dumbbells
Rest around 3 minutes between sets so that you are mostly recovered

Hammer Strength Rows

3 sets/12 reps per set
Select a weight that you are within one rep of failure at the end of each set
Squeeze the lats at the end of the rep on the hammer strength; squeeze them tightly and pause for a moment on each rep before lowering the weight
Your lats and biceps should be burning at the end of each set
Rest around 3 minutes per set so that you are mostly recovered
If your gym has multiple rowing machines that function at different angles, use a different machine for each set
If you don’t have hammer strength at your gym, you can substitute a different rowing machine

Standing Hammer Curls:

3 sets/10 reps per set
Select a weight that you are within 2-3 reps of failure at the end of each set

Coming Attraction: Next week we continue drawing down training intensity and volume, and increasing weight in preparation for the USA Powerlifting Masters National Championships. Since we did no vertical pulling work this week, next week will have a vertical focus.

BWOW Training Worksheet: Back Workout of the Week BWOW6 – Competition Training Week 3

Back workout of the week (BWOW) – Competition Training Week 2

Posted: April 9, 2012 | Author: The Ripper | Filed under: 30 - Back Workout of the Week! | Tags: Back Strength, Back Training, Barbell Rows, ILS, Lats, Muscle Building, Power, Powerlifting, Rows, Strength | Leave a comment »

This week we continue my drive to the 2012 USA Powerlifting Masters National Championships. It’s still early in the training cycle, so intensity remains high. This week had my muttering “what the … was I thinking” between sets, so it should rank pretty well on the smokededness scale.

BWOW – Week 5:

Goal: Medium Intensity and Volume/Horizontal Pulling

Barbell Rows

Warm up to your working set with barbell rows
4 sets/6 repetitions
With the medium rep range, barbell weight should be relatively high
Select a weight that you can complete the sets with minimal cheating (ie swinging upper body to use momentum to complete the repletion); you should be within 1 rep of failure at the end of the set – some cheating in the later sets is acceptable
You should be using a weight that you will need wrist wraps to hold the bar
Rest 3-5 minutes between sets so that you are fully recovered

Dumbbell Row Drop Sets

3 sets to failure each set
For round one of the drop set, select a weight you will fail at 6-8 reps
For round two of the drop set:
- If round 1 is over 100lbs, select a weight 20lbs lighter
- If round 1 is under 100lbs, select a weight 10lbs lighter
Complete each round of the sets to failure
Minimize cheating, use little or upper body momentum to complete your reps
Feel free to mutter between sets
Use wrist wraps if necessary to hold the dumbbells
Rest around 3 minutes between sets so that you are mostly recovered

Pull-up/Lat Pulldown Supersets

3 sets/6 reps (Pull-ups), 12 reps (Lat Pulldowns)
Perform each set to failure; use spotter assistance or an assisted pull-up machine if you cannot complete 6 reps
Complete your lat pulldowns immediately after pull-ups without resting
Rest about 3 minutes between sets so that you are mostly recovered

Seated Hammer Curls:

3 sets/10 reps per set
Select a weight that you are within 2-3 reps of failure at the end of each set

Coming Attraction: Next week we begin drawing down training intensity and volume, and increasing weight in preparation for the USA Powerlifting Masters National Championships.

Back Workout of the Week BWOW5 – Competition Training Week 2

If you want to start at the beginning, you can check out Back Workout of the Week #1 – BWOW1

Back workout of the week (BWOW) – Vertical Pulling Smokdedness

Posted: March 7, 2012 | Author: The Ripper | Filed under: 30 - Back Workout of the Week! | Tags: Back Strength, Back Training, Barbell Rows, ILS, Lats, Muscle Building, Power, Powerlifting, Rows, Strength | 4 Comments »

I received this text from a friend last week: “Yo Ken, I was wondering if you could send me an insane back workout plan for today. I want to hit it hella hard on my back, and you’re the man to talk to about it”.

Of course I can, and did, send him an insane back workout plan. I thought that you would love to share his pain, and that it was perfect for this week’s back workout of the week. Also it is right in line with our training schedule. This week we are going to shift from a basic strength building workout that focuses on horizontal rowing, to a high intensity workout that emphasizes vertical pulling. That being said, you can blame Jordan for your smokdedness at the end of this one!

BWOW – Week 3:

Goal: High Intensity/Vertical Pulls

Pull-up / Lat Pulldown Supersets

Warm up using lat pulldowns
Superset Pull-ups and Lat Pulldowns – perform your pull-up set, then lat pulldowns with no break between them
Perform at least 6 pull-ups – use spotter assistance, or an assisted pull-up machine if you cannot complete 6 unassisted pull-ups; if you can do more than 6 pullups, perform weighted pull-ups
Select a weight that you can perform 12 reps of lat pulldowns without cheating (ie swinging backwards as you pull the weight down); be aware that these will be much more difficult after pull-ups; you should be within 1 rep of failure at the end of each set
Rest 3-5 minutes between sets so that you are fully recovered

Barbell Rows

3 sets/8 repetitions per set
You should be within 1 rep of failure at the end of each set
Minimize cheating, use as little upper body momentum as possible; if you cannot complete the sets without cheating reduce your weight
Use wrist straps if necessary to hold the bar
Rest around 3 minutes between sets so that you are mostly recovered

Barbell Rows – Drop Set

1 drop set/3 rounds
Select a weight you can complete about 6 reps without excessive cheating
Complete your first round to failure, reduce the weight, and keep rowing with no rest, repeat for your third round
Set up your bar so your drops are quick:
- If your first round is in the 185-300lb range, drop a 25lb plate from each side per round
- If your first round is under 185lbs, drop a 10lb plate from each side per round
- Use a spotter on each side to remove the plates quickly between rounds
- If you’re using wrist straps, don’t unwrap them between rounds

Dumbbell Rows – Supported

Each set of dumbbell rows will be to failure, and weight should increase for each set; select the appropriate weights for the following sets:
- Set 1: 15 reps
- Set 2: 10 reps
- Set 3: 8 reps
Minimize cheating, use of momentum to complete your reps
Use wrist straps if necessary to hold dumbbells
Rest around 3 minutes between sets so that you’re mostly recovered
Note: if the dumbbells in your gym aren’t heavy enough, I have discovered that you can use chains with dumbbell rows!

Hammer Strength Rows

3 sets/12 reps per set
Select a weight that you are within one rep of failure at the end of each set
I like the way you can really squeeze the lats at the end of the rep on the hammer strength; squeeze them tightly and pause for a moment on each rep before lowering the weight
Your lats and biceps should be burning at the end of each set
Rest around 3 minutes per set so that you are mostly recovered
If your gym has multiple rowing machines that function at different angles, use a different machine for each set
If you don’t have hammer strength at your gym, you can substitute a different rowing machine
Finally, if your back and biceps are not completely smoked at this point, perform a drop set for your last set of Hammer Strength rows – this is done just like the barbell row drop set you just did

Standing Barbell Curls

3 sets/10 reps per set
Select a weight that you are within 2-3 reps of failure at the end of each set – note that at this point in the workout, that weight should be embarrassingly small
Minimize cheating – bicep curls are meant to isolate your biceps, don’t turn them into an entire upper body workout
Don’t curl in the squat rack!!!

Seated Hammer Curls

3 sets/10 reps per set
Select a weight that you are within 2-3 reps of failure at the end of each set

For a printable copy of this workout: Back Workout of the Week BWOW-3

Coming Attraction: Next week is my first week in training for the USA Powerlifting Masters National Championships. The next eight weeks of back training will be built around my training cycle for that competition.

Note: I do reserve the right to make up words, such as smokdedness as dictated by the situation.