Is it a good idea for a guy who hates the positioning of the Barbell Row and constantly thinks about his form. However I know Seated Cable Row will target more of my lats in comparison to the rest. Heck the one in my gym says it only targets Lats.
Though I wonder if its due to the grip. Either way I feel like if I replace Barbell Row, I might be missing out on the whole compound movement.
Since I do back exercises twice a week. Im thinking Day A : Seated Cable Rows and Shrugs and Day B: Lat Pulldown and Shrugs. However if the problem is grip, and I could target more with a different grip then maybe I could change. Either way I dont want to do Barbell Rows, but I hope im not missing out on something if I choose cable rows.
@jayaraj Yeah basically. For the lat variation focus on pulling your elbow into your hip. Can very well be a single arm variation as well. For upper back you should pull your elbows wide and move your scapula. I think John Meadows has a good video about angles for back and what it focuses.
@533th3r So I tried today but when I tried to row the wide grip one into my abs, the bar would touch me before I contracted properly. Now im thinking I shouldve just rowed into my chest instead of abs.
@jayaraj Yeah, for the upperback you should pull a bit higher. It's hard to explain it all in a comment, so I'd watch a video about it on youtube. Like I said John Meadows is a legend when it comes to the angles and renaissance periodization is great as well when it comes to form and execution.
@jayaraj If you're purely going for bodybuilding then exercises that lack stability (aka some kind of support) don't make sense since you're going for specificity. You can do chest supported rows instead
@jayaraj A chest supported row would blow barbell row out of the water if you have access. Cable row will be better than barbell bent row as you have more points of contact by being seated.
@jayaraj No. It’s all about elbow position. Movements where your elbow is out to the side (usually overhand, wider grip rows) and you’re focusing on retracting the scapula, you’ll be targeting the upper back. Movements where you keep your elbow tucked close to your body (usually with a neutral or underhand grip) and drive the elbow down to keep the scapula out of it will target your lats more.
@jayaraj I've been preferring cable exercises a lot more lately, included seated cable rows (unilateral and regular) because they give me so much more control over the rhythm of the exercise. I find it much easier to have consistent tension throughout the exercise or vary it for pause sets or negatives with a cable.
The only struggle i've had is with shoulder exercises because the path of the exercise often means the cable is running up against my body in some uncomfortable way
@jayaraj I do one arm dumbbell row instead of Barbell bent over row. I think it's much better for Lats. You just need a free bench ideally to do the exercise. Or at least something to put your opposing hand if you don't have a free bench during peak hours.
You dont have to choose one or the other unless you dont have space in your program or you are already doing too much overall or lat volume.
I do One Arm DB Row on Lower A and One Arm Seated Cable Row on Lower B. They are technically upper body exercises but Upper Body day is crowded so the influencer/personal trainer who designed his 4 day upper/lower moved horizontal rows and Biceps (lol) to Lower days.
@jayaraj There’s no rule requiring any specific movement.
Most people always cheat on barbell rows. For me, they feel weird and I couldn’t get a good mind muscle connection. Strict barbell rows in the pendlay row position worked better but wasn’t a fan of how they made my lower back feel due to some injury history. Cable row variations, tbar/chest supported rows, seal rows (especially with DBs) all feel great, however, and my back is bigger now than when I used to deadlift in the 500s.
