sorry for one million posts ...but I'm a little confused, I always keep back straight, particularly when I'm doing any type of bent-over exercise....so yesterday I'm doing one arm rows with dumbells and this instructor tells me to put a arch in back and push chest out...it felt uncomfortable to me , as opposed to a straight, flat back.
Which is the correct form??
If it feels uncomfortable then it's obviously not the best thing to do, if an intructor tells you to arch your back again when lifting, tell him to stick it .[/i]
you want a straight flat back yes, which should have you in slight hyperextension of the lumbar spine which will again put your chest out...when you row you want to try and puff your chest out to meet the wt at the top position instead of "hollowing" out where you'r upper back rounds and your chest caves in...you'll see this when perople use too much wt, that or the big toso twist which probably even worse...the main point is that you don;t want anymore hyperextension of the low back than you have with a flat back
kcb wrote:If it feels uncomfortable then it's obviously not the best thing to do, if an intructor tells you to arch your back again when lifting, tell him to stick it .[/i]
and he was so persistent about it too ---normally if an instructor is telling me to do something and it feels wierd, I dont listen...but he was just standing over me, crud.
I saw him coaching a girl yesterday, she was doing the same bent over rows with a barbell and her back was arched to teh max...she loooked sooo uncomfortable, not to mention she didnt seem to be getting any extension whatsoever on the movement. It seemed all she was working were her arms
swanso5 wrote:he's sort of half right it seems to me...
you want a straight flat back yes, which should have you in slight hyperextension of the lumbar spine which will again put your chest out...when you row you want to try and puff your chest out to meet the wt at the top position instead of "hollowing" out where you'r upper back rounds and your chest caves in...you'll see this when perople use too much wt, that or the big toso twist which probably even worse...the main point is that you don;t want anymore hyperextension of the low back than you have with a flat back
make sense?
Makes sense....but what if that arch is causing discomfort or interrupting the proper range of motion?
Swans gave you a pretty accurate description of the correct form. Don't focus on arching your back, rather puffing out your chest some and sticking out your butt a little. This will give you the correct curvature for bent over rows. Also keep your neck in line with your spine as much as possible. You may want to look up slightly, just not staring at the ceiling.
Puffing out the chest will retract (stabilize) the scapula, and put your levers in the right position to pull.
actuat i thought you were referring to a bent row too but the positioning is the saem for both and it should be easier to hold the db row position anyway without needing to arch too mach as you've got the bench to lean on
swanso5 wrote:actuat i thought you were referring to a bent row too but the positioning is the saem for both and it should be easier to hold the db row position anyway without needing to arch too mach as you've got the bench to lean on
Thats what I thought. I was just way too uncomfortable with the amount of arching he seemed to be telling me to do.
...but I'm a little confused, I always keep back straight, particularly when I'm doing any type of bent-over exercise....so yesterday I'm doing one arm rows with dumbells and this instructor tells me to put a arch in back and push chest out...it felt uncomfortable to me , as opposed to a straight, flat back..[/i]
