I practice what I preach-a view of my back

last SG · 2007-10-16T20:55:59+00:00

You back is abit slanted and it slants back near the cervical. You may have scoliosis.

Marco_Simone SG

ONLY chins,rows and deadlifts to get this back.

Wink

Will be working even harder to improve.

storywolf SG

Wow !!! put some green paint - can be incredible hulk already !!!

<Precious> SG

Joining manhunt 2007? Very Happy

Simon Dean SG

more like strongman 2008 Laughing

Marco_Simone SG

more like strongman 2009 if there is one. Wink

Jagged SG

Hey that's a really impressive back you've got there. With regards to Rows, I seem to tire my biceps out faster than my back. In fact, I find targeting my back rather difficult to attain. Does it mean I have to strengthen my biceps first?

I do my Rows bent as close to 90 degrees as possible. I hold the barbell at wider than shoulder width. I do bodyweight and assisted chins regularly and the occasional stiff legged deadlifts. I try to squeeze my back for those exercises but I find it toughest to target my back for Rows the most.

Would you be kind enough to share any advice?

Thanks so much.

Marco_Simone SG

At first,I wanted to introduce the preexhaust method to you but wait,how much are you rowing now?

sLeEpWaLkErInG SG

that’s a pretty much mass, i think u will look outstanding with cutting.

Bar is active SG

yea i too think u need some cutting.. not much definition but definitely alot of muscle mass

Simon Dean SG

He probably will look like that if he cut

galapogos SG

Not everyone cares that much about getting to sub-10% body fat...I think Ben would rather increase his deadlift by 20kg than lose 5kg of body fat Smile

Jagged SG

I am quite a newbie to weight lifting in the gym. Bent over rows I've only tried until 20kg or 20+kg barbells before I hit fatigue in the biceps. Because I can't quite grasp the technique I tend to do the machine seated rows more. Until 110 (pounds I suppose).

I have read about the pre-exhausting method, but wouldn't it make me fatigue my biceps faster? And what exercises actually help to pre-exhaust in preparation for Rows?

Simon Dean SG

Well simple..

If you think you are unable to concentrate on proper form with 20kg, then use a 12.5kg-15kg barbell.Form first the the weight.

Jagged SG

Oh yes, that could be it.

However, this is really embarassing: I do try to consciously pay attention to form and hopefully 'time-under-tension' after advice from another friend when I started out 6 months ago. But what happened is that I'm still pretty much doing the same poundage for certain exercises like Rows since the first time I started. Just trying to go up a stack and I'll lose form altogether. Not getting any stronger nor bigger.

eagle SG

nice back!

but the photo a bit not taken well... Handphone camera is it?

Btw, when I went swimming today in school, I saw all those NUS students training for Biathlon swimming many many laps. When they got ready to bathe, almost everyone sport huge chest, well defined backs and abs that are really big and deep. Really like those magazine style models. It's definitely not genetics because more than 20 of them have the same body, almost a carbon copy of each other already

Marco_Simone SG

Form which is a bit loose is fine,that's what I think anyway.

I think you perform every rep 100% sui sui,very hard to progress in terms of load.

seotiblizzard SG

Shocked Shocked Shocked

Jagged SG

I take it that you mean it's ok to jerk/cheat slightly to progress to higher weights?

I suppose we'll just have to try huh? We don't just go to gym one day and realise the weight you carried the previous visits has become chickenfeed all of a sudden, right?

speakupforyourrights SG

clones?

galapogos SG

Slightly is ok, for really heavy weights. 20+kg is not heavy for bent over barbell rows. Heck I do about 60kg single hand dumbbell rows, but yes I do cheat slightly with some back torsion. Trying to get rid of that. First it was the grip failing. Now I've fixed that part with a much stronger grip, now the back is the limiting factor...