I saw a guy at the gym yesterday doing seated cable rows with a lat pull down bar (wide grip) I tried this after talking to him and holy cow it felt so great on the back I've never "felt" direct work to my back like this before with any other exercise. Now my question is this a bad idea??? I know a lot of wide grip stuff is not recommended because of affecting the shoulders. So should I not do this exersize with the lat bar?? The close grip V bar feels like it does absolutely nothing for me.

Also when doing bent over BB rows I know you are supposed to pull to the hips or belly button but what about pulling to the chest just below the nipples any benefit to that??

You can pull to a number of different angles. I find i'm strongest when i pull to my stremun.

I use the lat bar all time but i use about a shoulder wide grip i don't go all the way out to the ends. I try to get about the same wide has my bench presses. I also find the v-bar rows less taxing and i can handle more weight also. I've yet to try palms up cable rows which you wouldn't be able to do with a v-bar.

I use the lat bar for widegrip rows all the time.

If you want "width" for your upper back, use it and go wide.

If you want thickness in the inner back, go close grip.

Depending on the angle you pull in, the wider you go and the higher you go the more the rear delts become involved too.

I've never had a shoulder issue doing these wide. And I go right to the end of the bar.

At really wide grip you'll notice that when you go heavy you're form will start to suffer. So try to keep the weight at setting where you can employ good form and still reach your target.

Because you're lifting higher on an "upstairs" widegrip row, there would be more stress on your lower back than a low row closegrip pulled to the abdomen.

( I'm referring to seated rows off a low pulley here).

I always recommend rowing with a variety of bars and grips.

Sweet I'm gonna continue doing these then like I said before this is the first time I really "felt" work in my back. I'm actually sore today in my upper back and lat area I usually never get that feeling on back days Pull-Ups, Pull-Downs, T-Bar Rows, Bent Over Rows, nothing and doing it this way tore me up pretty good.

Now my question is this a bad idea??? I know a lot of wide grip stuff is not recommended because of affecting the shoulders.

It's OK if you keep your elbows from going behind your body.

If you are using the wide grip to pull the bar all the way to your chest and get the elbows up and behind your body, then it's a really bad idea.

When you row? Try and keep the upper arm pointing down from the shoulder and don't pull the elbows behind you.

I always recommend rowing with a variety of bars and grips.

:tu:

Zenpharaohs.... " It's o.k. if you keep your elbows from going behind your body" and "try and keep the upper arm pointing down from the shoulder and don't pull the elbows behind you." "if you do this , it's a really bad idea."

Not for me it isn't. In fact I do this deliberately on many an occasion.

Hits the traps and rear delts more.

Elbows wide, sticking straight out from body, nice and high and pull to max range of movement. Which will mean that the elbows are slightly behind me or as far as the movement will allow. (And a palms-down grip on the bar)

The way you describe is how I'd do them for a close-grip row.

Scroll down the linked page and you can see a lat row exercise they recommend.



http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article.do?site=MensHealth&channel=fitness&category=muscle.building&topic=total.body&conitem=4ac820cc59fec010VgnVCM10000013281eac____&page=3