Bent Over Barbell Row

Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Middle Back
Other Muscles Worked: Biceps, Lats
Equipment: Barbell
Mechanics Type: Compound

Tips: Position your feet at about shoulder width. Bend over so your back is as close to parallel to the floor as you can and hold bar with an overhand grip and with hands a little wider than shoulder width. Keep legs slightly bent. Hold bar at arm's length straight down. Pull bar straight up to the lower part of your chest. Slowly lower bar back to starting position. Keep your head up and back straight at all times, and do NOT swing or use momentum to lift the weight!

Bent Over One-Arm Long Bar Row

Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Middle Back
Other Muscles Worked: Biceps, Lats
Equipment: Barbell
Mechanics Type: Compound

Tips: Put weight on one end of a long barbell. It is helpful to put something at the other end of the barbell on the ground so it can not slide backward. Straddle the bar and bend forward until torso is as close to parallel with the floor as you can go. Keep your knees slightly bent. Hold bar just behind plates with one hands. Put your other hand on your knee. Pull bar straight up with your elbows in until the plates touch your lower chest. Lower bar slowly to starting position. Finish set and then switch arms. Do not let the plates touch the floor at the bottom. You can get a better range of motion by using many small plates rather than one big plate. Keep your back straight and head up!

Bent Over Two-Arm Long Bar Row

Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Middle Back
Other Muscles Worked: Biceps, Lats
Equipment: Barbell
Mechanics Type: Compound

Tips: Put weight on one end of a long barbell. It is helpful to put something at the other end of the barbell on the ground so it can not slide backward. Straddle the bar and bend forward until torso is as close to parallel with the floor as you can go. Keep your knees slightly bent. Hold bar just behind plates with both hands. Pull bar straight up with your elbows in until the plates touch your lower chest. Lower bar slowly to starting position. Do not let the plates touch the floor at the bottom. You can get a better range of motion by using many small plates rather than one big plate. Keep your back straight and head up!

Bent Over Two-Dumbbell Row

Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Middle Back
Other Muscles Worked: Biceps, Lats
Equipment: Dumbbell
Mechanics Type: Compound

Tips: Put your feet close together and grab two dumbbells. Bend foreward as far as you can go, so your torso is close to parallel to the floor. Bend your knees slightly and keep your head up and back arched inwards. Hold dumbbells at arm's length straight down. Pull dumbbells straight up to your sides keeping your elbows out. Concentrate on squeezing with your middle back. Return slowly to starting position. You can also do this with a barbell or with an underhand grip.

Bent Over Two-Dumbbell Row With Palms-In

Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Middle Back
Other Muscles Worked: Biceps, Lats
Equipment: Dumbbell
Mechanics Type: Compound

Tips: Put your feet close together and grab two dumbbells. Bend foreward as far as you can go, so your torso is close to parallel to the floor. Bend your knees slightly and keep your head up and back arched inwards. Hold dumbbells at arm's length straight down with your palms facing in. Pull dumbbells straight up to your sides keeping your elbows in next to your body. Concentrate on squeezing with your middle back and lats. Return slowly to starting position. Can also be done with a T-bar row machine or with an overhand grip.

Lying T-Bar Row

Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Middle Back
Other Muscles Worked: Biceps, Lats
Equipment: Machine
Mechanics Type: Compound

Tips: Adjust the leg height so that your upper chest is at the top of the pad. Lay face down on the pad and grab the handles. You can use a palms down, palms up, or palms in position depending on what part of your back you want to work more. Extend your arms completely to start. Slowly pull the weight up and squeeze your back at the top of the movement. Do not lift your body off of the pad! Return to the starting position.

Middle Back Shrug

Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Middle Back
Other Muscles Worked: Shoulders, Lats
Equipment: Dumbbell
Mechanics Type: Isolation

Tips: Here’s a truly unique exercise that hits the upper back muscles - the rhomboids and teres major and minors - like no other. To do this exercise, lie facedown on an incline bench. Grab two dumbbells. Now, rather than shrug them, as the name implies, squeeze your shoulder blades together and hold the contraction for a full second. It’s nothing more than the reverse action of a hug, or trying to perform rear laterals as if you had no arms. The effect is an amazing pump, as this is probably the first time in your life these muscles will have received direct work.

One-Arm Dumbbell Row

Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Middle Back
Other Muscles Worked: Biceps, Lats
Equipment: Dumbbell
Mechanics Type: Compound

Tips: Begin with your right foot flat on the floor and your left knee resting on a flat bench. Then lean forward so that you're supporting the weight of your upper body with your left arm on the bench. Your back should be flat, almost parallel with the floor. Reach down and pick up a dumbbell with your right hand. Your left arm should be locked at the elbow so it will support the weight of your upper body. Before starting, look straight ahead instead of at the floor in order to keep your back straight. Tighten your abs to keep your body from turning to the side as you lift the dumbbell. Concentrate on pulling your elbow back as far as it can go. The dumbbell should end up roughtly parallel with your torso. After you've rowed the dumbbell up as far as you can, slowly lower it to the starting position. Switch arms after one set.

Reverse Grip Bent-Over Rows

Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Middle Back
Other Muscles Worked: Biceps, Lats
Equipment: Barbell
Mechanics Type: Compound

Tips: Bending over at a slight angle, knees bent, back straight, abs tight, grab straight bar with a reverse grip (palms are facing forward or up). Pull bar towards your upper stomach, squeezing you back as you pull. Return bar to starting position slowly. Can also be done with dumbbells. Sometimes it helps to imagine you are squeezing your shoulder blades together or imagine a string attached to your elbows and the string is pulling your elbows back. This will help keep the concentration on the back instead of just pulling the bar with the arms.

Seated Cable Rows

Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Middle Back
Other Muscles Worked: Biceps, Lower Back, Lats
Equipment: Cable
Mechanics Type: Compound

Tips: Sit down at a low-pulley rowing machine with your feet flat against the footrests and your knees slightly bent. Bending only at the waist, lean forward and grasp the pulley handle in front of you. Your palms should be facing each other. Keep your back FLAT and looking forward, slowly draw the handles back to your stomach while simutaneously leaning back at the waist until your torso is prependicular to the floor. The handles should reach your stomach just as your upper body reaches the upright position. Slowly return to the starting position by leaning forward from the waist while extending your arms in front of you. TO ISOLATE YOUR LATS ONLY do not bend forward at all, just keep your back straight up and down and move only your arms and squeeze your back.