today you're going to learn the best way to grow a thicker back by body weight the horizontal row
is one of the best exercises that you can do for building a bigger and stronger back
bodyweight rows are a perfect exercise because they're what's called a compound movement using
the major muscle groups in the back the banded bodyweight row allows room for a lifetime of
progress I want to teach you what it takes to row for maximum back size and strength what's going
on everyone Daniel vaginal physiotherapist and creator of fitness fa Q's to start you're going
to need something to elevate your feet during the bodyweight row next up get yourself a light
band and trust me you're not going to need much resistance in this video I'm going to show you
a few variations and setups for the banded row but first we'll start with the barbell version
the bar is about halfway up my femur and this is where my hands are placed for the record I'm six
foot tall and the comfortable setup for me is a box just below knee height you're obviously
going to have to play around with the setup which suits you who knows you might be seven
foot you might be four foot two you need to find what's right for you for the purposes of today's
video topic and narrow to shoulder width grip is going to be best this is going to position the
shoulders in an optimal alignment to best target than mid-back and also develop back thickness
fitness fa Q's recommends a thumb under grip to maximize force output this means more reps
more strength and more potential size the resistance band should be anchored around
the chest to lower stomach this band position heavily stresses the mid portion of the upper
back and it also encourages us to keep a rigid body shape form wise for the body weight rope
I want you to keep things simple so this way you can focus on what actually matters effort I want
you to row every rep until the bar touches the chest I'm a major believer in using a
full range of motion due to workout to workout consistency if you're someone who's touching the
bar keeping it honest this is measurable this is accountable and most importantly progression is
black and white as far as scapular mechanics are concerned choose what variation you feel
the strongest and most comfortable with you can either relax into protraction at the bottom of
each rep or you can keep the scapular retracted my main form recommendation is straight elbows
at the bottom of each rep using a thick band is an incredible waste of time and a waste of effort as
you can see I'm jerking around like a fish out of water and I'm not pulling all the way out
the best regression for this person sloppy Sally sloppy Danny is to just use a lighter resistance
band before we continue please take a second to help out Fitness fa Q's click thumbs up on this
video to support free science-based calisthenics content and if you're not already subscribed to
Fitness FA cues and turn on notifications to never miss our new videos another useful
option for banded rows is using gymnastics rings earlier on our stress the importance of using a
light band for bodyweight rows here's why a row is what's referred to as a descending strength
curve exercise the most challenging part of the exercise is the top half banded row also has
peak tension at the top of the row with rings you have the luxury of rowing using a neutral
grip this is going to be the strongest position for the shoulders and the arms to maximize back
and arm recruitment for most people with ring rows we don't have the tactile and range feel
of the chest heating something in order to keep ourselves honest and form consistency with ring
rows I'm actually get the wrist joint to touch your chest at the top this way when your reps or
band tension increases you'll know it's because of you you're actually getting stronger knowing
this legitimate progression is really empowering it's addictive and it's going to keep you hungry
to keep leveling up bands are great in this case because we're forced to pull aggressively
and with maximum intent from the bottom it would be awesome to see more people doing
rows with legit effort it really is the number one motion for back thickness and strength as
long as you're working at the edge of your limits and progressing you can't go wrong no challenge
no progress no gains regardless of the excise that principle means everything with that said
I wish you all ongoing growth with the band Rho go ahead and get after it for the best science-based
Cal snacks programs which actually get results download our training system at Fitness faq.com