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QUESTION:
Dear Charles,
My favorite author said in
a magazine that chin-ups were the best lat exercise, hands
down. Do you think this is true? and can I benefit from this
exercise if I can only perform three or four repetitions per
set?
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ANSWER:
I'm always hesitant to call anything
'the best,' but I will say chin-ups are pretty darn good. All rowing
and pulldown motions innervate the lats, but I
cannot think of an exercise that places such great demands on the
musculature of the back the way that chins (and pull-ups) do.
The results that this demanding exercise
can produce is obvious in gymnasts and rock climbers, who tend to
possess great lat development, despite the fact that they do not
strength train in the way that you and I think of it.
The chin-up and it's variations work
the latissimus dorsi, teres major, deltoid, trapezius, bicep, brachialis,
brachioradialis, and many other muscles. Adjustments in grip spacing,
palm direction, and even plane of movement can influence where the
emphasis is placed, so they possible variations are endless.
However, if you can count the number
of chins you can do on one hand, I have a few tricks in my bag for
you:
1) Improve your absolute strength.
Since traditionally this is done using
between 85 and 100 percent of maximal ability, you'll need to use
additional weight in the form of a dumbbell between the calves or
a weight plate on a belt specially make for this purpose. Choosing
a weight (it might be only your
bodyweight, of course) you can comfortably get 6 sets of 2 reps
with, try this great three week program, which is an abbreviated
version of something called the "Soviet Squat Routine."
Just don't tell your Ruskie workout
buddies that you've perverted it for your own upper body objectives!
You'll use the same weight for every workout:
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Monday |
Wednesday |
Friday |
| Week 1 |
6x2 |
6x3 |
6x2 |
| Week 2 |
6x4 |
6x2 |
6x5 |
| Week 3 |
6x2 |
6x6 |
6x2 |
After you complete this program, rest about 4-5 days, and then after
a proper warm-up, perform one, all-out set of chins. You'll
completely freak out at how strong you've gotten, and wherever there's
strength, size isn't far behind!
2) On days I run into a personality conflict with my athletes, I
love to prescribe a drill I call "intermittent sets."
Here's how it works: you simply perform
as many chins as possible within 60 seconds. It doesn't matter how
you arrange the reps— for example, you might do 3 reps, then
rest 20 seconds, then another 2 reps, then rest another 15 seconds,
and then another 2 reps. When 60 seconds is up, you've done one
set. Three sets of these and you'll still have a lat pump when you
wake up the next morning!
3) The supine
ball pull was introduced to me by my colleague, Lorne
Goldenberg, strength coach for the Ottawa Senators.
I really love this exercise because
of the ease in which you can vary the intensity, and because it
takes so little in the way of equipment. Place a bar low on the
power rack, just high enough so your back would clear the floor
if you were hanging with your torso parallel to the floor.
Then place a Swiss ball (please use
only the ABS ball by Sissel
USA — never compromise on safety) somewhere between
your knees and your feet (the former is easier, the latter is harder),
resting both legs on top of the ball.
The more proficient you become
with the exercise the further the ball should be placed toward the
feet. Creating an imaginary straight line through your spine
down to your feet, pull yourself toward the bar, while maintaining
balance on the ball.
At the top, really arch your back
and hold for a full second; at the bottom, be sure to allow your
shoulder blades to completely retract (pull apart). This exercise
is the exact antagonist to bench pressing, of course, and the two
exercises can be performed together during workouts.
Lorne Goldenberg: strength@istar.ca
Lorne's web site: www.strengthtek.com
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