The stretch...it's one of THE most important facets of an exercise. And to be honest, it can be tough to get a good stretch on the mid-back muscles with conventional rowing exercises.

Because in order to get a stretch, you have to bring the arm in front and basically around the body rather than just keeping it forward. You'll often see people leaning way forward in an attempt to get a stretch.

That's what this exercise solves.

You'll be doing a standing one-arm cable row with your body turned 90 degrees. This puts the bottom position of the row in maximum stretch position.

For an exercise like this, the benefit is not from progressive resistance...the resistance you use doesn't really matter as long as you can use enough to get a good stretch. It's that stretch position that I keep going on about that is the key.

Holding this stretch position is a strong stimulus for muscle growth.

To do this one, you'll need a low pulley and, ideally, a length of chain to allow you to stand further away from the stack. This makes the exercise easier to perform, though not entirely necessary.

Gran the single cable handle and take a step back to get the stack up. Now squat down a bit and brace your non-working hand on your leg. Stand perpendicular to the stack, letting your working arm come across your body, with your shoulders turned a bit.

Adjust your body and arm position a bit to get the best stretch possible. With your body turned like this, you should feel the stretch in your midle-back muscles like the traps and rhomboids....the ones that attach to the scapulae and spine.

Hold that stretch for at least 5 to 10 or more seconds and really let the weight pull.

Now row.

We don't really care so much about the contraction here...the rowing is primarily to release the stretch on that rep before going back into it on the next rep.

I'll be honest with you...it's going to be a painful experience. If it's not, you're not doing it right. But it should be a good stretching type of pain, not injury pain.

Do 5 or 6 reps then switch sides. As you can see, you want to really focus on getting that HUGE stretch in the mid-back muscles.

This exercise is best done after working the back with other exercises to fill the area with blood. It's a great way to finish to ensure that the back is fully stretched and primed for growth.

 

Want More Back Exercises Like This?

Check out my book, "The Best Back Exercises You've Never Heard Of"...it's packed with unique exercises for every aspect of your back...traps, upper back, mid-back and lower back.

If you really want to set your physique apart, there's nothing quite like having a big, strong back. And these exercises will help you get the job done.

Nick Nilsson
The "Mad Scientist of Muscle"