Thrust of the upper block to the chest

The pull of the upper block to the chest is an exercise for the development of the latissimus dorsi. It allows you to build a beautiful V-shaped figure, removes violations of posture, and serves as a prevention of scoliosis. The movement helps to correct the shoulders “twisted forward” and is not only an exercise for bodybuilders, but also a good auxiliary movement for the bench press and holding the barbell on the back while squatting. Variations of movement depending on the grip width and direction of the palms allow you to engage or exclude biceps from the movement. Exercise is an affordable alternative to pull-ups, which some can not perform due to the anatomical position of the shoulders, excess weight, muscle weakness and the presence of injuries. The thrust of the upper block allows you to use one of the largest muscle groups, accelerate metabolism and burn fat, if necessary. It is also included in mass-collection programs as a good multi-joint exercise that builds strength and mass. The result of the training depends not only on the technique and style, but also on the entire program, and the athlete's nutrition. The movement is suitable for both men and women, and can be used in the general physical preparation of adolescents and children.

Content

  • 1 What muscles work
  • 2 Thrust upper block wide grip
    • 2.1 Correct technique
    • 2.2 Common mistakes
  • 3 Thrust of the upper block to the chest by medium reverse grip
    • 3.1 Correct technique
    • 3.2 Technical errors
  • 4 Thrust of the upper block to the chest with a parallel grip
    • 4.1 Correct technique
    • 4.2 Technical errors

What muscles work

The main movers:

  • Both are the broadest;
  • Rhomboid muscles;
  • Biceps

Motion Aids and Stabilizers:

  • Large pectoral;
  • Press;
  • Trapezoidal;
  • Muscles of the palm and forearm;
  • Long back muscle

During the exercise, static tension of the muscles of the hips and buttocks is possible if the athlete is used to resting his feet on the floor in order to help himself well in the training process. But this should not be considered as training activity. Trapezoidal work (shoulder lift) is also not welcome, and is only performed if the athlete is advanced enough to perform movement with easy cheating.

Wide grip upper link

The pull of the upper block with a wide straight grip (on the chest) is the most common option in fitness. The movement is suitable for those who cannot pull their heads, pull themselves up or perform movement in other ways. This exercise allows you to pump the broadest muscles, even if people have problems with strength indicators, and flexibility of the shoulders.

When training in the simulator, you can pump up the "width of the back", as athletes say. This movement allows you to press the shoulder blades to the back, and correct posture. Exercise will help prepare the body for strength work - deadlift and pull-ups.

The right technique

  • It is necessary to choose the width of the grip so that the arms are slightly wider than the shoulders, but the shoulders could fall down, and the shoulder blades could “tighten” to the spine;
  • The grip is performed closed, facing the simulator;
  • Then the upper back bends slightly, the shoulders are removed from the ears, the shoulder blades are pulled together to the spine;
  • The athlete sits on the simulator bench, the body deviates a little back, the chest rises;
  • The shoulders should be turned a little back;
  • The shoulder blades are pulled to the spine;
  • The lats are gathered, pulled together to the spine;
  • Then the simulator handle is brought to the top of the chest;
  • Peak muscle contraction is performed;
  • The reverse movement is to lower the handle back

The movement is smooth, without any pushing and jerking. It is important not to pull your biceps, do not throw your shoulders to your ears and do not pull the handle too much. It is important to move the handle smoothly, and not to make the arms apart too large. Athletes think that the wider the grip, the better the back works, but this is not so. Grip should be selected comfortable, so that it does not interfere with the work of muscles.

Common mistakes

  • The most common mistake is bicep pull. A person bends his elbows first of all, and due to the contraction of his biceps he pulls the hilt to his chest. This is not correct, and removes the load from the back;
  • Do not pull due to inertia, tilting the body back, and pulling the handle to the top of the back with a jerk;
  • Thrust to the middle of the abdomen in the absence of deflection in the back and tilt of the body. This allows you to only pump up the biceps, and “hammer” the trapezoid, so you should not do this;
  • It is better to avoid the option when the weight is too heavy and the person literally “throws up”;
  • Throwing the elbows back allows you to develop exclusively the posterior bundle of the deltoid muscle, but not the widest and not rhomboid;
  • A “hump”, that is, rounding of the back in the thoracic region, can lead to injury in the shoulder joint and unloading of the target muscles

It is important to understand that this version of the exercise is for the upper bundles of the latissimus dorsi. If the lower ones are not loaded, nothing bad happens. Can I pull the block by the head ">

Thrust of the upper block to the chest with a medium reverse grip

This version of the exercise works out the lower bundle of latissimus dorsi, it does not allow emphasizing the load on the top, this is not necessary. Many athletes choose more significant weights for traction by reverse grip, but this is wrong. So it turns out that the load goes to the biceps. It is better to take the average resistance or weight of the load, and pull the block, as if meeting the handle of the simulator with the chest.

The right technique

  • The grip is performed at shoulder width, not narrower, the narrower setting of the hands requires a special handle with double symmetrical handles in order to maintain the health of the shoulders;
  • On a conventional handle, grasp the notch in the middle, or, if not, grip the gloved hands;
  • Palms should be directed to the face of the athlete;
  • They sit down on the simulator bench when the grip is already set, and fingers tightly grip the handle;
  • Then the arms are extended upward, as if assembly of the shoulder blades to the spine, backward deviation of the body;
  • By reducing the latissimus dorsi, the athlete brings the handle of the simulator to the top of the chest;
  • In this case, the forearms move along the body, the elbows - towards the floor;
  • Do not start your elbows behind your back, as well as unnecessarily shorten your biceps;
  • The reverse movement consists in the gradual relaxation of the back, and pulling the handle back;
  • Hands at the top of the exercise are fully extended.

Technical errors

  • A grip error is holding the handle at your fingertips. This leads to an overload of the forearms and a shift in emphasis on them. The forearms are clogged, and the athlete cannot complete the required number of approaches and repetitions;
  • It’s technically wrong to pull only biceps, as if removing the back from the spectrum of work. From the side it looks as if the athlete pulls the hilt with his hands and brings it to the shoulders due to bending of the arms in the elbow joint;
  • You can’t turn on the press too much, usually this happens due to the incorrect weight selection, and the tendency is to curl forward and pull the lower ribs to the pelvic bones. This movement contributes to the unloading of the back muscles, therefore it is unacceptable

The pull of the upper block to the chest with a parallel grip

This exercise serves to build perfect symmetry. It gives the latissimus dorsi muscle perfect contours, and helps remove muscle imbalances. By its biomechanical nature, movement gives a more substantial load on the back, and less significant - on the biceps, even a novice can isolate the back enough to make his training more effective.

To perform the movement, you need a special handle for parallel grip, this is a handle with two handles shoulder width apart. The problem may be that the handle does not fit the person in length, and anthropometrically does not allow the movement to be carried out correctly and with full load. But for most body types, standard hall handles are a good option.

The right technique

  • You need to fix the handle for parallel grip on the simulator or in the upper block of the crossover;
  • Grip - parallel with palms to each other, palm rests on the handle of the simulator;
  • Lowering the handle of the projectile begins with the activation of the widest;
  • The elbows are brought to the body so as to ensure that the handle and top of the chest touch;
  • At the bottom point is a peak contraction of the back muscles;
  • Then - smoothly bring the simulator handle up.

Technical errors

  • Traction due to the biceps to the top of the head, without tilting the body back;
  • Jerks with hands, and sharp tilts of the case back, work due to inertia;
  • Twisting the body forward, "lapping press";
  • Huge weights, and their heroic craving for the whole body;
  • Breeding the elbows to the sides, leading to shoulder injuries and a shift in the load on the biceps;
  • "Excessive flexion" of the hand in the wrist shifts the load on the forearm;
  • Holding the handle on the fingers also shifts the load on the forearm;
  • You can not pull the handle to the hips, then only hands will work, and then in the wrong, anatomically unnatural plane.

It is believed that the parallel handle is designed for horizontal traction (to the belt). Yes, this can be a convenient option if the goal is to work out the back with the back bundles of the deltoid muscle together. But for the “depth” of the back, beautiful terrain and the total mass of muscles, vertical traction with a parallel handle is a good choice. Do not forget that the diversity of force application vectors is a positive moment for bodybuilding. The more variations an athlete performs, the more likely he is to make a balanced shape and work out his muscles.

An embodiment of block rods may be a traction in a crossover with various types of handles. If there is no block simulator in the hall, you can install a step platform or bench to the crossover handle and perform exercises in it.

Similar in biomechanics is the thrust in the hammer, but it allows you to stretch and contract the latissimus muscles more strongly. Hammer is a good simulator, but not all rooms have it, so the option with a crossover is closer to most.

An option for vertical thrust is the simultaneous or alternate thrust of the crossover arms in the knee rack. The handles are fixed on top, the knee riser is carried out on the mat, exactly in the middle of the crossover handles. Pulling the shoulder blades to the spine, you need to simultaneously bring the elbows to the body along an elliptical trajectory, and push the chest up. This movement uses the "external" beams of the widest and allows you to draw a beautiful contour of the back.

If an athlete has an imbalance between the development of the right and left half of the back, the thrust is performed in the crossover kneeling with one hand. The mechanics of movement are reminiscent of conventional block traction, but with an emphasis on one side.

The athlete must independently control the position of the back during the execution of all variants of the exercise. His task is not just to feel the muscles, but to imagine the biomechanics of movement in his head in order to consciously involve all the muscles of the back. You need to remember that there are no universal set-repeat schemes. The athlete can perform the pull of the upper block in the range from 6 to 20 repetitions, in 3-5 working approaches. The specifics depends on the purpose of the cycle, and the degree of muscle development. The only condition is that you need to gradually progress in the working balance, and try to supplement the vertical rods with horizontal ones. For harmonious development, it is necessary to apply the principles of planar training, that is, balance the number of rods and presses in your training program.