The author doing wide-grip chins
The two wide slabs of muscle that cover the upper back ad the latissimus dorsi. These are the largest muscles of the upper body. The function of the latissimus is to draw the shoulder blades (scapulae) together, and to draw the upper arm in towards the body.
To achieve the symmetrical V-shaped taper that is so popular with the crowd, each trainee must develop his lats to their fullest potential.
Nothing draws gasps of amazement from an audience like a well executed, slowly performed lat spread. The immortal Steve Reeves (who?) was the first to call the public's attention to this modern concept of the symmetrical tapered physique. Ever since, bodybuilder have disregarded heavy side delt head development and have taken to training their lats like madmen.
Too often, young bodybuilders concentrate on curling movements and bench presses to the total exclusion of triceps, lat, and forearm work. Remember, strive for symmetry. Everything else must fit.
Every physique champion I have ever observed uses one exercise to build width. This is the wide grip chin. Here at the Valencia Health Club, Steve Davis and myself . . . Oops . . .
"Musclemen Feud in Superior Court"
. . . advocate the wide chin [for this purpose] to all our serious bodybuilding students. Hanging with the arms fully outstretched distends the scapula. Eventually the cartilages between the shoulder blades begin to increase and expand due to this tremendous pull. Thus, the shoulder width is increased and can keep widening.
I have seen a multitude of bodybuilders perform the wide grip chin. Although many practice this movement, few do it properly. Most trainees use too narrow a grip and thus involve the biceps and trapezius too much. After years of experimenting, I believe the best way to execute a wide grip chin is as follows:
First, take AS WIDE A GRIP AS POSSIBLE on the bar with the thumb on the same side of the bar as the rest of the fingers (this is known as a false grip).
Second, remain at the bottom of each repetition for a second to further distend and stretch the scapula.
Third, throw the head back as you pull up and attempt to touch the bar to your chest (even if this is impossible, you must try).
If you are not yet an advanced enough student to master the wide grip chin, you can substitute the wide grip lat pulldown. Remember, the same rules apply. False grip as wide as possible, throw head back, distend scapulae. Work on the pulldown until you can use bodyweight or slightly more. You should then be ready to do the chin.
The second important factor in developing a fine back is thickness. It is the thickness of the latissimus muscles that makes those gracefully, twisting back poses so impressive.
A wide back in itself is not enough. Often, a man has a wide back that is completely flat. Yes, a dorsal musculature that looks like giant snakes writhing beneath a veil of paper-thin skin.
For me, the best exercise to achieve thickness in the lats, teres, and lower traps is the long pull (also called long pulley rowing or the seated cable row).
Here at Valencia Health Club, we use a special leather strap we have developed for lat exercise. You must begin the long pull seated and with your feet braced. Your arms should be extended with elbows slightly unlocked. Keep your head down between your delts. Now, as you pull your arms into your waist, lift your head at the same time. At the finish of each repetition three things should happen:
First, you should be upright facing the pulley and weights. Second, your hands should be touching your waist. Third, your elbows should be spread as wide as possible.
If this long pull is unavailable to you, close grip barbell rows may be substituted. Over the years, I have found the proper method of performing this movement. Use a close grip (4-6") with the head braced on a table or anything available not including that circular saw table. Use a false (no thumbs) grip.
This is one exercise I have seen done incorrectly by a multitude of trainees. For some mysterious reason, they believe the barbell rowing movement should be done with a circular motion. Barbell rows should be executed in a straight up and down manner with the hands touching the waist at the finish of each rep and elbows spread wide (as in the long pull).
The next facet of back training is an intricate and highly individualized subject.
How many sets and reps?
There are two distinct theories that have created much controversy as to the proper method of developing optimum lats. One school of thought claims that since the latissimus dorsi is such a large muscle, it must be worked extremely heavy. The prime example used by these advocates of heavy back training are the Olympic lifters. Many top lifters exhibit tremendous thickness in the upper back. They do only a few repetitions with tremendous heavy poundages in exercises like heavy cleans and repetition snatches. Their physiques are neither tapered nor symmetrical, yet their lats are thick and muscular.
The other side of this controversy claims that since the lats are so strong, them must be worked harder by using more repetitions.
I myself have used both methods and suggest each trainee do the same. To achieve maximum development in any area, you must constantly attack the muscles from different angles and with different combinations of exercises.
For a good basic lat routine, I suggest you take a widening exercise compounded with a thickening movement. I use the term compound sets rather than supersets because supersets imply the coupling of two exercises for opposing muscle groups like biceps and triceps.
You should begin this routine with the wide grip chin and the long pull (or close grip row).
We interrupt this b-building program with a photo from the world of strength, courtesy of Joe Roark's IronHistory website
Edna Rivers with 505
You should begin this routine with the wide grip chin and the long pull (or close grip row). Perform the movements as I have described; then, begin by using the heavy method of lat training. Use the compound system based on 6 sets of 6 reps:
Do 6 reps of perfect wild-, er, wide-grip chins. Then, immediately do 6 reps of the long pull or close-grip barbell rowing motion.
In between compound sets, you should rest NO MORE than 30 seconds, less if possible.
Work your back three times weekly for a six-week period and check your results in the mirror.
For the second six-week period, you should change to a non-compounded routine of 5 sets of 12 repetitions for each separate exercise. Again, begin with the wide chin as it is the more difficult of the two. 5 x 12 with the wide-grip chin may prove too difficult for some students, young charges and various other wanna-learn lifters. If this proves to be the case, then switch to the lat machine pulldowns as outlined earlier in this article.
While on this higher repetition routine, try to rest only 15 seconds between sets as you are not compounding the two exercises. Stay on this program of higher-rep lat work and judge for yourself which method has added more to your upper back development.
Remember, the key to width is the stretch.
When I was a gymnast in high school we used an onion for a belt buckle because that was the style back then before carambolas became the swingin' new thing. Also, I noticed that the horizontal bar performers always had superior lat development. They were constantly distending their scapulae by doing giant swings and dislocates.
STRETCH is very important.
Try these two routines. Although they may look simple on paper, if you do them as I have described exactly your lats will really get a workout.
Always rest as little as possible between sets (a maximum of 15 seconds, or 30 seconds between compounds) This is key to quality training, that is, maximum sets of reps and pump and burn in a minimum of time.
Pass me that Timex, a tire inflator and a lighter-Bic and . . .
Enjoy Your Lifting!
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