Workouts to improve upper body strength?

jobo

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There are better exercises for developing the lower back than a bent row. I'd advocate using those if lower back strength is low. But that's no reason to stop developing the upper back, which is not entirely useless just because it is more developed than the lower back. It won't provide its best utility unless/until they get that lower back better, but unless they create a deep imbalance (unlikely if they are directly targeting the lower back with other exercises), it won't be a problem.
the lower back should be very very strong, think dead lifting 400lbs

if the exercise as suggested to to much, you don't have a weak back you have a very very weak back. Developing your body of out functional balance is very dangerous and one of those old fashioned training methodologies' you hang on to
 

Gerry Seymour

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the lower back should be very very strong, think dead lifting 400lbs

if the exercise as suggested to to much, you don't have a weak back you have a very very weak back. Developing your body of out functional balance is very dangerous and one of those old fashioned training methodologies' you hang on to
Deadlifting 400 lbs has never been in my goals. And, again, there are other reasons why people may not want that strain on the back.

And, if you think my adjusting exercise to build around problem areas (rather than ignoring them) and adapting to the needs of an individual is an "old fashioned training methodology", you are delusional.
 

JR 137

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Deadlifting 400 lbs has never been in my goals. And, again, there are other reasons why people may not want that strain on the back.

And, if you think my adjusting exercise to build around problem areas (rather than ignoring them) and adapting to the needs of an individual is an "old fashioned training methodology", you are delusional.
Delusional fits him quite well.
 

Buka

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How far do you lean over? I have been trying to find something to replace pullups (same problem as you), but the way I am imagining this, it would wreck my back.

You can try putting your head against the wall, not leaning over too much, and do light fly exercises. But stay light, as it really hits the rhomboids.
 

jobo

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Deadlifting 400 lbs has never been in my goals. And, again, there are other reasons why people may not want that strain on the back.

And, if you think my adjusting exercise to build around problem areas (rather than ignoring them) and adapting to the needs of an individual is an "old fashioned training methodology", you are delusional.
but your not adapting to the needs of the individual, your imposing dogma one size fits all, that might very well make his back problem worse.

the inter connection of the human body means that developing the shoulders may very well put additional strain on the lower back.

if someone's back is so weak that exercises like those pit a,strain on it. Then they need someone who knows what he is doing to design a strengning / rehabilitation program for it, before they start other work. Not some one telling them to prop themselves up on a table and carry on, nether mind the consequences
I spent literally months sorting my lower back out before I started throwing weights around
 
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JR 137

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but your not adapting to the needs of the individual, your imposing dogma one size fits all, that might very well make his back problem worse.

the inter connection of the human body means that developing the shoulders may very well put additional strain on the lower back.

if someone's back is so weak that exercises like those pit a,strain on it. Then they need someone who knows what he is doing to design a strengning / rehabilitation program for it, before they start other work. Not some one telling them to prop themselves up on a table and carry on, nether mind the consequences
I spent literally months sorting my lower back out before I started throwing weights around
Weren't you saying physical/physio therapists weren't necessary a while back? Or was that unnecessary to you because you know all? I remember which.
 

jobo

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Weren't you saying physical/physio therapists weren't necessary a while back? Or was that unnecessary to you because you know all? I remember which.
I said they weren't required for every little injury, but that's somewhat different that sorting out a long term chronic back problem. But even then you dont need them, a decent qualified sports coach will do.

I didn't of cause do that myself,, idid trial and error and found that glute/ back bridges made a great deal of difference, and then as they were so little used the muscle had wasted and i was as weak as a kitten, so I had a major job on building the muscle tissue up again. It was a long and painful process of discovery. But then I wouldnt recommend that to others, as their problem may well be different than mine,so get some proper advice

of Couse if they recommend propping your self up on a table and lifting heavy weights, you may have a fraud on your hands. RUN
 
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Gerry Seymour

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but your not adapting to the needs of the individual, your imposing dogma one size fits all, that might very well make his back problem worse.

the inter connection of the human body means that developing the shoulders may very well put additional strain on the lower back.

if someone's back is so weak that exercises like those pit a,strain on it. Then they need someone who knows what he is doing to design a strengning / rehabilitation program for it, before they start other work. Not some one telling them to prop themselves up on a table and carry on, nether mind the consequences
I spent literally months sorting my lower back out before I started throwing weights around
Um, where do you get "dogma" and "one size fits all" from me saying that someone with lower back issues (whether weakness or injury) might benefit from using a different exercise to strengthen the lower back, while removing the lower back from this one so they can target the upper back more effectively? That's rather the opposite of "one size fits all". As for "dogma", perhaps look up the word and figure out how you're going to justify applying it here.
 

Gerry Seymour

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Weren't you saying physical/physio therapists weren't necessary a while back? Or was that unnecessary to you because you know all? I remember which.
Yes, he was. It's another of his contradictions. He asserted that all the information needed for exercise (whether fitness or rehabilitation) was available on YouTube. And, yet, he claims I have a one-size-fits-all approach.
 

Gerry Seymour

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of Couse if they recommend propping your self up on a table and lifting heavy weights, you may have a fraud on your hands. RUN
You do know, I hope, that that's actually a commonly-used exercise form. It's not an arbitrary bit of adjustment, but a standard variation of the exercise, often used for precisely the purposes I spoke of. Now, if someone were to advise you to go and arbitrarily adjust what you do until you find a good fit, that might be a bad idea. I'd suggest running, but you're likely to have injured yourself already, so probably should walk gingerly.
 

KangTsai

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doesnt going below your hands cause shoulder injuries. I think that is a no no.

I agree with Jobo. Some really great kettle bell workouts on the web. And you don't need that many just a few.
It doesn't. In fact, it's a pectoral stretch, which creates more tension.
 

jobo

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It doesn't. In fact, it's a pectoral stretch, which creates more tension.
yes its a pec stretch, used to overload them and build a bigger chest, but it's also associated with rotator cuff issues, as are dumbell flies which are done for the same reason.

I'm not sure that building strengh at that angle is all that usefull in the real word, therefore its only useful if you purpose is building a bigger chest
 

Gerry Seymour

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yes its a pec stretch, used to overload them and build a bigger chest, but it's also associated with rotator cuff issues, as are dumbell flies which are done for the same reason.

I'm not sure that building strengh at that angle is all that usefull in the real word, therefore its only useful if you purpose is building a bigger chest
If I recall correctly (reaching way back into older information here), this stretch has little value for chest size beyond the mid-to-late 20's. Something to do with it helping expand the volume (? probably not the right term here) of the ribcage by stretching connective tissue that later loses the ability to flex to any significant extent. I don't know if there's anything newer on that - I think I read that 15 years ago.
 

jobo

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If I recall correctly (reaching way back into older information here), this stretch has little value for chest size beyond the mid-to-late 20's. Something to do with it helping expand the volume (? probably not the right term here) of the ribcage by stretching connective tissue that later loses the ability to flex to any significant extent. I don't know if there's anything newer on that - I think I read that 15 years ago.

it not only stretchs them , it increase the effective load and the tome under tension
that's a slightly different argument, building muscle mass , by any means,beyond your thirties is a much much slower process than in the Halcion days of lots of HGH flooding round your system .

hence the number of people from late twenties onwards who use chemical assistance.

but yes, if you are prepared to put the time and effort in, it has value , its just the results are very slow and quite possibly disappointing
 
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jobo

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it not only stretchs them , it increase the effective load and the tome under tension
that's a slightly different argument, building muscle mass , by any means,beyond your thirties is a much much slower process than in the Halcion days of lots of HGH flooding round your system .

hence the number of people from late twenties onwards who use chemical assistance.

but yes, if you are prepared to put the time and effort in, it has value , its just the results are very slow and quite possibly disappointing
to add that the muscle most prized are the ones that are the most difficult to actually grows ie the abs the pecs and the biceps, as in normal use they have a very short range of motion and are not commonly maximally recruited in every day life. That's why people spend hours doing isolation movement in unrealistic positions to over load them in a way you could never do , in functional movement.

hence the lack of functional strengh that this exercise would actually give you
 

Gerry Seymour

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it not only stretchs them , it increase the effective load and the tome under tension
that's a slightly different argument, building muscle mass , by any means,beyond your thirties is a much much slower process than in the Halcion days of lots of HGH flooding round your system .

hence the number of people from late twenties onwards who use chemical assistance.

but yes, if you are prepared to put the time and effort in, it has value , its just the results are very slow and quite possibly disappointing
I think I wasn't clear. The article I was referring to (no reference to cite - this was many years ago), suggested most of the "gain" in chest size from this (as opposed to the same exercises not taken to that extent) was actually expansion of the ribcage, and that this expansion wasn't possible (to any significant extent) after the late 20's.
 

jobo

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I think I wasn't clear. The article I was referring to (no reference to cite - this was many years ago), suggested most of the "gain" in chest size from this (as opposed to the same exercises not taken to that extent) was actually expansion of the ribcage, and that this expansion wasn't possible (to any significant extent) after the late 20's.
Il except that, but there are still gains to be made from maximal over load of the muscle and the increased time under tension, but at the expense of rotator cuff issues.

from memory, a standard pish up recruits the pec muscle at 110% which will lead to growth un till such time as your body adapts. Going below parallel will increase that loading again increasing growth, and as the pec muscle is under tension for a longer period it will be additional loaded.

so in order to reach agreement for once, the benefit of doing this is far less out of your twenties AND its a potential dangerous exercise to do at any age
 
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