Seated Row, My Second Favorite Exercise for Developing Upper Back Strength

Last post I showed you the lat pulldown as one of my favorite exercises for strengthening your upper back.  Now I'd like to introduce you to my second favorite, seated rows.  The seated row is also an exercise that targets the muscles of the upper back.  I like to incorporate two movements for the upper back because these muscles are neglected and weak in most of the clients that I see.  Weak upper back muscles not only lead to posture problems they also lead to neck and shoulder problems.

Place the pin in a resistance with which the last three repetitions are difficult to complete, again you may have to experiment to get the proper weight for you.  Sit on the bench and place your feet on the foot rest.  Lean forward grab the attachment, slid back until your legs are almost fully extended and hold the attachment waist height with your arms fully extended.  This is your start position.  Lift your chest high and slowly pull your hands to your naval while rolling your shoulders back and pinching your shoulder blades together then slowly return to the starting position.  Your breathing pattern for this exercise is to exhale when you are pulling in and inhale when you are returning to the starting position.