LATISIIMUS
DORSI
UPPER-BODY
PULLS
The exercises in this chapter work the muscles that act on three major joints:
SHOULDERS
Your LATISSIMUS DORSI are the prime movers for your ball-and-socket shoulder joints when you
pull your upper arms down or in toward your body, aided by your
REAR DELTOIDS. Classic
exercises for these muscles include lat pulldowns, pullups, and rows.
SHOULDER BLADES
The diamond-shaped TRAPEZIUS muscle starts at the base
of
your skull, spreads out to the back
of
your shoulders, then runs down to the middle
of
your back. The upper part
of
the muscle pulls your
shoulder blades upward, as in shrugs and upright rows. The middle part brings them in toward
each other, an important part
of
rowing exercises. The lower part pulls your shoulder blades down
and toward each other, which happens when you do pullups and lat pulldowns. Beneath the traps
are your
LEVATOR SCAPULAE and RHOMBOIDS, which assist in most
of
these actions.

overhead.
You
can keep your legs straight, or bend your knees
and
cross your feet behind
you.
If
you
need to use more weight for low-rep sets, use a
ch
in-dip belt (which looks like a regular
weight belt but has a chain
in
front
to which you attach weight plates or a dumbbell), or hold a
dumbbell between your feet.
UP:
Pull yourself
up
until your chin
is
over the
ba
r.
DOWN
: Lower yourself to the starting position.
VARIATIONS:
1»
CHINUP
WHER

OR
CHINUPS?
With the advent of Universal machines
in
the 1960s
and
'70s, the chinup became a forgotten
exercise.
Even
lifters
who were strong enough for them opted for
lat
pUlldowns. And, of course,
many novice
lifters
aren't yet strong enough.
If
you
can't
do
enough pullups or chinups with your body weight
to
complete the workouts
as
written, you have
two
options:
One
is
to

or three reps, drop off, catch your breath,
then jump back
up
and
do
the next. When you've done enough to complete a set (four to six, if the
workout calls for
"heavy" weights), take the
full
rest period.
After
the
first
set,
do
as
many
as
you
can
per
set-even
if it's
just
one or
two-and
then take the designated rest period.
That's only practical if you can
do
a couple of reps at a time.

can,
even if it's
just
one. Then lower your feet to
the chair, and
do
the rest of the reps
in
that
set, pushing
off
with your feet to assist your back and
arm muscles. The only way this works
is
if
you
use the push-off
as
little
as
possibl
e-each
rep
should feel difficult,
as
if you'
re
lifting
almost
all

2»
SUPRAMAXIMAL
CHINUP
VVHEREITIS:GetEven
Stronger, Phase 1
HOVV
TO
DO
IT:
Use
a
load that's
approximately
20
percent more than your
one-rep max.
You
can
add
weight with a chin-
dip
belt, or hold a
dumbbell with your feet.
Start from the hang
position, pull yourself
up
2 inches,
and
hold.
208

Get
Even
Stron-
ger,
Phase 3
HOVV
TO
DO
IT:
Use
an
overhand grip
that's
narrow-your
hands
should
be
slightly less
than shoulder-width
apart.
5»
SUPRAMAXIMAL
PULLUP
VVHERE
IT
IS:
Get
Even
Stronger, Phase 3
HOVVTO

you
the right
on
the next.
don't have access
to
Caution:
If
you
ha
ve
to
WHERE
IT
IS:
Get
WH
E
RE
IT
IS
: Get Big,
fixed neutral-grip
resort
to
using a V
bar.
make
Strong, Phase
2;

faLL
off
the chinup bar.
with
a
Get Lean, Phases
lA,
a triangle
that
's open
high likelihood
of
hitting y
ou
HOW
TO
DO
IT:
Use
an
on
the
head.
overhand grip
that
's
as
2A, and 3A
on
one

have
multiple
and
alternate your reps
neutral-grip choices,
so
that
your
head
goes
select the
one
that
above the bar to the
209
210
LAT
PULLDOWN
WHERE
IT
IS: Get
Big,
Phase
lA
PREP: Attach the long, straight bar to the high cable of the lat-pulldown station. Sit
on
the seat
and
adjust the knee supports
for

as
you
contmct
your upper-back muscles.
UP: Return the bar to the starting position.
1»
VARIATIONS:
1»
UNDERHAND-
GRIPLAT
PULLDOWN
WHERE
IT
IS:
Get
Ready; Get Big, Phase
3A; Get Even Bigger,
HFT
for
Arms; Get
Strong, Phase
lA
;
Get
Even
Stronger,
Phase
lA
HOW
TO

with
your hands
as
wide as
the bar
aLLows
.
3»
NEUTRAL-GRIP
LAT
PULLDOWN
WHERE
IT
IS:
Get
Strong, Phase 3A; Get
Even Stronger, Phase
3A
HOW
TO
DO
IT:
Use
the
V-bar
attachment
(it's
shaped
Like
a triangLe

cabLe.
Start
with
your weaker side
(
usuaLLy
the
Left, if
you're right-handed),
and grab
the
handLe
with
a neutraL grip.
HoLd
your nonworking
arm
behind your back.
PuLL
the
handLe
down
to
the outside of your
chest. keeping your
torso
vert
i
caL
and your

use the lowest setting
on
the cable station
»
High-puLLey
rows,
in
which you use the highest setting
» Face
puLLs,
in
which you use a rope attachment (for the standard version) or
aD-shaped
handle (for the one-arm version) and
puLL
the cable toward your chin before finishing with a
movement
caLLed
external rotation
It
gets a
little
complicated when gyms
have
limited equipment options. Some gyms don't
have
cable machines
that
allow adjustments to chest height.
In

is
easiest and pisses
off
fewer people.
You
have more options for high-cable standing rows: the lat-pulldown station, the
two
cables
on
the
crossover station,
and
the triceps-pushdown station. You'll
still
be
the only
one
using them for
standing rows, but at least you're less likely to make unintentional contact.
Use
whatever attachment
is
specified, with the assigned grip. Stand with your feet about shoulder-
width apart, toes pointed forward, with your glutes and
abs
tight
and
your head
and
neck aligned

on
rows, and the attachment toward your chin
on
face pulls.
(See
individual exercise descriptions for specific instructions.)
DOWN:
Return to the starting position.
1»
VARIATIONS:
1»
CABLE
STANDING
MID-
PULLEY
ROW
WHERE
IT
IS: Get
Ready
; Get Strong,
Phases
lA
and
3A; Get
Even
Stronger, Phases
lA,
3,
and

TO DO IT: Use a
V-bar
atta
chment.
3»
CABLE
STANDING
ONE-ARM
MID-PULLEY
ROW,
ELBOW
IN
WHERE
IT
IS: Get
Even
Bigger, HFT for Arms
and
Total-Body
HFT;
Get Strong, Phase 3
HOW
TO DO IT: Attach
the O-shaped handle,
and
grab
it
with a
neutral grip. Keeping
your elbow

TO
DO
IT:
Start
with your palm facing
down, and
pull
until
your hand
is
in
line
with
your torso,
allowing your elbow to
flare out to the side.
214
5»
CABLE
STANDING
ONE-ARM
MID-PULLEY
ROW,
PALM
UP
WHERE
IT
IS:
Get
Big

PULL
elbows
up
. When your
WHERE
IT
IS:
Get Big,
upper arms reach the
Phases
lA
, 2A, and
plane of your torso,
externally rotate your
3A; Get
Even
Bigger,
upper arms:
that
is
,
HFT for Arms and
without
lifting your
Total-Body HFT; Get
arms any higher or
Strong, Phases lAo 2A,
moving them
and 3; Get
Even

FAST
PARTIAL
CABLE
STANDING
MID-PULLEY
FACE
PULL
WHERE
IT
IS:
Get
Even
Stronger, Phase 1
HOW
TO
DO
IT:
Use
a
rope attachment,
and
grab the ends with
overhand grips.
Starting with straight
arms, pull halfway;
your elbows won't
reach the point at
which they'
re
bent 90

back. Pull the handle
toward your
chin, with
your palm down
and
elbow
up.
When your
upper arm reaches the
plane of your
torso,
externally rotate until
your forearm
is
perpendicular to the
floor.
215
CABLE
STANDING
ROW
(CONTINUED)
9»
9»
CABLE
STANDING
LOW-
PULLEY
ROW
WITH
ROPE

the sides of your
midsection.
216
10
»
CABLE
STANDING
HIGH-
PULLEY
FACE
PULL
WHERE
IT
IS:
Get
Even
Stronger, Phase 3A
HOW
TO
DO
IT:
Use a
rope attachment,
and
grab the ends with
overhand grips. Pull
the rope toward your
chin, keeping your
palms down
and

Even
exercise, which
is
not
featured
in
any of the
Stronger, Phase 2
Huge
in
a
Hurry
HOW
TO
DO
IT:
Set the
workout programs,
pulley to its highest
you would pull the V
position and attach the
bar
all
the way to your
V
bar.
Grab the
lower chest.)
handles
and

ROW
working arm straight, pulley at the lowest
elbows
up.
When your
WITH
NEUTRAL
and
tension
in
the position (if you have a
upper arms reach the
GRIP
cable. Place your choice at the seated-
plane of your
torso,
WHERE
IT
IS:
Get
Big,
nonworking arm
on
row station). Attach externally rotate your
your abdomen. Pull the rope handles,
and
upper arms. That
is,
Phase 1
until your hand grab the ends with without lifting your

FACE
PULL
want your
abs
tight
are perpendicular to
to the cable. Grab the
WHERE
IT
IS:
Get
Big,
and
your neck and
the floor. Reverse
that
handle with a neutral
Phases
lA,
2A,
and
head
aligned with your
motion
as
you
return
grip
and
sit

You
want your
Phase 2A; Get
Lean,
Pull the rope toward
abs
tight, your neck
Phase 1
your
chin, keeping your
and
head
aligned with
217
218
BARBELL
BENT-OVER
ROW
WHERE
IT
IS:
Get Lean , Phases
lA
and
2
PREP:
Load a barbell with the appropriate weight.
Grab
the bar with
an

parallel to the floor, with the barbell directly below your abdomen,
and
your neck
and
head
aligned
with your back.
UP: Pull the bar
up
until it touches your abdominals, without moving your legs or torso out of the
position described above.
DOWN:
Lower the bar to arm's length.
VARIATION:
1»
BARBELL
BENT-OVER
ROW,
PALMS
UP
WHERE
IT
IS:
Get
Even
Bigger, HFT for Arms
HOW
TO
DO
IT:

in
. Place your nonworking arm behind your back.
Tighten your core and push your hips back until your torso
is
at
a 45-degree angle to the
floor
. Your
knees
will
bend slightly. Make sure your neck and head align
with
your back.
UP: Pull the dumbbell up to the side of your abdomen.
DOWN: Lower the dumbbell to arm's length.
VARIATION:
1»
DUMBBELL
ONE-ARM
BENT-OVER
ROW,
PALM
UP
WHERE
IT
IS: Get
Even
Bigger,
HFT
for

"push"-as
in pushups, bench presses, or shoving someone in a
bar
fight-the
key action involves your pectoral muscles pulling your upper arms horizontally or
diagonally toward or across your torso. Your pecs also pull your upper arms down when they're
raised behind your torso, as in a dip.
Bodybuilders have bought into the fundamentally ridiculous notion that exercises such as
flies and cable crossovers somehow isolate the pecs and thus are necessary to build them. But
if
you compare the upper-arm movement
of
crossovers with bench presses, you see they're exactly
the same. The only difference is that your elbow joints are in a fixed position in the former and
straighten in the latter.
To
get that "benefit," you
do
exercises that involve less weight and, in the
case
of
flies using devices like the pec-deck machine, more risk to your shoulders.
Your
DELTOIDS are responsible for lifting your arms overhead, as in a shoulder press, or up
from your sides,
as
in a lateral raise. The front part
of
the muscle assists your pecs in their duties
on

explain later in this chapter.
ELBOWS
Your TRICEPS straighten your arms at the elbow joints, which
is
,
of
course, a key part
of
exercises
such as the pushup, bench press, dip, and shoulder press. Just about everybody who's ever entered a
gym
is
convinced they need to do special elbow-straightening exercises to build their triceps. The
main impetus for this belief seems to be the sheer investment gym owners make in triceps-isolating
equipment. Every cable apparatus has a dedicated triceps-pushdown station, and benches are
typically crowded by people doing triceps kickbacks and extensions with dumbbells or EZ-curl bars.
But the notion
is
as flawed as the idea that pecs need to be isolated with special exercises that don't
involve the elbow joint. Do your chest presses, shoulder presses, and dips with serious weights and
you won't have to think twice about isolation exercises for your pecs or your triceps.
•
•
,.
•••
IIi·_·iI
-
~
•
• • a

have
to locate the dip station
in
your gym. Many gyms, if not most, keep it well-
hidden. Sometimes you'll find a stand-alone dip station. Other times it's
part
of a device called the
"captain's chair"
that
is
used for
an
ab
exercise resembling the hanging leg raise. Newer gyms have
a machine for assisted dips
and
pullups
that
allows you to work with less than your body weight.
It
's unlikely, though,
that
you
'
ll
need assistance
on
dips-most
of
you

that
feels best.
No
exercise should
hurt
while you're performing it.
223
224
DIP
(CONTINUED)
DIP
(CONTINUED)
•
•
Hop
up
on
the bars and set yourself with your arms straight
and
torso leaning forward slightly.
You
can work with straight legs or with your ankles crossed behind
you
with knees bent. (The
latter
is
probably a better choice if you're adding resistance with a chin-dip belt.)
DO
W
N:

UP: Push back
up
until your elbows are fully locked.
Caution: Dips are
generaLLy
safe
for
your shouLder joints. since they
allow
free movement
of
your shouLder
bLades.
But
if
you've ever had
an
injury
to
your acromioclavicuLar
(A
C)
joint-the
pLace
where your collarbone
meets
the tippy-top of your
shouLder
bLade-you
couLd

dips
wit
h a Load
that
wo
uL
d create shouLder-joi
nt
discomfort.
VARIATION:
1»
FAST
PARTIAL
DIP
WHERE
IT
IS:
Get
Even
Stronger, Phase 3
HOW
TO
DO
IT:
From lockout, lower yourself halfway.
BENCH
PRESS
PREP:
One
feature of the Huge in a

movement
patterns of your shoulder blades.
Once
their
movement
is
dysfunctional, any number of back, neck,
and
shoulder problems
can
result.
In
my experience, the classic barbell press
on
a
flat
bench
is
an
invitation to break
all
the rules of
the program. A lifter's
ego
is
tied
up
in
the amount of weight
he

without them for dumbbells) and adjust
it
to the prescribed position (flat, incline, decline). Load the
barbell or grab the dumbbell or dumbbells
you
need
. When working with a barbell
and
superheavy
weights, find a spotter.
If
you
'
re
using a
flat
or incline bench, set your body
in
an
athletic position, with your feet shoulder-
width apart
and
flat
on
the floor.
(You
'
ll
have to hook your feet behind supports
on

up
over your chest.
One
more complication: Unless
you
work out
in
a fully equipped bodybuilding gym,
you
may not
be
able to find a decline bench with uprights for bench presses. The solution
is
easy:
Just
slip
two
25-
or 45-pound weight plates under each leg at
one
end
of a
flat
bench, and
you
have a decline bench.
DOWN:
Lower the weights to your upper abdomen
on
decline presses, to your lower chest

DECLINE
CLOSE-
from thumb to thumb.
GRIP
BENCH
PRESS
It's
okay to adjust for
comfort
, but don't
go
WHERE
IT
IS:
Get
Big
,
any narrower than
Phase 1; Get Strong,
that
,
and
don't
go
all
Phases 1
and
2; Get
the way out to normal
Even

226
I. -
• • o •
• • I
~
,
. ~
,
•
. ,
. ; ' . ,
--
thumbs
on
the same
2»
side of the bar.
SUPRAMAXIMAL
Unrack the load
by
BARBELL
DECLINE
yourself or with the
CLOSE-GRIP

more than your
one
-r
ep
ma
x. Lower the
ba
rbell
2 inches from the top
position,
and
hold.