You can either use dumbbells or a barbell for this exercise
- Hold dumbbells in each hand or take a barbell and allow it to hang in front of you.
- Hinging forward from your waist, keep your knees slightly bent and keep your back straight.
- Drive your elbows back while squeezing your shoulder blades together. Hold for 1 second, and go back to the starting position slowly.
- Repeat the movement.
*If you have lower back problems, try to find an alternative for this exercise like a seated row.
2. Reverse Dumbbell Fly
- Grab a dumbbell in each hand.
- Bend your knees slightly and hinging forward from your hips so that your upper body is leaning comfortably forward towards the floor.
- Hold the dumbbells out together in front of your torso with your arms as straight as possible.
- Pull the dumbbells out away from your body while keeping your arms almost fully extended, as if you were trying to squeeze your shoulder blades together.
- Twist your hands back to completely unlock the bar.
- Slowly return to the original position, still keeping your arms straight.
- Repeat the movement until the set is complete!
3. Cable Row in Squat
- Attach a rope to a low pulley on a cable.
- Grab the rope, and sit back in a squat position as close to 90 degrees as possible. Make sure you’re far back enough that you have full range of motion with your arms.
- Pull the rope as far back as possible by driving your elbows directly behind you. Squeeze your shoulder blades together, hold for 1 second, and then return to the starting position.
- Repeat the movement until the set is complete.
4. Deadlift
*Note: You can do this while holding dumbbells, or with a barbell
- Holding dumbbells in each hand, keep your knees slightly bent and your back straight with your chest puffed outwards.
- Hinging from your waist, bend down towards the floor as far as possible while keeping your back straight and your knees slightly bent.
- At the climax of the movement (when you get as low as possible, hold for .5 - 1 seconds).
- Using your legs and butt, straighten your knees until your body comes to a standing position.
- Repeat the movement to complete the set.
*Because this exercise is more likely than others to lead to injury, please be very careful and make sure you understand proper form for Deadlifts before attempting to do the exercise.
