The stretch...it's one of THE most important phases
of an exercise. And to be honest, it can be tough to
get a good stretch on the mid-back muscles with
conventional rowing exercises.

Because in order to get a stretch, you have to bring the arm in front
and AROUND the body rather than just keeping it facing forward.

That's what this exercise solves.

You'll be doing a standing one-arm cable row with your body turned
90 degrees. This puts the bottom position of the row in maximum
stretch position.

For an exercise like this, the benefit is not from progressive resistance...
the resistance you use doesn't really matter as long as you can use
enough to get a good stretch. It's that stretch position that I keep
going on about that is the key.

If you have a tight back, this loaded stretch is going to feel GREAT. And
the peak stretch position you're putting yourself into here will work your
muscles from an angle they've mostly likely NEVER been worked before.

--

SIDE NOTE: in addition, this also has the potential to slightly stretch
the fascia encasing the back muscles (fascia is the tough connective
tissue "pillowcase" that surrounds each muscle). There is a theory
that this fascia restricts muscle growth and that stretching while the
muscle is full of blood can expand it. I think there IS merit to that
theory, but you have to be very dedicated to this type of stretching
as it takes a long time to really effect a chance in the fascia and it IS
painful to perform.

--

To do this exercise, you'll need a low pulley and, ideally, an extra length of
chain to allow you to stand further away from the stack. This makes
the exercise easier to perform, though it's not 100% necessary.

Grab the single cable handle and take a step back to get the stack up.
Now squat down a bit and brace your non-working hand on your leg.
Stand perpendicular to the stack, letting your working arm come across
your body, with your shoulders turned a bit.

Adjust your body and arm position a bit to get the best stretch possible.
With your body turned like this, you should feel the strong stretch in your
middle-back muscles like the traps and rhomboids....the ones that attach
to the scapulae (shoulder blades) and spine.



Hold that stretch for at least 5 to 10 or more seconds and really let the weight pull your arm forward.

Now row.

We don't really care so much about the contraction here...the rowing is primarily to release the stretch on that rep before going back into it on the next rep.

I'll be honest with you...it's going to be a painful experience. If it's not,
you're not doing it right. But it should be a good stretching type of pain,
not injury pain.

Do 5 or 6 reps then switch sides. As you can see, you want to really focus
on getting that HUGE stretch in the mid-back muscles.





This exercise is best done after working the back with other exercises to
fill the area with blood. It's a great way to finish to ensure that the back
is fully stretched and primed for growth.

Enjoy, and be sure to check out my YouTube channel and Facebook page
for more great training info! (just click on the bubbling beakers below ;).

Nick Nilsson
The "Mad Scientist of Muscle"



P.S. If you know anybody else who might benefit from this
information, feel free to forward this email to them!