Rhomboids
(middle back) are the unsung hero of the back.
They add thickness to a back. You never hear of anyone working them out.
However everyone does when they do most of lat and trap work. Wide grip
pull ups to the front work this muscle very well, so do Bent Over
Rows and Seated Cable Rows. There are only a few exercises that target this
muscle primarily.
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And here they are:
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Bent Over Barbell Rows.
Do these the same way as
Bent Over Barbell Rows
for upper back, the only difference
being a slightly wider grip. Your really have to try to feel your shoulder
blades coming together due to rhomboid contraction. Doing this exercise for
upper back though, should be good enough.
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Seated Cable Rows. Execute this exercise exactly the same way as
Seated Cable Rows
done for lats with one major difference. Instead of
pulling the weight to your stomach area, pull it to where your abs meet your
chest.
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Rhomboid Shrugs
are done either with a low pulley or on one of the Cybex or Stairmaster type
Rowing Machines (this said in full recognition of your preference for free
weights!!) Begin as if you are going to do regular rows but rather than
bending the
arms, keep then (relatively) straight and try to pull the shoulders back -
can use a rotating motion but recall your caution about rolling the
shoulders while doing shrugs. This is rather like a seated, horizontal
shrug. Really gets to the middle of the back - involves the trapezius also.
Could be done with a barbell or dumbells in the bent over rowing positionbut you might not be able to focus on the proper movement. ( thanks to Mike
Nix )
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*If anyone can come up
with another exercise for rhomboids I would be happy to hear about it.
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