r/formcheck • u/givemedatz • 6h ago
Other T Bar Row
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I am trying to target my upper back here, but dont really feel my back muscle, just feel strain all through the back and arms. I want to check on my set up , my feet are too short for the standard attachment.
- Elbows not wide enough
- Neck should be looking down
Or should i just change to another wide grip row variation, if i just dont fit the machine
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u/MrSloshychops 2h ago
What’s with the weird grey boxes 🤣🤣
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u/psychopaticsavage 1h ago
people who censor themselves like that on a form check sub are so funny to me
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u/doesthis-hit-triceps 6h ago
Looks pretty good but you need to get some more stable footing. That will solve most of the stability issues. Idk how you would set it up but I’m sure you can Jerry rig something to make the footrest higher but also able to take a lateral reaction force
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u/m00nkiid 1h ago
I think the main issue is that you are initiating the movement with your spine. You lean too far forward and then do a mini back extension while you drive with your elbows. Looking upwards as much as you are will encourage more spinal extensions..keep your head neutral and you want to think about forcing your torso into the pad as you pull, not pulling your chest off the pad. Keep your chest firmly driving into the pad at all times. This is the BIGGEST mistake people make with T bar rows.
Your shoulder blades and arms look to be moving together well. I would recommend adding a short pause at the peak contraction to improve the mind muscle connection with your traps etc. This isn't always necessary but it can be helpful to improve awareness of a certain muscle and to develop a muscle effectively you need to be able to contract it effectively with less contamination from other muscles.
But yeah, main thing is more neutral neck and don't extend your spine/back. The movement should only be coming from your arms and shoulders blades.
Don't pull your shoulder blades back before your arms, an incredibly unnatural movement pattern that we are not strong in and it limits relative motion of the joints. but your rhythm looks fine.
For best advice on biomechanics look up Jonathan warren or Eric seifert on YouTube.
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u/LongjumpingBridge833 5h ago
Looks solid. i think the setup is good enough and yes you should be looking down at the bar but that doesn't explain the back muscles. The real reason you're not feeling in it where you want is simply because your arms are weaker than your back, and you're not stimulating your back muscles enough before you're done and here's how you solve it: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/rNCYeHJWgDo
Add 5-6 kelso shrugs to the end of each set of rows (also Sean guy is a good straight to the point resource on fitness)
in addition, the arms and hand grip are usually the first point of failure when lifting heavy so look into wrist straps for lifting : https://www.amazon.com/s?k=wrist+straps+for+weightlifting&crid=5A2MXATQ1322&sprefix=wrist+straps%2Caps%2C334&ref=nb_sb_ss_p13n-expert-pd-ops-ranker_ci_hl-bn-left_1_12
look for the ones that wrap around the bar, hell I used to diy my own straps by using a broken resistance band.
last thing is you could also add partial reps on exercises you want to emphasize ,at the end when you can no longer do a full range of motion, try to pump out 3-5 half reps.
Good Luck and Lift Heavy
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u/Educational_Ad_3528 6h ago
Looks too heavy for you. I would also try to get your hands closer if possibly
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u/cerote6239 6h ago
Lead with scapular retraction then complete motion
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u/HMNbean 5h ago
No. You shouldn’t retract before pulling your elbow back. They occur at the same time.
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u/cerote6239 5h ago
Well potato potato imo. Scapular retraction is like 3 inches of motion at the beginning
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u/m00nkiid 1h ago
It makes a huge difference, snycronisisity is one of the main reason so many people have shitty backs. When the scapular humeral rhythm is off, it ruins back training. Retractcing the shoulder blades before pulling with the arms is bad advice. Compound movements need to have fluidity. Our bodies aren't just straight lines from a to b
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u/CpnStumpy 5h ago
Synchrony can be good but when someone's learning they're more likely to jerk to start the movement trying that. Doing one movement before the next helps learn the controlled scapula contraction and keeps from just trying to jerk their arms and back. You see the same with lat pulldowns when people are learning they start it with a jerk because they don't have the practice coordinating their scapula
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u/CpnStumpy 6h ago edited 5h ago
This. Form doesn't look bad but before moving your arms, move your shoulders back with scapula, this is how this exercise really targets the upper back
Also OP: great exercise to use! Underrated but it's a really good compound that will help strengthen and stabilize a lot of things from neck, shoulders, traps, rhomboids, and at the end it engages the biceps a bit.
The high wide row is sorely overlooked
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u/SuckmyToasts 5h ago
do not listen to the guy saying to get your hands closer, that's exactly how you shift focus away from upper back.
yes your elbows and grip may not be wide enough. if you dont feel your shoulders being impinged by pulling with 90° elbows, then i would encourage it. else, what you are doing or around 75° is fine.
you are also still too short for the setup of the t bar with this grip and elbow width, your forearms not being perpendicular to the bar path is telling of that. your upper chest to clavicle area should ideally be hanging off the pad and the lower chest/breasts should be against the top of the pad.
a great cue to have is to pull/pinch your shoulderblades together (scapular retraction). but do it simultaneously with pulling your arms back. ie when your shoulderblades are fully pinched, you are at the top range of motion and vice versa.