Taking biceps out of back movements.

[Pineapples4Puss]

No matter what I do. Rows, pull ups, machine rows anything my biceps/fire arms and elbows just burn after a few sets. I’ve adjusted my grip. Lightened the weight everything you can think of. Is this just normal??

i know form and how to train my back. My back used to be one of my best features of my physique. I don’t understand why. Anyone else experience this?

 

[Eman]

It helps to focus on your elbow tracking and retracting scapula.

Aside from that, it's not really possible to remove biceps entirely from back movements.

 

[Rival]

Does the pain linger? Or go away after an hour or so?

there was an interesting thread about this I read up on sometime ago about low bar squats being the cause of this. Do you low bar squat? I’ll post up the link if I can find it.

Dynamic shoulder dislocation/mobility stretches prior to squats seemed to help.

 

[Pineapples4Puss]

Does the pain linger? Or go away after an hour or so?

there was an interesting thread about this I read up on sometime ago about low bar squats being the cause of this. Do you low bar squat? I’ll post up the link if I can find it.

Dynamic shoulder dislocation/mobility stretches prior to squats seemed to help.

Pains do not linger. It’s more so a burn. It takes away from my back movements because my arms burn out before my back does.

 

[Pineapples4Puss]

It helps to focus on your elbow tracking and retracting scapula.

Aside from that, it's not really possible to remove biceps entirely from back movements.

I didn’t mean pull out biceps completely. It just seems that my biceps burn out before my back does on back days. I feel like I’m leaving a lot the table with my rows and pull ups.

edit: I’ve had this problem for a good year now.

 

[EazyE]

I didn’t mean pull out biceps completely. It just seems that my biceps burn out before my back does on back days. I feel like I’m leaving a lot the table with my rows and pull ups.

edit: I’ve had this problem for a good year now.

Have you tried a thumbless hook grip? It reduces Biceps activation and lets you focus on pulling with the elbows and scapular muscles.

 

[curiousG]

Like Eman said, really focus on your elbows. For pulldowns focus on your elbow pulling the weight down. Wrist straps have really helped with taking my biceps out of back. I used to have the problem you're having too.

 

[VaDImadi]

If you can find a gym with the lat pull over machine that totally removes the biceps from equation and really smokes the lats

 

[Odin13]

Something that helped me is to make finger guns with your hands. Meaning you take your thumb and forefinger off the bar completely and just grip it with the other 3 fingers. Doing that and really focusing on driving my elbows back helped tremendously. You’ll probably have to drop the weight a bit but it might be worth a shot.

 

[Pineapples4Puss]

Have you tried a thumbless hook grip? It reduces Biceps activation and lets you focus on pulling with the elbows and scapular muscles.

Cowboy fingers. Yessir. I do it for every movement. I think I just gotta do some band work and feel my scapulae more.

 

[Pineapples4Puss]

Looks like I just gotta go back to the basics. Appreciate the help from everyone.

 

[LeoTC]

Retract your scapula, pull from your elbows through your ring fingers, and don't use your thumbs.

Biggest thing for me was taking thumbs out of the equation though. Just use my hands like the meat hooks their ment to be, cuts down on forearm contraction and biceps by extension.

Edit: All of the above already mentioned. XD

Shit works though, use lighter weight on cable based pulls and modify with bands. The variable tension should help you zone in and really feel / recognize what's being activated.

 

[Test_Subject]

Strap up. Seriously, it helps a lot.

Make sure that you're initiating the movement at your back instead of pulling with your arms. You'll always use your biceps to some degree, obviously, but you can limit their involvement.

Depending on which movement you're doing, you can also try pre-fatiguing your biceps so they don't inadvertently take over. That's obviously not going to work well for heavy bent over rows, chins etc., but it's a good option for lighter cable work.

 

[S317]

This helped me a ton

 

[Pineapples4Puss]

Thanks to all the advice you guys gave me I’m having a fucking wild back workout.

first time I’ve had this good of Pump in my back in a fuckin minute thank you brothers!

 

[gr8whitetrukker]

No matter what I do. Rows, pull ups, machine rows anything my biceps/fire arms and elbows just burn after a few sets. I’ve adjusted my grip. Lightened the weight everything you can think of. Is this just normal??

i know form and how to train my back. My back used to be one of my best features of my physique. I don’t understand why. Anyone else experience this?

Yes, anyone who has ever lifted seriously has experienced this. The back is behind you and by design is hard to hit with intention. That is until youve mastered the skill of that particular lift your executing. The primary role of the lats is adduction of the arm at the shoulder. Whats this mean in straight terms? Extend your arm in front of you, supinate your wrists and rotate your extended arm in a semi circular motion straight back behind your waist line. So the contracted short position is where your arm passes your waist and then a lil inward toward your rib cage. Its not a straight line so exercise execution should reflect this. Its no matter many cant effectively hit the lats properly as most fixed machines are a 1 size fits all application. Longer levers in the variation of the human anatomy of person to person and the origin and insertion points of an individuals lats all play a huge role in execution as well.

If your having a really hard time getting in the mood to do it for the day try straight arm cable pulldowns. Thats closest to the natural movement of a flexed lat. And superset directly with a compound back movement of your choice. Always engage the lat first cuz its almost impossible for it to catch up once the bicep gets the weight in motion. It should be a painful and piercing contraction in the lats

 

[Pineapples4Puss]

Yes, anyone who has ever lifted seriously has experienced this. The back is behind you and by design is hard to hit with intention. That is until youve mastered the skill of that particular lift your executing. The primary role of the lats is adduction of the arm at the shoulder. Whats this mean in straight terms? Extend your arm in front of you, supinate your wrists and rotate your extended arm in a semi circular motion straight back behind your waist line. So the contracted short position is where your arm passes your waist and then a lil inward toward your rib cage. Its not a straight line so exercise execution should reflect this. Its no matter many cant effectively hit the lats properly as most fixed machines are a 1 size fits all application. Longer levers in the variation of the human anatomy of person to person and the origin and insertion points of an individuals lats all play a huge role in execution as well.

If your having a really hard time getting in the mood to do it for the day try straight arm cable pulldowns. Thats closest to the natural movement of a flexed lat. And superset directly with a compound back movement of your choice. Always engage the lat first cuz its almost impossible for it to catch up once the bicep gets the weight in motion. It should be a painful and piercing contraction in the lats

That video @S317 linkrd was awesome I feel like you’re describing the same thing. I’m going to be hitting back 3 times a week see if I can just drill this into my body because it’s my weakest mind to muscle connection. I feel different when I’m doing my pull ups now too. I’m starting to figure it out. Thanks for the info brotha!

 

[S317]

That video @S317 linkrd was awesome I feel like you’re describing the same thing. I’m going to be hitting back 3 times a week see if I can just drill this into my body because it’s my weakest mind to muscle connection. I feel different when I’m doing my pull ups now too. I’m starting to figure it out. Thanks for the info brotha!

John Meadows has a few videos like that. I’m currently doing his Creeping Death 2 and that activation ss made a world of difference.

 

[koolio]

A simple way is to use lifting straps!

 

[cfreetenor]

Pull through your pinkies