Thread: Rowing: Hitting the Lower Trapezius...

Are you deadlifting? That could definitely help you in this department.

Also, how's your form on the rowing? Are you positively sure that you are retracting your scapula properly?

You may consider changing up the tempo such that you are implementing a static hold for a second with your scapula full retracted at the top of the movement. You will have to drop your weights down for this, but it's worth a shot I think.

You might also try so prone DB shrugs too. That is basically really isolated scapular retraction.

Another possibility that I have found to really hit the traps for some reason is the following exercise:

Take a close grip handle that you would use for seated rows and attach it to the pulldown machine. Grab the handle but don't sit. Take a few steps back such that the cable is somewhere around a 45 degree angle from the pulley give or take a few degrees. Get in position like you are about to do a bent row; really exaggerate your posture (Head up, chest out/shoulder blades back, lumbar lordosis). Your body should also be at about a 45 degree angle. Now start rowing to your upper chest/clavicle area. This rapes my traps beyond that of your typical row for some reason, and I have confirmed this with some of my clients.

thanks for the tips, as you recall I have a lower back injury I am recovering from at the momment, but I typically deadlift once a week. I'll try some of those out!

Originally Posted by CowPimp

Take a close grip handle that you would use for seated rows and attach it to the pulldown machine. Grab the handle but don't sit. Take a few steps back such that the cable is somewhere around a 45 degree angle from the pulley give or take a few degrees. Get in position like you are about to do a bent row; really exaggerate your posture (Head up, chest out/shoulder blades back, lumbar lordosis). Your body should also be at about a 45 degree angle. Now start rowing to your upper chest/clavicle area. This rapes my traps beyond that of your typical row for some reason, and I have confirmed this with some of my clients.

So before you bend over, youre standing in front of the pulldown machine as if to do a straight arm pulldown...then you pull the bar to below your face/neck?

At my gym, the seated cable row machine allows you to change the grip apparatus type...I use at least two different grips, a bar that allows a wide grip with hands facing each other (90 deg rotation from standard grip) and a narrow grip (close in) using a short cambered bar that you can use overhand and under grip on.

Thats three variations on one machine, plus, you can do one armed cable machine machine rows (standard overhand, short cambered bar grip).

Thats four. You can use a y-ended rope grip for yet a different way to hit the same muscles. Thats five.

I also use this same machine in an aerobic type warmup some days, in combination with 10 min on an ellptical..used like an aerobic rowing workout.