Plank Row
Know how I kinda harp on:
- Posterior Chain
- You can never have enough Ass, Abs and Upper Back
- Lats are core
Today we’re going to beat #3 to death, again…
Lats Are Core
First things first, the “lats” cover a HUGE swath of the body:
“Latissimus dorsi is a unique muscle in terms of its anatomical design. It is a relatively thin, fan-shaped muscle, and is one of the largest in the body in surface area, covering a significant portion of the back. It assumes widespread medial attachments to the spinous processes of the lower six thoracic vertebrae, lumbar vertebrae, and sacrum, as well as to the ilium via the thoracolumbar fascia.”-Architectural analysis and predicted functional capability of the human latissimus dorsi muscle
Too often we think abs when we say core, and the “core” kids, is so much more.
What we really mean isn’t abs nor core but
TRUNK
You need yourself a big ole thick TRUNK.
Why a “trunk”?
Because a tree has a trunk and there ain’t no front and back, just a big ole interconnected trunk.
And if we think of it that way, as a trunk, it’s pretty easy to see how a muscle that spans 3/4th of the back is a vital part of stabilizing (stiffening) that trunk,
So it would only make sense to that finding exercises that would actively train the lats and rest of the TRUNK together would make sense.
Plank Row
Checklist:
- Start in a Pushup Plank: abs, glutes, quads on
- Have some width at the feet if you need it.
- Press on the floor and squeeze the glutes HARD AF to Stiffen the trunk.
- Stay stiff and row through the bottom half of the ribcage.
- Return SOFTLY, alternate.
Bro Tips:
- Active shoulders, don’t hang out. Think about pressing through the shoulder.
- Wrist STRAIGHT
- CRUSH the handles of the Kettlebell or dumbbell and USE THE PINKIE…
- Show me the t-shirt logo: think, “hips low, chest up”
Truth: If you’re pretty strong, Plank Rows are not great at training the lats.
You’re going to be expending too much effort staying tight and flat, plus, you can probably row a hell of a lot more.
Truth: the plank row FORCES you to integrate the entire TRUNK so they’re great for the abs, I mean, “Core”…
BTW: this isn’t somehow different from the “Renegade Row” or “Real Row” its all the same exercise.
Shameless Plug: I’m using Powerblock Elite 5-90lbs dumbbells here and have to tell you they’re awesome.
So far, SUPER durable, I’ve had them about 2 years and beat the hell out of them and only one small VERY easily fixed issue.
They ain’t cheap but they’re a hell of a lot cheaper than a set of dumbbells. Check em out here.
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