lat and chest builder that loads the stretched position harder than anything
else here: both muscles pull the arm down from overhead, so they share the arc
your elbows hold a fixed angle, so the lat works purely through shoulder
extension and the biceps never become the limiter: the only vertical pull
where that is true
tension peaks at the bottom and drains as the weight comes back over your
chest, so the top half is close to free
Execution
Lie on a bench with your head near the end. Hold an EZ-bar, a short barbell or a
heavy dumbbell with both hands above your chest, elbows bent to roughly 90
degrees.
lower the weight back over your head in an arc
hold the elbow angle throughout rather than letting your arms straighten
descend until you feel an intense stretch in your lats
pause briefly in the stretched position to maximize tension
return along the same arc
Holding the elbow angle is what lets you load this heavy, so treat it as the
setup rather than a cue. When the set gets heavy, bang out a few more reps in
the bottom half to milk the stretched position.
Purpose
lat and chest builder that loads the stretched position harder than anything
else here: both muscles pull the arm down from overhead, so they share the arc
your elbows hold a fixed angle, so the lat works purely through shoulder
extension and the biceps never become the limiter: the only vertical pull
where that is true
tension peaks at the bottom and drains as the weight comes back over your
chest, so the top half is close to free
Execution
Lie on a bench with your head near the end. Hold an EZ-bar, a short barbell or a
heavy dumbbell with both hands above your chest, elbows bent to roughly 90
degrees.
lower the weight back over your head in an arc
hold the elbow angle throughout rather than letting your arms straighten
descend until you feel an intense stretch in your lats
pause briefly in the stretched position to maximize tension
return along the same arc
Holding the elbow angle is what lets you load this heavy, so treat it as the
setup rather than a cue. When the set gets heavy, bang out a few more reps in
the bottom half to milk the stretched position.