Such a common exercise, as the pull of the upper block to the chest, is designed to work out the muscles of the back. In fact, it is not much different from pull-ups on the horizontal bar. It will be a great addition to such basic exercises as deadlift and pull-ups on the bar, allowing you to work out your back more carefully. This is especially useful for those who, due to lack of experience, can not perform pull-ups correctly and after several repetitions lose control of the technique. If during pull-ups, body weight is a minimum burden, then here you can take weight and less to adjust the technical side of the training. When doing traction, it’s easier to control the back and not let your hands “steal” the load. Exercise has several types, let's find out what they are.
Wide grip upper chest pull
The handle of the simulator is taken straight, as wide as possible. The wider the grip, the better the back works. You need to sit on the bench tightly, pressing your hips with the upper roller. When the starting position is accepted, you can start traction. You need to pull the handle to the upper chest, trying to feel the work of the spinal muscles as much as possible. If it’s not yet clear to you how the back works, just try to pull the weight with your shoulder blades. Jerks during traction are unacceptable, as they significantly reduce the effectiveness of the exercise. At the end point, you need to hold the projectile for a couple of seconds and as much as possible controlled, slowly, return to its original position. The main goal when doing traction is to keep the back muscles in tension throughout the movement.
note
In the basic version, the main load gets the middle part of the back. Therefore, many experienced athletes lean back (and quite strongly), which allows you to load the broadest muscles. But if the goal of the workout is to make the back more lumpy, then keep your body standing perpendicular to the bench. Charles Glass (a well-known trainer, bodybuilder) recommends lowering the handle as low as possible while pulling the block, trying to hold it in the lower position for a couple of seconds. This small trick allows you to additionally pump the middle part of the spinal muscles. But note that lowering the handle below the chest with too much weight will not work.
Thrust of the upper block to the chest with a narrow grip
Technically, this exercise is almost no different from the previous one. However, here the handle is taken with a reverse grip. That is, the palms turn towards the body. They need to be located as close to the center of the handle. With proper execution, you can achieve a good load on the broadest muscles of the back.
Important Nuances
The pull of the upper block to the chest with a reverse grip includes the biceps and, to a lesser extent, the forearm. These muscles do not have such a resource as the back, so they get tired much earlier. Thus, there is a risk that the back will not work out properly when doing traction. Hand wrist straps can solve this problem. With their help, you can continue the exercise, despite the fatigue of the forearm.
Another way to ensure a quality study of the back is to use special equipment. Here, special attention should be paid to the position of the shoulders. When the athlete takes the handle of the simulator, the shoulders themselves move forward and up. They need to be taken back and down in a circular motion, this will be the starting position. In this case, the hands will be slightly bent, and the handle slightly lowered down. From this position you need to do traction. If everything is done correctly, the back muscles will get a good load, and the hands will be excluded from work almost completely. The thrust of the upper block to the chest in this design involves reducing weight in order to maintain the correct technique. Therefore, you will have to do more repetitions in order to tire the muscles.
Parallel grip
To perform this version of the exercise, you need to put a special handle with two parallel handles. Typically, this handle is used in the traction of the lower block. Technically, this method is much easier than the two previous ones. Therefore, here you can take more weight.
In the initial position, the body leans back a little. The middle point of the chest will be the point of touch. At the top point of the exercise, you should try to maximize the body up. Do not lean too far back and pull the weight. The thrust of the upper block to the chest in such a design, as well as other variants of thrusts, is performed exclusively by the muscles of the back. Before you pull the handle down, take a breath, and when it touches your chest - exhale.
The subtleties of exercise
Performing such an exercise as pulling the upper block to the chest with a parallel grip, you do not need to straighten your arms to the end. Always leave a slight bend in the elbow to avoid undue sprain of the ligaments and joints. Do not lose weight, it should always be under control. This will help make the exercise safer and more effective. Like other types of traction, this type requires special attention to the muscles of the back and arms. It is especially important to trace back tension at the top point. Basically, this exercise loads the lateral dorsal muscles, however, leaning back can also load round muscles.
Alternative
How to replace the thrust of the upper block to the chest? As already mentioned, this exercise is very similar to pull-ups on the crossbar. Therefore, for those who have a crossbar at home, there are no problems. But if one is missing, you will have to show a little more ingenuity. You can replace the exercise with a draft of a barbell or dumbbells in an incline. Here, the back muscles will be worked out from a different angle, but this is not scary, the main thing is that they will work well. If you are doing an exercise with dumbbells, the grip can be either direct (as with a barbell) or neutral (dumbbells are parallel to the body).
The second exercise that can replace the traction of the upper block is a pullover with a barbell. First you need to lie on a bench and take your hands with a barbell behind your head. In the initial position, the elbows must be bent so that the bar of the bar is not far from the forehead. This angle must be maintained over the entire range of motion. Lower the bar until the muscles feel a good stretch, and raise it until the bar is at chest level. For the exercise to be as effective as possible, monitor the level of the elbow bend - it should not change.
Conclusion
The pull of the upper block to the chest while sitting, unlike pull-ups, gives the athlete the opportunity to fully concentrate on the work of the back and not be distracted. In addition, it allows you to vary the weight, which means it is suitable for beginners, and those who recover from an injury. If you practice at home, then you can find an alternative to the traction of the upper block. The main thing is to remember that you can work out your back muscles only when the correct technique is followed and other muscle groups are excluded from the work.